commercial app to create mkv files

[magmo]

I'm looking for a good commercial application that can produce mkv files from ts or m2ts files. I have tryed RER HD converter, but I don't like it. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

[poisondeathray]

Is there some specific requirement that you need? What's wrong with non-commercial apps ? There are plenty to choose from...

[LoRd_MuldeR]

You are talking about containers. So do you just want to re-mux streams from ts/m2ts to MKV or are you planning to re-encode?

Also I think you will be more happy by using the OpenSource tools available ;)

[magmo]

No there is no specific requirements, I jus want a application that I can retrive support for if needed. The free ones I have tryed does not work as stable that I want the to. And sometimes they just don't work at all (after a update), and that is just awfull. I just want it to work, and produce mkv files that can be played without any trouble on my Tvix.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Good luck getting support for a commercial software :D

Most likely you will get better/faster support for community-driven OpenSource tools. Anyway, you still didn't say what you want to do in detail.

Are you just looking for a way to re-mux? Are you planning to re-encode? Do you need further image processing?

[magmo]

The only scenario for me is to rip Bluray to HD and then create a mkv file from created m2ts file or if I create a ts file based on the ripped m2ts files on the HD. I will be more that happy for any suggestions on applications that do this for me. Applications that I have tryed is....

RipBot264 (this is the application I have tryed the most)
MeGUI
AutoMkv
RER HD converter
MakeMKV
Xvid4PSP

It would be just fine if I could use a opensource application, but I can't stand when the application for reasons unkown to me just stop working and I cannot get any support.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

What makes you believe that an OpenSource tool will stop working, while a commercial software does not? And what makes you believe that you won't get support for OpenSource tools? :eek:

In reality the opposite is the case: OpenSource tools usually have a huge community and you can get help immediately. You can even talk to the developers personally.

Try to get help for a commercial software: You will need to use their "support system" and wait for days (weeks) to get a reply. And if you finally get a reply, it often turns out to be a useless "standard" mail.

There are exceptions, of course ;)

[magmo]

Well, every time I have posted my issues with RipBot264 in this forum I have not received any help at all from the author. My latest issue with that program is that it for reasons unknown just wont make any mkv file. It just start muxing for a minute maybe and then tell me that the file is finnished. This is of course not the case, since this procedure would normaly take 4-5 hours. And this application have just started to do this, it has worked a few times before. This is very frustrating

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Well, every time I have posted my issues with RipBot264 in this forum I have not received any help at all from the author

Reading your latest post in the RipBot264 threads this may very well be the case because you don't give enough information :rolleyes:

If you expect any help, you must provide at least the exact(!) steps to reproduce the problem and/or post your log file. Also providing a sample file is never wrong.

A post like "It doesn't work. Help me!" is useless and has a great chance to be ignored. Remember that the developer (most likely) doesn't have a crystal ball...

[magmo]

There is not even a log file for the video production, only for the audio part. You wouldnt happend to know any more application that would do want I wanted?

[LoRd_MuldeR]

You already named many of the popular encoding GUI's. Some more: Avidemux (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=126164), Handbrake (http://handbrake.fr/?article=download), MediaCoder (http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/index.htm), StaxRip (http://www.planetdvb.net/staxrip) ...

[rack04]

The only scenario for me is to rip Bluray to HD and then create a mkv file from created m2ts file or if I create a ts file based on the ripped m2ts files on the HD. I will be more that happy for any suggestions on applications that do this for me. Applications that I have tryed is....

RipBot264 (this is the application I have tryed the most)
MeGUI
AutoMkv
RER HD converter
MakeMKV
Xvid4PSP

It would be just fine if I could use a opensource application, but I can't stand when the application for reasons unkown to me just stop working and I cannot get any support.

If you just want to create a mkv from blu-ray disc check out eac3to and mkvtoolnix.

[Sagekilla]

If you want to make an MKV directly from your Blu-ray disc, use MakeMKV.

