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

[nunyabuizness]

couple questions:

1) whats the final verdict with the whole "doesnt have to be level 4.1 for avi's"
2) usually how big do the files get if they are transcoded with the xvid profile
3) whats the simplest way to include .sub or .srt into an avi using as little outside programs as possible?

[3r1c]

V2.1.2 26/Mar/2008
Added check if write access is allowed on temp and destination folder (would cause mkv parse error in previous versions).
Fixed "File not found" error.

[ajamils]

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/2663/mkv2vobtm2.gif

Thanks.

I got the exact same error when I tried converting IceAge 1080p file but unlike you there was no file created...neither in the output folder nor in temp :(

[buzzqw]

i have posted the question since firmware 2.20 allow .DIVX mux...

thanks anyway!

BHH

[~bT~]

^ i don't see an option in the prog which allows you to specify .divx extension :confused:

[buzzqw]

yep... it's a feature request! :)

BHH

[Q8Love]

what about arabic sub ? its fix it with new ver.?

[ajamils]

V2.1.2 26/Mar/2008
Added check if write access is allowed on temp and destination folder (would cause mkv parse error in previous versions).
Fixed "File not found" error.

Hey mate,

I don't know what you changed but it seems like everything is working now.......but before I get all excited I'll wait for the four 1080p movies to finish conversion and then I'll report back to you in the evening.

:thanks: for all the efforts and hard work. If everything works well........... loookout for some paypal coming your way ;)

[Glorioso]

About the subtitles in PS3 i have a "method", i pass the file in MKV2VOB, Xvid encoding and avi container. After that i use AviAddSub to make a .divx file with subs, you only have to set the subtitle position to lower them.

[ajamils]

About the subtitles in PS3 i have a "method", i pass the file in MKV2VOB, Xvid encoding and avi container. After that i use AviAddSub to make a .divx file with subs, you only have to set the subtitle position to lower them.

The finished files work fine in Ps3 (with subtitles ) ?

[luthan]

I have been looking for a guide that shows the step by step instructions on how to convert mkv to ps3 playable format without using any automated tools. I am talking about videos that are required to be transcoded.

Is there such a tutorial out there? I can't seem to find something that specific.

Reason for this search is: I want to test out a server that has dual quad core processors, but it seems like the automated tools such as mkv2vob do not take advantage of quad core processors, while ffmpeg does give you an option for the number of threads to use. I figured if i got the step by step instructions that include the ffmpeg part, I could simply add an option for 8 threads in the command.

Sorry if this is unclear.

[haydoot]

The finished files work fine in Ps3 (with subtitles ) ?

with mkv files not possible...i try

[Stathis]

Hi! Is there a way to create a divx container with subtitles without encoding?

[Glorioso]

The finished files work fine in Ps3 (with subtitles ) ?
Yes, it workes!!!

Hi! Is there a way to create a divx container with subtitles without encoding?

I think you cant add a 264 stream to a divx container...

[Ryu77]

Hi! Is there a way to create a divx container with subtitles without encoding?

As long as the video is mpeg4 sp/asp (DivX, Xvid etc.), then there is no need to encode.

By the way, I think Glorioso meant AVIAddXSub. I just used this application myself and it works fine. I now have a 720p DivX media file with switchable subtitles. AVIAddXSub is probably better than DivXMuxGUI as it allows you to enter custom resolutions (great for HD material).

[Quatre]

About the subtitles in PS3 i have a "method", i pass the file in MKV2VOB, Xvid encoding and avi container. After that i use AviAddSub to make a .divx file with subs, you only have to set the subtitle position to lower them.

what about if i have a .avi with .sub/.idx subs? i used AviAddSub to embed the sub file(s) but they dont show up on the popcorn hour or the ps3. its a jap anime so unwatchable without english subs.

[ajamils]

@ 3r1c

hey mate,
I gotta question for you. Is there any difference between the different extensions ? Do I lose or gain anything by selection one over another ?

Also, what' the difference between transcoding with MPEG-2, Xvid and x264 (except for speed) ? Is there a big quality difference ?

[Ryu77]

@ 3r1c

hey mate,
I gotta question for you. Is there any difference between the different extensions ? Do I lose or gain anything by selection one over another ?

Also, what' the difference between transcoding with MPEG-2, Xvid and x264 (except for speed) ? Is there a big quality difference ?

ajamils, you really do need to learn to use google. I don't mean any malice at all but your questions show that you are not doing any of your own research. You are constantly asking the developers questions that could be best served being asked more objective questions relating to improving this great software they have created.

