mp4Tools

photogpab said:

anyone? i just need to know if the 1-pass, 2-pass option reduce quality?

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Sorry, your question was formulated a little confusingly, so people might have skipped it.

I haven't used mp4tools, but the difference between 1-pass and 2-pass is: Videos are usually encoded with a variable bitrate. If the image changes rapidly (chase scenes, quick cuts, ...), the bitrate is chosen higher, if hardly anything happens, the bitrate is lowered. You can set a filesize (or average bitrate) for your encoding.

When you choose 2-pass encoding, the encoder goes through the video twice. The first time, it only analyzes how much happens and how high the bitrate should be at certain times, and it writes this information down. The second time, it actually encodes the video.

You will see three differences between the two methods:

1. 2-pass takes longer (since it has an additional pass).

2. 2-pass will hit the chosen filesize (or bitrate) exactly, since it knows up front how much bitrate it will need for later scenes in the movie and can rescale everything accordingly.

3. 2-pass will probably produce slightly better results, especially in fast paced action sequences, since it has higher variation capabilities for the bitrate. But only slightly.

So, if you're in any kind of hurry, 1-pass will produce a decent video with roughly the size you wanted. If you have the time to spare, pick 2-pass.

photogpab said:

This would be the preferred option as long as the video codec is compatible with mp4 files (e.g., H264 or Mpeg4).

in this case im trying to convert a dvd to my apple tv and i cant use pass-thru.

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Yes, that is correct, you will have to re-encode it. DVDs are in MPEG2-format, and that does not work with an mp4 container.

If you care for quality, definitely pick 2-pass encoding.

You might also want to check out Handbrake, which uses the same encoder as mp4tools but has become the go-to free tool for DVD ripping and might have an interface that has been refined a little longer. I haven't tried mp4tools and if you know it well, by all means go with it. I just wanted to throw Handbrake out there.

Also: Not sure here, but AppleTV might want an "m4v" container, not "mp4". They are basically the same thing and you can probably just rename the file and be alright. But if you have an m4v option (I think Handbrake does), go with that if it's only for AppleTV.

I downloaded mp4tools 3.2.5 but no matter what video I try to open with it , it just gives me error that says "it could not identify video in the file" and this is with each and every kind of video files.

Any help , tried google etc but could not get any help.

what kind of video files are you trying to convert?

mp4tools is mainly for rewrapping h.264 files into a .mp4 (m4v) container. typical user case would be a .mkv file containing a h.264-encoded video file you want to playback on a machine that doesn't support the .mkv container (but the h.264 codec) - like an ipad, appletv, a sony bravia tv or a ps3. mp4tools rewraps ("passthrough") most .mkv files pretty fast (about 3-5 minutes). it's also possible to use it as an encoder, but it's pretty slow and inflexible for this. so if you want to (re-)encode something (e.g. an xvid avi, a dvd mpg2...) to h.264, i'd suggest using something like handbrake or compressor.


p.s.: usually renaming works between the .mp4 and .m4v extension.
p.p.s: 2-pass means that the codec just analyzes the file in the first pass and then tries to encode it with optimal settings in the second pass, while in 1-pass the video is encoded "on the spot". 2-pass usually produces better quality and/or smaller file sizes but takes longer.

Unami said:

what kind of video files are you trying to convert?

mp4tools is mainly for rewrapping h.264 files into a .mp4 (m4v) container. typical user case would be a .mkv file containing a h.264-encoded video file you want to playback on a machine that doesn't support the .mkv container (but the h.264 codec) - like an ipad, appletv, a sony bravia tv or a ps3. mp4tools rewraps ("passthrough") most .mkv files pretty fast (about 3-5 minutes). it's also possible to use it as an encoder, but it's pretty slow and inflexible for this. so if you want to (re-)encode something (e.g. an xvid avi, a dvd mpg2...) to h.264, i'd suggest using something like handbrake or compressor.


p.s.: usually renaming works between the .mp4 and .m4v extension.
p.p.s: 2-pass means that the codec just analyzes the file in the first pass and then tries to encode it with optimal settings in the second pass, while in 1-pass the video is encoded "on the spot". 2-pass usually produces better quality and/or smaller file sizes but takes longer.

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I have tried all kind of files but majorly Mkv , M4v and mp4 all with x264 and same story always , Although I tried a older version 3.1.4 which did recognize all of them but 3.2.5 does not even a single one.

xp0z3d said:

I have tried all kind of files but majorly Mkv , M4v and mp4 all with x264 and same story always , Although I tried a older version 3.1.4 which did recognize all of them but 3.2.5 does not even a single one.

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Strange. I've thoroughly tested 3.2.5 on my latest ML and have not had a single problem.

Could you test e.g. remuxing with the file at http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/h264_720p_hp_3.1_600kbps_aac_mp3_dual_audio_harry_potter.mkv ?

Menneisyys2 said:

Strange. I've thoroughly tested 3.2.5 on my latest ML and have not had a single problem.

Could you test e.g. remuxing with the file at http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/h264_720p_hp_3.1_600kbps_aac_mp3_dual_audio_harry_potter.mkv ?

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Yeah this one I was able to open in it. I have no idea why this is happening.

xp0z3d said:

Yeah this one I was able to open in it. I have no idea why this is happening.

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Can you upload at least one of the non-working videos to, say, Dropbox so that I can test them too?

Menneisyys2 said:

Can you upload at least one of the non-working videos to, say, Dropbox so that I can test them too?

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let me try

here u go https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y0ptd1fby0kd7o6/EZ3v4or-40/sample1.mkv

U know what? After I uploaded that video for you on dropbox , I downloaded it back to my desktop and suddenly mp4tools has no problem opening it. maybe its that I need to place video on desktop to make them usable in mp4tools.


Edit- Okay I have now nailed down the issue. Issue was the video files I was trying to convert using mp4tools were all stored on Time capsule. Moving them to Desktop and suddenly they are opening in the mp4tools.

It all happened when I downloaded your video to my desktop and it worked. then I uploaded a non working video for you to test and suddenly I though let me download it to my desktop and voila! it works.

Now lemme try to use the mp4tools and see what other questions I might come up with. Or can you point to some sort of Guide or Tutorial of this program so I don`t bother u asking some dumb qs?

xp0z3d said:

Or can you point to some sort of Guide or Tutorial of this program so I don`t bother u asking some dumb qs?

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You're asking this question from the right person I've even written a tutorial on doing what you asked for - that is, storing both an AC3 and an AAC track in an MP4 file. Let me know if you need it and I dig it up for you. (Basically, most of my dedicated tutorials are in either the Apple TV or the iPad Apps forum here at MR.)

Menneisyys2 said:

You're asking this question from the right person I've even written a tutorial on doing what you asked for - that is, storing both an AC3 and an AAC track in an MP4 file. Let me know if you need it and I dig it up for you. (Basically, most of my dedicated tutorials are in either the Apple TV or the iPad Apps forum here at MR.)

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So far I think I am doing things right. Will let u know if I encounter something.