It does direct ripping of Blu-ray -> video+audio+subtitle+etc in mkv format. No transcoding, if you don't want that.

[magmo]

Yes, but I need to resize the file to 1280x720 ratio and I cannot do that in MakeMKV, thanks anyway

[setarip_old]

@magmo

Hi!The only scenario for me is to rip Bluray to HD and then create a mkv file from created m2ts file or if I create a ts file based on the ripped m2ts files on the HD.but I need to resize the file to 1280x720 ratio and I cannot do that in MakeMKVWhich is it?


What requires you to resize to 1280x720? I ask because the two TVIX HD models are indicated to be able to handle 1080p...

[Adub]

You cannot rip a Bluray disk directly into 1280x720 resolution. You just can't. The native bluray format is 1920x1080 and in order to reduce the resolution, you have to re-encode to a downsampled resolution using Avisynth or the like.

As setarip_old asks, why do you need it in 720p format? Almost everything these days support the Full HD, 1080p format.

[turbojet]

Doesn't tvix handle m2ts files better then mkv?
Many commercial software outputs to m2ts. I don't think mkv outside of enthusiasts/piracy is a very common container and I can't think of a reason for it to become common.

[Dark Shikari]

Doesn't tvix handle m2ts files better then mkv?
Many commercial software outputs to m2ts. I don't think mkv outside of enthusiasts/piracy is a very common container and I can't think of a reason for it to become common.Theoretical reasons:

1) M2TS does not work as a general-purpose container; it has no global header and thus you cannot effectively seek.
2) MP4 does not work because it doesn't support most modern audio formats.
3) AVI doesn't work for obvious reasons.

Practical reasons:

DivX 7 uses it ;)

[Daiz]

2) MP4 does not work because it doesn't support most modern audio formats.

And also pretty much fails when it comes to subtitles.

[turbojet]

Considering tvix hardware doesn't support mkv/mp4/avi splitting without software but it does support (m2)ts files I don't see why one would encode to anything but.

I'm not sure what you mean by general purpose container but what the industry needed was something that contains h.264/vc-1/mpeg2, ac3, dts, HD audio, subs, chapters, menus all of which m2ts can do, mkv/mp4/avi can not fulfill all of these requirements. This is why I say I don't see a reason for the industry to go out and adopt one of these containers.

True DivX 7 uses mkv but it's still an infant and only time will tell where it ends up, press releases don't sound too promising so far. But by all means he can use that as a commercial program to encode to mkv. It wouldn't be my first suggestion.

[Sharktooth]

And also pretty much fails when it comes to subtitles.
MP4 supports TTXT subtitles. i have several MP4s muxed with subtitle streams and they're working fine.

[raisinberry777]

I don't think mkv outside of enthusiasts/piracy is a very common container and I can't think of a reason for it to become common.

While it's probably not relevant to you, it's amazingly helpful in terms of anime with its subtitle support (karaoke effects, different fonts, and vobsub subs in the container).

Apart from the audio formats thing, that's basically the only thing that separates it from MP4 though, I'll admit.

[Doom9]

but what the industry needed was something that contains h.264/vc-1/mpeg2, ac3, dts, HD audio, subs, chapters, menus all of which m2ts can do, mkv/mp4/avi can not fulfill all of these requirements.Actually, MKV can do all that.
And, menus in m2ts? Are you sure that the actual logic is really in there or if it's just the source of the menus (audio and video) like it is for DVDs? At least for BD-J titles the logic is definitely outside the m2ts streams.
And the main reason not to use m2ts is the massive overhead - I never understood why Sony went for a transport stream on a physical disc, let alone one that's made to be extremely scratch resistant.

MKV is supported on a wide variety of streaming devices nowadays so I'd say it has already made the cut. DivX using it might just bring it to devices that do not currently support it (like Blu-ray players). Two years ago I would've bet on MP4.. now I tend to think MKV is well on its way to be the next big thing. M2TS and TS won't go away for obvious reasons, but unless you want to create your own Blu-ray discs, it might not be the most effective container option.

