[John Force]

Here is (hopefully) a clearer description of my exact steps:

1-New Project>File>Properties>Match Media = 5.1 on “Audio” tab.
2-Import Media. All (individual) audio tracks import (Front L/R, C, Rear L/R, LFE).
3-Edit my video clips.
4-Render to NTSC DVD Widescreen with 5.1 Audio.
Test:
1-New Project>File>Properties>Match Media = 5.1 on “Audio” tab.
2-Import Media (the rendered DVD). One stereo audio track imports (no C, Rear, LFE).

Which leads me back to my original question:
Are the 5.1 tracks “hidden” (encoded?) in the stereo track I now see?

Thanks for the help.

[John Force]

>Vegas doesn’t “read” AC3 files

Then why do all the 5.1 channels appear when I import the 5.1 clip I mentioned?
(It’s a vob file with 5.1 channels, so I may be using the wrong terminology. I said AC3 because that’s what Vegas shows in the file properties.)
Thanks.

[John Force]

I’ll give it a try.
Again, thanks so much.

[John Force]

John:
I think I may have just found the answer (while looking at the SVMSP10 site):

Surround sound mixing and encoding
Import multichannel (5.1) source files from your camcorder including Sony® DVD and AVCHD Handycam® models. Use the surround sound mixing and panning tools to create surround DVD soundtracks. Encode AC-3 stereo or 5.1 mixes without leaving the software using the included Dolby® Digital AC-3 encoding software.

That is of course, if this applies to 5.1 imported from a DVD rather than a camcorder (that is mentioned in the paragraph).
What do you think?
Thanks again.

[John Force]

John:
Thanks for taking the time to describe AC3.
But I still don’t know what I need to know:

Using Vegas Pro 10, or SVMSP 10, can I record a DVD (with a DVD/Hard Disk recorder) of a concert that plays back 5.1 surround sound from the DVD, can I edit the video portion (cutting commercials and the associated audio), and re-render it back from Vegas Pro or SVMSP10 to a DVD without losing the 5.1 surround sound?

If I then reimport the A/V from the DVD I just burned from the rendered file and look at the audio on the timeline using one of the above-mentioned NLE’s, will I see all 5.1 channels for the audio, or just two?

Thank you again for spending so much time helping so many people on this forum. You are truly an expert and a gentleman!

[John Force]

AC3 is a deliver format not an editing format.

Can you please explain this statement to me (I’m a moron)?
The reason I ask is because for the last 2 days I have been trying to accomplish what SHOULD BE (and probably is for non-morons) a simple task:

1-Import a 5.1 concert recorded on a DVD with my DVD/Hard-Drive TV recorder.
2-See all six audio tracks in Vegas Pro 10c (or other NLE’s mentioned below).
3-Edit the video only (cut commercials, add chapter markers, etc).
4-Render and burn back to a new DVD (without losing the 5.1).

I’ve tried this using Vegas Pro, VMSP 10, Premiere Pro, and Premiere Elements.
Some of my results:
1-I only see stereo tracks (rather than 5.1) on the timeline on import.
2-I only see stereo tracks (rather than 5.1) on the rendered file.
3-I get vague codec error messages using one NLE, but not another.

If I import a file properly (and see all the audio tracks), edit it, and render it as an NTSC DVD with 5.1 audio, will I see all the tracks when I look at the finished DVD in Vegas, or do the NLE’s “downmix” the 5.1 to a stereo track?
If they do downmix to a stereo track on the DVD, is the 5.1 info mixed in the track and decoded to 5.1 by my stereo equipment?
The reason I ask is because while fighting all of this, I created a 5.1 DVD (without seeing all the audio tracks on the timeline) using SVMSP 10, which I read does not encode 5.1, and the finished DVD sounds like a Dolby SS project (higher volume from the SS speaker when the audience claps, etc).

Also, I am familiar with exporting separate audio and video streams and using DVD Architect to create my DVD, but I don’t like following that procedure (no flames please!). I want to use “Create DVD” under the “Tools” menu like I do with all my other projects (I am fairly certain that I have used this procedure a few times in the past to edit my concert DVD’s without losing surround-sound, but I may be wrong).

Sorry for all the questions, but I am getting old and I’m getting confused trying to figure this stuff out!

Thanks for the help.

[John Force]

I second (third?) the Zi8 recommendation. I bought one on John Rofrano’s recommendation (in an old post). It was $110 at the time. The video quality is great (for this type of camera). I also second the tripod recommendation (whenever possible), because I find it much harder to hold this type of tiny camera as steady as a “regular” size video camera.

[John Force]

Thanks John.
That makes since.
My “thinking” was that I needed to see the output on a “TV” rather than a computer monitor (to see what the actual output would look like). I can’t afford a broadcast monitor, so I guess I’ll have to go back to the old routine (render, burn to DVD, bring to living room, insert in SD DVD Player, and check results).
Thanks again for helping so many of us so fast.
John

[John Force]

Thanks for the help.
John

[John Force]

Wow – You are fast (and even better, solved my problem)!
Thank you.