Can I Export AC3 Dolby 5.1 Audio with Final Cut Pro 7 ??

[Joseph Owens]

[Matt Frame] “I am wanting to use the .mov file to burn a Blu Ray DVD (via Titanium Toast 11) but I need the audio to remain DD 5.1.
“

A rather lossy way to do things.

First off, I use Encore to author BluRays, so I export an H264 transport stream and an ac3 file and link them on a timeline in the disk authoring software.

There is a way to create a multitrack surround Quicktime out of Final Cut, it involves discrete 5.1 channels on the first 6 audio tracks (L,R,C,Lfe,Ls,Rs conforms to SMPTE spec) but not an ac3. You get some degree of control over audio track number and assignment when sending the sequence to Compressor.

FCP defaults to “stereo” output unless you change the sequence settings to “surround” and then stickhandle the audio track assignments. This has been covered a couple of times in the forum and should be searchable.

Whether you can port the surround channels through Toast Titanium this way or not… wouldn’t be the way I would try to do this.

Might be easier to try to get the “Share to BluRay” to work… and good luck with that…

jPo

“I always pass on free advice — its never of any use to me” Oscar Wilde.

[Michael Gissing]

Agreed. bluray software should be able to mux the video and the ac3 file together. Don’t try to do this in FCP.

[Matt Frame]

Thanks much for your replies, guys. I really appreciate it.

So the consensus is that it’s best to import the AC3 audio as a separate file into the dvd burning software and then bring in the self contained .mov of the video (with no audio) and smack them together for blu ray encoding?

Also, as an aside, would the blu ray simply play the audio as 2 channel stereo if the end user does not have DD 5.1 capabilities?

Thanks again!

[Joseph Owens]

[Matt Frame] “Also, as an aside, would the blu ray simply play the audio as 2 channel stereo if the end user does not have DD 5.1 capabilities? “

That should be the default behaviour of a modern disk player, which should be the case for anything that is BluRay capable. Its why dial-norm is one of the more critical factors to get right, so the mixdown is not wildly different.

Discrete surround is of course preferable to almost anything else, but there is also a case to be made for LtRt Dolby ProLogic, which can deliver a surround-like experience for the desktop/stereo viewer, but can be handled exactly like stereo.

jPo

“I always pass on free advice — its never of any use to me” Oscar Wilde.

[Matt Frame]

Great. thanks so much Joseph. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Cheers!

[Michael Gissing]

DVD burning software may not give the best result from a self contained quicktime from FCP. Export the self contained with current settings and use Compressor or Adobe Media encoder (if you have it) to create the mpeg file best suited to either DVD or bluray.

Software like Toast doesn’t make the best mpegs so do that with a suitable program and bring that in with the ac3 file to be muxed as a playable disk.

[Matt Frame]

Thanks for your reply!

I am working with Compressor 3.5 and I don’t think it has Blu Ray presets. Is it relatively easy to use Compressor 3.5 to achieve optimal mpegs suitable for blu ray?