Convert MP3 to Audio DVD Tracks

Clocker

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Our new car supports audio DVDs. I would like to make some custom audio DVDs from my MP3s.

Nero seems to only be able to use MP4 files to create audio DVDs. Any recommendations for creating audio DVDs from MP3s?

Thanks,
C
 

Mercutio

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There are programs that can create proper DVD Audio discs, and there are car stereos that support DVD Audio, but that's not the same thing as being able to play a DVD full of CD-spec audio.

Frankly, unless I was in an electric car or one that was wall to wall dynamat, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a CD and a DVD Audio disc unless it made serious use of the surround channels.

DVD Audio is more a format to be enjoyed in a proper listening room. Your local Best Buy should have a small DVD Audio/SACD section with a few dozen titles to choose from. Classical Music and Jazz benefit the most from the hi-res audio treatment.

Because of the way audio is produced these days, DVD-Audio is commonly used only on basically new albums. SACDs are typically made from multitrack analog masters, so "classic" albums are far more likely to be available in that format. Amazon.com has a good selection of hiRes audio discs, but it's a pain in the ass to find them; they have a "DVD-Audio Store", but even that doesn't include most of the DVD-Audio discs they stock,

Frankly, the coolest DVD-Audio single disc I own is the 3 hour and 8 minute full score to The Fellowship of the Rings, but since it's only available as part of a $60 boxed set, that's not an appealing first purchase. Probably a better "generic" first choice would be Blue Man Group's "Audio", which is a great-sounding disc and pretty damned cool music.
 

Mercutio

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Frankly, unless I was in an electric car or one that was wall to wall dynamat, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a CD and a DVD Audio disc unless it made serious use of the surround channels.

Just to be more clear (it's 2:00AM!), the difference between DVD-Audio and CD is pretty substantial... if you're in an environment where the noise level is fairly low. Driving around in most cars is not going to give you that experience.

For anyone else who is curious, PowerDVD 6 and WinDVD can both play back DVD-Audio discs as well.

Anyone who wants to hear what the hell I'm talking about... I have the .AC3 (which is a big step *down* from MLP-encoding used on an actual Audio DVD, in the same way MP3 is less than CD Audio) of my 3-hour Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack. I could upload a portion of it along with an MP3 and/or PCM sample of the same music if someone wanted to hear the difference.
 

ddrueding

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Anyone who wants to hear what the hell I'm talking about... I have the .AC3 (which is a big step *down* from MLP-encoding used on an actual Audio DVD, in the same way MP3 is less than CD Audio) of my 3-hour Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack. I could upload a portion of it along with an MP3 and/or PCM sample of the same music if someone wanted to hear the difference.

That would be me...yes please.
 

Clocker

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The stereo in my car does dolby digital dts, has a dsp and a bunch of other stuff. I'm not looking to play MP3s (my car does that only with CDs IIRC) but I thought that an Audio DVD could hold more music (like several CDs worth). I don't think I'm looking for making a DVD audio disk but just a DVD with audio tracks. I guess I should read the manual to make sure.

Here's more info on the stereo (having 15 speakers and except for being Bose, sounds like something Merc. would appreciate):

With Bose® Studio Surround™, you - and your passengers - will feel like you're on stage, in the middle of the music, only you'll be sitting inside the comfort zone of your STS. The STS is the first prestige luxury sedan to offer Bose® Studio Surround™ -- delivering an extraordinary concert-quality experience for both driver and passengers. The Discrete 5.1 Surround Sound is unlike stereo systems that deliver 2 channels of sound, because it offers 5 individual channels, plus 1 low-frequency channel for bass. The result is discrete 5.1 surround sound of exceptional clarity, range, and depth. And with Bose® CenterPoint signal processing, you can even listen to your stereo CDs in simulated (synthesized) surround sound. Custom designed for the STS, Bose® Studio Surround™ features a total of 15 speakers, and uses advanced signal processing to deliver discrete 5.1 surround sound throughout the cabin. Five sonic zones, or individual sweet spots, result from this unique system architecture. Front seat passengers enjoy 4 Bose® Personal™ surround speakers, 2 mounted on either side of the headrests. The STS is the first vehicle to offer a discrete Studio Surround sound system with this feature.
 

Stereodude

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Our new car supports audio DVDs. I would like to make some custom audio DVDs from my MP3s.
What would be the point? Your fidelity is still limited by the quality of the mp3. It won't be any better put on a DVD, than on a CD.
 

Mercutio

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A DVD full of 128k MP3 files will hold about 70 hours of music, Stereodude. That would be one logical reason to be interested.
 

Stereodude

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A DVD full of 128k MP3 files will hold about 70 hours of music, Stereodude. That would be one logical reason to be interested.
Yeah, but his last post says it can't do that from a DVD, only CDs. Sounds like he's talking about making a DVD-A from mp3s.
 

Clocker

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I want to get as many tracks on a DVD as I can. I burned a bunch of MP3s to a DVD as data and the stereo won't recognize that. I assume that if I just burn a bunch of MP3s to CD, it will work. But I was thinking that if I could burn audio tracks on a DVD I will have more music than if I burn then on CD. I'm not worried about quality, I know I'm starting with MP3s, I just want to get more songs per disk.
 

Clocker

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Where's a good place to buy that stuff? Can I pick something up at Best Buy or some other local B&M?
 

Clocker

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So far I have ripped about 4000 tracks and about 22GB worth. If anyone wants to get on AllPeers I would be up for that.
 

Stereodude

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I want to get as many tracks on a DVD as I can. I burned a bunch of MP3s to a DVD as data and the stereo won't recognize that. I assume that if I just burn a bunch of MP3s to CD, it will work. But I was thinking that if I could burn audio tracks on a DVD I will have more music than if I burn then on CD. I'm not worried about quality, I know I'm starting with MP3s, I just want to get more songs per disk.
I'm pretty sure you can't get more minutes of audio on a DVD-A than you could on a CD full of mp3s, but I could be wrong. DVD-A uses very little compression (MLP) which is lossless (read audio takes up a lot of space).
 

Stereodude

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Where's a good place to buy that stuff? Can I pick something up at Best Buy or some other local B&M?
Best Buy has some DVD-A/SACD stuff. I would think the last Harmony House on Woodward in Royal Oak would have some too. I bought a few SACDs at their classical store when it was going out of business. I haven't bought any DVD/SACD in at least 2 years though. The last few DVD-A's I bought were from Fry's when I was on a business trip in Texas a few years ago. The Crystal Method - Legion of Boom is a pretty good one. So is Blue Man Group - The Complex.
 

Stereodude

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So far I have ripped about 4000 tracks and about 22GB worth. If anyone wants to get on AllPeers I would be up for that.
You're making progress...

I'm in the process of re-ripping all my CDs to lossless (FLAC). I got this new fangled custom speaker correction software loaded in a DSP processor connected to my home system that makes the system so transparent that even the best LAME VBR mp3s are easily identifiable as inferior to the original CD track. It's :D but :( to re-ripping...
 
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