[turbojet]

bdsup files support changing fonts, color, position too just software doesn't exist to do this yet, after all it's only a few years old and before tsmuxer in January 2008 bdsup's were a complete mystery. Also where is the original subtitle support in mkv/mp4/avi files?

I know menus are in the mkv standard but have you ever actually seen it outside of that?
From what I understand m2ts hold the IGS information for buttons and such which external files use for calls, like DVD. Encoding BD to mkv is like encoding DVD to mpeg2 and putting it in an mkv or mpeg2 container instead of vob, we never tried reinventing that working wheel, why try to reinvent this working wheel?

Besides the fact that mkv came before BD's existed and for ~18 months after hddvd/bd came out it along with mp4 were the logical containers of choice I don't understand the logic behind the mkv entusiasm. M2TS like VOB can do more then you need it to do and has multitudes greater compatibility then mkv, including these mkv software streaming devices.

True that mkv exists in some streaming devices all branded with basically unknown brand names (western digital being an exception) and every mkv splitting routine is a software solution. If the big companies jump on the mkv/mp4 bandwagon by spending millions in R&D is yet to be known.

It's not that I dislike the mkv container, it's fine for playing on a pc in fact it still has better support on pc's if you don't care about menus or original subtitles.
I'm also not necessarily a fan of m2ts but I do realize it has much better support outside of a pc and commercially that's what matters most.

Enthusiasts seem divided currently. One side hopes for mkv hardware support the other side hopes for m2ts software support. You have to ask yourself which one we have more control over.

[Doom9]

bdsup files support changing fonts, color, position too just software doesn't exist to do this yetWhat makes you think they'd give up SSA? I'd bet a beer or two that they're not going to switch to SUP (the software has been available since the launch of Blu-ray after all.. just not the software for freeloaders :)

Also where is the original subtitle support in mkv/mp4/avi files?Um.. what about TTTX in MP4? And what about pretty much any subtitle format in MKV? VobSub? check, Subrip? Check, SSA? check. I don't have a lot of use for subs in most cases but that list seems pretty good to me - what exactly is it that you're missing? SUP is the only thing that comes to mind - though, can any free player handle those subtitles? IIRC those boxes from basically unknown brand names (see below) can handle that though (in M2TS files only).
True that mkv exists in some streaming devices all branded with basically unknown brand namesNetgear? Zyxel? Hauppauge? Do you call those unknown brand names? The major refuseniks as of now are Microsoft (who wants to push WMV.. though they've at least partially given in by adding AVC support to Silverlight and Windows 7) and Sony (they haven't seen a standard they liked unless they invented it or hold a major patent position on it). But.. it takes you two minutes of google searching to find a doable solution to still play those files on your console.
And we do have plenty of m2ts software support.. MPC does it, mplayer does it, VLC does it.. what more can you ask for? We even covered non Microsoft operating systems with that short list of 3 players. It's a only matter of time before free players can handle full Blu-ray playback but that's a bit OT.

I never thought I found myself defending MKV. I'm mostly a spectator but seeing what has happened over the past few years I'm convinced that the MKV isn't a container you can count out anymore. A few years back its use was pretty limited but high def content has really given it a second life. And don't hate just because the release scene is using it - they're actually pretty conservative when it comes to new things.

The only things I see missing in MKV besides support in commercial editors is the lack of support for high def audio and SUP - I suspect that's something we'll see in the 2.0 specs though (I thought we'd have heard a bit more on that topic by now). If you need any of that right now, m2ts is your best choice, and as chance would have it, those streaming devices all branded with basically unknown brand names can all handle it.. maybe it's time you revise your negative opinion about such hardware. If I don't need the things MKV cannot do, using M2TS is a bit like driving your own bus to work when a regular car would do just fine - it's overkill.

