rimz

not sure really...you could install the aux input to hook an ipod into....but you've got DVD-A discs playing some sweet beats now, so you may not want to do that...maybe get an aftermarket sub to hear the DVD-A sound better...or just an amp...i had a system in my impala, but don't see myself doing much electronic-wise to the TL...it seems too good the way it came...

MTVtec

Okay,
So in my attempt to decrypt my iTunes-bought music, I used a program called FairGame which basically utilizes iMovie to remove the DRM. This did not work giving me a message saying there was an "error finding 1 of {}" -1728. So since that didn't work I tried a program called JHymn which also was unsuccesful in decrypting my music.

I am stuck here and am in need of help. My brother has a Windows based PC, so maybe I could copy the music to his computer and try a Windows program to decrypt the music but I want to do this as a last resort. Can someone who really knows what they're doing provide some feedback?

Thanks,
Matt

rimz

for windows try myFairTunes or QTFairUse...

i think JHymn was the best bet for mac software to remove DRM...

MTVtec

JHymn won't even run on my computer for some reason, It gives me an "error" message.

Matt

rimz

try this...it might apply to your 'error'...

joeblowjapan

Matt,

Burn the iTunes-bought music (.m4a) files onto an audio CD. You can do this directly from iTunes. Make sure you've got AIFF selected under the "Import" tab in "Advanced" in iTunes preferences. Then import the CD you just burned. The imported tracks will be AIF files, which are uncompressed and DRM-free. Convert them to .wav (again, with iTunes). Use DVD-AudioFile to burn the .wav files to DVD-A.

If you can't convert .aif files to .wav in iTunes you may need QuickTime Pro.

Edited by datmrman
Links to registration keys and cracks are prohibited. It has been removed.

datmrman

Matt,

Burn the iTunes-bought music (.m4a) files onto an audio CD. You can do this directly from iTunes. Make sure you've got AIFF selected under the "Import" tab in "Advanced" in iTunes preferences. Then import the CD you just burned. The imported tracks will be AIF files, which are uncompressed and DRM-free. Convert them to .wav (again, with iTunes). Use DVD-AudioFile to burn the .wav files to DVD-A.

If you can't convert .aif files to .wav in iTunes you may need QuickTime Pro. Or a serial number for QuickTime Pro. Try www.serialz.to !

joeblowjapan

My own post looks odd to me now. Posted when too sleepy.

In my advice above, you can skip the part about AIF unless you want to keep files as AIF as well as burn them to DVD. Instead, choose WAV when you import your newly-burned audio CD. That way you don't need the extra conversion step.

Good luck.

MTVtec

Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate the inpute on trying to solve my problem. I did get it to work, and this is how I did it: I decrypted all my music using FairGame. The program always worked, the "error" message was basically just telling me it couldn't import the decrypted file into iTunes. So I had to to each song individually. That took a while but it was well worth it! Once my files were decrypted I followed Brettalica's write-up on the 5th page of this topic. I then popped the DVD-A into the TL and boom! All the songs work!

Thanks again,
Matt

getmilton

i'm trying to rip the audio off a dvd. here's the twist: i want to preserve all six channels of audio. i used dvd audio ripper 4 to rip as an .ac3 file (6 channels). now, i want to take that .ac3 file and turn it to dvd-a to listen to in my car.

does discwelder bronze accept .ac3 as an input?

thanks for your help.

------------
'04 TL, AT, Navi

rimz

straight off the discwelder site...

technically, .ac3 files don't fall under the PCM format, but they are supportedy by DVD discs...you might try importing the .ac3 files into discwelder and see what happens...unless this is the deciding factor in buying the program or not, i would say email Minnetonka (creator of discwelder) and ask them...

i just did a quick google search and found this...didn't dig too deep, so you might find a better answer elsewhere...

rimz

quick update on the .ac3/discwelder question...

so with discwelder chrome, you should be able to import .ac3 files...but i would still email minnetonka to make sure...

getmilton

paid another visit to the website. discwelder bronze is a reasonable $99. but, the "steel" version is $500 and the "chrome 2" version is $3000!

rimz

honestly, i think the cost of making your own 5.1 dvd-a disc is MUCH greater than the enjoyment of the 5.1 disc...

i'm more than happy with the stereo dvd-a discs i've been making (some songs even sound like 5.1 because of the panning in the track)...i own two 5.1 discs: crystal method - legion of boom and porcupine tree - inabsentia...both make very good use of the surround sound, but the cost of making a disc like that is far greater...

i've turned stereo tracks into 5.1 tracks, but freeware programs (i.e. dvd-audiofile) won't accept 5.1...so until a freeware program comes out with that capability, i'm sticking with 2-channel tracks...

just my opinion...let us know if you have any other questions and welcome to AZ...

emily

maybe ImTOO DVD Creator can help you , you can download it at http://www.oursdownload.com/imtoo-dvd-creator.html .

rimz

eh...is this a spam post...?

that program is for making video DVD's...it has nothing to do with DVD-Audio and it has nothing to do with a Mac (it runs on windows)...

jayv

Thanks for everyones posts... This morning i finally made a DVD-A disk that works in my car....

rimz

congrats man...it's nice to hear about others having success with creating DVD-A discs...

bmode

Man, what a long ass thread, but great stuff guys. I've been tracking this thread for a while now, and I've yet to see anyone post the precise frequency and bit-rates for our TL's? What is the maximum possibility? The highest I tried was 24-bit/96khz, and it didn't work in my 2005TL. The 16-bit at 96khz did work though. Is it possible to have text in the display for each track in a homemade DVD-A?

