No sound on Sony AVC encoder

jpaguila wrote on 12/20/2008, 7:23 AM

Hi..

I have a problem with Vegas 8.1 on a fresh installed Windows Vista 64 bits.
Every time I render withe Sony AVC encoder and select either AVCHD or Mp4 streams with audio included (I do select the "Inlclude audio" option in the audio tab) I get the file without the audiostream. The video stream is fine.
If I render the exact some project in my older PC with Vegas 8.0c and same settings audio works out fine.
I'd like to render on my newer machine since it's a lot faster and I want to upgrade my older to Vista 64 but this issue keeps me from doing it.

Thanks a lot.

Comments

InterceptPoint wrote on 12/20/2008, 7:53 AM

I've posted on the same exact topic just yesterday.

See: "Sony AVC Audio is Missing" below.

I hope someone besides you and I have seen this problem and solved it. So far no bites on my thread.

jpaguila wrote on 1/10/2009, 3:22 PM

Installed Vegas 8.1 on my notebook just for testing Windows Vista 64, 4Gb RAM, same problem...

Any ideas?

InterceptPoint wrote on 1/11/2009, 5:12 AM

There seems to be a conspiracy of silence on this issue. Maybe you and I are the only ones who have the problem. I'm still looking for a solution.

InterceptPoint wrote on 1/11/2009, 6:05 AM

Well you got me working on this problem again and I have one solution.

Render to Sony AVC video without audio and separately render to .ac3. Keep the file names the same for both renders. Open up DVD Architect for a Blu-Ray disk and the video file will load and so will the .ac3 audio and the audio and video are in sync. I rendered a short test file to an .iso file and Nero Showtime 4 (comes with Nero 8) can play it.

[edit] I would add that if you render to .m2ts rather than .avc for the video then you can import the .m2ts file into NeroVision 5 (also comes with Nero 8) and it will see the corresponding .ac3 file just fine. Add menus, burn to a standard DVD and this disk will play in a PS3 (and I presume other Blu-ray players) with full menu support. The only problem I saw with this process (so far) is a slight loss of contrast in the NeroVision output compared to the original .m2ts test file as played on my PS3.

Also note that you cannot use this same workflow with DVDA. It is just not supported.

blink3times wrote on 1/11/2009, 9:09 AM

As far as I understood it (and I could be wrong) but AVC is an elementary video stream without audio.

AVCHD is audio and video.

InterceptPoint wrote on 1/11/2009, 9:17 AM

You could well be right about AVC but then why do the templates in Vegas provide for "include audio"?

blink3times wrote on 1/11/2009, 9:19 AM

I believe the encoder includes the audio option for the OTHER formats.

blink3times wrote on 1/11/2009, 9:29 AM

In fact if you go to SONY AVC encoder and set it for a Blu Ray template and then go to the system tab under customize it will say:

VIDEO ELEMENTARY STREAM (.AVC)

So "avc" is a avchd stream without audio.

MTS, M2TS, TS....etc are avchd streams with audio

(Ishould point out that the PS3 reads it this way too. AVC stream, bitrate xxx, Audio;.....)

With the little experience that I have with avchd I have found that things are much more stable in general if you render the video/audio elementary streams (using the pro ac3 encoder) and then import this to dvda. Vegas seems to handle the elementary streams better than m2ts, ts.... etc

InterceptPoint wrote on 1/11/2009, 9:42 AM

True enough and the "include audio" checkbox on the audio tab is grayed out for the .avc elementary stream case.

But if you go to the system tab and switch to the MPEG-2 transport stream the "include audio" checkbox lights up and you can then (one would logically conclude) include audio. But you can't. For me at least the render does not generate an audio track.

I think your advice on separate streams is correct and, at least for me, is the only option.

blink3times wrote on 1/11/2009, 10:02 AM

"MPEG-2 transport stream" is a M2T (or a M2TS) which by nature carries audio... as well as some transportation info.... and there is a slightly unnoticed feature there (or lack there of)

You will generate a M2TS file complete with audio (that's what a M2TS is)... but did you notice that the Pro AC3 encoder is NOT an option?

I have a feeling that this has something to do with Dolby Licensing... but that's just a guess. The point is though that you're left with no choice but to use the studio encoder.... which has alway been a bit whacked.

InterceptPoint wrote on 1/11/2009, 12:39 PM

Yes the .m2ts file is SUPPOSED to have audio. Have you tried it? Do you get an audio track when you select MPEG-2 and check the "include audio" checkbox? I don't. And others have seen this problem as well.

ECB wrote on 1/11/2009, 1:49 PM

Deleted. I missed this was a Vegas 8.1 problem.

Ed B

blink3times wrote on 1/11/2009, 3:04 PM

"Yes the .m2ts file is SUPPOSED to have audio. Have you tried it? Do you get an audio track when you select MPEG-2 and check the "include audio" checkbox? I don't. And others have seen this problem as well."

You're absolutely correct. I just tried it..... no audio in 8.1 (8c works fine). Furthermore, I can get the M2TS to play in VLC, but if I try to import the rendered M2TS into Vegas (both 8c and 8.1) I get a "can't open" error.

8.1 is CLEARLY buggered for M2TS files

ECB wrote on 1/11/2009, 4:10 PM

Blink3times, which m2ts did not import into 8c? The one created in 8c or 8.1. I just rendered a m2ts using Sony AVC AVCHD in 8c (ac3 audio) and dropped it on the timeline or imported it into 8c with no error.

Ed B

blink3times wrote on 1/11/2009, 4:18 PM

The one that was created in 8.1

8c works fine