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

[3r1c]

And what if the stream was not encoded with x264 ?
What if it has been already processed by h264info in term of changing the internals ?
;)
I am currently working on a replacement for h264info based on full h264 stream parsing ... hope I'd have time to make an usable version.

Tomasz

well h264info will keep this header.

if you could make a program to figure out these values by process the stream that would be excellent, but something like that is beyond me at the moment. im sure it certainly would be useful to figure out what settings hd-dvd/blu-ray are encoded with too.

[zwirek75]

New version released.

V1.3 19/Dec/2007
Added detection of files that would be unplayable on ps3 (black screen) these files will now be transcoded to mpeg2.
Added 1080p support.
I havent tested your version but I did some research and 1080p files work on ps3 if:
- number of reference is 4 AND number of bframes is 0
OR
- number or reference frames is lower or equal to 3

Maybe this would help
Regards
Tomasz

[3r1c]

I havent tested your version but I did some research and 1080p files work on ps3 if:
- number of reference is 4 AND number of bframes is 0
OR
- number or reference frames is lower or equal to 3

Maybe this would help
Regards
Tomasz

thanks i already figured that our out, its related to the number of refrence and bframes. too many reference frames puts it over the 4.1 level limit and the ps3 only plays upto level 4.1 even with level spoofing.

[XolocoTuxmaster]

This program detects the h264 level and "supposedly" change it,

http://ambamo.free.fr/temp/mp4/H264_Level.exe

The creator hasn't work a lot on it so changing fails a lot, but I think detection is ok

I hope it helps

[survivant001]

One request. if the stream is not valide instead of transcoding it to mpeg2, I would prefer reencode it with x264 in 4.1 profile. I have a command line for PS3 (with the build 669i pulldown).

[survivant001]

I get a black screen even if I say YES to mpeg2 transcoding



if I understand what your program do is this :

#1 - extract the mkv
#2 - h264info top patch to 4.1
#3 - ffmpeg : somethign like that :
ffmpeg -r 23.976 -f h264 -i input.h264 -f ac3 -i input.ac3 -vcodec copy -acodec copy -f vob output.vob

right ?

[georgem67]

past version converted DTS 1500 bitrate to AC3 332 bitrate..so I used Tranzcode, then softencode to make AC3 640 bitrate. Does the latest version produce a larger DTS bitrate? Thanks again.

[3r1c]

One request. if the stream is not valide instead of transcoding it to mpeg2, I would prefer reencode it with x264 in 4.1 profile. I have a command line for PS3 (with the build 669i pulldown).

this will take a very long time on most pcs. i made it use mpeg2 because its fast and filesize doenst really matter when streaming.

i will check out the problem with that mkv

[Quatre]

I've downloaded the latest 1.03 release and found the following:

1. I split 4G+ MKV files using MKVMergeGUI to 2.5G chunks

2. I then run mkv2vob separately so that I end up with VOBs smaller than 4G to put on a FAT32 USB drive to play on the PS3

Latest mkv2vob would always transcode the second MKV part of the file to MPEG-2, but not the first one

So, an Enemy of the State 720p.001.mkv and 002.mkv

mkv2vob would only remux 001.mkv very quickly, but would always transcode 002.mkv

Any ideas?

Update 1: Have just ran mkv2vob 1.02 on the same files and performs as expected without transcoding. I presume something has changed in 1.03 when it tries to determine whether the file is playable on the PS3 and for some reason decides it's not and transcodes.


I am also trying to convert mkv into vob for play on ps3 through a fat32 hdd. Is it really better to split the .mkv rathe then the .vob? I had trouble finding a prog that could split a .vob. I used HDBDSplitGUI and it did split the .vob into 2 parts smaller then 4gb but the second part would not play on ps3 (or on the pc i dont think either). So i'm trying mkvmergegui to split the mkv first and then run mkv2vob on both parts.

I think mkv2vob 1.3 fixes the previous problem with a split .mkv as long as you hit no to transcoding to mpeg2 or whatever.

having to split the mkv and then run mkv2vob on both is a bit of work but it still is much quicker then encoding an mkv into wmv.