Toast Titanium 8 is a pain and has never worked for me while trying to burn a DVD-A, but I'm not giving up. DVD-Audiofile works fine to make the .ISO file with the Disk Utility to burn to DVD.

Much respect to you all for taking the time to help the newcomers. Oh by the way, I've been a loyal Mac user since 1988! There's is no PC in my house, only at work. You truly have to use both platforms to really appreciate a Mac! I can't stand to hear PC people put down Mac's when they've never used it! I understand serious gamers need PC's, but I don't have that kind of time anyway, so the heck with games.

Roger Ebert said it best - "But since any reasonable person would choose a Mac over a PC, Apple's market share does provide us with an accurate reading of the percentage of reasonable people in our society" - Macworld Feb 2004

bmode

Strike that comment about Toast. I went back and checked the post by Rimz, and saw how to use it, but only the 16-bit/96khz format works in Toast Ti 8? And the DVD-A's don't play with Apple DVD player neither. Good stuff by the way Rimz, your posts are extremely appreciated over here. B.

rimz

no problem B...glad this long thread could help you out...

i can't remember exactly, but i tried burning a DVD-A disc at 24 bit and i think it was dvd-audiofile that wouldn't handle it...so yeah, 16 bit is what you have to burn your discs as...

maybe we should come up with a cliff's notes post every few pages...

bmode

I was just reading the Acura DVD-Audio sleeve that came with the car, and the second question mentions 24-bit audio on DVD-A's, so our system's can most likely accommodate 24-bit files. Now we just need the software.

bmode

I just ran another test and was successful.

Source: one 2 minute stereo wav file at 24-bit/48khz

application: DVD-audiofile to make the .ISO file.

application: Disk Utility to burn the DVD.

This method played in the TL with no problem and in my Denon DVD-2910 player and Toshiba DVD player.

The question now is which is a higher quality, bit rate or frequency? Anyone?

bmode

Here's a well written web page dedicated to our topic at hand for those who seek answers and knowledge.

http://www.tweakheadz.com/16_vs_24_bit_audio.htm

bmode

Test two completed and successful.

source: one 2 minute stereo wav file at 24-bit 96khz

dropped intro DVD-Audiofile, created .ISO file on desktop, brought up Apple Disk Utility, burned the .ISO file to DVD-R and it plays perfectly in TL and on DVD players.

That was exhausting. I'm done.

rimz

awesome test results, B...i've never been big on burning anything using apple's disk utility, but will start giving it a try...

and personally, i prefer a higher bit rate over a higher frequency...i just feel it gives music better quality...

guess i was wrong about dvd-audiofile accepting 24 bit audio files...once again, thanks for the test results...

bmode

HOLD THE PHONE. Gosh daggit. Now it's now working, and the .ISO file that DVD-audio creates is not even being recognized by Disk Utility. So stick with Toast, or what ever your using. Man, I'm hot right now. I've spent about 24hrs total on this one. What the heck is this? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't? Sheesh! I'm ready to purchase Disc Welder.

Any feedback on Disc Welder?

I agree Rimz, bit depth has got to be better because of the headroom.

Jove

can u do this on any computer?

bmode

Any computer that has the proper software and hardware.

You'll need software that can convert or export to .wav or aiff files, then compile a list and make an .ISO file, then burn that ISO file to a DVD-R, and hopefully it will work. I've been back and forth for the last 3 days. I'm contemplating throwing my G4 against the wall...

sistim turbo

..... being the starter of this thread,,, iam soo glad its still going .........and of course having rimz totally help me out,,,and others i see,,,,
however,,,,,,i still get a bit confused. i do create dvd-a using the software,,, ur right,, it doesnt always work. esp witht the older macs......but am still a bit confused about the bit rate etc.

what is the best settings to use to burn an iso image using mac and the dvd audio software?

i guess what iam tring to say is,,,,after all those tests you did,,,, great job by the way,,, what do you think is the best settings for the best quality music? maybe the closest to tru dvd a sound?

thanks for ur reply..

ps-- whats up rimz!!!

rimz

sorry to hear about your frustrations, B....luckily, creating DVD-A discs hasn't given me many headaches...but don't throw your G4 against the wall...that'll give you a migraine...

i've always stuck with 16 bit/48khz as my settings for DVD-A discs...and i've never had one problem since i started burning DVD-A discs...i swear somewhere or something didn't accept 24 bit files, so bmode surprised the hell out of me when he said he got 24 bit working on his disc...i'm not saying the TL doesn't play 24 bit (it does because retail DVD-A discs are 24 bit/96khz), but the free (for the most part) software we use won't accept anything higher than 16 bit (at least i think that's right)...

here's a quick run-down on how i burn DVD-A discs...

