John, thanks for your quick response but I'm now puzzled. For what possible reason would the mere 5.1 or whichever surround mode being used would now require users who paid good $ for the software to backpedal to the days of plain stereo to produce new video/audio files or dvd's? I realize you may be caught in this web like others but my other programs have never balked at such surround files and still work fine. I've always noticed that my Magix software is much more finicky than some...it's also very slow to render etc but it does have a nice menu system which is why I prefer it for making Blu Ray dvd's. If there is no other alternative I will simply never give these another dime.

Art Thorpe

@johnebaker @Art-Thorpe

Hi John.

It's still possible to work and export in 5.1 surround sound, just not using Dolby Digital.

Ray.

@CubeAce @Art-Thorpe @johnebaker

Hi Ray.

The problem for Art is that his files are recorded/encoded with Dolby Surround. In order to use them he would need to convert to stereo first, as John explained, and then, if 5.1 Surround was required for the final export, it would be necessary to "reconstruct" the soundfield. (My apologies if I'm stating the obvious to you!)

Hi Art.

The problem you have is not, essentially, of Magix' making, but rather of Dolby Labs, who seem to have made it impossible, or at least prohibitively expensive, for video editing software manufacturers to include the necessary codecs in their products.

Jeff
Forum Moderator

@Art-Thorpe

Hi

. . . . For what possible reason would the mere 5.1 or whichever surround mode being used would now require users who paid good $ for the software to backpedal to the days of plain stereo to produce new video/audio files or dvd's?  . . . .

Do a search for Dolby vs Adobe.

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

I assume you are showing the MPEG-2 Standard DVD AC3 audio preset.

Did you actually complete the export - this is what I get for AVCHD (MP4 does not have the option for AC3)

and MPEG-2

The only format that exports with Surround Sound is WMV.

John EB

@johnebaker

Hi John.

Yes. although the result I show was from a previous experiment with MEP 2022 I will try again if you wish.

Did you have your mixer set to 5.1 surround with appropriate output channels active with content on each channel?

Ray.

OK so somehow my original comment has been mis-understood. The primary issue is not surround vs stereo mode but that many of my video files including STEREO versions simply won't import the audio, just the video. I never had this problem until recently and have not changed anything. This is also my complaint to the company and I am awaiting their explanation.

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

. . . . Did you have your mixer set to 5.1 surround with appropriate output channels active with content on each channel? . . . .

I did, that is my default setting.

@Art-Thorpe has MEP v 19.0.1.23 - ie MEP 2020.

Added: Checked MEP 2022 and VPX 13. - definitely no 5.1 export - same error messages as above for MEP 2020

Specs for MEP 2022 also state no exporting of multichannel (5.1) audio

John EB

Again , the problem is not my export settings. I cannot get certain files to IMPORT the audio files!!!

@johnebaker

Hi John.

Sorry you are correct. The export failed with the message you see but wmv, does export at 5.1 surround. No hardware support for it though and CPU usage goes through the roof.

@Art-Thorpe

At this point perhaps a text file from MediaInfo may be of use to find out how the problem files are encoded.

Ray.

@Art-Thorpe

Hi

. . . . I cannot get certain files to IMPORT the audio files! . . . .

I have already commented above giving a likely reason why you cannot import Surround Sound files - can you confirm the files you are importing are Surround Sound - Dolby AC3 5.1, or Dolby AC3 Stereo encoded.

If the files are not Dolby AC3 encoded a MediaInfo analysis of one will tell us exactly what you are dealing with - see this tutorial on setting up MediaInfo and how to analyse a video clip if you are not familiar with the program.

As sometimes happens the topic has expanded to also include the lack of exporting, and error messages when you try, as Surround Sound.

John EB

I did confirm that some of the files are in AC3 mode but 2 channel. Are you saying that all AC3 files are not supported in MEP now? Very disappointing and despite what you and others say, MEP is my only software program that I have found this to happen. Hopefully the others don't do the same.

@Art-Thorpe

Hi

. . . . Are you saying that all AC3 files are not supported in MEP now?  . . . .

After a lot of testing this is so and is a result of the licensing issue I mentioned initially.

John EB

John, many thanks for responding several times and passing along your experience with this. Although disappointed with MEP and/or Dolby Labs I at least know what has been causing my initial problem!!

@Art-Thorpe

If you have an old application that can still encode or decode Dolby Digital files in a video editing package then I would hang on to it for as long as it works.

I think Dolby Labs gave in to the film industries pressure to drop licensing to non commercial users to to the high amount of pirating of commercial material. The codec can still be bought as an individual licence from Dolby Labs but the cost is horrendous and I'm not sure what it can be used with application wise. They no longer do cheaper volume licence deals.

Players are not effected, just the ability to record such streams or import such material into an application that could do that job.

If you look at this page you will see only players are now listed in software form.

Ray.

@Art-Thorpe @CubeAce @johnebaker @emmrecs

Hi

My install of MEP2022 will import and play AVCHD (.mts) files sound and picture, recorded with AC3 Dolby digital 5.1 or 2 channel sound. I can extract the separate channels with a right click and sound will come from six speakers. It will not allow export to AC3 5.1 but it will export to AC3 stereo.

If you have an old application that can still encode or decode Dolby Digital files in a video editing package then I would hang on to it for as long as it works.

If you still have an earlier copy of MEP installed (in my case MEP2016) in which you downloaded the AC3 "Audio Expansion Package" when it was still available, then you can import and export to AC3 DD 5.1 and Stereo.

Where this will not work is if you removed the earlier version eg for a clean install, etc. then try to re install.

Peter

Peter, thanks for this info. I am still puzzled why my 2019 MEP package no longer imports the AC3 files but yet your 2022 version does. I thought Magix was claiming it's due to Dolby's license fees etc but yet they are allowing newer users this benefit and longtime users like me are denied!!!! I do still have my 2016 application but like you said I tried it to no avail either. My chief beef though is that this issue has not affected my other software editing programs!! Something smells in Denmark.

Art

@Art-Thorpe

I'm pretty sure Peter can access those files in MEPP 2022 because he still has the original installation of MEPP 2016 with the optional Expansion Package he mentions.

Jeff

@Art-Thorpe

I can not think why you can not import and play video with AC3 audio as it should be possible with any version of MEP, but you still have not supplied the requested Media Info analysis of the problem files.

I presume you have raised a support ticket with Magix and have not yet had a reply?

My previous post was to confirm the current state of the export (ie. encoding) limitations of DD AC3 in the software, and this affects old and new users equally.

Peter

@emmrecs

Hi Jeff

I'm pretty sure Peter can access those files in MEPP 2022 because he still has the original installation of MEPP 2016 with the optional Expansion Package he mentions.

No - I think the expansion package download is only triggered when attempting to export DD AC3 and is now not possible as the encoder licensing has been withdrawn. I think the decoding for playback is just a Direct Show Filter and would still be freely available.

Peter

@Art-Thorpe, @emmrecs, @Scenestealer

Hi

. . . . I am still puzzled why my 2019 MEP package no longer imports the AC3 files but yet your 2022 version does. . . . .

I suspect the DD AC3 decoder is missing in MEP 2019 for the reasons previously mentioned.

MEP 2022, MEP 2021 and VPX13 (and 12 ?) can import surround sound files, possibly because they are using the Windows Dolby AC3 decoder.

'Retro fitting' the Windows decoder to older versions may not be possible due to them using a different 'engine' and/or they are now deprecated for further updates.

John EB