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Old 14th May 2008, 20:28   #1  |  Link
ikonfokkah
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mkv -> xbox360 with 5.1 intact

A few weeks back my HTPC broke and refused to start again..And at the moment, bills & kids comes before my beloved gadgets(*sniff*). But, for my b-day last week I got a xbox360!! Weeeeee!! Until I was going to watch one of my old movies in HD.. Which didnt work. Well, no problemos, checked on internet and found TVersity and everything was good again... Until I started noticing that my damn audio was in STEREO!!!!! And to my frustration I started realising that there is NO way to play .mkv files on a xbox360 WITH 5.1 sound, in order to have that, u need to get them into .wmv files with wma pro 5.1 sound.

So, before I start my tedious work of encoding all my movies yet another time(sigh) Ive been trying and testing out alot of different tools for doing this all over again. It proves to be not as easy as I thought! It seems like most tools are either too complex for me to learn again(its been a while since I did it last time and I seriously dont want to do all that again!), lacks some feature I really need(Like encoding to the wma 5.1 format!) or is just as slow as dirt. The closest thing ive come to any tool Ive found that actually does what I want is a tool thats called encode360, but Im getting error messages that I dont think I will be able to solve(Seems like code bugs) and it seems the author has stopped making it... Sigh...

So before I start the round of splitting up and putting together the damn movies yet again I thought I would ask here if any of you could lead me in a right direction:

1. Is there any tool that will do quick conversions between .mkv & .wmv files? Im assuming there isnt such a way(Like u can between .mkv & .mp4) but I have to make sure, it would save me alot of time.
2. Is there a working tool that can convert (both HD and DVD movies) .mkv files with 5.1 audio into .wmv with wma 5.1 audio along with a work queue function?

I dont mind setting up things beforehand, but having to split up and put together is just too much when u have alot of movies u want to be able to see again.

Ive tried to read up on this myself but I always find half good solutions and have yet to find THE solution.

Hoping for some help,

regards,

ikn
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Old 15th May 2008, 03:32   #2  |  Link
FoxRacR17
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Unfortunately there is no "one" application that can quickly convert your .mkv's to .wmv's with 5.1 The way I convert all my .mkvs to play on my 360 is like this.

First off make sure you have the modified WMCmd.vbs from zambelli

1. Demux the .ac3 or .dts audio out of the .mkv container using MKVextract Gui.
2. Then I use eac3to convert the .ac3 or .dts to a .wav file with the dialog normalization removed (if you are using the proper decoders ie sonic for .dts or nero for .ac3)
3. Then I use tranzcode to split the .wav into 6 separate mono .wav's
4. Then I use wavavimux to mux all 6 of the .wav's into a multichannel audio .avi file
5. Now you can use zambelli's script to successfully encode to .wma 10 5.1 surround sound. What I did was make a .bat file that has this whole process automated from step 2 on.

Quote:
D:\eac3to2.45\eac3to.exe "D:\ac3.ac3" "D:\output.wav"
Tranzcode.exe "D:\output.wav"
wavavimux -o audio.avi -iwav 6 output-FL.wav output-FR.wav output-C.wav output-LFE.wav output-SL.wav output-SR.wav -mask 63
cscript.exe "E:\Program Files\Windows Media Components\Encoder\wmcmd.vbs" -input "D:\audio.avi" -output "D:\final audio.wma" -audioonly -a_codec WMAPRO -a_mode 0 -a_setting 768_48_6_24
Thats is the .bat file I use once i have the audio demuxed from the .mkv. Of course you need to put tranzcode, wavavimux in the root, and modify the path to eac2to and the path for where ever you put the audio files.

Now that you have the final audio.wma you can go on to encode the video.

1. I make a .avs file with the path to the .mkv file that I want to convert. An example is
Quote:
DirectShowSource("put path to .mkv here",fps=23.976,seekzero=false,seek=true,audio=false)
crop( 0, 128, 0, -152)
Spline36Resize(1280,544)
ConverttoYV12()
Asharp(1,3)
of course you need to put the videos fps if it is not 23.976, and adjust the cropping to make sure you only crop off the black bars on the top and bottom (you can take the crop option off but then the black bars will be burned into the video and will be a waste of bit rate) And if you do not want to resize the video file you can take out the spline36resize option. I just use that when I do not want a 1080p file (i usually encode to 720) You also do not need the asharp, I just use that when encoding from an hd dvd.