1. gather music files for DVD-A disc

2. convert each music file to FLAC format using switch (i swear, using this format will give you zero headaches...it is much more friendly than WAV...WAV has given me a few problems in the past with it's settings, but FLAC just does the job and has the same quality)

3. import all FLAC music files into dvd-audiofile and create your ISO file

4. burn your ISO file using Toast (you could also use apple's disk utility, but i always use Toast)

5. play your headache-free DVD-A disc...

five simple steps that have always worked for me...enjoy...

rimz

as far as feedback on Disc Welder...i haven't paid for music, software, movies, etc. for quite some time and haven't found the software available in the usual places, so i can't say from experience how the program is, but i have read some really great reviews about it from other users...they've said it's very user-friendly and haven't really had any problems with it...i just don't want to dish out $99 for it...

bmode

Ok, G4 is still underneath the desk.

The reason I'm frustrated is that a 24-bit/96khz file actually worked at one point like I posted above. To answer sistim's question, the best bit depth on a Mac is 32bit, and the highest frequency is 192khz at this time, but the free application DVD-audiofile apparently doesn't support the 24/32 bit depth and sample rate. I'm not sure what Welder can do so were stuck with 16 bit at 48khz for now. Which is fine, but I use Logic Pro to make music, and it can export as high as 32-bit depth and 96khz rate, and I'd love to hear it in my TL. The difference is night and day with playback on the computer, as you can definitely tell them apart especially with good amp and monitors.

bmode

Hey Rimz, I just noticed DVD-Audiofile has no bit rate options? So I dropped in wav files at 24bit/96khz and converted it to .flac files and it changed to 16bit/96khz. So it must not support anything above 16bit.

rimz

heh....that must be why i've always been successful using 16 bit audio files then...

bmode

Yeah, it's me again. With another test result, this time using 24-bit depth in DVD-audiofile, and it worked.

The file format: 24-bit@48khz .wav out of Quicktime Pro. (original file was .wav 24/96khz)

Dropped 17 tracks of 24/48khz in DVD-audiofile to make the .ISO file.(size 1.09GB)

Opened Toast Ti8 to burn the .ISO file to DVD-R, but this time used the Copy section and it automatically went to the second choice which is Image file. Burned it and verified it, and it plays perfectly in the TL, Denon 2910 and Toshiba dvd players.

I don't know what to tell ya Rimz, I'm stumped ova here? I think lowering the sampling rate to 48khz and staying at 24-bits makes it more compatible. I'll try another one later on today with the 96khz sampling rate. Oye!

I was going to submit a screen shot of toast, but I don't know how to insert an image on this forum. I don't understand what "Enter the text to be formatted" means by the little picture icon? How does the jpg upload from my desktop?

bmode

Ok, the 24-bit depth at 96khz did not work using DVD-Audiofile.

rimz

hmm...maybe it was the khz that was giving me the problem...not the bit rate...i swear i've only been burning 16 bit music files....ah well, i'll do the 24/48khz on my next dvd-a...thanks for the update!

and yes, ALWAYS use the 'copy' option in toast to burn your ISO file...then choose image file...that's how i always burn mine and guess i assumed that's how everyone else burned their ISO files too....

as for your posting an image, you can link to it by entering "[ img ]http://www.linktoyourfile.com/image.jpg[ /img ]" ....remove the spaces inside the brackets, insert the location to your image file, and you're good to go....i can't find the 'enter the text to be formatted' anywhere in toast...would sure like to see your screenshot...

dtech

If money wasn't an issue would you guys recommned that I just buy the Disc Welder bronze or take the steps that you guys provided? I mean, how much of a difference is there in sound, overall? There must be because you guys going several steps just for a disc, ah! Btw, the mp3's you covert, should they be 192kbps quality or higher? Please let me know so I can try tonight. Thanks in advance guys!

rimz

by all means if money isn't an issue, get Disc Welder Bronze...i've read really good reviews for it and without looking at the specs on it, i think it handles 6-channel audio files so you can make a 5.1 surround sound disc...

personally, i don't think you'll notice a HUGE difference in sound...if anything, you'll notice it being a little more clearer...and i'm not comparing a 5.1 DVD-A disc to CD; i'm comparing our free method of making DVD-A discs to 5.1 DVD-A discs...

the reason we take these steps to make DVD-A discs for the most part (i think) is because we can fit 120+ songs on one disc...i hate swapping CD's in and out, regardless of the 6-disc changer...plus with more tracks on one disc, you get better quality...

as for converting your mp3's, i ONLY use 128kbps and 192kbps...remember that the audio files you use to create your DVD-A ISO file will either be WAV or FLAC, not MP3...just make sure your mp3's sound good (i.e. not having to turn the volume up to hear the song -- example of a bad/low quality rip) and then convert them...what i do is keep the volume on my computer at a specific setting (usually the normal volume for all sounds on my computer) and play each mp3 for a minute....if one mp3 sounds too quiet where i have to increase the volume, i don't use it...all your audio files should be heard just fine at the volume you select...