mkv2vob: New App to Remux MKV x264/AC3 which play on PS3

[weati]

First, I just wanted to give my thanks to the author of this program. Okay I've got some X264 files and I'm having a problem with one of them. I'm having the program split the movie and making them .M2ts files. I'm burning the .M2ts files to DVD and playing them on the PS3. One movie I tested on the PS3 plays at a very fast rate, it's like you're watching the movie on fast forward playing at normal speed. I'm guessing it has something to do with the movies framerate, but I figured someone could probably tell me exactly what is wrong. I've got transcode set to auto and the program didn't need to transcode the files.

[lazarusbf]

Sorry another question too from me.
Strangely after reeconding into mepg or VOB such and such tv episode (whom all last about exactly the same length, app.41') i get various output sizes, varying from 1.7Go to 2.6Go (!)
is there any reason for this ?
any chance to get a more or less constant ouput size (so that i could burn onto 1 DVDR two converted mpegs?)

[chubsta]

ive just had a weird problem with a 720p mkv - when converted - and nothing out of the ordinary happened during the process - the resulting film seems to speed up for a fraction of a second every couple of minutes or so - just enough to notice that it has happened.

anyone else getting that?

[nunyabuizness]

to weati:

i was outputting m2ts so that in the chance a non exact 16x9 video could be put into an AVCHD video, i could just take the file and drop it into a structured dvd. but ive seen that when i outputted a Departed 720p rip, it it played back only 5 minutes of the dvd when it burned. that could be imgburn just screwing up (i didnt have nero at the time) but i just went back to outputting strictly vob and honestly there is really no difference. Unfortunately, i have not experienced any problem with transcoded files other than some quality degradation (star wars 1080p is kinda slacking) which brings me to my question:

most hdtv rips are in x264 format so it makes sense that transcoding with x264 would output a similar file size. but i have a movie that has so far been transcoding for 20 minutes and only has one segment (rough guess) of the download bar completed.
3r1c, is there a faster way of doing this or is that the sacrifice i have to make with x264 transcoding?

[neuromax]

To everyone who would like bigger subs. I'm sure 3r1c will release an upgraded version really soon but waiting I can suggest you a workaround. If you know what I'm talking about, just decompress the exe file mkv2vob.exe with upx. Edit the exe file with an Hex editor, just search for the text "scale", it will find the hardcoded mencoder settings where the subs are set to 2, just substitute the 2 with 3 or whatever end save. If you want repack the exe file with upx and you should have your mkv2vob.exe personalized with your favourite text size. It worked for me at least :)
By the way. I've noticed too some weirdness in the encoding size of various files transcoded to mpeg2. Even lesser than the original size in some cases. I think the bitrate is calculated in the wrong way but I couldn't realize what is that triggers this behaviour.
Some file that I converted stutters a little and some other suffer from tearing but I'm not sure if the encoding has to do with it or maybe is the PS3 that plays some files with a little fatigue. I watched only a blue ray movie until now. Casino royale. And in 1080p I got tearings and a not so good overall smoothness. But it was the old firmware so I cannot tell for sure.
Keep up the good work 3r1c! :thanks:

[nunyabuizness]

By the way. I've noticed too some weirdness in the encoding size of various files transcoded to mpeg2. Even lesser than the original size in some cases. I think the bitrate is calculated in the wrong way but I couldn't realize what is that triggers this behaviour.
Some file that I converted stutters a little and some other suffer from tearing but I'm not sure if the encoding has to do with it or maybe is the PS3 that plays some files with a little fatigue. I watched only a blue ray movie until now. Casino royale. And in 1080p I got tearings and a not so good overall smoothness. But it was the old firmware so I cannot tell for sure.
Keep up the good work 3r1c! :thanks:

the same thing happened to my star wars 4 1080p, troy 720p, and ratatouille 1080p (ratatouille had dts, so i can kinda understand) but still the quality became too sharp, and a tiny bit blurry/boxy

no but seriously thanks 3r1c for this program cuz it has made the ps3 a true media center

[ajamils]

i'm having a weird problem. Couple of the mkv movies that I converted through mkv2vob turned out to have screwed up aspect ratio. The video shows up on TV as full screen and everything is stretched upwards. Original files do not have this problem, instead they have black bars on top and bottom. This problem did not occur on all movies but only a couple.

