Editing Audio Pitch on VOB Files ??

[louie55]

I am a newbie when it comes to video editing, so I'm not sure where to start on this.

I'll start by giving you the details:

I recently created a VIDEO_TS DVD structure using QDVDAUTHOR in Ubuntu Linux. It is a DVD with 2 video files and a single menu with background audio. I have not burned the DVD yet, it is still only on my hard drive. When playing the DVD folder with VLC Media Player, everything works perfectly as expected except the pitch of the Audio in both Videos is too high. All the voices sound almost "Alvin & The Chipmunks" like. My question is, is there a way I can fix this without doing any major re-encoding or transcoding?? Can I just somehow strip the audio track off of the VOB files, edit it, then remux it back in? I have no idea where to start on this, so I thought I would ask here.

I think maybe editing some of the encoding commands in QDVDAUTHOR might let me just re-author the DVD with the correct pitch, but I would have no idea which commands to edit or what I should change them to?

Now, I will give you the technical details of the situation:

I started out with 2 .avi files encoded with XViD:

Video File 1 Details:

Format                           : AVI
Format/Info                      : Audio Video Interleave
File size                        : 697 MiB
Duration                         : 1h 28mn
Overall bit rate                 : 1 105 Kbps
Writing application              : VirtualDubMod 1.5.4.1 (build 2178/release)
Writing library                  : VirtualDub build 30009/release

Video
Format                           : MPEG-4 Visual
Format profile                   : Streaming Video@L1
Format settings, BVOP            : Yes
Format settings, QPel            : No
Format settings, GMC             : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix          : Custom
Codec ID                         : XVID
Codec ID/Hint                    : XviD
Duration                         : 1h 28mn
Bit rate                         : 968 Kbps
Width                            : 640 pixels
Height                           : 352 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16/9
Frame rate                       : 23.976 fps
Resolution                       : 24 bits
Colorimetry                      : 4:2:0
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.179
Stream size                      : 610 MiB (88%)
Writing library                  : XviD 1.2.0.dev47 (UTC 2006-11-01)

Audio
Format                           : MPEG Audio
Format version                   : Version 1
Format profile                   : Layer 3
Codec ID                         : 55
Codec ID/Hint                    : MP3
Duration                         : 1h 28mn
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 128 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Resolution                       : 16 bits
Stream size                      : 80.7 MiB (12%)
Alignment                        : Split accross interleaves
Interleave, duration             : 42 ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration     : 500 ms

Video File 2 Details:

Format                           : AVI
Format/Info                      : Audio Video Interleave
File size                        : 680 MiB
Duration                         : 1h 27mn
Overall bit rate                 : 1 086 Kbps
Writing application              : AVI-Mux GUI 1.17.7, Aug  8 2006  20:59:17
Writing library                  : VirtualDub build 30009/release

Video
Format                           : MPEG-4 Visual
Format profile                   : Streaming Video@L1
Format settings, BVOP            : Yes
Format settings, QPel            : No
Format settings, GMC             : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix          : Custom
Codec ID                         : XVID
Codec ID/Hint                    : XviD
Duration                         : 1h 27mn
Bit rate                         : 948 Kbps
Width                            : 720 pixels
Height                           : 416 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16/9
Frame rate                       : 23.976 fps
Resolution                       : 24 bits
Colorimetry                      : 4:2:0
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.132
Stream size                      : 594 MiB (87%)
Writing library                  : XviD 1.2.0.dev47 (UTC 2006-11-01)

Audio
Format                           : MPEG Audio
Format version                   : Version 1
Format profile                   : Layer 3
Codec ID                         : 55
Codec ID/Hint                    : MP3
Duration                         : 1h 27mn
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 128 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Resolution                       : 16 bits
Stream size                      : 80.1 MiB (12%)
Alignment                        : Split accross interleaves
Interleave, duration             : 42 ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration     : 500 ms