Just some tips for you... :)

1) Search the Doom9 forums.
2) Use Google.
3) Use Wikipedia.

Then, if you truly can not find answers using the above 3 resources (which is highly unlikely), only then should you ask questions.

[xanavi]

Hey 3r1c, thanks for all your hard work on this app. I've got a question about overscan though. When I enable it it doesn't seem to do anything to my subs. The subs are still in the same place. Is there a problem with compatibility between the overscan and different subtitle types or what?

[ajamils]

ajamils, you really do need to learn to use google. I don't mean any malice at all but your questions show that you are not doing any of your own research. You are constantly asking the developers questions that could be best served being asked more objective questions relating to improving this great software they have created.

Just some tips for you... :)

1) Search the Doom9 forums.
2) Use Google.
3) Use Wikipedia.

Then, if you truly can not find answers using the above 3 resources (which is highly unlikely), only then should you ask questions.

Thanks for the advice. I think i found the answer. :)

[azyd]

has any one had any success in adding selectable sutitles to the video stream?

[3r1c]

If subtitles do not work properly you need to remake the mkv with mkvmerge and add the srt into the new mkv and most importantly, set the correct character encoding.

Sorry but the srt format is very inefficient, it does not store the character encoding which is needed for proper playback, so mkv2vob has to guess, and it takes me too long to work out how to detect the correct encodings, each language can be different.

Currently it only works with latin, chineese, arabic characters.
Chineese may be broken, there is only one ISO standard language code, but simplified and traditional have different character sets. :confused:

In short, proper subtitle encoding is VERY difficult, which is probably why they are stored as images on dvd.

[Glorioso]

has any one had any success in adding selectable sutitles to the video stream?
Yes, but with the .divx container.


3r1c, are you thinking of making a .divx with subtitles output?

[Ryu77]

Yes, but with the .divx container.


3r1c, are you thinking of making a .divx with subtitles output?

Why? When you can just use that application you suggested (AVIAddXSub). Using that application is a simple enough process to create a DivX media format file with switchable subtitles.

[mabraham]

If subtitles do not work properly you need to remake the mkv with mkvmerge and add the srt into the new mkv and most importantly, set the correct character encoding.

Sorry but the srt format is very inefficient, it does not store the character encoding which is needed for proper playback, so mkv2vob has to guess, and it takes me too long to work out how to detect the correct encodings, each language can be different.

Currently it only works with latin, chineese, arabic characters.
Chineese may be broken, there is only one ISO standard language code, but simplified and traditional have different character sets. :confused:

In short, proper subtitle encoding is VERY difficult, which is probably why they are stored as images on dvd.
Just a suggestion; make the encoding a configurable option. That way you don't have to guess and each user can figure out the best option for himself.

[yigal33]

the mkv software support dts audio ?

thank from advance

[~bT~]

^ yes it does.

[ajamils]

the mkv software support dts audio ?

thank from advance

it converts it into DD 5.1.

[Orusaka]

Thank you for this awesome program. I'm sorry for the slight off-topicness of my question, but would anyone know I could theoretically play 1080p content on my ps3 if I installed linux on in? I'm really loving the program for my 720p content, but I really want to watch 1080p content on it, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

[ajamils]

Thank you for this awesome program. I'm sorry for the slight off-topicness of my question, but would anyone know I could theoretically play 1080p content on my ps3 if I installed linux on in? I'm really loving the program for my 720p content, but I really want to watch 1080p content on it, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

You do not need to install Linux to play 1080p content on your Ps3. I've been playing 1080p movies (converted with this software) on my Ps3 and they all work like a charm. The only thing that I miss is the "Uncompressed audio" of the blu-rays....oh well, you gain some, u lose some :)

[Orusaka]

You do not need to install Linux to play 1080p content on your Ps3. I've been playing 1080p movies (converted with this software) on my Ps3 and they all work like a charm. The only thing that I miss is the "Uncompressed audio" of the blu-rays....oh well, you gain some, u lose some :)

Sure, but that involves transcoding the file and losing quality, and I was thinking with linux I might be able to avoid this. I'm not sure, though, hence the question.

[ajamils]

Sure, but that involves transcoding the file and losing quality, and I was thinking with linux I might be able to avoid this. I'm not sure, though, hence the question.

