DVDA Explorer
Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 10:28 am
Some artists are releasing albums with multitrack and stereo versions in Hi-Res audio contained on DVD-Audio discs.
King Crimson, for instance, whose 40th anniversary series comes complete with a DVDA containing the albums in 24bit/96KHz versions.
A useful (and free!) tool for accessing this audio is DVDA Explorer, available here:
https://www.videohelp.com/software/DVD-Audio-Explorer
Using it is a doddle:
Load DVD into PC drive
Start DVDA Explorer
Under 'File' click 'open'
Select your DVD
Select 'AUDIO_TS'
Select 'AUDIO_TS.IFO'
Now, in theory, you should see a list of maps and audio tracks in the left-hand column.
Clicking on one of these tracks will display the info on the right.
Look at Group 1 Channel Assignment: If you see something like 'Lf-Rf-Ls-Rs' then that is a track encoded for surround-sound.
'L-R' is plain old 2-channel stereo.
Selecting tracks to be ripped by holding the right mouse button down then you click on 'Extract'
There is a menu where you select the target map for your ripped tracks.
Then select 'Covert to Wave'
If you only have multichannel tracks available, you can select 'Get stereo downmix' and the program will automatically make a 2-channel version for you.
If the disc is encrypted, click on 'Ignore stream encryption'.
Click the Rip button at the bottom.
These tracks come without name or tag info and you'll have to find your own way of adding that.
I just edit the track names by changing them to something like:
'01 - Love Me Do'
'02 - Please, Please Me'
etc.
But as my CD rips are mostly WAV now I don't use tagging info. A program like DbPowerAmp' will allow you to convert to FLAC and add tags if necessary.
Then sit back and enjoy the music through your PC/Streamer/DAC/whatever.
Have fun!
