Dear all, I would propose ripping DVD audio stream in a AC3 file - not wma pro. Advantages: really lossless audio format, every digital receiver can play it.
My favorit software doing this: DVD Audio Extractor.
Wish a nice 2551
AC3 format stores audio in heavily compressed, lossy way.
DVD Audio Extractor extracts audio tracks from plain DVD Video discs. DVD Video discs can contain lossless stereo in PCM (WAV) format and/or multichannel (surround) audio in AC3 and/or DTS formats, both of which use lossy compression. In contrast, DVD Audio discs can contain multichannel audio in lossless compression format but DVD Audio Extractor cannot handle such disks. DVD Audio discs are readable in a plain computer DVD drives (as opposed to SACD discs) but they use much more advanced encryption than plain DVD Video discs do, and store the audio in proprietary, undisclosed, lossless format called MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing). Very few tools can handle this encryption and format.
The main problem with multichannel high quality digital audio is not how to store it in a computer (WMA, FLAC, WAV and more can be used) but how to get it out of the computer and audibly reproduced.
Plain S/PDIF line (coaxial or optical) can handle only 2 uncompressed channels. Technically it would be possible to transmit more channels than that using lossless compression such as FLAC. There are no receivers on the market that are able to handle such format.
Therefore, to transmit multichannel via S/PDIF to a receiver, a lossy compression such as AC3 (Dolby Digital) or DTS is used and handled by today’s receivers. What happens is that 6 or 8 audio channels are heavily compressed and then are packed into what appears to be 2 uncompressed channels. After transmission of these 2 encoded channels, the data is unpacked and decoded at the receiver into 6 or 8 channels of audio.
Another alternative is to use analog multichannel audio interface (card or box) and transmit audio using 6 or 8 analog lines (3 or 4 stereo) to your receiver. Any necessary decoding is then done in the computer or the card, not in the receiver. Such interfaces are readily available in consumer, prosumer, and professional (studio) quality and wide price range span. PCI (and related) and Firewire is the technology they use in order to connect to the computer.
Yet another alternative is to use an interface providing 6 or 8 digital output channels, and connect this digital output to an audio system providing corresponding number of digital inputs. This kind of equipment is used in modern, digital studios for monitoring the results of multichannel work (mixing, recording, and broadcasting).