[survivant001]

There is a way to convert a 29.97fps to 23.976 fps without the sound been too slow ? I try to convert a movie to 23.976, the video is OK, but the sound is like a robot speaking :(

[3r1c]

survivant001, i have tested the file you mentioned and there is no problem playing it.

it is playable so no matter if you click yes/no it is remuxed to vob h264/ac3 and plays perfectly on the ps3.
If you have firmware 2.10 highlight the file, click trianagle, click start from beginning.

[survivant001]

@3r1c

thanks I'll try.. that wierd..even in Windows I had a black screen.

I'll try it again

Done.. it works now..

[survivant001]

@3r1c

is it possible to have a command line interface ?

mkv2vob -i input.mkv -o output.vob (or .m2t)

the human intervention is really limited.. so it can be done par command line, and it will be easier to use in a script..

[SKAPiter]

3r1c, have you tried muxing into AVI container, now that 2.10 supports avi divx files? who knows, maybe it will work now?

[Numer0bis]

thank you so much. This tool is a real life saver. Now with 2.1 firmware and this tool the playstation can almost play anything *thumbs up*

[georgem67]

Does the new version always use 100% CPU on 1080p files...& do you have to encode to mpeg2 with 1080p?
Thanks

[Quatre]

saw another program called mkv2avc
http://forums.maxconsole.net/showthread.php?t=87199.

does the same thing as this program, but it seems it was never updated and it might be older now and can't do 1080p.

seems you can rename the .vob to .m2ts (avchd) or .mpg correct?

but that wont allow the file to be ffwd or rwnd though right?

so that is pretty much the only limitation right now with mkv2vob and .vob .m2ts .mpg files remuxed from mkv using this prog.

Also, I am still wondering what the best way to split a file into parts 4gb or smaller for use with a fat32 ext hdd on ps3. Seems the couple other ppl here that were using a fat32 , just split the mkv file first using mkvMergegui and then make a .vob of both.

is that still the best way? isn't there anyway to split the .vob, .m2ts or .mpg? once already remuxed from mkv.

the program is great, great updates , especially the latest update which allows you to say no to transcoding if you have split the mkv. This is relatively fast even if you have to split and seems to be right now the best way to watch mkv on a console (ps3 or 360) as encoding mkv to wmv takes a very long time.

once again all that needs to be done is fix the ffwd, rwnd problem though that is probably on sony's end and then of course find a way around the fat32 hdd 4gb limit (also sonys fault). shame hfs+ doesn't work as it does on 360.

[pepperisback]

Hello,
at first Thank you very much for the new update of this program. But I have a problem. I have a mkv file which is 8GB big. I splitted the file with MKVmerge to 2 x 4GB Files.
After that I used MKV2vob. The mkv file needs to be transcoded to mpeg2. But when mkv2vob finished the file which was before 4GB big is now 6,68gb big. Is that OK so?

[3r1c]

The way this program was intended to be used was to convert to a file on your computer hdd (windows NTFS) and then streamed to the ps3 via local network, this way filesize does not matter, an 8gb file will play fine.

[AcuraKidd]

I would be forever grateful to you 3r1c if you could add AAC support to your program.

I have a few MKV files that are in 720p, here are their specs:

Resolution: 1280 x 720
Framerate: 23.976
Video Codec: x264 r667 3918kbps
Audio Codec: AAC 5.1 VBR 320 kbps
Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1

Whenever I try to use your program to convert this MKV file I get an error saying "Unsupported Audio Codec: A_AAC"

All the MKV files I have tried are giving me this error. I actually thought that by updating my PS3 with the 2.10 firmware it would now be alot easier to play MKV or AVI or other files, but I guess I was wrong... :(

Oh, and for everyone that would like to split their files into smaller pieces, I have the perfect solution for you, its called "The File Splitter", download it here: http://www.dekabyte.com/filesplitter/TheFileSplitter131.exe

What this program does is let you take ANY file and split it by any size you want, and then at the end it make a small "merge" file, so when you split your files and transfer them to your external hard drive, just put the small "merge" file in the same directory and run the "merge" file. It will put all the files back into one piece without messing up anything.

[~bT~]

^ pls look @ your thread again. i have edited my reply.

[alamski]

I too would be ever greatful if you can add an option to select what audio bitrate you want (when the mkv file has dts sound and has to convert it to ac3) i.e. 640kbs etc. Other than that the program is ace and keep up the good work, your making a lot of us happy here :D.
:thanks::thanks:
Alam

[3r1c]

if your audio is AAC you can just convert to mp4 which would probably be better since you can ff/rw.

