[Kermee]

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this. If it isn't I apologize but I know a lot of HTPC folks here might have the answer.


So with the WMV9 HD-DVD players on the horizon, I recorded tonight's ALCS Game 1 off my local FOX station. In the past, I've just encoded my movies to WMV9-HD via the VCM method and muxed the DD 5.1 into an AVI container. Now with more information on the horizon about the new HD-DVD players, it looks like the new players won't accept WMV9 in an AVI container. I'm going to have to encode to a .WMV file and encode the Dolby Digital audio into some type of multi-channel WMA.


So I'm wondering if anyone knows, hopefully, how to encode to WMV9 HD so in the near future the files I create will be compatible with the stand-alone WMV9 HD-DVD players. (i.e. How the layout of the T2 WMV9-HD version is on the DVD disc?) I know there's a 4GB filesize limitation so I think I'll break up the encode to multiple 2GB files until I hit 8.5GB (for a DVD+R Dual-Layer). I think that's how T2 is encoded?


Thanks in advance!

 

[summit3907]

you should be able to use wmencoder (available from ms website ) to do what you need. the encoder is pretty straightforward - just load your sources, choose video and audio compression settings, and go. as long as you have filters that can decode the ac3, wmencoder should be able to convert it to wma without issues.


there was an old thread that explained the process for using wmencoder to do what you want, started by jsaglia i think. a search should turn it up.


this should get you a wmv/wma file, but as far as mastering a disc so that the new dvd players can handle it, i am not sure.

 

[Kermee]

Quote:

Originally posted by summit3907 [snip] this should get you a wmv/wma file, but as far as mastering a disc so that the new dvd players can handle it, i am not sure.

Thanks for the reply. That's the kicker right there! Trying to figure out how to lay out the HD-DVD so it will play in the new DVD players. I haven't found any documentation on it yet, but for some reason I'm not surprised.

 

[Kermee]

Friendly bump. Anyone have any ideas on how to master WMV9 HD files to DVD-R for compatibility with the WMV9 HD stand-alone players which will hopefully be out soon?


Thanks!

 

[johnbrisbin]

At this time even the high-end authoring systems for HD-DVD are still in a pretty early stage of development.


The format adopted by the DVD forum emphasized compatibility with the existing format over a raft of new features, but inevitably there are differences, subtle and large.


In the end, you are worrying about this much too early.


It would be wildly optimistic to suggest that there will be a consumer method (

 

[shigaloo]

there are a few ways to go about encoding wmv hd, the ms encoder as mentioned but i prefer to virutaldub (you will need to donwload the ms codec) the long thread has most of the details


A word of caution if you are looking for STB compability (and i assume you mean players like the ones from Kiss and IOdata based on the sigm designs chip) - encode at 720p and no higher than 8mbps or wait until you have one in your hands and know exactly what they will do.

 

[DJRobX]

I have thought about this same issue, and decided that I don't want to transcode the audio twice (from DD to WMA, then WMA back to DD for playback). It's really a shame wmv9 doesn't support AC3 audio directly.


-- Rob

 

[Kermee]

I'm fairly aware of all the possible issues and realize it might be a bit early. If space wasn't a constraint, I'd love to save my 28GB .ts files but I don't plan on buying a Blu-Ray recorder any time soon.


I've done it all from WMV9-HD encoded video with WMA9 Pro, WMV9-HD encoded via VCM in VDub and muxed the DD 5.1 AC3 into an AVI container and XviD 1.0.2 encoded in VDub and muxed the DD 5.1 AC3.


Right now, most are sized at 4.5GB right up to the size of a single-layer DVD-/+R. However, burning these to DVD recordables in Nero, I know that I have to use UDF to master these discs meaning that the stand-alone player will have to understand UDF.


But then I'm not even thinking about how 'HD-DVD' menuing is going to work with WMV9 HD... *Sigh* Guess I'll keep mastering them for an HTPC.