avi/ac3 problem

Hi,
Pretty new to DVD authoring so please bear with me if I'm asking a stupid question..
I have an AVI file that has ac3 audio, after vobbing it with DVD santa the DVD was very jerky and unplayable...so after a little detective work it seems that AVIs with ac3 dont really work when vobbed and burned....I re-encoded the file with TMPGEnc replacing the audio with an mp2 ripped in riverpast and it seems to be fine. Now, I have quite a few AVIs with ac3...this is my first experience with ac3/AVIs..is it the case that all these files will have to be redone using TMPGEnc (a lengthy process) or is it just certain encodes? I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place...I either have to vob the AVIs and burn them to see if they work and therefore waste lots of blank media...or go ahead and convert them and wait 9 or so hours for each file..is there a way to determine if I will get a good burn before going through all that? Like a program that will tell me if the ac3 audio will work ok?
Sorry...maybe I haven't explained my problem well but I hope some people will understand it...thanks for your time and help.

 

I use Virtualdub to rip sound from avi files then use tmpgenc plus to re-encode(takes about 3 hours)
load video file then load sound file and use a dvd-rw to burn to test

 

Try VSO (free version). I use it to encode avi with ac3 a lot, never experienced any problem:

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/video_encoders/vso_divxtodvd_free.cfm

Good luck!

 

hi

i just load them to *the film machine* and let it do the lot...

 

thanks everyone...that software looks useful..thanks to you, I'll give it a go.

 

ah nuts!!
I now have an AVI which is DIVX5/AC3 that is driving me mad!
Followed your wonderful guide 'Divx or XVID AVI to DVD' which has worked for me with another file...checked it with AVI codec, replaced the AC3 with mp2 in TMPGEnc plus and it just freezes up after a few seconds and encodes a still for the duration of the mpeg?? I wanted to use it with DVDit pro in a project but alas. I went ahead and vobbed the original AVI using DVD santa and the DVD just randomly locks...seems every file I try to use just doesn't work?? Is it normal to have quite a few encodes mess up and does anyone know where I can buy dirt cheap HQ DVD-Rs?? I'm begginning to get a large collection of shiny coasters at the moment...I feel like giving up on making DVDs

 

So VSO won't encode this one movie?

 

VSO will vob it...I just vobbed in DVD santa to see if it was a problem with TMPGEnc or the original AVI. I got 'supported' in audio & video in AVIcodec but I replaced the ac3 audio with a mp2 made in wavelab just to be sure due to this thread....I was looking for an mpeg I could use in DVDit pro...seems that the program is a bit fussy about the encodes it uses? It states that AVIs may be acceptable but I haven't come across one AVI that has worked. Quite a few mpegs do not work either....maybe I should look for another DVD authoring package, but I like the simplicity of DVDit pro...maybe I should switch programs? Are there any other ones that are more lenient towards encodes and can make fairly simple menus?

 

Well, there is always Nero, but it doesn't work that well with avis either. Alternatively, you may change the avi to mpeg2 altogether with e.g. Power Video Converter or Advanced X Video Converter to see if your authoring program would then recognise it.

Good luck!

 

P.S.: If you like, you can also change the codec of the avi with the said converters (e.g. set video to xvid and audio to mpeg layer 3). More programs would then recognize it.