2. Now that you have the .avs file, you can make another .bat for WMCmd.vbs. The .bat I use is

Quote:
cmd /k cscript.exe "E:\Program Files\Windows Media Components\Encoder\wmcmd.vbs" -input "path to .avs goes here" -output "D:\final video.wmv" -v_codec WVC1 -videoonly -v_mode 0 -v_bitrate 8388608 -v_preset better -v_buffer 60000 -v_quality 100
Now just let it roll and you will then have a final video.wmv

Now all you have to do is mux the .wmv and .wma using wmstreamedt and you will have a .wmv file that will play perfectly on your x360.

That is the process that I use every time and it works perfectly on my 360. I load them all onto an external 1TB hdd that is hooked up to my 360 via usb and everything plays perfect. This process is lengthy but you will get the best audio and video.

I would suggest reading in the eac3to thread located in the audio conversion forums on how to use that program correctly. That way you get rid of the dynamic range compression that some decoders apply to ac3 and dts files which will make your audio not sound like it should.

Sorry this was kinda lengthy, I tried to condense is as much as possible but this was probably 6+ months of reading here and learning before I understood this whole process but it was completely worth it because now i can convert almost any file to play on my 360 with 5.1 sound.

-Fox
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Old 15th May 2008, 13:39   #3  |  Link
ikonfokkah
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Thank you very much for taking the time to sit down and write everything. Much appreciated!

Seems I will have to get my head round all of this :S
How much space is needed for all these steps?
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Old 15th May 2008, 16:30   #4  |  Link
FoxRacR17
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No problem bro. Space wise I would estimate that 50 gigs should be more then enough for everything. When you convert the .ac3 or .dts to uncompressed .wav it is usually about 4-5gigs, then you end up splitting that up to 6 separate .wavs that collectively equal the same size, then the .avi will be about the same size as well. The final audio.wma should only be about 500-800mb depending on what bit rate you choose. You could do the steps separately and delete the old files as needed if you are tight on space. And that .bat for the video encodes the video at an 8Mbps bitrate. So the final video size will be around 8-9 gigs. You can use this wmv bitrate calculator to calculate the what bitrate to use : BitRate Calculator And you do not have to demux the video from the .mkv, just make an .avs file like i said and the wmencoder .vbs script will accept it. Just make sure that you have all the codecs needed to play the .mkv installed correctly.

EDIT: Here is a list of the program you will need in order to do this

-Nero burning rom 7(only 7) with the hd dvd/blu-ray plugin. This lets you perfectly decode .ac3 files with not dynamic range compression and no dialog normalization. (I didnt think I would notice anything so i did an audio encode with the DRC and DN and one without them and trust me, YOU WILL NOTICE, GET NERO 7, EVEN IF ONLY FOR THIS.

-Sonic Cineplayer codecs 4.3. This thing is freakin hard as hell to find, but it lets you properly decode .dts files with no DRC and DN as well. Only get this if you NEED to decode .dts files.

-eac3to. Decodes .ac3/.dts to .wav perfectly

-tranzode .40(beta). Splits up the .wav to 6 seperate mono .wav's

-wavavimux. Muxes the mono .wav's into a .avi that is accepted by windows media encoder. (has to be done this way because WME is VERY temperamental about the source for encoding 5.1)

-zambellis modified WMCmd.vbs script. Allows WME to accepts .avs files.

-Windows Media Encoder of course.

-Windows media player 11. That way you have the VC-1 codec so you can play and encode to VC-1.

I think that is everything. If you need any help, hit me up bro.

-Avisynth. Just so you can use the .avs files for the video.

-AC3Filter. Might need it, I'm not sure, but it is installed on my system

-DTSac3source-full.ax Again, not sure if this is necessary but its installed on my system.

-All the proper codecs. If you are currently able to play the .mkv file then you should be fine. I just installed the K-lite Mega codec pack and it has everything I needed.