Not all 1080p videos need to be transcoded. I converted a couple that ran through mkv2vob without transcoding and they work fine in Ps3.

[Orusaka]

Not all 1080p videos need to be transcoded. I converted a couple that ran through mkv2vob without transcoding and they work fine in Ps3.

I must've been unlucky then. Every single file I've tried needed transcoding. Unfortunately, my reasearch seems to conclude that linux has problems playing 1080p mkvs, so I guess I'll just have to wait for the problem to fixed one way or another.

[plantunes]

Hi...
I've converted yesterday the movie CARS using the newer version of MKV2VOB...i'm hoping that this new version can bring to an end the "corrupted data" errors i've been receiving from the PS3...
However something new happened! Before the newer version...I always got 2 VOBs, due to the fact that I ask to split into DVD5 pieces. But with this new version, and not changing any of the options...I only got 1 VOB with aprox. 4,2 Gb! Why do you think this has happened?
Options used:
ALWAYS TRANSCODE
DVD 5 SPLIT
VOB OUTPUT FILE EXTENSION
x264 CODEC
BOOST AAC and DTS
ALWAYS ENCODE SUBTITLES
LOAD FROM SRT

Any thoughts?

[3r1c]

Linux doesnt doesnt have access to the GPU, so the movie will have to be rendered with the CPU which wont be as good quality.

plantunes: 4.2gb will fit on a dvdr.

[plantunes]

plantunes: 4.2gb will fit on a dvdr.


You didn't understand my question. Prior to this newer version of your magnificent program...after conversion I always got 2 VOBs...One with 4,4 Gb and one with a little more than 1 Gb...
Now the conversion made only 1VOB with 4,2 in the total! Why the shrink?

[befcasr]

Can somebody please give me some advice on which are the best settings to use? I mainly mux 720p movies into .vob output file extensions, but I don't really know if this is the setting that produces the best quality. What are the benefits of the different output extensions? I want to use the settings that prevent any loss of quality. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

[Glorioso]

I've encoded a file to xvid/avi and audio, originaly DTS is missing in action, anyone has this problem?

[Horo]

Hi...
I've converted yesterday the movie CARS using the newer version of MKV2VOB...i'm hoping that this new version can bring to an end the "corrupted data" errors i've been receiving from the PS3...
However something new happened! Before the newer version...I always got 2 VOBs, due to the fact that I ask to split into DVD5 pieces. But with this new version, and not changing any of the options...I only got 1 VOB with aprox. 4,2 Gb! Why do you think this has happened?
Options used:
ALWAYS TRANSCODE
DVD 5 SPLIT
VOB OUTPUT FILE EXTENSION
x264 CODEC
BOOST AAC and DTS
ALWAYS ENCODE SUBTITLES
LOAD FROM SRT

Any thoughts?

because the file fits on a dvdr so it doesn't split into 2 vob files, hence the split option is dvd5

[jediknight]

Thanks for the advice. I think i found the answer. :)

hi ajamils,

can you share answer please : )

[Shayx]

hey there, have a little problem.
i transcoded some dexter episodes (each about 45-50 minutes) but the files came out only 29 minutes each :\

the cofig is like this:
audio:english
transcoding: automatic
preffered subtitles: hebrew
file splitting: 25GB Bluray (i choose this so there will be no splitting)
output file: VOB
transcoding codec: Xvid

so what is wrong?!?! i did some movies like this and some other episoded and it was ok, but now this...

and 3r1c, about subtitles charset, i hope you can add hebrew subtitles support, the charsets is ISO-8598-8 and Windows 1255

[FOSI]

hi, i have a problem with 720p bluray x264. mkv2vob only converts 11 min out of 1h25m. What can i do? The problem is the video or the audio AC3 6chn? Here is the info...


