Guide: AVC video in MKV on PS3

[omf]

I recently wanted to play some AVC Level 5.1 videos in MKV containers on my PS3. Searching through some of the recent threads on here gave me all the information I needed, and I was able to play the files perfectly.

Since the needed information is still a bit spread-out, I thought I'd summarize the steps I needed, both for the benefit of others looking to do the same thing and to see if anyone had any improvements to add to the process.

ASSUMPTIONS
1. I've tested this procedure with a few dozen MKV files, but they were all in the same format:Video stream: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (x264)
(High Profile, Level 5.1)
960x720 23.98fps @ 3468Kbps
Audio stream: AC3
5.1 (6 channels) 48KHz @ 640Kbps

There is useful information here applicable to other formats, however.

2. My target was a Playstation 3 running version 2.01
3. I did not want to re-encoded the video
4. Audio was not as important: it may or may not be re-encoded (see below)
5. I get wordy in my explanations, so I hope you don't mind a little reading...

INFORMATION SOURCES
Here are some of the key forum threads that helped me put the process together:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=120627
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=131782
http://www.redkawa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1906

TOOLS
MKVINFO and MKVEXTRACT from the MKVToolnix package
http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/

Depending on which method you choose, you'll need some of these:
H264Info
http://sourceforge.net/projects/batchccews/
FFMPEG included in MPlayer
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/
MP4BOX from the GPAC package
http://gpac.sourceforge.net/
Nero AAC Encoder (NEROAACENC)
http://www.nero.com/enu/nero-aac-codec.html
EAC3TO
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=125966
http://madshi.net/eac3to.zip


PROCEDURE SUMMARY
Here are the steps. Look at PROCEDURE DETAIL if you want to know more.

1. Determine MKV Source Streams
This tells you which MKV track is video and which is audio, and the video frame rate:
mkvinfo.exe sourcefile.mkv
2. Demux MKV Source File
Assuming track 1 is video and track 2 is audio:
mkvextract tracks sourcefile.mkv 1:video.h264 2:audio.ac3
3. Change Profile Level
Method A:
Use H264Info.exe from http://sourceforge.net/projects/batchccews/
Only change profile level to 4.1 (leave other fields blank) and write output to "video-changed.h264"

Continue to step 4A

Method B:
Use a hex editor to change "0167640033" to "0167640029" at the beginning of "video.h264".

Alternately, use BINREPLACE.EXE (attached here):

binreplace video.h264 0167640033 0167640029
Continue to step 4B

4A. Mux Video and Audio into VOB
Replace "23.976" with frame rate from MKVINFO in step 1:
ffmpeg.exe -r 23.976 -f h264 -i video-changed.h264 -f ac3 -i audio.ac3 -vcodec copy -acodec copy -f vob output.vob
Continue to step 7A

4B. Convert AC3 to WAV
eac3to.exe audio.ac3 audio.wav
5B. Convert WAV to AAC
neroaacenc.exe -if audio.wav -of audio.aac
6B. Mux Video and Audio into MP4
Replace "23.976" with frame rate from MKVINFO in step 1:
mp4box.exe -add video.h264 -fps 23.976 -add audio.aac -new output.mp4
7A. Transfer File to PS3
You can change the extension to MPG or M2TS if you prefer - it won't make a difference. Multi-channel audio should work (assuming your receiver or TV does multi-channel). Trying to fast-forward or rewind during playback with break audio-video synchronization. Start playback from beginning to re-synch.

7B. Transfer File to PS3
Playback should work correctly, including fast-forward and rewind, but you won't get anything other than stereo audio unless your TV or receiver supports AAC natively.


PROCEDURE DETAIL
1. Determine MKV Source Streams
You need to know which stream is audio and which is video within the MKV file. MKVINFO.EXE (from the MKVtoolnix package) will tell you this.
mkvinfo.exe sourcefile.mkv
The output will detail whether each stream (MKVINFO calls them "tracks") is audio or video. You'll need to know that for the next step. Also, note that the details for the video track tell us the frame rate. It looks something like this:
Default duration: 41.708ms (23.976 fps for a video track)
You'll need to know the FPS value later on.

2. Demux the MKV Source File
Since the PS3 doesn't presently know how to read MKV files, we'll "repackage" the audio and video streams it holds into something it does understand. We have to extract (or "demux") the streams first using MKVEXTRACT.EXE (which is also included in the MKVtoolnix package).

mkvextract tracks sourcefile.mkv 1:video.h264 2:audio.ac3
This will open the file "sourcefile.mkv" and save the first stream into a file named "video.h264" and the second stream into a file named "audio.ac3". Replace "sourcefile.mkv" with your MKV file, but keep the output file names so you can follow this procedure. (Also, I discovered "the hard way" that some utilities depend on the file extension to determine the kind of file they're working with, so "video.h264" will work, but "video.mp4" will not.)