Anybody else experienced this problem ?

[Thunder2001]

No Problem with the aspect ratio. I had converted more than 50 mkv movies. 720p an 1080p. When the PS3 plays the file, the aspect ratio ist always correct. Check your settings on your PS3 or TV.

[knobbycheeseman]

im having the same problem
it seems as though mkv2vob is not maintaining the origonal files aspect ratio
the outputted file is stretched when set to play at 16.9 where the origional file adds the black borders to the top and bottom

test:- use vlc set aspect ratio to Default and play origional file
then use mkv2vob to convert the file
now play new file with vlc set to Default and see if it looks the same
mine are all stretched like they are on my ps3

Edit ive run more tests and the only way to get the right aspect in VLC with the out putted file is to set it to 221:100

origonal file
[Resolution] ......... [ 960x544 @ A.R.2.35
[Anamorphic?] ........ [ (YES) 1280x544

thanks

This is because your mkv file has a custom DAR different from the actual pixel dimensions this will not be maintained in the conversion, and there is no way to fix this.

Same Problem I had
The answer lies in a different forum using a different program

not sure if im allowed to post links to other web sites

you need to set the ar to 4:3 and your ps3 plays them correctly on a 16:9 widescreen tv

check the pixel size of your mkv file may have the same problem
my files
RESOLUTiON......: 1920 x 816 (1080p) work perfectly correct & ar
RESOLUTiON......: 1280 x 528 (720p) work perfectly correct & ar
Resolution .........: 960 x 544 @ A.R.2.35 screen stretched no black bars needs fixing

[ajamils]

Same Problem I had
The answer lies in a different forum using a different program

not sure if im allowed to post links to other web sites

you need to set the ar to 4:3 and your ps3 plays them correctly on a 16:9 widscreen tv

What other program do you recommend ? pm me.

[chubsta]

What other program do you recommend ? pm me.

and me too please...

[puppydg68]

Hi guys, I'm tavelling out of town for a week. Just wonder if anyone has updated to PS3 firmware 2.17 and knows what media bugs it fixed or broken again. Has this effected any of our collection/coversions.

Outstanding problems from 2.10:
LPCM - played only surround tracks, not center channel
AVC 5.1 level not supported
some divx/xvid not support
WMV/VC1 support - no audio on many files including gametrailers.com and ign.com


I hope these have been fixed.

[JonLovejoy]

I wouldn't have thought so, apparently the update is just to fix online issues with certain games.

[3r1c]

Resolution .........: 960 x 544 @ A.R.2.35 screen stretched no black bars needs fixing

The m2ts format does not support custom display resolution.
960 x 544 is a 16/9 resolution so thats the way the ps3 shows it.
As i have said before this is not a bug in the ps3 or mkv2vob, your source file is encoded wrong, 960 x 544 is not a valid 720p or 1080p resolution, the ps3 simply shows it as best it can.

If the AR is 2.35 then this file should have been encoded as 1280 x 544

[ajamils]

The m2ts format does not support custom display resolution.
960 x 544 is a 16/9 resolution so thats the way the ps3 shows it.
As i have said before this is not a bug in the ps3 or mkv2vob, your source file is encoded wrong, 960 x 544 is not a valid 720p or 1080p resolution, the ps3 simply shows it as best it can.

If the AR is 2.35 then this file should have been encoded as 1280 x 544

So is there a way to fix that because I'm having this problem with downloaded movies so its not a simple fix of re-encoding the files from original source

[knobbycheeseman]

What other program do you recommend ? pm me.

and me too please...



pm sent

[knobbycheeseman]

The m2ts format does not support custom display resolution.
960 x 544 is a 16/9 resolution so thats the way the ps3 shows it.
As i have said before this is not a bug in the ps3 or mkv2vob, your source file is encoded wrong, 960 x 544 is not a valid 720p or 1080p resolution, the ps3 simply shows it as best it can.

