Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: Creating Multichannel DVD-As? (Read 3787 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

I realize that I'm at least a decade late to this particular party, but we would like to convert our digital multichannel (MC) audio files to our own custom MC DVD-As to play when we're on the go.

My research is telling me that there used to be several "DVD Authoring" options, back in the day, for making this happen, but most of the utilities I've researched are "abandonware" now and, more to the point, are no longer available.  Our goal is to create 24-bit 48kHz 4.0 and 5.1 DVD-As, but we don't have a need for anything other than normal playback.  Yeah, we would like to be able to select individual tracks, but that's as complicated as it gets.

I also understand that setting up the DVD-R with the proper file structure is only part of the process.  Apparently, it's converting one's FLAC or WAV files to the MLP that the DVD-A players like that's the toughest issue here.  If anyone has any words of wisdom in this regard, I'd be much obliged to read them.   By the way, we're Mac folks, but we could always resurrect a PC, if necessary.

Thank you kindly for your time,
Okla

 

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #1 –
DVD-A is supposed to support LPCM, as well as MLP. As long as you can fit the audio onto the disc, you should be able to avoid the need for an MLP encoder. You can save quite a bit of space by dithering down to 16/48, instead of using 24/48, which wouldn't sound any better, anyway.

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #2 –
Last software I used (at friend's place, as he had studio and bought it, and I remember it was expensive) was DiscWelder, it could make complete ISO out of input files, and compress them with MLP. But that was, like, 15 years ago. As far as I know, no software exists now (these were in Windows XP time), but could I suggest you to make standard DVD Video with uncompressed audio? Video part could have static picture with info on track currently playing if you want to view it, and audio can be uncompressed, too. Software for DVD mastering is still available, even free ones, and any standard DVD player plays them.
TAPE LOADING ERROR

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #3 –
Instead of DVD-Audio you can create simple DVD video with audio in uncompressed LPCM and video as black screen. This way it will be supported by most of DVD players unlike DVD-Audio. Lplex can do this.
Also, why not just burn audiol files as data to DVD-R?

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #4 –
Here's an update:

As I wish to get as much information as possible into this post, I'll start from the beginning.  Please note that all of this testing was done in the Mac OS X 10.11.6 and, later, via macOS 10.12.6 environments.

We started our multichannel (MC) DVD-Audio (DVD-A) experiment by using the freeware 'Sonore SACD Extract GUI' to rip DSF/DSD files from an MC SACD in our modest collection.  As my research was telling me that WAV files were easier to convert to MLP, I used 'JRiver Media Center for Mac' to convert the DSF/DSD files to MC WAV.  Next, I employed the freeware 'FFmpeg' to convert our MC WAV files to MLP.  After gleaning as much as a layman can/could from the internet, I downloaded and installed the Mac version of the freeware, 'DVD-A Author GUI.'  It worked fine at creating the typical VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders. It also loaded the AUDIO_TS files with all the appropriate MLP MC audio files that one typically sees when exploring a DVD-A.  In addition, DVD-A Author GUI employs a patch to the freeware 'mkisofs' to create an ISO image files that contains the VIDEO_TS and the AUDIO_TS folders and the appropriate files.  Long story a bit shorter, this all went very well...but, unfortunately, the DVD-A Author GUI software never "found" our DVD writer, so all I ended up with was the digital ISO image file.

As DVD-A Author would not connect to our DVD writer, I tried using the ISO image capable 'Burn To Disc' utility that comes with both Mac OS X 10.11.6 and macOS 10.12.6.  Unfortunately, this utility didn't handle the MC ISO properly and, in the end, created a disc that our DVD-A player identifies as a DATA DISC.

As I've now had a 3rd party burn the ISO image to create a functioning DVD-A, via 'ImgBurn' for Windows, I know that the ISO file rendered by DVD-A Author GUI was authored correctly...so the problem, as I see it, is finding a burn/record utility for Mac that can handle a MC IS0 image file.  By the way, I've tried 'Burn for Mac,' but the only audio files it will burn to DVD-A are stereo audio files: not MC audio files. 

If anyone has any thoughts on a Mac utility that can handle MC audio ISO images, I'd appreciate your help.  Otherwise, I may be looking at trying to figure out how to get DVD-A Author GUI to find our DVD writer.  Either way, I'd really appreciate any assistance I can get.

Thank you for your time        

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #5 –
I've never had a DVD-A player.

A couple of people suggested LPCM, but as you may know the regular video DVD standards only support LPCM stereo (or mono).   If you can use a non-standard format burned onto a disc, FLAC might be an option.   I think my Blu-Ray player can play FLAC but it's not a Blu-Ray or DVD standard so players are not required to support it.    

There are several lossless Blu-Ray formats.

...To me regular Dolby AC3 sounds GREAT,

Quote
As to play when we're on the go.
What does that mean?   Is DVD-A your only option?   It was never popular and it's pretty much a dead format.   

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Bogozo on
Quote from: DVDdoug on
regular video DVD standards only support LPCM stereo (or mono).
No.
https://web.archive.org/web/20180323175710/http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/Book_B/Audio.html
No. Doug is 100% correct.

I have an old Sony DVP-NS300 and Sony PS2. I don't even have to check for specifications.
Just by looking at them, you can see coaxial and Toslink output on DVD, and only Toslink output on PS2.
Clearly not enough bandwidth for anything more than stereo LPCM.
gold plated toslink fan

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Markuza97 on
I don't even have to check for specifications.
Really? But you NEED to check it. https://web.archive.org/web/20180323175710/http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/Book_B/Audio.html

Quote from: Markuza97 on
Just by looking at them, you can see coaxial and Toslink output on DVD, and only Toslink output on PS2.
Are you going to say, that DVD players with multichannel analog output don't exist?
 

Re: Creating Multichannel DVD-As?

Reply #9 –
I have no idea whether a player is required by the standard to handle more than two LPCM channels.
And I have no idea if manufacturers do (anymore) care about that part of the standard.