[AcuraKidd]

if your audio is AAC you can just convert to mp4 which would probably be better since you can ff/rw.

how would I go about doing that?

does that mean I gotta re-encode the whole thing or do you just mean that I could put it in a MP4 container and it'll play fine on the PS3?

Also, what program would you recommend to switch the container?

[3r1c]

mkvsplit and mp4box
no transcoding, just change container

[Quatre]

I would be forever grateful to you 3r1c if you could add AAC support to your program.

I have a few MKV files that are in 720p, here are their specs:

Resolution: 1280 x 720
Framerate: 23.976
Video Codec: x264 r667 3918kbps
Audio Codec: AAC 5.1 VBR 320 kbps
Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1

Whenever I try to use your program to convert this MKV file I get an error saying "Unsupported Audio Codec: A_AAC"

All the MKV files I have tried are giving me this error. I actually thought that by updating my PS3 with the 2.10 firmware it would now be alot easier to play MKV or AVI or other files, but I guess I was wrong... :(

Oh, and for everyone that would like to split their files into smaller pieces, I have the perfect solution for you, its called "The File Splitter", download it here: http://www.dekabyte.com/filesplitter/TheFileSplitter131.exe

What this program does is let you take ANY file and split it by any size you want, and then at the end it make a small "merge" file, so when you split your files and transfer them to your external hard drive, just put the small "merge" file in the same directory and run the "merge" file. It will put all the files back into one piece without messing up anything.

mkv2vob was working for me until now every x264 .mkv file I try of a certain tv show even different releases I get:

"Unsupported Video Codec: V_MS/VFW/FOURCC"

I am going to try rebooting my pc but I'm afraid this may be some type of x264 .mkv file that mkv2vob doesn't work on in which case we are screwed.

also regarding the "File splitter" program you mention and link, thats nice that it can put the file back together but the whole point of splitting a file up i so it will fit on a fat32 ext. hdd which has the 4gb file limit and fat32 is the only file system ps3 will read right now. and your sure this program can split .vob/.m2ts/.mpg files? because it seems everyone is splitting the .mkv first and then using mkv2vob on each new .mkv you make (depending on how many parts you split it into) usually 2 is enough to keep each under 4gb.


unless you copy the files to the ps3 hdd and then use the merge file to join them on there, that would be pretty nifty but I kind of have other stuff on the ps3 internal and its fine playing off ext. hdd but for one or 2 videos at a time if it really works on the ps3 internal hdd that might be nice to join your split files back into one.

I know you can use red kawa file server or something to transfer files from pc to the ps3 internal hdd but i can't be bothered with that and the red kawa prog i tried wasnt that great (ps3 video 9 which i think has the file server) and I dont like streaming especially having to leave the pc on.

I guess I will report back on the specs of these x264 .mkv's that mkv2vob doesn't seem to work on if they still dont after rebooting and even reinstalling mkv2vob.

[Quatre]

if your audio is AAC you can just convert to mp4 which would probably be better since you can ff/rw.

360 plays mp4 as well but only with 2ch. audio so ps3 would be the way to go with mp4.

how do we see if our .mkv has AAC audio and which of those 2 progs is better for remuxing/changing the .mkv container to .mp4

the ability to ff/rw is definately a plus of doing mkv 2 mp4 over mkv2vob. I thought maybe renaming the .vob to .m2ts (avchd) it would then allow ff/rw as .m2ts (avchd) is fully supported by ps3 (for avchd camcorders etc.)

so if the .nfo of your video file say "Audio: English DTS 5.1 - 1536 KB/s"
or anything that says "DTS" means its AAC and can be converted to .mp4? can't any .mkv be converted to .mp4 then? why not do all to .mp4 then if it is able to ff/rw? Does it take longer or something is that why its not as preferable to convert .mkv to .mp4? so its only worth it if the .mkv has DTS/AAC sound and you want to retain that? or will converting mkv to .mp4 only work on mkv with dts/aac sound?

