How to convert WAV/MPA/MP3 audio to AC3(DD) using Besweet

[mp3superfreak]

My last few posts have been incorrect. My Pioneer did NOT have a problem w/ DVDit PE and the playback of the AC3 file (it was my Apex 1100w). I've spent so much time trying the BeSweet AC3 files, I forgot about my short DVDit PE experience. Sorry for the confusion.

Anyone else out there have a newer Pioneer DVD player and can test a BeSweet AC3 conversion? It would be interesting to see if other brands have problems with BeSweet as well.

[spid]

I have just tested BeSweet's ac3 on my new Pioneer DV-340 and the sound skips, i noticed this problem on my friends old DVD/LD combo Pioneer (don't know what model but old)... Plays just fine on Realmagic decoder/powedvd/xbox dvd player.. weird, is it the Endians who chopped my sound? 8)
Going to use soft encode now instead until a Pioneer compatible Besweet...

[Lamont Cranston]

the ac3 track produced by besweet is not compliant with dvd standard. it's endian is Intel while it should be Motorola (big-endian) .. there were a few other more (really) minor things also. DVD ac3 says Motorola is the standard (why? - because the first dvd were all produced on UNIX machines (SGI) and/or the first hardware encoders set the bit high)

BJ_M

There seems to be some disagreement on the required byte order (MSB vs LSB). There is an option in SoftEncode to set the byte order (Intel vs Motorola) in the ac3 file. The following is from the help file.

Save frames in Intel byte order

This parameter determines the byte order of the saved AC-3 file. When this option is unchecked, the file will be saved in Motorola byte order. This can potentially increase the time it takes to encode a file. All Dolby Digital decoders should be able to decode Intel or Motorola byte ordered files. Therefore, it is recommended that this option be left checked unless Motorola byte ordering is specifically required.
Note: when time code stamps are added this option will be unavailable and the file will be saved in Motorola byte order.

I am trying to solve the mystery and so far I can't find one case where there is a problem with BeSweet ac3 file except for audio quality which is reported as poor. The problems reported here, skipping etc, can be caused by muxing parameters.

[BJ_M]

I have a Dolby Hardware encoder and manual and it specifically states that dvd compliance is only for motorola endian ..

this is also true in most raw files , omf files also

the sonic scenarist encoder even hard codes the choice between the two endians but states right in the app that motorola (DVD compliant) only

when you use the dolby ac3 analyzer , if it is not motorola byte order it says 'non compliant'


The output on the dolby hardware encoder can ONLY be motorola byte order

ac3 file should (but are not required) time stamps - even on the softencode i notice it says when time stamps are added -> it defaults to motorola ..

Surcode ac3 encoder says its output is motorola

Have not tested (nor do i have) the new SF acid ac3 encoder plug in ...

[BJ_M]

you are right about multiplexing though .. there are a lot of specific setting and such in the muxer i use (which is why it is 3500$) , i'm not so sure tmpgenc would be as good (though wouldnt it be a pissoff it was !) ..

i would tend to believe though that spruce 's mutiplexer is very good ...

[Lamont Cranston]

BJ_M I created an ac3 file with Softencode with 'save in intel byte order' checked. I created the file fine but when I tried to mux it with TMPGEnc it rejected the file as invalid. I could mux the file with BBMpeg but it played with no audio with PowerDVD. I can only conclude there is not a problem with the byte order with BeSweet ac3.

If TMPGEnc is rejecting the file on byte order, which is the only parameter I changed, then BJ_M I question the results of your ac3 analyzer. Any thoughts?

[BJ_M]

well its a Tektronix MTS300 w/ the ac3 option and software and costs about 60k and calibrated once a year .. so if it is muffed , what can say .. our techs use it , i don't ...

[andjayik]

will this work for a vcd or svcd?

[Robjn21]

Hi

CAN ANYONE HELP ME PLS........

im tring to put a ac3 file to a mpeg2 file into spruce up, to make a dvd.
I ripped the audio file form a AVI movie with Virtual dub to a wav file.
Then coverted the wav to AC3 with BESWEET. Then using TMPEnc i de-mulitplex the movie & the sound then multiplex the movie & the AC3 file with bbmpeg NO PROBS.
When i try to import to spruce up it just hangs at 100%..
anyone with any ideas.

Cheers

rob

[clafferty]

i can verify that yes, besweet ac3 files cause freezes on panasonic DVD players. looking for a copy of soft encode now unless someone posts a fix here...

[Lamont Cranston]

i can verify that yes, besweet ac3 files cause freezes on panasonic DVD players. looking for a copy of soft encode now unless someone posts a fix here...

You should state which model Panasonic has the freeze problem. DVDs with BeSweet ac3 audio tracks play fine on my Panasonic DVD A-120.