If the AR is 2.35 then this file should have been encoded as 1280 x 544



i realise it wasnt a bug in your excelent program :thanks:
because all my mkv files that are in the correct aspect ratio work perfectly

after your first reply to my queery i looked into recoding the video into the correct aspect ratio and found a simple and quick way of dooing it
I was just hoping to help people with the same problem as mine :helpful:

Edit :- this part of my post
Resolution .........: 960 x 544 @ A.R.2.35 screen stretched no black bars needs fixing

im sorry that you thought i implied that your program "needs fixing"
i was talking about the mkv file i had in that it needs fixing and not your program
i apologise for any confusion caused


Cheers The Knob

[Glorioso]

3r1c, how can i demux a VOB resulting from mk2vob?

[super_fla]

3r1c

there is a problem with the arabic subtitle the letters are still writtten as if they were written apart & not conenced together

thanks for the great programme

[nunyabuizness]

3r1c, how can i demux a VOB resulting from mk2vob?

why do you wanna demux a vob when you can demux the original mkv? if you want to transcode only the original video, you can use tsmuxer and tsmuxergui to (very quickly) demux the streams and then mux just the video stream into an mkv with mkvmerge

[lazarusbf]

To everyone who would like bigger subs. I'm sure 3r1c will release an upgraded version really soon but waiting I can suggest you a workaround. If you know what I'm talking about, just decompress the exe file mkv2vob.exe with upx. Edit the exe file with an Hex editor, just search for the text "scale", it will find the hardcoded mencoder settings where the subs are set to 2, just substitute the 2 with 3 or whatever end save. If you want repack the exe file with upx and you should have your mkv2vob.exe personalized with your favourite text size. It worked for me at least :)


:stupid: Can't see/do what you suggest, i'm too stoopid, will wait another version to set up subs sizes
thanks for the tip anyway, it might be helpful to some

EDIT i'd rather not die an idiot, so i went to download UPX as well as an hex editor...now i dont know how to decompress the exe file with UPX, is this a DOS application ? it looks dead simple, if only i knew how to use UPX

[Sephiroth0000]

Great program and excellent work. HD DVD's on PS3 look awesome. But to the point.....will MKV2VOB ever support EAC3TO audio though as I find it better to use then AC3. If not though great work anyway :)

[naj]

i dont know how to decompress the exe file with UPX, is this a DOS application ?

First you should've downloaded the win32 console version from http://upx.sourceforge.net/

Then, copy/move upx.exe into your mkv2vob installation folder, and type, in a command line, on that folder:

upx -d mkv2vob.exe

If you don't know how to change into mkv2vob folder, in the command line shell, type:

cd "\program files\mkv2vob"

and then the command above.

[lazarusbf]

First you should've downloaded the win32 console version from http://upx.sourceforge.net/

Then, copy/move upx.exe into your mkv2vob installation folder, and type, in a command line, on that folder:

upx -d mkv2vob.exe

If you don't know how to change into mkv2vob folder, in the command line shell, type:

cd "\program files\mkv2vob"

and then the command above.


Thanks ! It worked, now to the hex thing. (i've just downloaded Hex Editor) :thanks:
This is where i will not have a clue what to do.
Can you PM me and i'll give you my email ? maybe you could edit subs size to 3 or 4 (was it 4 on previous mkv2vob versions?) and send me the modified application ? asking too much, i know.. forgive me :-/
Or if you think it's dead simple, you can try to explain in a few words please. I've opened the exe with Hex Editor and now i'm in front of this table full of codes, numbers and weird stuff in the right margin..

[redspear]

Hi,

After decompress mkv2vob.exe i could'nt find the "scale" word.

Can you give more tips?

thx

[neuromax]

@lazarusbf and @redspear
it all depends of which hex editor you are using. You have to search for the word "scale" but the text inside the exe file is unicode (or at least isnt 8 bit encoding) so you must search activating the extended character set, or search for hex 73 00 63 00 61 00 6C 00 65. I use an old but nice editor: XVI32 (you can find it at http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm#download) but I think all editors are almost the same at least for these basic functions.