I'm assuming mkv to mp4 will work on any but it just takes longer then mkv2vob so its only worth doing if the mkv has dts/aac sound and you want to retain that. having ff/rw is pretty huge so I may be leaning towards mp4. any negative to doing mkv to mp4 over mkv2vob?

will that file splitter prog someone mentioned work on the finished mp4 file including the merge file that will allow you to remerge the split files back into one once copied to the ps3 internal hdd from a fat32 ext. hdd?

[Quatre]

mkvsplit and mp4box
no transcoding, just change container

can't find mkvsplit anywhere. just a bunch of progs that convert mkv to xvid/divx .avi

how long would that take? if its anywhere near encoding an mkv into .wmv then forget it but otherwise it could be a viable solution as both 360 and ps3 play divx but 360 plays more xvid and I prefer it for video playback for several reasons including not having a 4gb file limit when using an hfs+ formated ext. hdd with it.

oh duh i see i guess mkvsplit is part of mkvtoolnix that mkvmergeGUI has i guess?

as for mp4box

" This program causes the audio to be out of sync when you merge mp4 files together. Tried it several times with the same issue.

"The problem is the result of cutting MP4 is not correct. Play the cutted MP4 in Quicktime and it continues playing even after last frame."


that doesn't sound too good considering I will need to split the mp4 file for use with fat32 hdd and possibly like to remerge them once copied to the ps3 internal hdd.

[Quatre]

this sucks, i rebooted and even reinstalled mkv2vob 1.3 and none of these x264 .mkv files are working with mkv2vob. same error msg as posted above "Unsupported Video Codec: V_MS/VFW/FOURCC"

going to try to convert them into mp4 but not sure what prog to use. i'm assuming mkvsplit is the mkvtoolnix thing but id ont have it in mkvmergeGuI so i guess i'll try the yamb gui version of mp4box

nope mp4box doesn't even see the .mkv files for some reason and i dont see it as a supported file type for mp4box so I dont think that prog is going to work to convert .mkv to mp4

tried renaming the .mkv to .mpg and mp4box just gets an error saying AVC Video Stream within AVI detected

seems mp4box works on .vob files so maybe after using mkv2vob you could use mp4 box to make an mp4 out of it that will then have ff/rw? but thats dependent on mkv2vob working on your mkv file.

seems i have found some x264 mkv files that mkv2vob nor mp4box work on.

[Quatre]

trying a prog called RipBot264. no confidence its going to work though and will prob take a long time and looks like only ch. audio. i thought ps3 could do mp4 with 5.1 sound now?
ripbot264 takes forever, i thin is a full re encode not unlike encoding mkv to wmv which takes ages.

GotSent seems to do the same thing as mkv2vob if you choose the mux to vob option. it remuxes the mkv to .vob and retains the 5.1 audio. You also have the choice to make an mp4 with the benefit of being able to play on 360 or ps3 and and have use of ff/rw. only catch is i believe the mp4 will always be only 2ch. stereo audio.

not sure which is worse but for now i'm leaning towards .vob on ps3 with full sound but loss of ff/rw. ie. i'm choosing audio over ff/rw controls and ability to play on 360 but for some content like tv eps where maybe 5.1 audio is less important i may go with mp4.

either way GotSent does both and seems to be working even to mux to .vob on these files that mkv2vob wasn't working for. no offense to the author of this great program and i sent him the info of one of the mkv files that wouldn't work with mkv2vob so i'm sure he'll fix it soon with new version especially since GotSent is able to.

[Quatre]

jsut going to use GotSent which does the same thing as mkv2vob as far as remuxing a mkv into vob for ps3 with full 5.1 sound but no ff/rw.

it also has the option to conver to mp4 which works on both 360 and and ps3 and has ff/rw but apparently on 2ch audio on both.

[Quatre]

btw the ones that wouldn't work with mkv2vob but will in GotSent (muxing to vob option and about to try the mp4 option) are:

Video...........: x264
Video Bitrate...: 2 Pass VBR
Audio...........: AC3 5.1 @ 48000 Hz
Audio Bitrate...: 384 kbps
Resolution......: 1280x720
Aspect Ratio....: 16:9
Frame Rate......: 23.97


i sent 3rlc the detailed info but there is the basics, maybe its the 2 pass vbr video that causes mkv2vob not to work?

[Glorioso]

Can i use this to add subtitles to the file, hardcoded?

