AVI with AC3 Soundtrack

Haven't you always dreamed of it? The perfect DivX picture combined together with crystal clear Dolby Digital soundtrack? It's now possible and even easier than you thought.

First of all go the credits: VULTURE suggested this method to me and provided a nice software package that contains every software you need for it to work. Many thanks to him. 

You need the following software for this guide:

AviMux GUI
AC3Filter - required for playback

If you have no AC3 compatible hardware but would like to have multichannel sound the DirectSound 3D method is for you. The package contains the necessary software and detailed instructions. How you're getting the necessary audio files for the front and rear channels is another problem. You could use Sonic Foundry's Soft Encode and decode the 2 front and the 2 rear channels to WAV format. 

Step 1 : Extract the AC3

The first thing you have to do is extract the AC3 audio from the VOB files. You can do this during ripping.

Step 2: Multiplex AVI and AC3

Start up AviMux GUI. Drag & drop both audio and video file to the open files area.

The audio will automatically be copied to the audio part below, for the video you have to select the AVI in the open files section and press the add video source to add it. If you have an audio delay different of 0 (DVD2AVI will name the file accordingly and put something like DELAY - 66ms at the end of the name, in this case the delay would be -66 ms, or when you extract the AC3 during ripping DVD Decrypter will write the delay into the txt file it saves in the destination folder) right click on the respective audio stream, select set delay

and then set the appropriate delay in the window that will show up.

Then the options: leave make rec lists checked (if you have problems with the output file try again with this option disabled) as it helps minimize seek time during playback, check Open-DML output to save a few MBs in the output file (if you experience problems with playback deactivate that option). Leave audio interleave at its default.

Then the maximum file size option. If you have a 1 CD rip you can uncheck this option. If you have a 2 or more CD rip make sure it's activated and set the value to a few MBs below your CD size.

Then the numbering: When you press the begin button you'll be asked for a filename. That filename is taken and (CD-NR) appended. So if your filename is movie.avi you'll get movie (1).avi, movie (2).avi, etc. with the default. Thus, %s represents the moviename, and %d the CD number. So if you would like to name the AVIs movie-CD1.avi, movie-CD2.avi change the numbering to %s-CD%d.avi Of course you can also rename the AVIs when you're done if this is too unfamiliar for you.

Finally the frames option. There you can set how many frames of the video will be processed. Leave this at 0 to process the whole movie.

Then press begin to start the operation.

Step 3: Configure playback

If you've installed the AC3Filter you may want to configure it prior to playback as not every player allows you to access the filter configuration during playback.

Go to the Windows Control Panel and select AC3Filter.

In the output section set the appropriate option for your installation. If you have an SPDIF output connected to a receiver you'll want to set it to SPDIF. If you have a 5.1 decoder in your PC and connect the PC via analogue 5.1 output to your receiver you'll want to select 3/2+LFE 5.1 channels. If you have a 4.0 output you'll want to select 2/2 - quadro. If you have a 2.0 channel source and a 5.1 output you can select Dolby ProLogic II to get a 5.1 output (it's not as great as a real 5.1 source but better than standard Dolby Surround ProLogic). If you have a 2.0 audio source, a 4.0 output and a receiver incapable of decoding Dolby Pro Logic (does that exist?) you could select Dolby Surround/ProLogic and AC3Filter would do the ProLogic decoding and output the decoded 4 channel result.

Once you've set the appropriate output mode press OK, then play your AVI in your favorite media player.