A tip for Ulead DVD Workshop

[Peter B]

I have discovered by trial and error, that mpegs encoded with TMPGenc and AC3 sound encoded by BeSweet do not play any audio in Workshop DVDs (though they can be fine in other products). Hopefully, I am not repeating something everyone already knows but...

However, if you create an mpeg using the Ulead MPEG Now Encoder using AC3 it can be de-multiplexed using TMPGenc tools and then muliplexed with the TMPGenc m2v file, it then plays fine in Workshop mastered DVDs.

Why bother, well the quality of TMPGenc at low varaiable bit rates is significantly better.

What I haven't been able to achieved it getting it to accept those in motion menus, it insists on rendering them, and discards the AC3 sound (or encodes it as nothing?). Still they aren't large and it will encode wave files to AC3 via the advanced setting if customise is used, though if anyone knows how to get to avoid re-encoding menus that would be useful.

Or if anyone knows how to get it to accept Besweet AC3 sound, perhaps there is a setting that should be used, that could be useful too? Still the above does work if anyone is interested.

[Dr Mordrid]

No problem using BeSweet with DVDWS here.

With my RT.X100 projects the captures are separate audio & video to start with so separating them isn't an issue.

To use BeSweet just encode the *.wav's to stereo 224 kbps *.ac3's then load 'em into DVDWS as replacement audio for the matching video clips. Next set a custom MPEG template in Make Disk using AC3 2/0 and the same bitrate for the audio and at least the same video bitrate/type as the video file, set the "don't convert compliant files" switch and burn the DVD.

When I tried this the DVD player (APEX) played it perfectly.

Dr. Mordrid

[Peter B]

H'mm, I can't load the AC3 tracks as replacement audio, it says file mismatch, in fact it doesn't offer AC3 as an audio type. I am using 192 bit rate, but that should matter. I havn't tried importing the Ulead encoded AC3, I will try that, if it does the there must be a problem with my Besweet encoding.

[Dr Mordrid]

Did you try renaming the *.ac3 file as a *.wav?

Dr. Mordrid

[Morgoth]

forgive my ignorance, but for what reasons do you want to have an ac3 sound track? Presumable it is just size, as surely transcoding to ac3 is not going to make a multi-channel file? Or does it?

thanks,

Morgoth

[Peter B]

No changing it to a *.wav did not occur to me!

Morgoth, yes size definately, it is much smaller

[mits]

Peter B, have you tried bbmpeg to multiplex your files?
I have dvdws 1.3 without the ac3 pack and it works fine with ac3 audio from besweet. This is what i do:
1. Encode the video to m2v file
2. Encode the audio to 224kbits ac3 with besweet
3. Multiplex to mpg file using bbmpg
4. Import the mpg file to dvdws and that's it

[Dr Mordrid]

AC3 audio improves DVD compatability across players, and as such is a desirable feature in authoring and editing software.

Dr. Mordrid

[mmp121]

Not to hijack the thread, but if the audio that you record from your source is only in stereo (VHS Tape), is it worth the effort to use BeSweet to make the audio portion of my final output into AC3? Or will making it an MP2 in TMPGEnc be good enough?

And the second question, how does BeSweet work, is there a how-to guide or readme with examples of the command syntax? I ask because its not GUI based.

[mits]

mmp121,
Well you are right in the part that mp2 will be enough, but as doc stated it improves compatibility -and especially for the NTSC world where one audio track must be either ac3 or PCM-. In the PAL world you won't have any problem. As for a guide for besweet have a look at http://www.dvdrhelp.com and at http://dspguru.notrace.dk/ and there is a graphics interface for besweet callled besweetgui.

[Peter B]

Sorry for my delay in replying I have been out of town.

Mits: yes I used bbmpeg to mux the AC3 audio, though I have only used a 192kbits data rate. I have also tried it with TMPGenc, but besweet audio does not play back.
Settings are 192kbits, 48hz, I haven't enabled the BS_M2S.dll, should I? I have just noticed when looking at the settings that 5.1 is enabled, though I am quite sure it was disabled for my previous attempts (I have used besweet for other activities since, though not AC3, hmmm, that may be the issue, thought the files play back fine in WinDVD). Besweet GUI is 0.6b73, I see there is a newer one, but I haven't looked at it yet.

mmp121: I use AC3 as I have better playback compatibility, even though I am in PAL land, I have had some occasional issues with mp2

There is no AC3 audio playback through DWS which is a bit of a pain, so I cannot tell if my audio will work unless it is burnt to DVD.

I have DWS 1.0, with the 1.3 update and extra content installed, what is the AC3 power pack? I have had a look at their site and it is not available as an update, is it an addtional extra, what does it do?

[mits]

Peter B,
you can have ac3 playback from dvdws if you add playac3=1 to your dvdws.ini. As for the besweet version i'll check it when i return home.

[Peter B]

Thnaks mits, AC3 now plays in review.

While I'm here, is there any way to "turn off" the Ulead "feature" that insists on relinking to a file that has changed. Both MSP and DWS do this and usually they have changed because I have changed them for a reason, Premiere, After Effects etc are happy to accept files, it would be very useful if Ulead could do the same...