If your video and audio tracks are not 1 and 2 respectively, then change those accordingly. For example, if MKVINFO.EXE told you that the first track is audio and the second is video, then just change the command to:
mkvextract tracks sourcefile.mkv 1:audio.ac3 2:video.h264
MKVEXTRACT.EXE should do its work very quickly and create the output files about as fast as your hard drive(s) can read and write the data.

3. Change MPEG-4 Profile Level
You can skip this step entirely if the video in your source MKV file is already below profile level 5.1. You may want to keep reading if it's profile level 4.2, though.

This step benefits from some explanation. If you're not interested in the background information, skip ahead to choose Method A or Method B.

MPEG-4 players can handle different MPEG-4 profiles and levels. Basically, the higher the profile and level, the more horsepower is required to play the file back properly. As of version 2.01, the PS3 will officially play back MPEG-4 H.264/AVC High Profile streams up to Level 4.2.

It turns-out the PS3 will actually play back Level 5.1 streams, though, if you simply trick it into thinking the stream you're playing is Level 4.2 or lower. It's quite likely it will fail to play some highly-demanding streams this way, but I haven't run into any so far.

The PS3 will only check the beginning of the MPEG-4 file to see what profile and level it is. If it sees something above its officially supported rates, you'll see the dreaded "Unsupported Format" icon in the XMB.

In my tests I found that, although the "Unsupported Format" icon went away when I changed my source files to High Profile - Level 4.2, the PS3 would show no video when I attempted to play back the file. Changing the file to High Profile - Level 4.1 resolved that problem, so that's what we're doing here.

How do we change the MPEG-4 profile level without re-encoding the video? Since we're just going to trick the PS3 into thinking it's a Level 4.1 file, all we have to do is change the bits in the stream that tell the PS3 what level it is. We have a couple of options:

Method A: H264INFO.EXE
H264INFO.EXE lets you change various settings, not just the profile level. You can obtain the program here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/batchccews/ (as of this writing, the latest H264Info release is "Alpha 0.13").

Simply run the program, enter your source video stream, "video.h264", for the input file, "video-changed.h264" for the output file, and put 4.1 in the Level box. LEAVE EVERYTHING ELSE BLANK.

When you hit the Start button, H264INFO will read the input file and create a new packet/block (I'm not sure which is the correct terminology for this) using the updated information you gave it.

Because the program has to interpret each source packet and build each output packet, the processing can take some time. Also, you'll have to have enough disk space for both "video.h264" and "video-changed.h264", although you can delete "video.h264" as soon as this step is completed.

Continue to step 4A.

Method B: BYTE EDITING
Instead of properly updating the profile level for every packet in the video stream, we can just update the first packet. This has the advantage of being very fast and not requiring disk space for a second copy of the "video.h264" file - we can just change the right byte in "video.h264" directly.

There's a big "however" here, though: this only worked for me when using the MP4BOX.EXE method in the muxing step below. If you use this method and then mux the video and audio streams with something other than MP4BOX.EXE, you end-up with the ol' "Unsupported Format" icon on the PS3.

I suspect MP4BOX.EXE reads the profile level in the first packet and writes that same level in all other packets as it does its muxing, while other tools write the profile level information from the source stream all the way through without change. Or something like that - a little more investigative work will reveal the details.

So why not just always use MP4BOX.EXE for muxing? The reason is that MP4BOX.EXE only accepts audio in AAC or MP3 formats. If the audio in your MKV file is already in one of these formats or you don't mind converting it, then you're all set. I chose to convert the AC3 in my source file to AAC because the PS3 has an easier time playing it.

Ok, so how do you edit the correct byte?

You'll need a hex/binary editor for this (I use XVI32 - http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm - but it has the disadvantage of loading the entire file into memory, which will be a problem in many cases).

Open "video.h264" in the hex editor. Right at the beginning of the file you should see:
00 00 00 01 67 64 00 33
I don't know all the gritty details, but the "000001" should be the "start code" and "67" is the "NAL type". "640033" is what we really care about. "64" indicates "High Level". "33" is "51" in decimal, so that's "Profile Level 5.1". All we need to do is change that "33" into a "29" (which is "41" in decimal).

I wrote a little utility to change bytes like this. There are others out there, but I couldn't find one that you could ask to stop after it found and replaced the first match (you don't want it finding and replacing other "640033" further on in the file that may have nothing to do with the profile level).