P.S. about re-inventing the wheel.. MKV came before M2TS ;) And I've been in the DVD backup space since the very beginning and using VOB wasn't even considered until mpeg-2 transcoders showed up... it was all AVI (with mpeg-4 video) until that point and it remained so for those who want only the main movie.

[neuron2]

MKV came before M2TS Strictly true and I noted the smilie. But M2TS is just normal TS with a 4 byte count field before the sync byte. So I'm not sure you can hang much on that claim.

[turbojet]

BD doesn't support ssa and I'm talking about retaining original subtitles from a BD.

ttxt/ssa/sup all require human work which is prone to mistakes and far from original. vobsub is the closest you can get to an original bdsup but it can't have different color/font/size words in the same line nor can it multi-step sub displays. vobsub also changes the charateristics of the text, like aliasing/size.

Most electronics stores I've walked into don't have one piece of equipment besides a pc that can play mkv files, with any luck at all they might have 1-2 of those WDTV units on the shelf at best buy but that's also not very common. I usually have at least 5 options for BD playback. If Sony and Microsoft were the only companies refusing mkv this wouldn't be the case and there would be hardware decoders with mkv support but currently they obviously don't see any incentive. Probably more BD's sold in one day then there is mkv's encoded in a year.

I'm not going to count mkv out but I don't see why people are trying to put mkv into competition with M2TS. While I don't like popularity contests at all, BD is way too big of a Goliath for mkv's David. Everything you need mkv to do m2ts can also do with a lot better hardware compatibility and growing software compatibility.

I'm not a fan of commerical encoders, the only commerical app I have installed is windows, But the original poster asked for a commercial app to produce things that play on his tvix. M2TS (all hardware decoding) is much more accessible then mkv (software splitting) on a tvix and I can't think of one commercial h.264 software that doesn't output M2TS.

The first dvd to hit stores was mpeg2 in a vob container. MPEG2 encoders did exist back then but weren't available to the masses. mpeg/asf/avi all existed back then but people weren't trying to replace vob with one of these containers. They had vcd and svcd as lower capable formats but those faded away for most when dvd authoring became fairly accessible. People are putting the same content in mkv's as they are in m2ts, for the most part, with more bdsup or BDmuxer software support it could be everything and you can play it on much more hardware.

I really do think BD software development is behind where DVD development was at this stage in it's life. It's unfortunate but there's a lot of developers still stuck in mkv mode rather then doing what the dvd developers did by focusing on understanding the source of the encode. I really do appreciate the few developers that are trying to understand what they are really encoding from. If BD had the same amount of developers that DVD had I have a feeling we'd already be blanking extras, editing buttons, and playing back BD's with menus/extras on a DVD5/9 on a majority of players and we wouldn't be having a discussion about mkv vs m2ts. It'll get there some day, I'm almost willing to bet by 2011 mkv talk will almost be non-existent on this forum.

[Dark Shikari]

I'm almost willing to bet by 2011 mkv talk will almost be non-existent on this forum.Actually, I'm willing to bet that within a few years Blu-ray talk will be nearly non-existent, as Blu-ray will be the last major disc media format (for video distribution, at least).

But I'd definitely take you up on your bet--I'd put five grand on it, easy--since while mine is merely a decent chance, yours is surely wrong; it's roughly equivalent to claiming, in 2001, that "DivX and Xvid AVIs will be nearly non-existent in 2003." And look how wrong that was.

As long as piracy is more popular than the actual disc media, MKV will be discussed to the near-exclusion of M2TS.

[turbojet]

I don't think streaming is really the future especially if more and more isp's enforce ridiculous bandwidth caps, over 50% of USA is capped now at 150-250 GB, most of UK is capped at 50-200 GB, most of AU is capped at 50-100 GB. most of CA is capped at 50-100 GB, Asia is starting to cap too. You also have to remember a 1080p stream is not all that small, 50 GB might get you 5 movies a month.

I'd never state mpeg4 asp to be dead in 2003, it has many (dis)advantages over mpeg2 DVD's. But we are discussing putting the same content in 2 different containers, one that has a lot more industry support then the other.