Here are the commands that QDVDAUTHOR used when authoring the DVD:

cmd> if [ ! -e "/tmp/Movie/qdvd.fifo" ]; then mkfifo -m 777 "/tmp/Movie/qdvd.fifo"; fi; cat "/tmp/Movie/qdvd.fifo" | mp2enc -b 192 -r 48000 -o "/tmp/Movie/menu.mp2" & mplayer "/media/DATA/DVD Backgrounds/menu.mp2" -vo null -ao pcm:file="/tmp/Movie/qdvd.fifo"

cmd> #=- VideoTrans -=#  /media/DATA/TEMP/video1.avi

cmd> movie-to-dvd -M -c mp2 -a 16:9 -f audio -m ntsc -o "/tmp/Movie/Video1/" "/media/DATA/TEMP/Video1.avi" && mv "/tmp/Movie/Video1/Video1.vob" "/tmp/Movie/Video1/Video1.mpeg2"

cmd> #=- VideoTrans -=#  /media/DATA/TEMP/Video2.avi

cmd> movie-to-dvd -M -c mp2 -a 16:9 -f audio -m ntsc -o "/tmp/Movie/Video2/" "/media/DATA/TEMP/Video2.avi" && mv "/tmp/Movie/Video2/Video2.vob" "/tmp/Movie/Video2/Video2.mpeg2"

cmd> jpeg2yuv -n 5124 -I p -f 29.97 -j "/tmp/Movie/Main Menu VMGM/background.jpg" | mpeg2enc -n n -f 8 -a 2 -o "/tmp/Movie/Main Menu VMGM/menu.m2v"

cmd> mplex -f 8 -S 0 -M -o "/tmp/Movie/Main Menu VMGM/menu.mpg" "/tmp/Movie/Main Menu VMGM/menu.m2v" "/tmp/Movie/menu.mp2"

cmd> spumux -m dvd "/tmp/Movie/Main Menu VMGM/menu.xml" < "/tmp/Movie/Main Menu VMGM/menu.mpg" > "/tmp/Movie/Main Menu VMGM_menu.mpg"

cmd> dvdauthor -x "/tmp/Movie/dvdauthor.xml"

The part that really interested me however, was this statement at the beginning of processing each video in the QDVDAUTHOR output:

Finding properties for
    </media/DATA/TEMP/Video1.avi>

--> Source video is 23.976 fps, destination is 29.970 fps. The audio will
    be played at 124.900% to avoid frame duplication or removal.

--> Source has 48000Hz mad audio with 2 channels. Converting it to a
    38400Hz WAV with 2 channels using mplayer because the pitch of the audio
    needs to be adjusted. Changing the pitch of the audio to 48000Hz using
    movie-fakewavspeed. Converting the audio from WAV to MP2 using mp2enc.

And the same for Video 2:

Finding properties for </media/DATA/TEMP/Video2.avi>

--> Source video is 23.976 fps, destination is 29.970 fps. The audio will
    be played at 124.900% to avoid frame duplication or removal.

--> Source has 48000Hz mad audio with 2 channels. Converting it to a
    38400Hz WAV with 2 channels using mplayer because the pitch of the audio
    needs to be adjusted. Changing the pitch of the audio to 48000Hz using
    movie-fakewavspeed. Converting the audio from WAV to MP2 using mp2enc.

It clearly says it needs to adjust the Pitch of the audio. Is this my problem?


And, just in case you need it, here is the technical information for one of the VOB files that was created:

Complete name                    : M:\Movies\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB
Format                           : MPEG-PS
File size                        : 1 024 MiB
Duration                         : 54mn 13s
Overall bit rate                 : 2 640 Kbps

Video
ID                               : 224 (0xE0)
Format                           : MPEG Video
Format version                   : Version 2
Format profile                   : Main@Main
Format settings, Matrix          : Default
Duration                         : 54mn 13s
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 2 233 Kbps
Nominal bit rate                 : 6 000 Kbps
Width                            : 720 pixels
Height                           : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16/9
Frame rate                       : 29.970 fps
Standard                         : NTSC
Colorimetry                      : 4:2:0
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.579

Audio
ID                               : 192 (0xC0)
Format                           : MPEG Audio
Format version                   : Version 1
Format profile                   : Layer 2
Duration                         : 54mn 13s
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 224 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Resolution                       : 16 bits

Menu
Format                           : DVD-Video

Please let me know if I can just edit my VOB files or can I fix the problem by re-authoring with different settings.