Last edited by FoxRacR17; 15th May 2008 at 21:11.
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Old 16th May 2008, 17:15   #5  |  Link
Ronin-7
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ikonfokkah fyi you do know you get AC3 5.1 with XviD in AVI through the Xbox 360, might be easier than converting to WMV.

AutoMKV accepts MKV as an input so just tell it to rip the original audio from the file (copy original setting) and re-encode the video. As a side note AutoMKV also encodes into WMV but dont know if it does WMA 5.1.

You can also get AC3 5.1 through DVR-MS containers but the video must be MPEG-2 and DVR-MS only plays through media center extender mode (VideoReDo will allow you to convert a DVD into a DVR-MS file).
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Old 16th May 2008, 18:31   #6  |  Link
FoxRacR17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronin-7 View Post
ikonfokkah fyi you do know you get AC3 5.1 with XviD in AVI through the Xbox 360, might be easier than converting to WMV.

AutoMKV accepts MKV as an input so just tell it to rip the original audio from the file (copy original setting) and re-encode the video. As a side note AutoMKV also encodes into WMV but dont know if it does WMA 5.1.

You can also get AC3 5.1 through DVR-MS containers but the video must be MPEG-2 and DVR-MS only plays through media center extender mode (VideoReDo will allow you to convert a DVD into a DVR-MS file).
This is true, and if you are going to be doing dvd quality encodes then this is probably the best way. However if you are going to do HD encodes then it is not because the max bitrate supported for .avi is 5mbps and that is a little low if you are going to be doing 1280x720.
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Old 27th May 2008, 00:10   #7  |  Link
hfmls
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try encode360

wmv8 wmv9 or vc1 with wma pro 5.1 with subs...all perfect..
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Old 3rd June 2008, 16:01   #8  |  Link
Barleyman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronin-7 View Post
AutoMKV accepts MKV as an input so just tell it to rip the original audio from the file (copy original setting) and re-encode the video. As a side note AutoMKV also encodes into WMV but dont know if it does WMA 5.1.
Sure it does. At least the beta does.

Just choose WMV9 or WVC1 constant quality profile and choose "original" for audio. The value for audio is actually bitrate. WMA compresses better than AC3 so you can get by with less bitrate, 256 for 384 AC3 is a good match.

Sound quality vs bitrate:
75 = 320
50 = 256
25 = 192

From the "advanced" page you should set
interlace = progressive (to skip the interlace test)
"quality" to 90 or maybe 92 (bigger step than you would think)
delete temp directory = yes (if you don't want to have gigabytes of temporary files around..)

720p 42min encode with quality=90 and sound @ 50 in constant quality results in about 1GB file.

I was meaning to update the wiki a bit about wmv encodes a while ago

Last edited by Barleyman; 3rd June 2008 at 16:06.
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Old 4th June 2008, 14:29   #9  |  Link
Furiousflea
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FoxRacR17;1138069-Nero burning rom 7(only 7) with the hd dvd/blu-ray plugin. This lets you perfectly decode .ac3 files with not dynamic range compression and no dialog normalization. (I didnt think I would notice anything so i did an audio encode with the DRC and DN and one without them and trust me, YOU WILL NOTICE, GET NERO 7, EVEN IF ONLY FOR THIS.
.
....Or just buy the HD-DVD\Bluray plugin on its own and NOT Nero 7 and save yourself 75% of the price
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Old 10th June 2008, 05:08   #10  |  Link
DodgeV83
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I use this program

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/WMNicEnc

I create a one line .avs file in notepad

DirectShow("filename.mkv")

open it in WMNicEnc, set the VBR Quality setting to 95 for video (WMV9 advanced profile) and 90 for 5.1 audio.

Takes about 30 seconds to setup from start to finish, and the movie is done in a few hours.
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Old 19th June 2008, 16:28   #11  |  Link
ikonfokkah
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Hi, Ive tried both the programs u recommended.