If I am wrong about BD encoding why is the software (multiavchd, BD-Rebuilder, popBD, TSMuxer, AVCHDmanager, RipBot264 (looking at the thread seems it's used mainly for BD output), ton of commercial software) gaining more and more interest?

MKVtoolnix while a great piece of software is the only software I've ever used that has mkv support and besides bugfixes no development has been done on it in the past year or so.

DVD's are certainly popular in piracy and for what reason would you choose a movie only DVD (mkv) over a DVD with menus/extras (BD) at the same size?

Where do you see piracy being more popular then retail?

[Sagekilla]

I'd pick the movie in mkv only. I don't need menus and extras crap. From what I see, most people really -don't- care about having good menus or even extras on the disc. Unless they're a huge fan of whatever movie it is, they'll never touch the extras. They'll only watch the main movie, and sometimes having direct access to the movie is actually nice. Also, since when was just a mkv with main movie the same size as a m2ts with the movie + menus + extras?

[turbojet]

If you own a Sony BD player you can fit a lot of movies, some even 1080p with extras and menus on a DVD5 and I doubt you could tell a difference between it and that saturated mkv. Once extras can be blanked that will open the door for a lot more movies on DVD5.

Except for the occasional loaded with extras BD, most BD's at 720p are easier to fit on a DVD5 then a 480/576 MPEG2 on a DVD5 of the same movie.

I bet best buy in USA alone will sell more than 6000 BD's the day it retails. The Dark Knight sells over 600000 BD's on the first day in USA, UK, Canada. (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/12/11/the-dark-knight-moves-600-000-blu-ray-discs-on-day-one/)

Also since you prefer movie in mkv only is there any reason why you'd choose mkv over m2ts?

[neuron2]

Guys, please take your discussion of piracy sites elsewhere. The thread is getting way OT with a religious war between M2TS and MKV.

[turbojet]

Ya sorry about that neuron2, I'm about to leave this discussion considering I keep trying to answer the original posters question with a lot to back it up and others just want to say I'm completely wrong for no reason. Not worth my time.

[Doom9]

Most electronics stores I've walked into don't have one piece of equipment besides a pc that can play mkv files, with any luck at all they might have 1-2 of those WDTV units on the shelf at best buy but that's also not very common.So? I got my first DVD and first DVD player back in 98. Until 2001, no dedicated hardware supported AVIs. And it took several years more to get major brands to support DivX. Yes DVD players were first, and yes Blu-ray players were first, too. You're making a mistaken drawing conclusions from the timeline, especially if past experience shows you another picture. It's your right to have the opinion this was a one time deal - personally I think it's not and that's based on my own 9+ years of experience in that area and being at the helm of the community that is at a forefront of new technology. Of course, I could just as well be wrong but I'll let history tell me that in due time.