[Quatre]

I would be forever grateful to you 3r1c if you could add AAC support to your program.

I have a few MKV files that are in 720p, here are their specs:

Resolution: 1280 x 720
Framerate: 23.976
Video Codec: x264 r667 3918kbps
Audio Codec: AAC 5.1 VBR 320 kbps
Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1

Whenever I try to use your program to convert this MKV file I get an error saying "Unsupported Audio Codec: A_AAC"

All the MKV files I have tried are giving me this error. I actually thought that by updating my PS3 with the 2.10 firmware it would now be alot easier to play MKV or AVI or other files, but I guess I was wrong... :(

Oh, and for everyone that would like to split their files into smaller pieces, I have the perfect solution for you, its called "The File Splitter", download it here: http://www.dekabyte.com/filesplitter/TheFileSplitter131.exe

What this program does is let you take ANY file and split it by any size you want, and then at the end it make a small "merge" file, so when you split your files and transfer them to your external hard drive, just put the small "merge" file in the same directory and run the "merge" file. It will put all the files back into one piece without messing up anything.

looks like i got a similiar error when trying to use mkv2vob on certain mkv files. i guess it has something to do with the audio being AAC based on 3rlc's response, but I dont understand why he suggests just converting to mkv to mp4 then in the case of aac audio.

I thought the whole reason ppl were doing mkv 2 vob instead of mp4 was for 5.1 sound and that mp4 will be 2ch. audio on ps3 and 360 both. if the mkv has aac audio will it no somehow do 5.1 sund when converted to mp4 plus have the benefit of ff/rw that the vob doesnt' plus play on both 360 and ps3 where as .vob/.m2ts is only on ps3?

as i've mentioned it seems GotSent still works on these mkv files that didnt work with mkv2vob plus GotSent will convert it to mp4 or mux to vob and yes it still worked muxing to vob these files that mkv2vob didn't in trying to do the same thing.

i'm jus still curious why 3rlc suggested converting to mp4 for those mkv files that dont work with mkv2vob as if he knew that any with aac audio wont and made it that way on purpose maybe as if any mkv with aac audio will maybe have 5.1 audio in mp4 format with the added benefit of ff/rw that vob doesnt?

till i get answers, didnt feel like wasting time trying both to test and just used GotSent to mux those mkv files to vob that didnt work in mkv2vob.

as far as you file splitter prog, it seems great. i've been using mkvmergeGuI as suggested by some on this thread, but this file splitter prog is much simpler and with the added bonus of the remerge file.

I'm not sure why ppl were splitting the mkv first. Can't we use this file splitter prog to split the finished .vob file? add the remerge file, put the 2 split .vob files and remerge file on a fat32, copy all 3 to the ps3 internal and then run the remerge exe file to remerge the 2 vob files into one?

i guess the ps3 can't run an exe file like that to do that? so this would be useless for ps3 ppl. if you try to remerge the files on the fat32 hdd, the hdd wont accept it or ps3 wont read the file larger then 4gb.

could be handy for other things but i dont see how the remerging file will be of use with ps3 in less somehow it does work once all 3 are transfered to the ps3 internal but you didnt specify that and i doubt it.

[AcuraKidd]

As far as the file splitter program is concerned, its a very simple concept.

Do whatever you gotta do with your file on the computer, once fully finished, split the file, copy over the spilt files to an external fat32 hard drive, and once all the files are on that hard drive, remerge them, and then connect the hdd to the ps3 and just copy the file over through the xmb, or just play it straight from the hdd.

And I'm gonna give the GotSent program a try later today and let you know how it goes

[Quatre]

i think file splitter prog doesn't work for actually wanting 2 sep files that work whether you split the .mkv first or the .vob file.

it adds .1 and .2 at the end of the file when i split the vob file i made from an mkv only the part2 file plays and it plays from the beginning of the movie so its not right.

so i think that prog just is only if you intend on remerging the split files and no way to do that on ps3, so using mkvmergegui to split the mkv first then make 2 .vob from them is prob still the best way?

[Quatre]

As far as the file splitter program is concerned, its a very simple concept.

Do whatever you gotta do with your file on the computer, once fully finished, split the file, copy over the spilt files to an external fat32 hard drive, and once all the files are on that hard drive, remerge them, and then connect the hdd to the ps3 and just copy the file over through the xmb, or just play it straight from the hdd.