[lazarusbf]

thanks
it should do it now
one last thing: can you tell what (characters) size was used in the previous mkv2vob version ? that would avoid me long encoding tests
is a sub size raised to 4 a big move from size 2 ? (i'm on a 46" tv)

[neuromax]

@lazarusbf
3 was good for me. 4 too big. Just begin an encoding, wait a few seconds (to make the transcoding arrive to a point in the video where you have subtitle lines) then close the program and kill the mencoder process using task manager. Inspect the temp file folder specified in mkv2vob, you will find the (video only) part of the file converted. Now you can take a look and see if the sub size is ok for you.

[lazarusbf]

:thanks: for your help

(and :mad: with the internet because i caught a virus with one of those aps i had to download)

[Shayx]

neuromax, you're the best!!! thank you so much for helping with the subtitles issue.
Is there a chance to change also the characters charset?
because when i put a hebrew subtitle it comes out all jibrish... :\ is there any way to fix it with the hex editer?

[ch!no]

Hy, many thanks for that great program!

Last time I used it was with the 1.5.0.3 version so more than surprised what changed since then. What I don't really found out yet (because of lack of movies with subbies) is what the program does with subtitles since one problem with this muxed vobs I can remember was, that there was no way to implement subtitles... Are they being burned into the picture?

Thanks for answers and again thanks for the prog.

[neuromax]

@ch!no
The subtitles are "burned" into the picture, and the resulting frames are then re-encoded using the codec of your choice. There is loss of quality but given the likely HD nature of the source, this is acceptable. What I think is not acceptable is that the mighty ps3 does not support subtitles directly by loading the srt or embedded in the file... I dont know Blue Ray specs but PS3 can display subtitles in blue ray or dvd (even if in other formats than srt text files) so it is not this hard to implement the use of subtitles in single file. Maybe in the next firmware updates. XBMC still rocks. It's the best media player I ever used. If it will ever be converted to linux with access to 2d acceleration, that would be the media paradise.
@Shayx
This great piece of software use mencoder to encode subs into the video, so you should look at mencoder command line options to find out what kind of control you have on subtitle rendering. Then if you can manage to fit the changed command line options into the old command line text inside the exe file you are lucky. One thing is changing a 2 to a 3, another is to change something like -subfontcharset unicode-latin-1-iso-xxxx-blablabla to something else.
This is the link to mencoder manual. It's BIG, so good luck :)
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.html
I would suggest for the next releases, to show the command line generated by mkv2vob and let the user change it if he wants, then confirm the job and put it into the job list. Other front ends to other command line tools does this and it's very useful to learn the variuos options and to change them by hand if you want.

[plantunes]

Hi....
I'm now underwelmed with this new version...the fact that can "burn" the subtitles and split into DVD5 "pieces"...is just so amazing! A huge cheer to the author.
However...I'm having some issues...the 1st film I've used with this new version was CARS...everything went well...created 2 VOBs...burned them into DVD with portuguese subtitles and it was perfect!
However, the next 2 films (The Island and 300) brought different results, since I get an "DATA CORRUPTED" message from the PS3 when I putt the 2nd DVD of each film.
I don't if it is just a coincidence or not, but CARS was "muxed" with version 2.0.5 and the latter 2 with the newer version....
Any thoughts???

[azyd]

3r1c

i have had no problems with this execelent program of yours. Been using it scince allmost day 1 and i was wondering if you have any further plans for it?

[ajamils]

Hi....
I'm now underwelmed with this new version...the fact that can "burn" the subtitles and split into DVD5 "pieces"...is just so amazing! A huge cheer to the author.
However...I'm having some issues...the 1st film I've used with this new version was CARS...everything went well...created 2 VOBs...burned them into DVD with portuguese subtitles and it was perfect!
However, the next 2 films (The Island and 300) brought different results, since I get an "DATA CORRUPTED" message from the PS3 when I putt the 2nd DVD of each film.
I don't if it is just a coincidence or not, but CARS was "muxed" with version 2.0.5 and the latter 2 with the newer version....
Any thoughts???

