AC3 and PS3

bgccdx wrote on 6/16/2007, 2:49 PM
I've recently acquired a PS3 and want to stream my videos to it but most of my videos have been edited for DVD which means that I have separate video and AC3 streams. It seems to me that I now have to re-render everything to get a single multiplexed file that I can stream to the PS3. If I do that the only audio I can include appears to be stereo. 2 questions:
1. Can I simply mux my existing *.mpg and *.ac3 files, if so what software do I need?
2. If I have to re-render, can I include AC3 audio using Vegas 7e? If so, how?

Thanks for any assistance.

Comments

MozartMan wrote on 6/16/2007, 4:31 PM
bgccdx,

You can simply mux your .mpg and .ac3 files, you don't have to re-render.
Try this program, it's free:

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/ImagoMPEG-Muxer
bgccdx wrote on 6/16/2007, 11:01 PM
Thanks. The theory is great but Vegas outputs *.mpg files and Imago only takes *.mpv, *m2v or *.mv2 files. I have tried renaming my *.mpg files to *.mpv but Imago says it's in invalid file when I try to use it. I'll look for a different muxer. Ta,
MozartMan wrote on 6/17/2007, 5:14 AM
The theory is great but Vegas outputs *.mpg files

bgccdx,

If you select separate streams when you render from Vegas, Vegas will create .m2v and .ac3 files. I just rendered .mpg file from Vegas to separate .m2v and .ac3 files and Imago muxed those files perfectly.

And in your original post you said that you had separate video and audio files. Something may be wrong with your .m2v elementary files.
bgccdx wrote on 6/17/2007, 1:52 PM
Thanks MozartMan. Over the past 3 years I have been using DVDA as well as Vegas. Therefore I have rendered everything using the "DVD Architect PAL Widescreen video stream" template. This produces *.mpg files. I see that if I select the "DVD PAL separate streams" template I get *.m2v files BUT my only audio options are stereo and mono. That's what I am wrestling with. Also, even when I select that template the file extension offered by Vegas is *.mpg. I can change it to *.m2v manually. I can them mux them with Imago. However, WMP won't play the files and the PS3 won't recognise them, but Nero plays them fine. Riddle me that one.

When you say "If you select separate streams when you render from Vegas, Vegas will create .m2v and .ac3 files." Which template do you use to create those?
MozartMan wrote on 6/17/2007, 2:14 PM
bgccdx,

I think I know what is your problem.

When you at the Render As... dialog box you need to click Custom... button and go to the System tab and click (check) the check box: "Save as separate elementary streams". This will produce elementary video stream from any MPEG template with extension .m2v.

My guess is, when you rendered your videos with "DVD Architect PAL Widescreen video stream" template, that check box "Save as separate elementary streams" was not check by default. So, you got separate video files, but your .mpg video file is not elementary stream, it contains another stream (padding stream) added by Vegas to the actual video stream. That's probably why Imago muxer complained.

------------

I see that if I select the "DVD PAL separate streams" template I get *.m2v files
That's because that check box on System tab is checked by default with this template.

Also, even when I select that template the file extension offered by Vegas is *.mpg. I can change it to *.m2v manually.
When you select check box "Save as separate elementary streams" on the System tab actual extension of the rendered file will be .m2v.

---

You don't have to re-render all your .mpg separate video files with Vegas again. You will loose quality and it will take a lot of time, i guess.

Browes this page and find free de-muxer and demux your separate .mpg video files into elementary .m2v video streams:

http://www.videohelp.com/tools?toolsearch=&Submit=Search&s=111&orderby=Name&hits=50&convert=&dvdauthorfeatures=
bgccdx wrote on 6/17/2007, 3:13 PM
Awesome MozartMan. Sounds like the answer. I will check after work today. Thanks.