[saltman]

ac3 sounds like GARBAGE. If you don't mind your DVD sounding like GARBAGE go for it. Do a test sample and see if you can tell a difference.

keep in mind the DVD spec is 10800 kbs max. which includes the video + audio + any menu info, etc...

some DVD players can't handle bitrates higher then 8000
so 8000 + 1536 is under the DVD spec and will produce the best DVD.

I bet you will find that you can't tell much difference between video encoded at 8000 vs 9000..... but you sure can tell a difference in audio encoded in ac3 vs pcm