I had the same problem with "Gone Baby Gone". First file works fine but the second file do not work on Ps3 and I get "corrupt data" error.

[redspear]

thx neuromax, it worked!

[Audioboxer]

Hey 3r1c,

Will any of these updates to TSMuxer help us?

http://www.smlabs.net/tsMuxer/tsMuxeR_1.5.0(b).zip

History
* Version 1.5.0(b)
- Added LPCM support
* Version 1.4.6
- Fixed a bug with synchronization of a H.264 stream and audio. This bug was appear on some streams only. When there was this bug, In a log were printed many messages "B-pyramid level 2 detected","B-pyramid level 3 detected" e.t.c.
* Version 1.4.5
- Fixed blu-ray folders names
- Added chapters for Blu-ray muxing
* Version 1.4.4
- Added Blu-ray muxing mode
- Added demuxing mode
- Added Presentation Graphic stream support
- Added language descriptor support

[jeztur2003]

I have several files from nhanc3 for example

The.Matrix.1999.720p.nHD.x264.AAC.NhaNc3

Can anyone tell me what settings i should use with mkv2vob or gotsent to play on ps3 with or without 5.1 i just keep getting errors on them saying muxing failed right now i have transcode set to automatic output file extension is mpg transcoding codec is mpeg-2 any help qould be greatly appreciated as i am running low on disc space all other movies i can get to work just not the ones from nhanc3.

[guru1968]

Hi guys,

no offense -I realy, realy like mkv2vob and did some successful conversions with it (even so I never got an answer to my question (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1111485#post1111485))- But:

Is there still any need for such a program?

I mean, why not using the standard mp4 container which is supported quite well on the PS3?

- the statement in the very first article is not true (anymore?): the PS3 actually does support multichannel AAC audio!

the MP4 also does provide multiple audiostreams, which mkv2vob's output does NOT...

I tested that personnaly and was quite impressed that it worked... (h264 video + eng aac5.1 audio + ger aac5.1 audio + eng aac2 commentary1 + eng aac2 commentary2)

so, guys - why not using mp4 after all?


gr33tz,
guru

p.s.
no magic, only using the common standard tools (txMuxeR, avisynth, mp4box, etc.)

[plantunes]

And how about the "corrupted data" errors??? Any thoughts by anyone?

[gordho]

Hi guys,

no offense -I realy, realy like mkv2vob and did some successful conversions with it (even so I never got an answer to my question (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1111485#post1111485))- But:

Is there still any need for such a program?

I mean, why not using the standard mp4 container which is supported quite well on the PS3?

- the statement in the very first article is not true (anymore?): the PS3 actually does support multichannel AAC audio!

the MP4 also does provide multiple audiostreams, which mkv2vob's output does NOT...

I tested that personnaly and was quite impressed that it worked... (h264 video + eng aac5.1 audio + ger aac5.1 audio + eng aac2 commentary1 + eng aac2 commentary2)

so, guys - why not using mp4 after all?


gr33tz,
guru

p.s.
no magic, only using the common standard tools (txMuxeR, avisynth, mp4box, etc.)

The best part of mkv2vob is that it changes the container and the only thing that needs to be transcoded is the audio. I don't know about you but I would rather not have to wait hours, sometimes days, for an h264 stream to transcode in to a format that the ps3 will play. With mkv2vob it takes minutes to get that scene release mkv in to a format that the ps3 will play with no loss in quality.

[guru1968]

Hi gordho,

the same is true for mp4 - if the video 'fits' for mkv2vob (i.e. needs not to be converted) you just can take that exact video, only need to convert the audio to aac and basically that's it - muxxing is a matter of minutes and there you go...

On the other hand - if you have a video-streams that needs to be converted anyways, you have to wait no matter what output container you choose; and in that case: why not use a container that supports multiple audio streams?

guru

p.s.
I am speaking of h264 video of course, mpeg2 is no option...

p.p.s.
what's the problem with the transcoding-duration?
you setup all the scripts, start them before going to sleep, next morning go to work and in the evening everything's done...