Automkv cant encode the sound(gets an error and quits)

Here is the log




17:22:37 0.95 - - - - - - - - - - - - - START JOBS - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
17:22:37 OS Version: Windows XP
17:22:37 Selected Input file: C:\Documents and Settings\<xx>\Desktop\automkv\sample\sample720p.mkv
17:22:37 Selected Output dir: C:\Documents and Settings\<xx>\Desktop\automkv\sample\
17:22:37 Selected Final Name: sample720p.wmv
17:22:37 Selected Container type: WMV
17:22:37 Selected Encoder: WMV
17:22:37 Selected Size: Don't care about size / 1
17:22:37 Selected Profile: Constant_Quality.xml
17:22:37 Selected Resizer: SimpleResize (neutral soft) / Automatic
17:22:37 Selected Filters: RemoveGrain(mode=2)
17:22:37 Selected Deinterlacer: Progressive
17:22:37 Selected Field Order: AUTO
17:22:37 Specify Quality: 92
17:22:37 Enabled CRF/CQ AutoRes at 90 value
17:22:37 Track Language 1: sample720p.mkv
17:22:37 Audio Codec 1: WMV
17:22:37 Audio Quality 1: 192
17:22:37 Audio Channel 1: Original
17:22:37 Track Language 2: NONE
17:22:37 Audio Codec 2: WMV
17:22:37 Advanced Audio Settings DUMP Track 1
17:22:37 Nero Option Profiles: AUTO --- Encoding Mode: Quality
17:22:37 CCT Option Profiles: AUTO --- Channel Options: AUTO
17:22:37 Lame Settings: ABR
17:22:37 Audio Normalization: 1
17:22:37 Frequency: AUTO --- Tempo: NONE --- Pitch: NONE --- Other Add:
17:22:37
17:22:39 Unable to determine movie proprierties , switched to DirectShowSource
17:23:03 Number of Frames: 1528
17:23:03 Framerate: 23.976101
17:23:03 Movie length in Seconds: 64
17:23:03 Movie Width/Height: 960/544
17:23:03 Number of Frames: 1528
17:23:03 Framerate: 23.976101
17:23:03 Movie length in Seconds: 64
17:23:03 Movie Width/Height: 960/544
17:23:03 Encoding C:\Documents and Settings\<xx>\Desktop\automkv\sample\sample720p.mkv to WAV , as pre-process to WMV
17:23:12 Encoded 1' Audio Track: audio.wav -1 bytes
17:23:12 Unable to encode Audio, try piping with FFmpeg!
17:23:15 Unable to encode Audio even piping from FFmpeg!




and WMNicENC encodes very slow(3-4 minutes for a 1 minute sample file) and I cant get the sound to play afterwards.

Any pointers?
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Old 19th June 2008, 18:26   #12  |  Link
ikonfokkah
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hfmls View Post
try encode360

wmv8 wmv9 or vc1 with wma pro 5.1 with subs...all perfect..
Sadly this tool is outdated and bugged. Atleast it wont work with the ones Ive made.
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Old 19th June 2008, 18:28   #13  |  Link
ikonfokkah
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Im actually very surprised that it would be this hard to make a movie into .wmv. I mean, its Microsoft!!! I thought they had a plan for world domination for all of their products! :P
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Old 19th June 2008, 23:09   #14  |  Link
ikonfokkah
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So I followed searched around on the forum trying to find out some more about the problems with Automkv. Well, I got it to work. I still get the error message, but I do get sound afterwards. problem is: Its in stereo! Even when I ask it to be original. I have checked for anamorphic and yet it is 16:9. The sound is completely out of sync and the file is 4x bigger in size than what the original mkv file was :S


Here is what seems to happen:

I get a error from Windows Script Host saying that line2 char1 in the file mkvmaudio_pip.vbs (temp folder) gets error: 0x800700C1 Code: 800700C1 Source: (null)

So, I open that file and find that it says:

set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
objShell.Run """C:\Documents and Settings\<xx>\Desktop\automkv\sample\temp\mkvmaudio_pip.bat""",7,True

moving further I go and edit the file mkvmaudio_pip.bat in the same folder(temp) and find that the whole .bat file is empty.

Thinking back to the error message it says that the Source is (null) which means there is no Source. So I would assume that the problem would be that the .bat file is empty? Does this mean that there is a bug in automkv? A real shame if u ask me, cause I really like the program

Last edited by ikonfokkah; 19th June 2008 at 23:22.
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Old 20th June 2008, 08:03   #15  |  Link
JackSnap
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you can try the method in this thread, it does work for me, although you dont get a batch option.
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=137390
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