A Distressing Discovery re Burning Blu-ray

[George Tyndall]

Abstract: If one wishes one's audio to be as high-quality as one's Blu-ray video, then one may be disappointed with DVD AS5.0--but very happy if one wishes to produce only SD DVDs.

Method:

I burned 4 different discs with DVD AS5 as follows:

1. A SD DVD with Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio.

2. A Blu-ray disc wih the audio output from PRE7 as AC-3 but recompressed by DVD AS5 to PCM.

3. A Blu-ray disc wih the audio output from PRE7 as PCM but recompressed by DVD AS5 to PCM.

4. A Blu-ray disc wih the audio output from PRE7 as PCM audio ony, which resulted in a WAV file that needed no recompression and which I placed on the DVD AS5 timeline.

Results:

1. When playing each disc on a desktop LG Blu-ray player, only #1 played all the way through without "hanging" and

2. Only with #1 was my Onkyo 7.1 home theater able to create surround sound.

Conclusions:

1. If one intends to create only SD DVDs, then DVD AS5 is a fabulous program but if

2. one wishes to have high-quality surround sound that does not hang to accompany one's HD video but one also wishes to take advantage of the program's many other capabilites for burning Blu-rays, then it appears one may need to purchase Vegas Movie Studio 10 which, according to RJ, is capable of burning AC-3 audio. (DVD Architect Pro cannot be purchased separately, according to RJ.)

The Pro program lists for $600

[RJ Johnston]

Let me clarify regarding AC-3 in Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 10 Platinum. Forget what I said. Since you can burn SD DVD with AC-3 in DVDAS, and you don't have VMS10P, then my theory doesn't hold up about needing VMS10P to have AC-3 in DVDAS.

[George Tyndall]

Let me clarify regarding AC-3 in Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 10 Platinum. Forget what I said. Since you can burn SD DVD with AC-3 in DVDAS, and you don't have VMS10P, then my theory doesn't hold up about needing VMS10P to have AC-3 in DVDAS.

No worry RJ, 'coz you won't believe what I just discovered: Although DVDA Pro 5.2 cannot be purchased separately from Vegas Movie Pro 10, the trial can be downloaded separately, whIch I've already done--and with which I am presently burning a Blu-ray with AVC video and AC-3 audio.

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/dvdarchitectpro

I've got to log off and shut down so I can transfer the disc to my LG and play it back. Be back shortly with a report!

[George Tyndall]

Be back shortly with a report!

DVDA Pro 5.2: What a disappointment!

The AC-3 audio on the SD DVD made with DVD AS5 still sounds by far the best of all the discs when played with the home theater, however, the very best audio of all--the most transparent of all, to use another member's term--results from playing either the AVC/AC-3 or the AVC/PCM files on the HDD with $20 Sony headphones plugged into the machine's motherboard (using the VLC player and the headphones without an extension cord).*
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*Addendum: When I played the SD DVD with the VLC player upon awakening (having forgotten which DVD was in my machine's LG Blu-ray drive), I actually thought I was watching the HD version on my 52-inch HDTV. It looked even better than the "up-res'd" version that I get when playing a SD DVD with the LG desktop player.