[MEncoder-users] MPEG 5.1 to stereo conversion for Sony SR100

[sjb]

Hi all.

First post to this list, so please excuse me if I'm asking in the worng 
place or the subject has been covered before (I did check through the 
list archives but couldn't find a solution)

I have a Sony SR100 HDD camcorder that records MPEG files with 5.1 
audio. Mplayer (built a month or so ago from source) can play the MPEG 
files from the camera with no problems.

I'd like to convert the MPEGs into FLV so that I can put the videos on 
the web for playblack in a flash movie player.

I have, in the past, used the guide at the bottom of this page ..

http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/HTML/en/menc-feat-selecting-codec.html

.. to convert all kinds of videos successfully, but that approach won't 
work with the MPEG files from the camcorder. MEncoder starts, looks like 
it's about to do something, but then stops and leaves an output file of 
zero bytes but no obvious error message - it just doesn't appear to try 
to process the file.

The problem seems to be related to the audio in the file. If I strip the 
audio out (using Womble's MPEG to DVD converter), I can use MEncoder to 
convert the new file to FLV. If I use MEncoder with -nosound on the 
original MPEG, I can convert the file. If I use the software that came 
bundled with the camera to "convert" the audio (the software doesn't 
actually say what the conversion does), or Womble's software set to 
output in stereo, MEncoder still fails.

Can somebody give me a hint as to what I need to do to produce a FLV 
with some audio (stereo or mono, I'm not fussy)? Oh, there's no way to 
switch the camera to record in 2 channel stereo before anybody suggests 
that ;-)

I can provide a sample of a file from the camera and the output from 
player/mencoder if required.

Many thanks!

sjb