And I'm gonna give the GotSent program a try later today and let you know how it goes

by "do whatever you gotta do with your file on the computer" do you mean mux the .mkv to .vob using mkv2vob or GotSent, in this case.

copy the 2 split files and the remerg .exe file onto the fat32 hdd. fine. remerge them using the exe file? not fine as it will then make one file larger then 4gb that the fat32 hdd will not accept. I imagine it gets an error during the remerge and even if not no device like the ps3 that reads from the fat32 hdd will magically see this remerged file larger then 4gb. i'm almost ready to try it just to see but i'm 99.9% positive it will not work.

you must not be realizing the fat32 4gb file limit. whats the point of splitting the file into <4gb parts if your are just going to remerge it into one larger then 4gb then. this is prob for using fat32 or similiar to transfer something over to something that isnt fat32 and then remerging to have one file. if you could copy all 3 file to the ps3 internal and then run the exe to merge them into one that would be great but the ps3 wont run the exe file.

[3r1c]

mkv2vob was working for me until now every x264 .mkv file I try of a certain tv show even different releases I get:

"Unsupported Video Codec: V_MS/VFW/FOURCC"



V_MS/VFW/FOURCC - Microsoft (TM) Video Codec Manager (VCM)

This is not a h264 video file.

[Quatre]

V_MS/VFW/FOURCC - Microsoft (TM) Video Codec Manager (VCM)

This is not a h264 video file.

what kind of x264 .mkv file is it then? it wont play on 360 or ps3 just as is though i'm sure. can you just change the extension to .mpg on this type? GotSent seemed to work on it and muxed it to .vob.

also if an .mkv has dts sound do you recommend converting it into an mp4 instead of mux to vob?

GotSent converts the mkv to .mp4 unless you specify for it to mux to vob instead and it has an option to automatcially split the file into parts <4GB so you can skip the step of using mkvmergegui or other prog to split the mkv first before using mkv2vob.

I'd just like to know when it is better to convert to mp4 rather then mux to vob. does converting to mp4 take the same amount of time as mux to vob? will the mp4 always be 2ch stereo audio? if so then why did you suggest converting mkv to mp4 when the mkv has aac/dts audio? (they are the same thing right?) if its still 2ch then most of the time i'd prob rther give up the ff/rw and 360 compatability for the full 5.1 audio .vob for ps3.

Just used GotSent on a x264 .mkv file with specs:
Video Format.........: x264
Video Bitrate........: Variable ~ 10554 (DVD9)
Resolution...........: 1920x800
FPS..................: 23.976
Audio................: DTS 1.5Mbps


figured i'd try not check mux to vob in GotSent and it just made 3 .mkv files (box checked for splitting into files <4gb)

at the end it said something no AC3 filter present. the audio is dts and it detected that when i loaded it in GS. so now what can i do with these 3 .mkv files? what did GS even do to them. are they mp4? tried renaming one of the files to a .mp4 but it didint' show up or play on ps3 so i have no idea what GS did to it then besides split it into 3 mkv files which wont be a total waste if GS (with mux to vob box checked) works on them or mkv2vob. but I thought if the mkv had dts sound it was better to conver it to mp4? what program could do this then, obviously not GS.

when i try check mark to mux to vob in GS on the orig mkv file i got some other error/warning about the audio but it allowed to go ahead with muxing the .mkv into .vob files <4gb.

again i tried renaming the new .mkv files to .mp4 but it doesn't show up or play in ps3 soi dont know what GS did to the mkv file with mux to vob box unchecked besides split it into 3 new mkv files. Will have to see what kind of .vob files it makes now from the orig mkv even though it got the audio error/warning when first starting that.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi 3r1c,

Is there any particular reason why you have not mentioned the name of your application (ie: mkv2vob) in your thread title?


Cheers

[Quatre]

now with that dts audio mkv i split into 3 mkv and tried to make a vob using mkv2vob, it said error creating ac3 from wav at the end, so it wasted all that time attempting to make the vob only to fail and now i have to start over and ultimtely may have to reget the 720p version i deleted when i got this 1080p version with dts.

[3r1c]

i dont think you can split dts.

ive said it before and ill say again, mkv2vob was not designed to be used with split files, so you are risking it not working by splitting.