Format : Matroska
File size : 2.19 GiB
PlayTime : 1h 25mn
Bit rate : 3658 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2007-10-29 02:56:50
Writing application : mkvmerge v2.0.2 ('You're My Flame') built on Feb 21 2007 23:40:55
Writing library : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video #0
Codec : AVC
Codec/Family : AVC
Codec/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Codec profile : High@L5.1
Codec settings, CABAC : Yes
PlayTime : 1h 25mn
Bit rate : 2864 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 3015 Kbps
Width : 1280 pixels
Height : 688 pixels
Display Aspect ratio : 1.860
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Chroma : 4:2:0
Interlacement : Progressive
Writing library : x264 - core 56 svn-680
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=5 / deblock=1:-3:-2 / analyse=0x1:0 / me=umh / subme=7 / brdo=1 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=2 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=4 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / wpredb=1 / bime=1 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40(pre) / rc=2pass / bitrate=3015 / ratetol=1.0 / rceq='blurCplx^(1-qComp)' / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / pb_ratio=1.30
Language : English

Audio #0
Codec : AC3
PlayTime : 1h 25mn
Bit rate mode : CBR
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Rear: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz

[Ryu77]

Hello 3r1c, I just wanted to say that I am very impressed with the development of mkv2vob!

I haven't used it such a long time (before tonight) as I have been watching tsMuxeR's development very closely and spending most of my time with various Blu-ray authoring tools.

The last time I used mkv2vob was when I started it up, it asked me where the mkv file was and then it did it's thing. About 10 applications flashed themselves on the screen and out the other end came a PS3 compatible vob file.

It has come such a long way since then, so much so that it's title is kind of redundant.

Have you considered changing the name of this application...

Maybe... Something like mkv2ps3?

EDIT: I might to have to put the above post on hold for a minute... LOL! I have come to notice that all the output extensions are coming out at exactly the same final file size. So far I tried m2ts, mpg and avi. I know that the mpg and avi containers don't use up as much data for the header. This suggests to that mkv2vob is placing them inside a m2ts container and simply renaming the extension... What would be the point of this?

[kebooble]

Does any on know why mkv2vob will not make a file larger then 3.99 gig. I have tried to split and not split every way I can think of.

[Ryu77]

Does any on know why mkv2vob will not make a file larger then 3.99 gig. I have tried to split and not split every way I can think of.

It's not mkv2vob... I just used it to create a 4.63GB file (3 times... LOL!)

I would guess that your Hard Drive is is formatted in FAT32, am I right? A FAT32 file system is limited to single files of 4GB. If you want to change this you will need to re-format your HDD to NTFS.

[kebooble]

You are right. I never thought of that. Thank you very much for pointing out what I should have check myself (lol)

[naj]

I have come to notice that all the output extensions are coming out at exactly the same final file size.

The extension is just that, an extension :)

You choose the encoder in the other option (h264, mpeg2 or divx).


3r1c: There must be some problem with the encoding you're doing in DivX mode, I've come across to situations in which the audio is missing, some come out corrupted (when I try to play on ps3 it always hangs in the same place, also when muxing subtitles into divx mode with various programs it hangs and stops before the end of the file), also it shows everytime in PS3 as corrupted data, although it then imports the file correctly and renames it. The file information though (in which it should display the DivX bitrate and audio bitrate) is missing.

When I convert those files with StaxRip for example, it always converts it ok, it doesn't appear as corrupted, displays information alright, it doesn't hang (plays fine) and I'm always able to mux subtitles with no problem. Also, as a plus, StaxRip (as many other programs) enables 2 pass encoding and setting the bitrate as we wish. mkv2vob seems to chose a random bitrate, I just don't know why... sometimes file sizes and half of the original, other times double...

If you should accept a recommendation, and since DivX is the way to go since it compresses fast (compared to h264), creates smaller and higher quality files compared to mpeg2, and enables switchable subtitles, that mode should be taken care into special account. As I said before in this thread many times, your program has been a breakthrough for the best of reasons in ps3 multimedia, but I feel that these late constrains are bringing it down.

In a nutshell, it would be perfect if we're allowed to set 2 passes encoding, bitrate/quality choosing, and the fix in divx encoding that is preventing the file to be 100% compatible.

Until then, I still have to use MKVextract to rip audio, manually convert DTS to AC3 when needed, and then use StaxRip to convert to XviD, and then AVIAddXSub to mux subtitles into DivX.

[kebooble]

I just reformatted my portable HDD to NTFS and it works great. Thanks again Ryu77 for pointing out the obvious to me.

[ajamils]

Until then, I still have to use MKVextract to rip audio, manually convert DTS to AC3 when needed, and then use StaxRip to convert to XviD, and then AVIAddXSub to mux subtitles into DivX.

What software do you use to convert DTS to AC3 ?

[ddrbirdy]

Is there a way to get the vob files off my ps3 back to my computer? Cause their over 4gb and my brother wants to install linux on it which requires reformatting the hard drive :(