03-14-2010, 01:29 PM

Hi all,

I have a question about the audio settings in Handbrake. I'm ripping a bunch of my DVDs to my computer, trying to maintain the best possible quality for play through my sound system. I've got it set up to do two tracks right now. Which audio codec should I be using? AAC (Core Audio) or AC3 Passthru? I'm not really sure what the difference is or how it will affect things. By default, Handbrake had it set up to do AAC for Track 1 and AC3 for Track 2, which seems a little strange to me. Thanks for any help.

Best,
Taylor

03-14-2010, 04:11 PM

Nevermind folks. I found the answer in the Handbrake documentation. It says:

"You can also combine Pro Logic II and AC3 pass-through. This will give you a file that will play anywhere from QuickTime to VLC to the iPhone (using the AAC Pro Logic II track) and play in true surround sound on an AppleTV or in Perian. It is the best of both worlds, and it is only possible in the .mp4 and .mkv containers. Again, MP4 file names must, confusingly, end in .m4v for QuickTime to read them. To use this hybrid format, in the Audio tab, set the first audio track to be the track you want, in AAC sound. Then set the second track to also use the same source track, and select AC3 pass-through."

I guess the reason Handbrake defaults to this is because it is more flexible.