Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Encoding 5.1 on DVD also, 4->2->4 analog matrixing

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 05-11-2006, 07:08 PM:

We are using ProTools and I was wondering if there is a Plug-in what will take 6 channels three screen, two surround and a subbass and encode them when authoring a DVD? Or is this something that is proprietary to Dolby (do they sell a box to do this?).

And similar -- in ProTools, I have not found a matix to do analog metrix encoding (4->2->4). I have worked with stand-alone boxes from Sansui that will take 4 channels and matrix them into two so they can be recorded on a standard CD, but the configuration is not the cinema standard, but old quadraphonic, i.e., two front and two rear, which is not compatible with cinema processor decoding which expect to have phasing that will give only one surround and three front. Again, is that a Dolby and/or UltraStereo proprietary matrix box or can it be realized with some ProTool plug-in that I am not aware of?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-11-2006, 07:24 PM:

I thought ProTools had DD 5.1 encoding capability. I don't use the program so I guess I thought wrong.

Minnetonka Audio has "Dolby Digital Creator" approved software encoders for Dolby Digital, DVD-A and other codecs, even DTS. Just be prepared to get out your wallet.

Apple's Final Cut Studio, mainly the DVD Studio Pro component, will encode Dolby Digital 5.1. Various offerings from Avid (like Liquid Pro) will also encode DD 5.1 tracks. Sony Vegas Video has 5.1 capability. And Adobe finally got off the stupid pills and put 5.1 capability in their video production suite.

Posted by Christos Mitsakis (Member # 143) on 05-12-2006, 07:02 AM:

Frank,
Dolby has solutions for both Hardware and software applications.
If you choose the harware way look for the DP569 Multichannel Dolby Digital Encoder.
If you want the software way the Dolby Media Producer for Mac OS X has just being released, a program suite that consists of Dolby Media Encoder, Dolby Media Decoder and Dolby Media Tools. Quite pricey in comparison to DP569 though.

see here: http://www.dolby.com/professional/pro_audio_engineering/products_mastering-DVD_HD.html

Christos.

Posted by Oliver Pasch (Member # 1335) on 05-12-2006, 07:34 AM:

Checkt out the latest version of the NERO Suite:
http://www.nero.com/nero7/enu/Nero_7_Premium_New_Features.html
To be honest, i don't know if this is a common product in the United States, at least here in Germany it's somewhat close to an industry standard that everybody uses. The Version 7 includes an Dolby-Digital-5.1(or even 6. or 7.1!)-Encoder. It can be used with the program module SOUNDTRAX. It is possible to import standard *.wav-files on separate tracks and route them onto their designated channel in the 5.1-soundfield. It is even possible to automatically create the LFE-track.

Handling may be sometimes a little tricky, but it works and is a lot cheaper than Vegas or any other software mentionend earlier.

There's a demo-version without restriction in functions available on the website!

Oliver

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-12-2006, 10:35 AM:

Yikes! $8,000? Well I guess that includes Dolby Digital True HD and all of that other nonsense nobody uses or can play back yet. I'll wait for the Apple version which will be included in Final Cut Studio for less than $1,200. Dolby A.Pack for the Mac works great. I've been mixing 5.1 for several years now (my first few mixes were really, really bad). You can easily enode anywhere from 1.0 to 5.1 and anywhere inbetween. EX is easy as well, but you have to mix for it in the surrounds since it isn't discrete.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 05-12-2006, 05:21 PM:

Thanks guys. I will look into all this, except I stop looking at anything that goes into the $8000 range....yipes.

One of the sound engineers said that the Sansui encoder (for analog matrixing L C R,S onto two tracks) will work fine because the Cat 150 will ignore the phase differential between LR and RR and route both to the single surround channel. The processor will generate its own center channel from a L, R sum.

We shall see.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-12-2006, 05:30 PM:

By the way, when encoding a 5.1 track in A.Pack, you can apply a 90 degree phase shift to each of the surround speakers just by clicking a checkbox before you press "Encode". Play this 5.1 track out of a stereo output from any regular DVD player (Samsung will do since they aren't great, never have been nor ever will be) and record this two-channel audio as your 4:2:4 matrix track! Of course that defeats the purpose since Dolby Digital 5.1 is backwards compatible with 2.0, meaning there is never any reason to have a 2.0 DD track alongside a 5.1 DD track unless it is one of them un-American languages.

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 05-15-2006, 09:07 PM:

Pro Tools on it's own doesn't have Dolby or DTS encoding abilities.

The only Dolby brand plug in for Pro Tools TDM ( the only Pro tools system that will allow you to mix in surround ) is the LCRS encoder/decoder.

A.Pack works good if your going to dvd, otherwise you will have to take the 5.1 printmaster and run it through a hardware encoder.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-15-2006, 09:46 PM:

A. Pack has 3 settings: DVD Video, DVD Audio, and Generic AC3.