If I am wrong about BD encoding why is the software (multiavchd, BD-Rebuilder, popBD, TSMuxer, AVCHDmanager, RipBot264 (looking at the thread seems it's used mainly for BD output), ton of commercial software) gaining more and more interest?That argument is not really honest. From that list, tsmuxer is the only application that actually does the low level work (output m2ts files). multiavchd, BD-Rebuilder, popBD and AVCDHDManager all rely on it.. so it's really one tool and the rest is frontends.
Just one forum above this is dedicated to mpeg-4 frontends.. and they mostly put out MKVs. So, it makes no sense to mention the list of tsmuxer frontends but ignore the list of mkvmerge frontends.
RipBot264 is a special case as it does pretty much everything. And then we have a forum full of tools for people who take BDs and put them into MKV.. it's quite disingenuous to completely ignore them but give a rundown of the tools discussed in the authoring forum. Knowing the forum history, I can say with confidence that the category you ignored actually attract more people - I know when I created that specific forum and the authoring forum has been around for much longer.. and still has less posts.
Also.. from the encoders that are being discussed in this forum.. which ones do output M2TS? And which ones MKV? x264 does mkv, xvid (the encraw variety used in most guis) does mkv. To the best of my knowledge, neither CCE nor HC nor QuEnc support M2TS output and as far as I can tell from forum traffic those seem to be the most popular MPEG-2 encoders around here.
The tools you mentioned are used for MKV to AVCHD/BD conversion.. so I could ask.. where do these MKV files come from? Source file provenance is always a tricky subject, but one thing is certain: there are people who download scene releases of P2P networks and convert them since they don't have the hardware that can handle MKV.. but they have the hardware that can handle AVCHD/BD. That is no different from what has been going on with DivX and then XviD releases in the AVI container.. you can call that wrong (and thus potentially piss on the leg of pretty much anybody ever having converted a DVD or Blu-ray using any of the containers we discuss in this very forum) but you're getting dangerously close to a flame bait with such a statement so please let it be so I won't have to clean up a flamewar you started. Basically, you come in here and tell us what everybody in this subforum are doing is wrong and backwards.. and that's not a nice thing to say. Evangelism has no place on this board.. I'm confident that most people know what they're doing and they don't need to be taught differently.

Last but not least.. about the history.. we do have commercial Blu-ray authoring softwares aplenty. DVD launched in 1997 and three years later the free software world wasn't really anywhere either. It took a long time for full fledged authoring software and players to come - in a way we're ahead.. in 2000, we weren't looking at converting all audio formats from DVDs the way eac3to handles all audio formats from Blu-ray (and HD DVD). Blu-ray navigation can be a lot more complex than DVD, so it would be unreasonable not to expect it to take longer.

[turbojet]

A month after divx certifcation came out I was able to go to a store and choose from about 10 different models finally choosing a $50 phillips (the company that had as big of part as any in the invention of DVD) player because it was the cheapest and did everything I needed it to including play DVD's that I already owned. MKV has been out since 2002, where is this choice for mkv player that can play BD's I already own in stores? (anywhere?)

True that multiavchd (menus), BD-Rebuilder (original menus\extras), popBD (splits) RipBot (most accurate BD calculator) use tsmuxer but they all add to it in thier own way and AVCDHDManager is just a convenient way to manage them on an external drive. What do all the mkvtoolnix frontends do besides calculate bitrate, and put video, audio, subs into an mkv container? (not that there's anything wrong with it)
This is why I didn't include all the mkvtoolnix frontends and my point isn't about popularity it's about development and that mkv seems idle while BD is under heavy development.

Either people realizing they made a mistake by encoding to mkv or people living with what is given to them (mkv) even though the world would be a happier place if it was something everyone could play and enjoy. Currently the only answer is m2ts with some ripping restrictions, none of which have much impact. I don't understand your XviD/DivX statement unless you mean converting this to DVDR (which is fairly accessible as well) no problem however some may ask why they don't just encode to/get DVDR.

Every software and hardware player I know of that plays mkv can also play m2ts but there's only a handful of commerical software players that fully support m2ts, let alone bluray menus/extras. This is one part of the software development I mean but my main focus is on the encoding side especially for BD's but it's coming along just not as quick as I would think but after all it's really only a few developers that are working very hard on it and I wish I could be of more help.

DVD days with #doom9, big 3, ifoupdate, etc. had well over 20 developers working on it back then and there was a lot of excitement to get things accomplished by software (there still is for those that don't think mkv is the answer to all things). There also wasn't people saying you should just use (s)vcd and forget DVD which is the opposite of what I'm hearing here and it's some what of a downer but perhaps I should just learn to ignore these types of statements.

Actually BD navigation commands in BDedit make more sense to me then a lot of DVD commands but maybe it goes deeper then that. It doesn't really look like anyone is publicly working on this.