Here's how you use it:
binreplace.exe video.h264 0167640033 0167640029
The string after the name of the input file is a string of hex bytes it should search for, "0167640033". We could've just said "640033" or even just "33", but the more specific we are, the less chance there is of accidentally finding and changing something that wasn't the profile level. The second string is the replacement bytes.

BINREPLACE.EXE works very quickly and can deal with files over 4GB in size.

Continue to step 4B.

Continued in next post

[omf]

4A. Mux Video and Audio into VOB
We now have a video stream, "video-change.h264", in MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 4.1 (or lower) and an audio stream in AC3, "audio.ac3". The PS3 will play both of these formats, but we have to put the two together by combining or "muxing" them into one "container" file.

The PS3 understands MPEG container formats. We're usually dealing with MP4 container files on the PS3, but MP4's only support AAC or MP3 audio in them, so we can't use an MP4 container for our AC3 audio. The PS3 is more flexible when it comes to other MPEG containers, though, so we're going to put our audio and video streams into a "VOB" file using FFMPEG:
ffmpeg.exe -r 23.976 -f h264 -i video-changed.h264 -f ac3 -i audio.ac3 -vcodec copy -acodec copy -f vob output.vob
Replace "23.976" with the frame rate value provided by MKVINFO.EXE in step 1.

This command just tells FFMPEG.EXE to take the contents of "video-changed.h264" and "audio.ac3" and create a VOB file named "output.vob" out of them. The "-f" options tell FFMPEG what format our input files are in so there's no guessing on its part.

FFMPEG should go through this process quickly. Again, the speed of your hard disk(s) will determine how fast it gets done.

Continue to step 7A

4B. Convert AC3 to WAV
We're going to convert our AC3 audio into AAC because that's the accepted format for MP4 files. There are many ways to convert from AC3 to AAC. I chose this one because it seemed straightforward and created high-quality AAC files (I couldn't tell the difference between the resulting AAC and the source AC3).

Using this method, we have to first decompress the audio from AC3 to WAV using EAC3TO.EXE - a utility created by a Doom9.org forum member (thanks, madshi!). You can find current documentation and a discussion thread here: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=125966

madshi found that the AC3 decoder in the Nero package was the best sounding of several tested. EAC3TO.EXE will try to use this decoder if Nero is installed on your system. Check out his documentation for more details.

The command is simple:
eac3to.exe audio.ac3 audio.wav
This will take a bit of time, and the resulting WAV file can be quite large (about 10 times larger than the original AC3 file).

5B. Convert WAV to AAC
We'll now take the WAV file we created in the last step and convert it into an AAC file. Currently, the general consensus is that Nero's encoder produces the best output, so we'll use it. (Nero's encoder is free and available at http://www.nero.com/enu/nero-aac-codec.html - it is small and completely separate from any other Nero products.)
neroaacenc.exe -if audio.wav -of audio.aac
This will probably be the most time-consuming part of the entire process, since it's the only spot where we're actually encoding anything. The resulting file should be about the same size as the original AC3 file (in my case the AAC was a bit smaller every time).

6B. Mux Video and Audio into MP4
We now have a video stream, "video.h264", in MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 4.1 (or lower) and an audio stream in AAC, "audio.aac". The PS3 will play both of these formats, but we have to put the two together by combining or "muxing" them into one "container" file.

MP4BOX.EXE will take individual streams like we have and combine them into a single MP4 file. Here's the command:
mp4box.exe -add video.h264 -fps 23.976 -add audio.aac -new output.mp4
Replace "23.976" with the frame rate value provided by MKVINFO.EXE in step 1. Also, note that the video file is the original "video.h264" because we didn't create a new filename in step 3-Method B (we only changed a byte in the existing file).

MP4BOX.EXE should go through this process quickly. Again, the speed of your hard disk(s) will determine how fast it gets done.

7A. Transfer File to PS3
"output.vob" is basically the content of your original MKV file, except that all the bits that said the video was profile level 5.1 now say it's profile level 4.1 (though we haven't actually changed any video) and it's all now in an MPEG container.

The PS3 should play this file just as it is. You can change the extension to "MPG" or "M2TS", if you prefer - it won't make any difference to the playback.

One problem you'll find is that trying to fast-forward or rewind during playback with break audio-video synchronization in weird ways. The only way to get it back in synch is to start the playback from the beginning again (stopping and starting where you left off won't fix it). There's no way I know of to fix this issue, which is why I opted to convert my audio from AC3 to AAC and create MP4 files instead. "Method B" tells you how to do this.