When I make the same DVD with DVDStyler, it works fine, no pitch problems. However, DVDStyler doesn't let you add background audio to your menus, and I really wanted a background song for my menu, so that is why I am trying to get it to work with QDVDAUTHOR.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[manono]

It clearly says it needs to adjust the Pitch of the audio. Is this my problem?

Yes, that's your problem. For some reason it decided to speed up both the audio and the video to 29.97fps, rather than applying 3:2 pulldown to the video and leaving the audio length untouched. I know nothing about Linux, but would suggest you never use that program again, and then do it right using a decent encoding and authoring app.

Maybe you can apply 3:2 pulldown yourself using DGPulldown or Pulldown.exe which will have it output 29.97fps, but without speeding up the video. Also convert the MP3 audio to AC3 yourself. Any decent authoring program will then take the 2 and author them properly. But like I said, I know nothing about Linux or the programs available to you. If it was a Windows PC you could use FAVC or any one of a number of other programs to create the DVD.

[louie55]

The machine also has Windows XP, so any Windows advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated also. I only used Linux because QDVDAUTHOR only runs on Linux and it is the only (FREE) program that I found that lets you create menus and add background audio to those menus. If you know of another FREE program that does this, please let me know. Does FAVC allow the creation of menus?

Thanks.

[manono]

Does FAVC allow the creation of menus?

Not really; it makes really basic ones over which you don't have much input, although if you know what you're doing you could edit them afterwards.

If you're really particular about having your own designed menus, then your best bet is to split this project into 2 parts. The first would be the encoding of the video to a DVD compliant M2V (or just run the current M2V through pulldown) and reencoding the MP3 audio to AC3. The second would be the authoring stage using an authoring program with which you can design menus as simple or as elaborate as you wish, along with adding in audio. Two such free authoring programs are GUI4DVDAuthor and DVDAuthorGUI.

You may be able to use FAVC for at least part of this by having it save the elementary streams (the audio and video) rather than having them deleted after it makes the DVD. Then use the M2V and AC3 it creates for your own authoring. Or maybe you'll be satisfied with the simple menus it makes for you.

[guns1inger]

You may be able to use FAVC for at least part of this by having it save the elementary streams (the audio and video) rather than having them deleted after it makes the DVD. Then use the M2V and AC3 it creates for your own authoring. Or maybe you'll be satisfied with the simple menus it makes for you.

You can do this easily. On the front Tab of FAVC there is a box marked Working Files, with a Keep and Delete option. Select Keep. The streams will be kept in the Temporary Files Folder selected on the same tab. If I need to very quickly encode a file and create a menu I will encode with FAVC and use the working files in DLP to finish off the disc.

[louie55]

Thank you for all of the replies, but I have figured it out. I will post the answer here in case anyone in the future comes across this.

What I did was do some digging on the "movie-to-dvd" tool that QDVDAuthor uses to encode the VOB files and found that the settings just needed adjusted from the software author's peculiar default settings.

What needed to be done was change this:

movie-to-dvd -M -c mp2 -a 16:9 -f audio -m ntsc -o

To This:

movie-to-dvd -M -c ac3 -a 16:9 -f video -m ntsc -o

According to the movie-to-dvd website, the -c switch controls the audio codec used, which was set to MP2 by default which only works for PAL according to the site. So, I changed that to ac3 to make it compatible. But the real change that helped my problem was changing the -f switch from "audio" to "video" which changes the way the application converts the frame rate.

Here's an excerpt from the site:

-f method


Specify how to change the movie to adjust its framerate if necessary. You may specify either auto, video, audio.

video will duplicate or drop frames to adjust the framerate (which will make the movie jerky in some situations), and will keep the audio as it is.

audio will adjust the pitch of the audio track so that it runs synchronized with the movie if the movie would be played slightly faster or slower than normal because it’s new framerate is different from the original.

auto will make the choice for you. The choice that is made depends on the source video and the destination parameters that you are encoding to.