Test to make sure .mov file has 5.1 audio??

[Blazer5913]

Just wondering if there was some sort of way to double check and make sure that the encoded file has the 5.1 audio track included in it. I'm using VisualHub with AppleTV 5.1 setting. I just did 300, the .mkv file it was from had 5.1 but I just want to make sure the VH resulting .mov file also has it.

And by the way, I tried loading watching this resulting .mov file of 300 on my AppleTV today, which is currently not hooked up to a digital receiver or anything, just stereo. But I did not get any sound from it. This is different from other SD DVD's I've done in Handbrake, which apparently includes both stereo and 5.1. So for my files I get from VisualHub 5.1 setting, are they watching on a TV without a receiver for surround sound?

Sorry if I didn't word this stuff correctly, I'm not all that used to it. Thanks guys

 

[Avatar74]

Just wondering if there was some sort of way to double check and make sure that the encoded file has the 5.1 audio track included in it. I'm using VisualHub with AppleTV 5.1 setting. I just did 300, the .mkv file it was from had 5.1 but I just want to make sure the VH resulting .mov file also has it.

And by the way, I tried loading watching this resulting .mov file of 300 on my AppleTV today, which is currently not hooked up to a digital receiver or anything, just stereo. But I did not get any sound from it. This is different from other SD DVD's I've done in Handbrake, which apparently includes both stereo and 5.1. So for my files I get from VisualHub 5.1 setting, are they watching on a TV without a receiver for surround sound?

Sorry if I didn't word this stuff correctly, I'm not all that used to it. Thanks guys

Open the file in Quicktime and select "Show Movie Properties" from the Window menu. Among the properties should be one called Surround and the format type should be AC-3, and the bitrate should be near 448 Kbps (this is the recommended bitstream for Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround on DVD).

 

[Blazer5913]

Thanks for the reply. When I open the original .mkv file and open it in Quicktime, this is what I get:

H.264, 1920 x 800, Millions
AC3, 5.1 (L R C LFE Ls Rs), 48.000 kHz

But when I play the .mov file I encoded with Visual Hub 5.1 Setting, I get this:

h264, 1280 x 544, Millions
AC3, Stereo (L R), 48.000 kHz

So obviously no surround sound correct? And again, I don't get any sound through my AppleTV. Any suggestions?

 

[Avatar74]

Thanks for the reply. When I open the original .mkv file and open it in Quicktime, this is what I get:

H.264, 1920 x 800, Millions
AC3, 5.1 (L R C LFE Ls Rs), 48.000 kHz

But when I play the .mov file I encoded with Visual Hub 5.1 Setting, I get this:

h264, 1280 x 544, Millions
AC3, Stereo (L R), 48.000 kHz

So obviously no surround sound correct? And again, I don't get any sound through my AppleTV. Any suggestions?

Interestingly, the AC-3 passthrough file in an MP4 container also only shows two channels but when you actually look at the detail in Show Movie Properties, select the AC-3 track and you'll see six channels total.

The problem you may have is that you've encoded it with only AC-3 passthrough. Your receiver won't recognize it. I'm not sure about VH but in Handbrake you can encode the audio as AAC + AC-3, from which it'll play the stereo AAC through the stereo analog outputs on the AppleTV, or the 5.1 channel AC-3 through the optical TOSLINK.

I encode using handbrake and AAC + AC-3 for the audio (the default setting in the AppleTV preset) and it works fine on stereo and surround sound systems. You cannot play AC-3 without an AC-3 decoder.

But since you are not encoding from a legal source, no one can guarantee the functionality of the AC-3 track. Note that my explanation above is not an endorsement of downloading illegal MKV files. While circumventing CSS copy protection is itself illegal, if it's your own DVD and you're not filesharing it, no one can prove you did anything wrong.