Create WMV file from VC1 stream muxed into mkv?

[Beastie Boy]

When I ripped my original HD-DVDs, I put the VC1 video into an mkv container as that was the preferred way with eac3to. I have since managed to get streaming working again to my XBox 360 (thanks to the latest tversity) and want to create WMVs.

However, I can't find a solution that works. I have managed to produce a VC1 file using tsMuxer to demux, run it through vc1conv, but vc12avi fails on it, completing in 1 second and saying there is only one frame (although the file will play in GraphEdit).
I demuxed using mkvExtract which gave me an avi file. Solveig ASF Muxer produces an ASF file, but the resulting WMV file is stuttery (I didn't remove pulldown at ripping time).
I tried muxing to m2ts with tsMuxer, and using eac3to again to demux, but vc12avi fails as above.

Is there anyway to make my mkv video into WMV without re-encoding, or do I need to spend hours re-ripping my discs :(

Cheers, Beastie.

[Koadic]

I have a way that may work, as it works for me, but you will have to re-encode the audio. Try Solveig again opening the mkv directly and selecting only the video stream. If that plays back without stutter, continue. Then convert your audio to a Wma 10 Pro 5.1 wma (with windows media encoder or other of choice). Then use the stream editor that comes with windows media encoder and mux the .asf with the .wma together. For my success it was important to use Solveig to only strip the video into an asf file, otherwise I would get stutter.

[Beastie Boy]

The process works as you say, but unfortunately the result is stuttering video. I wish I had ripped to raw VC1 instead of mkv. Never mind.

By the way, it's good to see someone use their first post to offer help and advise. That doesn't happen very often. Thank you :)

[Koadic]

When does it result in stutter? right after converting to asf? or after muxing with the audio? and what kind of stutter exactly? like a constant (smooth if you will) stutter or a sudden hitch every second or so? Because I was experiencing the latter.

And BTW: It may have been my first post, but I have been lurking these forums for quite awhile, always looking for information :). I just happened on your post and I have had similar problems, so I thought I might try to help. I have ripped many of my Blu-ray discs and re encoded them to vc1 mkvs with original ac3 so I can stream them to another computer, use it to make a BD5/9 AVCHD disc if I want to take it over to my buddies to watch on his PS3, or make a WMV-HD and put on a dvd to play on my non-networked Xbox 360 (I affectionatly call these WMD5/9's), as I only own a Blu-ray drive for my computer which I use as a media server. And yes I know the PS3 will play the Blu-ray's directly, but the object is to keep those safe and sound. So, whenever I want to make a WMD5/9, I need to convert the audio and remux the video. While I am not working with untouched vc1 streams, I have run into the stuttering problem and have overcome it. Even though my previous suggestion didn't work, I am confident I might be able to come up with something to help you get these playing correctly. A little trial here, a little error there, etc. Anyway, I digress... lets get this figured out.

[Beastie Boy]

When does it result in stutter? right after converting to asf? or after muxing with the audio? and what kind of stutter exactly? like a constant (smooth if you will) stutter or a sudden hitch every second or so? Because I was experiencing the latter.

Yes, the stutter was introduced right after converting to asf, and the stutter was a small jump about every second.

It turns out that I had 2 different kinds of file. The first ones that I ripped were ripped to vc1 and later muxed to mkv with mkvtoolnix. These ones stutter.
My later files were ripped directly to mkv using eac3to, and these files work great. I just need to re-rip the first files that I have.

This is very good news, because it means I can reduce the number of steps required to produce a WMV file.
My original methed was;
Source -> vc1 (eac3to) -> avi (vc12avi) -> combine segmented avi (VDubMod) -> avi to asf (Solveig)

but now I can go;
Source -> mkv (eac3to) -> asf (Solveig)

This should save a lot of time and HDD wear :)

So thank you very much for your input.

Cheers, Beastie.

[Koadic]

Well, let me list the steps take from start to finish and see if anything stands out to you that might help get rid of the stutter. And as a sidethought, if it is related to pulldown, I believe you can remove pulldown with tsMuxer and set the framerate to 23.976. I might try loading the mkv into tsMuxer and remove pulldown/correct framerate, create a m2ts file, then mux as I describe below. But then again, depending on the number of titles you have to do, you may just want to not bother and rerip them. I just enjoy a challenge, and would think since they play just fine in mkv, you should be able to just change the container.

Since I go from Blu-ray to mkv, I either start with tsMuxer and remux the video and audio stream I want into a new m2ts or I go right to DS Mux (gdsmux.exe with haali's) since I cant import directly from the m2ts with MkvMerge. But, with using DS Mux, the framerate information gets kinda messed up (although it may only happen with vc1 streams, sometimes they play at 30fps instead of 23.976), so I remux again using MkvMerge with a timecode file so it plays at the correct framerate and the audio syncs up. Although, this is where I depart from what you have done and I re encode the video to a lower bitrate vc1 stream as explained previously. But when I then again remux into a mkv, I follow the same steps as I do with the Blu-ray source file, wmv+ac3 -> DS Mux -> MkvMerge with timecode then use Solveig to get an asf video file when I want to make a wmv. Also as stated previously, when done this way, I don't get any stutter from the video, unlike when I was first trying to perfect my process.

And just out of curiousity, if you take the stuttering asf file and remux it back into a mkv, does it still stutter? :) Anyway, I am glad that I could at least help you a little bit.