[Quatre]

but it will work making one .vob from the orig .mkv? then just find a way to transfer it onto the ps3 internall hdd i guess and just cant use fat32 ext. hdd.

what sucks is after you split the dts .mkv into 2-3 files, mkv2vob acts like it will work fine, it gets to the end and says can't make ac3 from wav, or something to that effect.

or basically there should be a warning with the program that it doesn't work with dts audio so that if were depending on using this prog we avoid getting x264 mkv with dts audio and try to find a version with ac3 instead.

wait a min i have an x264 .mkv movie with dts audio that I did fine by using mkvmergegui to split the mkv into 2 and then using mkv2vob or GotSent to mux them both to .vob. both parts play fine and work on the 360 so why is this one giving me trouble? is it just because its 1080p where as the one with dts audio that worked was 720p?

that would suck cus the whole point of going through all this trouble is so as not to have to wait just for a 720p wmv to come out cus they always make them 720p to fit on a dvd9 except for some shorter stuff like animations that still fit on dvd9 even in 1080p. The dutch on the other hand not only do more 1080p wmv's but more wmvhd rels in general it seems and release stuff first... but with hard coded nl subs which basically ruin the movie for you if you dont know dutch.

but all this trouble for mkv on ps3 and having to use fat32 hdd and split files, no dts audio, no ff/rw. starting to seem less worth it. might be time to just get a dedicated hw media player that plays everything no hassle.

[3r1c]

the problem is not with mkv2vob, there is no way to split dts, so whatever program your using to split is creating corrupted output files.

it does work with dts, but if the dts is corrupted it can fail after going through a few steps which take a long time.

ideally the best mkv file to have is 720p with ac3.
99% of 1080p arent valid level 4.1 encodes, which will need to be transcoded.

[Quatre]

ah and so the 1080p x264 mkv are even worse if you need to split for fat32 then because you are selecting No to transcoding and since 99% of those arent valid level 4.1 encodes and need the transcoding then they aren't going to work for splitting and not transcoding.

so like you said, ideally look for a 720p version with ac3 for use with this prog and especially if you need to split.

well that is kind of a damper then cus I was really looking for 1080p considering like I said most of the wmv are 720p catering to dvd9 even though many play from ext hdd or stream and would prefer it be 1080p.

oh well like I said between these limitations and the no ff/rw its seeming less worth it and might have to give up on the consoles and just get a dedicated player.

great work on this prog though and i still like it better then GotSent for the most part (though GS worked on a file that mkv2vob didn't).

Its prob best for tv eps that dont need to be split for us fat32 ext hdd users. or i guess for a 720p ac3 x264 mkv if you dont feel like waiting for the wmv version and dont mind splitting and not having ff/rw.

well tried the 1080p dts movie again and all seemed to work. split into 3 mkv files first and made a .vob of the first one and plays with audio on the ps3 but no video. what gives? i thought they just didnt play right on the pc either wrong speed or just audio like that. I think i've seen others say they had just audio and no video but again i thought that was just on the pc. ?_? renamed to .m2ts and it plays fine on pc with audio and video, test again on ps3 and still no video. i really give up this time.

why would the dts audio mess up the video. Like i said i seem to have a 720p mkv with dts audio that turned out fine into 2 playable .vob's. what caused this one to not work. i give up. and to think i had 2 working 720p ac3 split files of the same movie but deleted it to try the 1080p dts version.

would it work if I just used mkv2vob on the main .mkv before splitting and chose Yes to transcoding and then split that new transcoded .vob? I guess splitting the .vob doesnt' work or ppl would be doing that rather then splitting the mkv first and then making vob of each new mkv file.
prob not worth the time for me to try it just for a shot in the dark. plus not sure what prog to use to split the .vob as that file splitter prog seems only for remerging the split files, not actually using them as split files since it adds a .1 .2 .3 etc at the end of the file and just removing that to have the .vob extension i dont think works. and I have a feeling that using a prog to split the transcoded 1080p dts .vob from an x264 mkv will make split files but probably only one will work as I think i've seen happen.

[3r1c]

Do not click NO to transcoding unless you know what your doing.

Yes enables automatic detect, ie. it only transcodes if it needs to.

When splitting you should always select YES on the first split file, watch if it transcodes or not, then on the other parts press NO if no trancoding was done on the first part.