7B. Transfer File to PS3
"output.mp4" contains the original video from the MKV file (except that all the bits that said the video was profile level 5.1 now say it's profile level 4.1 - even though we haven't actually changed any video) and the audio converted in AAC format.

Copy the file to the PS3 using whatever the easiest method for you is (I've tried both Memory Stick and files on a DVD-RW). Playback should work correctly, including fast-forward and rewind, but you won't get anything other than stereo audio unless your TV or receiver supports AAC natively. If you really want multi-channel audio and your receiver and TV don't have built-in support for AAC (currently most don't), then you'll have to use the AC3 method in "Method A".

[tyee]

Nice tutorial, thanks!! Now how can we fool the PS3 into playing back VC1 encoded files from anything but a DVD/BD??
Can we change the bytes somehow?? Would be nice eh!
Do you think sony will ever enable VC1 playback from USB HDD? I'm sure it's technically possible but I guess they don't want us to do that even though it works from a disc. Probably management telling engineers what to do :)

[omf]

Now how can we fool the PS3 into playing back VC1 encoded files from anything but a DVD/BD??
That'd be nice, but I think the only way this will ever work is if Sony decides to officially support it.

I can't think of any purpose for VC1 playback on anything other than DVD/BD except for "ripped" Blu-ray or HD-DVD discs, so I'd be really surprised if anyone at Sony thinks it's a good idea. :rolleyes:

[shon3i]

@omf, can you upload this binreplace.zip somewhere elese. because is pending.

[omf]

@omf, can you upload this binreplace.zip somewhere elese. because is pending.

Looks like it's no longer pending, shon3bi.

[PlazzTT]

Great tutorial, thanks omf!

One small thing, the command line in 6B should be:
mp4box.exe -add video-changed.h264 -fps 23.976 -add audio.aac -new output.mp4

[B4tm4n]

Also I've found on the web and from personal experience the hex numbers can be different.

42E0xx: baseline

58A0xx: extended profile and low complexity aac

4D40xx: main profile and low complexity aac

6400xx: high profile



the xx is the level.

Level 5.1 is "33"

Level 4.1 is "29"

I find you only need to change the first 33 to 29.

[omf]

Great tutorial, thanks omf!

One small thing, the command line in 6B should be:
mp4box.exe -add video-changed.h264 -fps 23.976 -add audio.aac -new output.mp4

Well, my assumption here was that you'd keep the same video filename if you were using the "byte editing" method. (Unlike the other method where you have to create a new file using H264INFO.EXE) I'll add a note about that in the guide - thanks.

[omf]

Also I've found on the web and from personal experience the hex numbers can be different.



I find you only need to change the first 33 to 29.

Yes, that's why I wrote BINREPLACE to accept different numbers - so that you could change those depending on your needs.

Do you even need to change anything if the profile is anything other than "High Profile"? I was wondering if a Main or Baseline profile stream would play even if the Profile Level were left at 5.1

[B4tm4n]

Yes, that's why I wrote BINREPLACE to accept different numbers - so that you could change those depending on your needs.

Do you even need to change anything if the profile is anything other than "High Profile"? I was wondering if a Main or Baseline profile stream would play even if the Profile Level were left at 5.1

You know I've never tried, I just always hex the thing.:D

[PlazzTT]

Well, my assumption here was that you'd keep the same video filename if you were using the "byte editing" method. (Unlike the other method where you have to create a new file using H264INFO.EXE) I'll add a note about that in the guide - thanks.

Ah OK, I see now :)

I was getting confused with the A and B sections.

[martino]

I have one (or two) question(s);

Level 5.1 does not support P4x4 macroblocks, right? And lets say that I have a file with this partition enabled, thus making the level unrestricted; would the whole hex modify step make it playable on the PS3? (Note that I don't have a PS3, asking out of curiosity and personal interest.)

And what about the XBOX360? I know this probably isn't the best place to ask, and using search would probably prove to be quite useful, but in case anyone feels compelled enough to answer ;). How is it different to the PS3 in terms of AVC playback?

Thanks

[Sagekilla]

I have one (or two) question(s);

Level 5.1 does not support P4x4 macroblocks, right? And lets say that I have a file with this partition enabled, thus making the level unrestricted; would the whole hex modify step make it playable on the PS3? (Note that I don't have a PS3, asking out of curiosity and personal interest.)

And what about the XBOX360? I know this probably isn't the best place to ask, and using search would probably prove to be quite useful, but in case anyone feels compelled enough to answer ;). How is it different to the PS3 in terms of AVC playback?

Thanks

I don't see where you get the idea that level 5.1 doesn't support p4x4, since levels are only restricting the max bitrate, resolution, and frame rate.

