No Audio - TMPGEnc/DVD Lab

[turet]

I'm slowly working my way up the learning curve...

I captured a movie, used TMPGEnc's DVD wizard to create a new file, after trimming beginning and ending. Then opened that in DVD Lab and added chapter points, then outputed that and burned it using Roxio.

My Sony DVD player won't play the sound. Cineplayer won't either. My Sony says it's playing an Mpeg, which I don't recall it saying on anything else I've created. The Sony hasn't been very picky about any of this.

The sound file is recognized by DVD Lab and by DVD Shrink for that matter, so I know it's there somewhere.

Thanks again for all your help, folks!

[rsquirell]

Are you sure that when you took it to the burner you instructed it to make a Video DVD (and not an Image file or a data file)? Also, open TMPGenc...go to File>>MPEG Tools>>Demultiplex and load the MPEG2 or VOB in and report back what it says for "audio stream" information.

[turet]

Roxio doesn't have any options like that except within the "DVD Builder," which is an authoring program. When I burned Amelie last week, I did just do a "data DVD," and put in the audio and video folders, and it played just fine.

I just tried to input the VOBs into the DVD Builder program by dragging the video folder to the place where one does that in order to bring it into the assembly screen. ROxio gave me an error message saying there was no audio and therefore it wouldn't work properly. I don't think this is because there is no audio, just that Roxio wasn't recognizing that audio was embedded.

Sure enough, there was no audio when I forced the video VOBS into the assembly area.

Earlier, I took the mpeg that TMPGEnc had encoded and had TMPGEnc demultiplex it. No problem. When I tried to bring the audio portion back in, the program didn't recognize that the file was an mpg (weird), so I had to force it open either by dragging and dropping or by asking it to search within "all files." Either way it was not running in the task manager and Windows couldn't even get the thing to shut down. This happened several times as I tried various approaches. I finally gave up.

The only thing I can think right now is to go over to Roxio's BBS and see if they know how I can get the sound recognized in the VOBs.

Gee, this is fun.

Thanks for your help.

[turet]

Darn, thought I had it. Turns out Roxio put the ability to burn from a video DVD source file into their "disk copy" utility. Who knew? They say that nowhere in their manual, or tutorials, but it's there. The program even recognized that there was an English language track and asked if I wanted that. Disk burned...

No sound on my player, and it still says it's playing an Mpeg.

Now what?

[turet]

I tried having DVD Lab transcode the audio as PCM and then compiled it that way. No difference, still says it's playing an Mpeg, still no sound.

Video Studio 7 had no problem working with the mpegs created by Sonic MyDVD working with my capture device. Neither did Roxio's DVD Builder for that matter, although I never tried actually burning from there, but it played fine inside the program. According to the Roxio BBS, everyone's having problems burning from inside the DVD Builder.

Should have gotten Nero...but I really like the labeling program with Roxio's suite and I have an archive of those labels that I wanted to maintain.

Oh well. Do you think I'd have better luck with TMPGE DVD Author, rather than DVD Lab? I can't imagine it would make much difference, but ya never know, I guess.

[turet]

When using TMPGEnc, in regard to the audio, I told it to use Mpeg, rather than the CBR linear option (which they said made 155 mins of movie fit onto one disk...that didn't sound very desireable). Was I right to do that?

[rsquirell]

I know nothing about DVD Lab...but if you take a TMPGenc-made MPEG2 into TMPGenc DVD Author you should have no problems. If you're running XP or Win2000 it'll burn your video DVD , also...you can cut Roxio out of the loop.

[turet]

OK, I guess that's the next step in working this out.

Thanks!

[ormonde]

"Earlier, I took the mpeg that TMPGEnc had encoded and had TMPGEnc demultiplex it. No problem. When I tried to bring the audio portion back in, the program didn't recognize that the file was an mpg (weird)"

I'm assuming that you were successful in getting a workable mpg file (.mv2) out of TMPGEnc. Is your audio file a Dolby digital Ac3? You might try demuxing with VirtualDubMod–a free program–your audio file. I've found that TMPGEnc is finicky about audio when de-multiplexing. If you use VirtualDubMod, make sure after you open your .VOB file, you have "direct stream processing" enabled. Then go to streams list and demux your audio. Go back to TMPGEnc and multiplex your .mv2 and .ac3–if that is what your audio file is.

[turet]

I don't know if I have a workable file. I think the problem may be using DVD Lab. I've heard that if I take an encoded file from TMPGEnc and use their DVD Author program, I may not have problems. That's my next step.

I started with a Mpeg 2 from my Sonic MyDVD software with Adaptec's capture device. Those are good mpegs, at least Ulead's Video Studio 7 has had no problems with them. These are not AC3's. I do appreciate your recommendations for the freebie software. I'm just getting into all this and may need some of the programs you mention.

I guess my next step is to try the TMPGE DVD Author program and see how that works. Fortunately I just got a new external hard drive and have kept copies of all the various versions of my file, so trying new things isn't that time consuming.

Thanks for your help! I'd be lost without this BBS!

[rsquirell]

I'm losing my train of thought, here...ULead VideoStudio 7? If you have VS7 It (in some cases) Captures as well as edits...and after it's created the MPEG a box pops up with the burning engine to prep/author the DVD and (in most cases) burn. It might be all you need.

[ormonde]

"Thanks for your help! I'd be lost without this BBS!"

Glad to be of help.

[turet]

My Adaptec capture device (external) only works with an older version of Sonic's MyDVD, nothing else. I'm very happy with VS7, except that it doesn't compress at all. Well, my only complaint so far is that after I put in chapters, sometimes in the later chapters the sound/video are out of sync, very slightly. That's what's great about demuxing and then reassembling..it prevents that problem, I think.

I have many taped TV shows that are 45 mins long with the commercials removed and I simply must fit two of them on one disc, or it's kinda silly. The idea of encoding and editing in DVD Lab/TMPGE DVD Author is really all about getting it into a form so I can DVD Shrink it. Actually I've learned that TMPGE allows you to set the bitrate to match the size of the disc, so I probably won't even need to use DVD Shrink.

I'm trying to do something very simple -- get rid of all these old (and deteriorating) videotapes and put content on DVD.
But, as always, it becomes a matter of figuring out the best way to do it.

I have Roxio's suite, but they only offer one level of compression (extreme, resulting in very poor quality from what I'm told), so I don't even want to go there.

Despite my problems with audio this weekend, the 2 hour movie I captured from video was very good quality when fitted onto the DVD. Way better than what Roxio's offering, I think, so it's worth it.

Thanks again!

[rsquirell]

I understand the problem...but I'm able to get 5-6 45 min TV shows on one disc. Besides the DVD Shrink, you can also significantly reduce the size of your capture by capturing at a lower resolution and bit rate. Also, as long as you're working with it, in TMPGenc go to File>>MPEGTools>>Demultiplex and load your capture file into "source" and read what the audio stream says...if it's a LinearPCM stream you can reduce the size of the video by 1/3 just by converting it.

[turet]

Right. I don't want to reduce the resolution too much. 2 hours of programming tops. This has been almost as good as the original.

Thanks!