Getting back on track why should the original poster be looking for a commercial software that outputs mkv as opposed to m2ts?
All I've seen so far is that you can spend time manually converting subs, mkv has existed longer, and that mkv is arguably more popular in this forum (who cares?). These aren't really valid arguments in my opinion. Like the others in this thread I'd choose opensource tools but I'd also output to m2ts because of all the bugs in tvix with mkv and virtually no bugs with m2ts. I talk to someone with first hand experience. This also goes for popcornhour and probably every other 'mkv player' out there, on the popcornhour forums someone even developed a tool, Ts4Np (Ts for network player, TSRemux rehash) that specifically muxes mkv to (m2)ts (but not mkv). Also there's ToNMT that's meant to remux retail BD/HDDVD to (m2)ts (but not mkv) they are very popular over there as well as tsmuxer is and it's a common solution to people having issues with mkv's.

[Sagekilla]

Excuse me but, why is m2ts the only answer? I don't see what's wrong with someone wanting to just rip their main movie, encode it with x264, and pack that video + the original AC3 in a mkv. For me, and I'm sure many people who just want that, that's easily the best option. You don't have to deal with bloat from m2ts, and you only need to use mkvtoolnix to mux the two. There's nothing needed beyond that.

m2ts is good for many things, and likewise mkv is good for many things. I don't see why the two can't coexist just like wmv, AVC, ASP, MPEG-2, etc all coexist. Just because AVC offers far better compression doesn't mean MPEG-2 is instantly useless now. In some cases, you might want to use MPEG-2 (DVDs, anyone?).

There's really -no- need to create a purely black and white world where we have only the good (m2ts) and no bad (mkv). That's just narrow minded. Let people pick what they want: Clearly it's been mkv for a while, and they probably chose it for a good reason. I picked it because it gave me the greatest flexibility with formats (mp4 was no good) and I happened to like how simple the muxing is.

If you wanna be a m2ts only person, fine by me. I really don't care. Just don't force your ideas onto other people that mkv is now "bad" to use. There's nothing wrong with using it for ripping videos, unlike trying to put AVC/ASP in avi.

[turbojet]

Say you own a popcorn hour, buddy owns an htpc, another buddy owns a Sony BD player, another buddy owns a PS3. You'd like to be able to view everything you encode at all 4 places without messing around. What options do you have?

AVC, ASP MPEG2 are video encoding algorithms which is vastly different then a container.

I never said mkv is bad to use, I use it myself at times, but for this guy's tvix (M2)TS is a well known (but not apparently on this forum) better alternative.

The only thing I really said that may be taken as bad (why I wonder though) about mkv is that it's not common outside enthusiasts/piracy and it isn't. None of us really know if it ever will be but after thinking about it for 5 minutes, I also know a few people in the industry, I stated my thoughts that I can't see it ever being common and later on stated why.

[Sagekilla]

You play the original blu-ray, that's what. I'm not going to go over and say "Hey, let me (copy|play) this (mkv file|mt2ts file|backup disc) over to your (htpc|popcorn hour|BD player|PS3) and let's go watch it."

And I do realize that MPEG-2 and AVC, etc are codecs which aren't containers. I made an analogy that just because something better came out doesn't mean the old one is no longer of use, but you missed that.

This is last post I'm going to do here, because this discussion is no longer of any value to me. Enjoy your debate.

[turbojet]

OK you can't play original BD in your popcorn hour.

Also my reply was to Doom9's statement about people converting things they got from P2P in which they don't own the original BD and what would please all these people (htpc|ps3|popcornhour|tvix|BD player|Sony BD player), there's only one answer as a container, there's 2 options with that container.

I use MPEG2 and xvid as well as x264 I don't see what this has to do with this discussion at all.

If learning things isn't of value to you so be it.

[Daiz]

MP4 supports TTXT subtitles. i have several MP4s muxed with subtitle streams and they're working fine.

I know. TTXT is just a rather terribad subtitle format.

[Sharktooth]

not so terrible... i'd say, versatile.
the lack of tools is another story... but subrip supports TTXT conversion (to and from).