[Jimmyvcdfuckwit]

Maybe you lot can answer my question.
I followed this guide to convert Audio from an SVCD to DVD project I was doing.
Authored and burned fine and the disc worked in everyones player fine except mine. I have a JVC THA-5R cinema system and whenever I try and author a DVD the sound always glitches at the top end, every 5 seconds or so. Is this coz I'm converting from 192-384 or is it coz the video stream is VBR and the audio CBR? Like I say, it works on my other less expensive machines but not mine. However, DVD's that I get that have been authored by other people seem to work fine aswell. I can't seem to get to the bottom of this problem.
Can the birate of a 2 Ch DD be as much as 384 or does it have to stay at the original birate of 192?
Answers on a postcard please to>>>
Here will do

[BJ_M]

don't ever convert the bitrate of a ac3 stream .... this is a bad thing ...

[rufus1995]

how long does it take bsweet to convert, i saved the ac3 fileto temp file and it is not there? what happen, it says it was initialing then it was gone, so did i to somthing wrong?

[rufus1995]

also how will i know it coverted? will it tell me in properties

[jmbuis]

Just to confirm that ac3 files encoded with besweet v1.4 make the dvd's freeze in my two standalone players as soon as there is sound :

Pioneer DV-606D (US)
Pioneer DV-535 (Europe)

there's never been any problem with original ac3 streams from commercial movies or mp2 encoded audio

however, scenarist encoded ac3 streams seem to work

[kitty]

To report bugs see http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15738#post77320

[Scoty]

i have read the guid and i can convert from wav too ac3 but i can not hear a sound from the ac3. i have a Audigy 2 and play the ac3 with PowerDVD and Creative Player. other ac3 file working and my ac3 can play but i have no sound. what can i do?

[BJ_M]

i think its been established that for many people .. besweet encoder doesnt exactly work yet .. not 100%

alternitive would be to buy a ac3 encoder or an authoring app that has one built in ..

[Scoty]

which ac3 encoder or an authoring working 100% ?

[onlyone]

I followed the instructions in the guide explictily. When I'm converting the WAV to AC3 the Transcoding DOS window says (and it states this halfway through the encoding process but does not stop the process) Fatal Error MAXFRAMESIZE. And then after multiplexing it in TMPEGENC I play it in the PS2, works fine, play it on the PC with PowerDVD, works fine. Play it on my Toshiba Progressive Scan, the audio and video freeze and skip. Can anyone help?

[Cornucopia]

Just some additional notes of possible interest,

If you use Maestro to author, it WON'T work with Intel-ordered (little-endian) AC3 files, only Motorola-ordered. It'll accept them, but will give you error messages when you go to compile.

Also, the hardware AC3 encoder I have ONLY does Motorola.

Scott

[BJ_M]

motorola is the standard for DVD (from the first dvd's were done on sgi's (not motorola but same idea) and macs)

intel byte order is used on a lot of wav files though .. which can cause problems translating raw audio files between mac and pc //

[hrpinman1]

Hello and thank you so much for your very useful guide. One question, you mentioned that if producing an NTSC DVD, there must be an AC3 or WAV audio track, (and not mpg2 audio).....Can you confirm this? I read elsewhere that most DVD players will be able to handle mp2 audio on a DVD. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Steve

[BJ_M]

mpg2 audio is now optional -- players are not required to play it to be compliant -- most do though (but not all)

[lordsmurf]

Using BeSweet to convert 44.1hz MP2 audio files to AC3 2/0 48hz stereo format with BeSweet, I get cracking in the audio.

Why?

I followed this guide to the letter.

[shoon]

Okay. My problem isn't about converting WAV/MPA/MP3 audio over to AC3 using Besweet, but you guys say that AC3 is usually used in DVDs. Well, what I did was this and here's my problem: I made a separate file for each the video and audio of a film. I used tmpgenc to separate those files and used Besweet to convert the audio file of the film into AC3. Well, I want to combine the AC3 file of audio back to the video, but tmpgenc says now that it cannot be done (encoding .ac3 audio with the video). What can I do? Is there another way to do it?

[shoon]

Nevermind. Found a way.

[Mythos2002]

I've been trying to follow the guide. I'm having trouble getting BeSweet to work with TMPNGEnc. I always get the error BeSweet.exe cannot be used as an external audio encoder. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Also, what is the best way to raise the volume and not have dialogue sound computerized? I've made an AC3 file without TMPNGEnc and the voulume was lower than the source wav and the dialogue sounded processed or computerized. It's hard to explain.

Mythos

[TheDJ®]

I've just encoded wav > ac3 using besweet 0.6 @ 384kbps, the audio is very quiet. (The wav was extracted using VD, so has this now changed to 2 channel stereo instead of AC3?)

I am also concerned about if i enter the ac3 into tmpgenc and encode to mpeg2 (DVD), if it will play in standalone dvd's?? I have read this thread, and doesnt sound like it will work??

any suggestions on how to increase volume of ac3 and if wot i have converted using bewseet has encoded the wav to ac3 (DD) ??