[Help] What's a simple way to re-encode DD stereo in DD 5.1?

[Warm Gun]

I need to change a 192 kbps Dolby Digital 2.0 track to 448 kbps DD 5.1. I looked around for a way to do that a while back, but couldn't find a good program.

It's for my Aeon Flux DVDs. When ripped, the opening and endings (credits) are separate files. I know how to link them so that the separate files play together during playback. In MKVMerge, you go to Output > Precious/Next Segment UID. The problem is the 5.1 tracks. The OP and ED are only in stereo. When I link them, my receiver automatically switches from stereo to 5.1 during playback, meaning when the OP ends and the episode begins. But it doesn't work if I'm upmixing the DD with Dolby Surround. The sound just becomes silent after the switch. The 5.1 also incorrectly shows as 192 kbps stereo unless I go into Properties, because my media player is going off what the first of the linked files shows, which doesn't matter but bugs me anyway.

[PDB]

If the 2 channel is surround you can use a few different programs. foobar has some options and plug-ins for that, I think besweet does also, maybe TFM audio.

[Doctor M]

If you have access to MPEG Video Wizard, you can just drop in the stereo track and output as 5.1 if you aren't trying to upmix, but just have left & right with the remaining channels silent.
Supposedly you can use ffmpeg for the same task using the pan filter, but my trials of this failed to work.

[Warm Gun]

If you have access to MPEG Video Wizard, you can just drop in the stereo track and output as 5.1 if you aren't trying to upmix, but just have left & right with the remaining channels silent.

That would be perfect. Could you tell me how to do it? I dragged the AC3 into the program, but when I right click and go to Audio, I only see options for muting, swapping and duplicating channels. I read somewhere that you're supposed to go to Export, but I don't see that anywhere. I also tried going to Effect > Custom Mix.

[Doctor M]

If you have access to MPEG Video Wizard, you can just drop in the stereo track and output as 5.1 if you aren't trying to upmix, but just have left & right with the remaining channels silent.

That would be perfect. Could you tell me how to do it? I dragged the AC3 into the program, but when I right click and go to Audio, I only see options for muting, swapping and duplicating channels. I read somewhere that you're supposed to go to Export, but I don't see that anywhere. I also tried going to Effect > Custom Mix.

Once you have the track in Video Wizard, Click Export (the thing that looks like an audio cassette),
Under general, make sure file format is audio only. Pick the file name and location.
On the audio tab select AC-3, AC3 5.1 and pick the bit rate.
Click the monitor tab and click start.

[Warm Gun]

If you have access to MPEG Video Wizard, you can just drop in the stereo track and output as 5.1 if you aren't trying to upmix, but just have left & right with the remaining channels silent.

That would be perfect. Could you tell me how to do it? I dragged the AC3 into the program, but when I right click and go to Audio, I only see options for muting, swapping and duplicating channels. I read somewhere that you're supposed to go to Export, but I don't see that anywhere. I also tried going to Effect > Custom Mix.

Once you have the track in Video Wizard, Click Export (the thing that looks like an audio cassette),
Under general, make sure file format is audio only.  Pick the file name and location.
On the audio tab select AC-3, AC3 5.1 and pick the bit rate.
Click the monitor tab and click start.

Nothing shows up under File Format. The option right above only lets me select MPEG audio files. Video and Audio are greyed out. I converted the MKV to MPEG to see if that was the reason and also tried compatibility mode for W7 and XP in the executable, but it's the same.

[Doctor M]

You need to drag and drop the audio track into the timeline.

[Warm Gun]

Oh. Thank you. Thanks a lot. My receiver no longer goes silent when switching from the opening to the episode in 5.1, just as I hoped. I also muxed the openings and credits to the episodes, to eliminate all the little issues with linking segment UIDs. Makes the backup a little bigger (ten times the opening and ending).

[Doctor M]

That software might be a bit dated, but there are a few things it's still pretty good at.