AC-3 Encoding - DVDA 5 (Build178)

astar wrote on 9/29/2013, 1:31 AM

It seems that AC-3 encoding or audio track conversion in DVDA 5 (Build178) only uses one CPU, and then jumps around to various cores during the render. Not really a complaint or error with this, but it does seem like an area that could use some optimization. Using all the cores would make that conversion instantaneous, but instead it grinds away for a few mins. I doubt this due to a lack of disk IO or memory since the MPA source is only 300MB and hosted on an SSD.

Just an fyi that I noticed.

Here is the media process that I noticed it on:

Vegas XDCAM to MC DVDA MPEG2 with .MPA 384 separate audio track.
Import those files into DVDA, then build disc folder which at this point DVD converts the audio to AC-3. Use task manager to monitor CPU core utilization.

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 9/29/2013, 8:22 AM

Core utilization is hardwired into the encoder, which comes from Dolby in this case. Nothing Sony has any control over afaik.

astar wrote on 9/30/2013, 2:34 PM

Interesting. Do you work for Sony? If I were Sony, I would ask for a new build that optimizes this better, if the case is as you say it is.

Hard to believe that Sony would not have at least one guy in a cubical somewhere looking for optimization points like the one described above. It's a pretty common multi-threading issue that seems more 2000 than 2013.

Steve Mann wrote on 9/30/2013, 10:12 PM

AC3 encoding is already pretty fast, why would you want to risk a higher price for the end users (us) to pay for additional royalties to Dolby?

Besides that - "If it ain't broke...."

musicvid10 wrote on 10/1/2013, 12:06 AM

[edited]
On a slow Pentium Dual, AC3 encoding runs both cores at a steady 55%. So there is no issue whatsoever.
;?)

astar wrote on 10/9/2013, 11:06 PM

55% on a Dual Core and you think that is good? Ok yeah there is no problem...NVM

musicvid10 wrote on 10/10/2013, 9:16 AM

You just don't seem to get it.
All that 55% on a dual core means is that the CPU is [b]NOT[/B] the bottleneck in the hardware chain. Not on my machine, not on yours.
Making any other judgments about processes based on observed core utilization is flawed, incomplete reasoning.

I only pointed out that your original premise is false, nothing else. The Dolby AC3 encoder runs on more than one core.
And you respond with disrespect. You're right, never mind.
But learn the basics of encoding before you go making childish comments like that because they make you look ridiculous..
Best of luck.