[Quatre]

Do not click NO to transcoding unless you know what your doing.

Yes enables automatic detect, ie. it only transcodes if it needs to.

When splitting you should always select YES on the first split file, watch if it transcodes or not, then on the other parts press NO if no trancoding was done on the first part.

so the 1080p dts file might have worked if i hit yes to transcoding? doen't that mess it up if you dealing with split files though?

always hit yes on the first, watch if it transcodes or not and then on the others hit no if it didnt?

the instructions that come up and as i understood isthat if you are working with split files to always hit No just as it says. If it auto detects why would hitting yes on the second or third file mess anything up if it did need to transcode the first, wouldn't it need the transcode the 2nd file? why would you need to hit yes for the first, watch to see if it did need to transcode or not and then hit yes or no on the second file depending what it did on the first? does it not auto detect on the second file? so you need to watch what it does to the first and then hit yes or no accordingly for the 2nd (and 3rd if you have that many split files) I thought hitting yes on split files made it not work period and hence why any that need to be transcoded aren't going to work for splitting.

[3r1c]

The reason is the auto detect only works for the first file in a split mkv, because the split tools do not properly copy the headers onto the other files, so you need to watch the first file and tell mkv2vob what to do with the other files.

The fact that the video didnt work on the ps3 means it needs transcoding, so for this movie you will need to click YES to all parts.

Transcoding increases filesize of the vob by about 50% so you should make your mkv parts about 2.5gb.

[Quatre]

The reason is the auto detect only works for the first file in a split mkv, because the split tools do not properly copy the headers onto the other files, so you need to watch the first file and tell mkv2vob what to do with the other files.

The fact that the video didnt work on the ps3 means it needs transcoding, so for this movie you will need to click YES to all parts.

Transcoding increases filesize of the vob by about 50% so you should make your mkv parts about 2.5gb.

ok thankyou for the clarification. so always click yes to transcoding and then where do I look to see if it does it or not so I know what to do for the next file(s)? in the dos screen. look to see if it says transcoding? i think i've seen it say that even when I didn't select yes to auto detect if transcoding is neccesary. So i just need to get straight on what to look for on that first file to see if it needs the transcoding or not. Hm, so that 1080p dts movie probably would have worked if I just hit yes to transcoding for all 3 files.

thanks for the headsup that it makes the file 50% larger so you dont want to make the original split mkv file size more then 2.5GB.

I guess I just was excited about the prospect of quick remuxing of the coveted x264 mkv playback on a console in this case the ps3. But nothing is perfect and now i'm realizing how much I use ff/rw.

Some ppl say just watch a movie straight through and pause is all you need. I used to be the same way but with a baby there are so many times where I miss something and need to rewind, or stop and resume later, skip by chapter and ffwd. All of which the 360 lets you do. So i guess i was really up on mkv2vob, then down on it when i ran into a few problems and now i think i'm just somehwere in the middle. I see it now as an alternative to taking 10 hrs to encode an mkv to wmv only for some time later an official ripped wmv of the same content. In fact on occasion i have taken the time to encode an mkv to wmv only for the "better" official rip from source release to come out by the time i'm done so it was wasted time. personally i dont see any quality degradation in encoing mkv to wmv but ppl call it a transcode and some say transcodes suck and degrade quality which makes me wonder if this is the case when the mkv needs transcoding also?

anyway for now, like I said, i see it as an alternative to encoding to wmv and then when and if the wmv comes out i can just get that for the ff/rw controls. but this way if i dont want to wait at least i have a way to watch it and a method that doesnt waste as muc time as encoding. Which also means i'm fine with sticking with more 720p mkv2vob's so when the wmv comes out and is usually 720p, i wont feel bad getting that and getting rid of my split 720p vobs. plus if i really want the 1080p and can get it to work then this would be one viable way.

tempted to try that same 1080p dts movie again and this time selecting yes to transcoding but I already deleted it and regot the 720p which i know works so its fine cus like i said, prob be a wmv of it soon as there already is a dutch subbed wmv of a lot of these so will soon be an english non subbed version to follow like often is the case.

[3r1c]

is there a reason you cannot stream from network?
all you need is your pc and ps3 connected to the same router, it works fine over wireless too.