[martino]

I don't see where you get the idea that level 5.1 doesn't support p4x4, since levels are only restricting the max bitrate, resolution, and frame rate.
I see. I guess using meGUI too much then has then made a big effect on my way of thinking... It doesn't let you use this partition with b-frames on level 5.1 so I just assumed... :/

[omf]

I don't have a XB360 to test with right now, but I think chances are good that the files will work on it, too.

[foxyshadis]

p4x4 is allowed in some but not all cases in levels >= 3.0. x264 doesn't enforce those restrictions, so its output may not be strictly conforming to the level, but on the other hand many decoders also aren't that strict and will play them fine. (Including PS3.)

[crypto]

The Xbox360 does play AVC level > 5.0 in SD only. The exact limit is max resolution Width x Height < 414720

[Sagekilla]

p4x4 is allowed in some but not all cases in levels >= 3.0. x264 doesn't enforce those restrictions, so its output may not be strictly conforming to the level, but on the other hand many decoders also aren't that strict and will play them fine. (Including PS3.)

PS3 seems to be hardly restricting at all.. If I just include --level 4.1 my encodes will work universally on either my computer or my PS3, and that's considering I enable nearly every option except esa and p4x4 since p4x4 lowers my quality, increases bitrate and lowers encoding speed when I use it.

[scissors]

Nice tutorial, but imo pointless.

Sorry.

You can achieve the same with red kawa's ps3 video mkv remux (just tweak the settings to re-encode instead of remux).

Now, i know the goal was to not re-encode, but with all that messing about (just to end up with an mp4) i'd rather just set red kawa's prog up before going to bed, and in the morning i have an mp4.

Surely the goal is still an avchd (IN sync) with 5.1.

[tyee]

@scissors

Any links to the Red Kawa method you mention!

[omf]

Nice tutorial, but imo pointless.

As with most things, its value depends on your needs. It's at least partly meant as an educational exercise. I certainly understand what needs to happen to the bitstreams much better than I did prior to writing it.

Your priorities lean more towards point-and-click ease, so it's not surprising you consider this pointless. Maybe you could provide something helpful to people by creating a guide explaining the currently available alternatives?

[scissors]

As with most things, its value depends on your needs. It's at least partly meant as an educational exercise. I certainly understand what needs to happen to the bitstreams much better than I did prior to writing it.

Your priorities lean more towards point-and-click ease, so it's not surprising you consider this pointless. Maybe you could provide something helpful to people by creating a guide explaining the currently available alternatives?


Nope. My priorities lean towards getting an avchd with 5.1DD. I did say that. You took my comment to heart. I did compliment you on a nice guide.

I will re-iterate my point. Why go to all that trouble when all you are gonna get is an mp4 that plays from XMB ?

Red Kawa's software does that. Or you can use the FFmpeg "Vob" method to get a 5.1 DD file with FF not working.

As for the person who asked for the guide - that's easy.

Just run ps3 video 9. Choose MKV pass through then edit the profile to encode 1280 x 720 instead of remux and it does the rest.

Let's face it - it's a front end for ffmpeg.

[hbalien]

omf, thanks for the guide man.

For anyone that is following the steps and getting nowhere, make sure to use H264info version alpha .011 not the newest one .013 to change the profile. That was my final obstacle.

[omf]

Glad it was useful. Just FYI: I've been using the 0.13 version without a problem. Maybe it has a problem only with certain movies?

[shon.miles@gmail.com]

I tried this on an mkv file that plays fine on PC

ffmpeg.exe -r 25 -f h264 -i video-changed.h264 -f ac3 -i audio.ac3 -vcodec copy -sameq -acodec copy -f vob output.vob

I ended up with an output.vob with no video.

[Glorioso]

Can i use the resulting 4.1 profile stream in a AVI container?

[jamos]

Mkv2vob does all this now folks I would just use that instead it is actually better as you keep ac3 audio and can ff/rw.

[jamos]

Glad it was useful. Just FYI: I've been using the 0.13 version without a problem. Maybe it has a problem only with certain movies?

any 1080p with more than 4 ref frames (yes there are mkvs with that) will not play without reencoding.

[omf]

any 1080p with more than 4 ref frames (yes there are mkvs with that) will not play without reencoding.

Good to know. I assume all of this is being discovered by trial-and-error? There isn't some treasure pot of PS3 supported video features that I don't know about, is there?

[nurbs]

You can read about the restricted number of refs in this thread if you are interested: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=132924
Basically the max number of allowed refs at a given resolution is determined by the level you encode to.

[fight2win]

thanks for the guide