Surround sound music - best container/codec for quality and compatibility?

[danmosa]

Hi folks

Audio guy here. Not sure what the appropriate forum is for this. I've tried searching for an answer to this issue for a week now but I'm not able to find exactly the info I need. I'm trying to figure out the best way in which I could distribute some music I'm mixing in 5.1 surround sound. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to videos however, so go easy on me. I apologise in advance if I stuff up terminology, and please do correct me on it!

Essentially what I'd like to do is figure out what the best format would be for the average consumer to be able to play back the material properly. Currently, I have 6 channel multichannel .wav files (exported directly from Pro Tools) and 5.1 .ac3 versions of these created with Audacity. These both play back fine on my PC with VLC, but I don't think these will play correctly on something like a PS3/4, Xbox 360/One etc. which I assume many people have as part of their home theatre systems.

I assume the best way around this will be to insert the multichannel audio into a dummy video file (maybe just with the song title/album artwork making up the visual content).

I have already tried doing this with Adobe Premiere Pro at my university, but could only export as AAC 5.1 in an mp4 container. I sent this to somebody I know with a surround system and a PS3, and it didn't play. In fact, completely failed to appear on the USB. Apparently PS3s only support 2 channel AAC in an mp4 container, so that rules that out (unless I've done something wrong on the export). I cannot export as an mp4 with ac3 from Premiere Pro as that would require me to spend $300 for SurCode. I'm a student and this is for a university project, so I'd rather save my money.

My questions are:

What codec will best preserve the quality (lossless 6 channel, 24 bit depth, 48 kHz sample rate) of the audio I already have? Because I'm dealing purely with music, ideally I'd like something lossless like LPCM, but I'll definitely settle for lossy if it means better compatibility with a variety of systems. I'd also like to avoid any extra processing such as dynamic range compression.

What container can I put this encoded audio into, and what software (preferably free) will I need to do it?

How can I create a very simple video, basically a still picture, to also include in the file? Like I said, I have access to Adobe Premiere Pro, but it is overkill for my needs.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

[aedipuss]

for older systems maybe use dvd spec mpeg-2 with 5.1 ac3. you should be able to export that from premiere pro, just add a picture and stretch it the length of the audio. 720x480 is ntsc standard, 720x576 for pal.

for saving as a 5.1 lossless audio file i would try flac

[danmosa]

Thanks aedipuss

Finally got a chance to try what you described. The biggest issue with this is that the process you've mentioned generates two different files - the .m2v and the .ac3. Playing the m2v on my PC through VLC I hear no audio.

I'd like everything to be contained in one file and I'd like it to be compatible with PC/Mac, PS3/4 and Xbox 360/One, so if you've any other suggestions on how to do this I'd love to hear them.

[jagabo]

Just mux the m2v and ac3 tracks into an MPG container. Or MP4 or MKV. Or author them to a DVD.

[KarMa]

Xbox 360 only supports 5.1 AC3 in an .AVI container, and supports 5.1 WMA in a .WMV container. AAC is stereo only in .MP4.

[stonesfan129]

The best container for quality and compatibility would be WAV (PCM). It will preserve the full 24-bit, 48khz 5.1 audio. The only problem with WAV files is they are very big, especially when they are 24/48 and 6 channels.

[pandy]

The best container for quality and compatibility would be WAV (PCM). It will preserve the full 24-bit, 48khz 5.1 audio. The only problem with WAV files is they are very big, especially when they are 24/48 and 6 channels.

LOL and very big one - try to send 6 PCM channels over regular S/PDIF... wav is compatible only in PC world - that's all... broadcast standards provide highest level of compatibility and AC-3 (Dolby Digital) is this kind of standard (IMHO after all those years it is still not bad in quality/bandwidth terms...).

[stonesfan129]

The best container for quality and compatibility would be WAV (PCM). It will preserve the full 24-bit, 48khz 5.1 audio. The only problem with WAV files is they are very big, especially when they are 24/48 and 6 channels.

LOL and very big one - try to send 6 PCM channels over regular S/PDIF... wav is compatible only in PC world - that's all... broadcast standards provide highest level of compatibility and AC-3 (Dolby Digital) is this kind of standard (IMHO after all those years it is still not bad in quality/bandwidth terms...).

I wasn't sure if he was sending over optical or not. Yes, in that scenario, you are correct that Dolby AC-3 would be ideal. If he has HDMI available, then go PCM.

[pandy]

I wasn't sure if he was sending over optical or not. Yes, in that scenario, you are correct that Dolby AC-3 would be ideal. If he has HDMI available, then go PCM.

Also it may be better to use AC-3 as some HDMI sink devices are not capable to receive more than 2 PCM and they can receive AC-3.

Don't get me wrong technically you are right - PCM seem to be optimal way but sadly i must say, non free, proprietary AC-3 is really hard to beat in terms of standardization and popularity in multichannel audio - as a customers most of us paid to Dolby (royalties) multiple time for same... (every device even where AC-3 is not used cost us few tens of cents or more).

[danmosa]

Thanks for all the help everybody. I've finally got a working .mp4 with AC3 audio playing correctly on a PS3. I simply tried exporting on a different version of Premiere Pro and all appears to be working correctly.

Do you also suspect that the same file would play properly on an Xbox 360/One? I don't have one to test on, but I would assume so. Still, can never be certain.

Thanks again all!