5.1 Surround and Encore

Question

First of all, let me start with the fact that I'm a switcher from Final Cut Studio to Production Suite, so I'm not sure if I'm just not looking at this problem correctly. I have a finished film, and have received 5.1 audio stems (5 surround channels plus a LFE channel).  I'm trying to get these stems into a format I can use for Encore for a standard def DVD (not BluRay). I seem to be able to create a 6 channel QuickTime or .wav file in Audition, but Encore won't read it.  Am I missing something obvious?
Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

The lack of DD 5.1 SS encoding natively in PrPro has been a bone of contention for some time. However, the SurCode DD 5.1 SS Encoder plug-in works fantastically, though it's optional, and for a price.
I suppose that Adobe could include the license fee in the price of PrPro, but then that would mean that all users would pay that price, whether they use DD 5.1 SS, or not. I am sure that a lot of thought goes into the decision to include and price accordingly, vs allow the optional SurCode, for those who DO need the capability. I can imagine the conversations in Marketing, over this, but, as of today, the decision is to make it optional. That is just the way that it is.
I use it so much, that I bought two licenses (one for each installation of PrPro), though I got zero multi-seat pricing. Actually, Minnetonka Audio was very good, and showed me the price that they pay DD for the license fee. Back then, they did offer PrPro users a discounted price, and trust me, they did not make much $ at all. I have been informed by forum users, that the "discount" is no longer available for PrPro users, and that is too bad. It was only US $ 50, but after acquiring PrPro (or a suite), saving $ 50 was nice - it saved me $ 100 on both licenses, and was better than a jab in the eye with a sharp stick. Still, I spent ~ US $ 500 for both licenses, but use that SurCode plug-in on nearly every Project. Worth it to me. I could have cut that cost in half, with only one license, and just migrating Projects between machines, but justified my purchase.
Thank you for the info on Compressor. I have read of it, but being a PC-only guy, have obviously never used it.
Now, as a stand-alone, one could dedicate one machine to just Encoding with it, while doing other things on another machine, so the 32-bit should not be a deal-breaker, even though 64-bit Encoding would be nice. I still have a few such apps. and just do something else during the processing time - maybe another cup of coffee???
Good luck with the decisions, and if you can justify the SurCode Encoder, I think that you will like it - everything stays within PrPro. Note: one caveat - if you are using ADL (Adobe Dynamic Link), the DD AC3 Audio Stream will still need to be Exported separately, and then Imported into Encore. One extra step, but something to think about.
Hunt