[Audioboxer]

How about the fact anyone and their dog can use MKV2VOB easily?

Download an HD movie, put it in, wait a few minutes and your file is ready to play on your PS3.

This program has been a revelation for many people, heck just check the topic I made on Neowin about it - http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=614188

[chubsta]

For those with Macs - Nullrivers Medialink has been upgraded to version 1.3 and it now streams .vbo files, as well as getting rid of the problem where a film would only play for a short while (although if you press the 'info' button when watching it still shows the duration as only being a few minutes...)

[ajamils]

I have several files from nhanc3 for example

The.Matrix.1999.720p.nHD.x264.AAC.NhaNc3

Can anyone tell me what settings i should use with mkv2vob or gotsent to play on ps3 with or without 5.1 i just keep getting errors on them saying muxing failed right now i have transcode set to automatic output file extension is mpg transcoding codec is mpeg-2 any help qould be greatly appreciated as i am running low on disc space all other movies i can get to work just not the ones from nhanc3.

I'm having the exact same problem with the same file :). I also have Rush Hour 3 with the same problem too.

[3r1c]

I do not know how to fix or even detect the "corrupted data" on some second part of split files.

It just splits the packets in 192 byte chunks to the nearest m2ts start block.
I dont know how to inspect the data stream to find the key frames.
I cant find any public specifications on the h264 bits.

MP4 is not used because it does NOT support multichannel audio.
Both the ps3 and xbox360 convert the 5.1 AAC to stereo.
The ps3 will still show 5.1 in the info bar, but if you look at the screen on the your amp it show PCM stereo.

[dexxe]

3r1c

there is a problem with the arabic subtitle the letters are still writtten as if they were written apart & not conencted together

thanks for the great programme

same problem here..hope you can find a solution for it.

[Quatre]

Hi guys,

no offense -I realy, realy like mkv2vob and did some successful conversions with it (even so I never got an answer to my question (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1111485#post1111485))- But:

Is there still any need for such a program?

I mean, why not using the standard mp4 container which is supported quite well on the PS3?

- the statement in the very first article is not true (anymore?): the PS3 actually does support multichannel AAC audio!

the MP4 also does provide multiple audiostreams, which mkv2vob's output does NOT...

I tested that personnaly and was quite impressed that it worked... (h264 video + eng aac5.1 audio + ger aac5.1 audio + eng aac2 commentary1 + eng aac2 commentary2)

so, guys - why not using mp4 after all?


gr33tz,
guru

p.s.
no magic, only using the common standard tools (txMuxeR, avisynth, mp4box, etc.)

what do you mean? do you mean convert x264 to mp4? because there really aren't any mp4 releases. there is a reason ppl want to play x264 mkv's, because there is a lot of them as its a favored format.

I guess the method to encode x264 mkv into mp4 takes longer hence the program that just remuxs to avc or if it has to encodes to mpeg-2. maybe that is a good question, when mkv2vob does have to transcode (whether it be for subs or non lL4.1 1080p mkv) why not encode to mp4 instead of mpeg-2?

i'm sure there is a reason but that would be the only good question.

[Quatre]

I do not know how to fix or even detect the "corrupted data" on some second part of split files.

It just splits the packets in 192 byte chunks to the nearest m2ts start block.
I dont know how to inspect the data stream to find the key frames.
I cant find any public specifications on the h264 bits.

MP4 is not used because it does NOT support multichannel audio.
Both the ps3 and xbox360 convert the 5.1 AAC to stereo.
The ps3 will still show 5.1 in the info bar, but if you look at the screen on the your amp it show PCM stereo.

there is your answer

[B4tm4n]

I tested that personnaly and was quite impressed that it worked... (h264 video + eng aac5.1 audio + ger aac5.1 audio + eng aac2 commentary1 + eng aac2 commentary2)


Are you sure the Ps3 will play a mp4 with multiple audio streams?
How do you change audio tracks ?
Doesn't the Ps3 play aac 5.1 as stereo ?
And if this really works can you upload a sample ?