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drjack69

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 16, 2013
28
0
Hi All, Sorry I'm a noob.

I wonder if anyone can help me.

I have 2 ATV's in the house and also a Blu Ray surround system. One of the ATV's is V2 (in the bedroom) and one is an ATV3 (in the living room hooked up to the surround sound).

Obviously, I am more than happy to just watch a blu ray in the living room, but I'd like to also be able to watch stuff in the bedroom via ATV2. Having said that, I would also like the convenience of transferring my bought Blu rays to my mac so I can just fire up the ATV3 and see my whole library rather than having to get up off my fat ar$e and actually put a disc in the player :)

I have bought a blu ray burner which is performing well with MakeMKV and then transferring it to Handbrake for re-encoding. The video is fantastic!

My main issue is with audio....

With bought itunes content, I can happily have stereo in the bedroom and surround in the living room. Even with my DVD's that I have ripped with Handbrake, this is the case. For some reason, with a blu ray rip, ATV3 plays the stereo sound file through the optical port even if there is a 5.1 track in Dolby or DTS available in the mp4. I have tried having the prologic mix as track one and the AC3 passthrough as track two and vice versa.

The only way I have been able to get 5.1 from an MKV converted to MP4 is to just allow handbrake to encode the AC3 passthrough (hit and miss though.. doesn't work all the time!) on it's own with no stereo track. Obviously, this is fine for the living room but useless in the bedroom where there is no surround. ATV2 just plays the video with no sound. similarly, I would be happy with the stereo for the bedroom if that was the only ATV, but I want 5.1 in the living room. Lazy, but I have paid for the convenience. A bit like when iTunes first came out, I imported all my Cd's... becase it was far easier.

I wish Handbrake had support for blu ray :(

I doubt we'll need physical discs in the next couple of years but I don't want to have to re-buy movies.

I'd also like to state for the record that these are boxed movies that I have purchased!

Thanks guys!

Ed
 

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
Hi All, Sorry I'm a noob.

I wonder if anyone can help me.

I have 2 ATV's in the house and also a Blu Ray surround system. One of the ATV's is V2 (in the bedroom) and one is an ATV3 (in the living room hooked up to the surround sound).

Obviously, I am more than happy to just watch a blu ray in the living room, but I'd like to also be able to watch stuff in the bedroom via ATV2. Having said that, I would also like the convenience of transferring my bought Blu rays to my mac so I can just fire up the ATV3 and see my whole library rather than having to get up off my fat ar$e and actually put a disc in the player :)

I have bought a blu ray burner which is performing well with MakeMKV and then transferring it to Handbrake for re-encoding. The video is fantastic!

My main issue is with audio....

With bought itunes content, I can happily have stereo in the bedroom and surround in the living room. Even with my DVD's that I have ripped with Handbrake, this is the case. For some reason, with a blu ray rip, ATV3 plays the stereo sound file through the optical port even if there is a 5.1 track in Dolby or DTS available in the mp4. I have tried having the prologic mix as track one and the AC3 passthrough as track two and vice versa.

The only way I have been able to get 5.1 from an MKV converted to MP4 is to just allow handbrake to encode the AC3 passthrough (hit and miss though.. doesn't work all the time!) on it's own with no stereo track. Obviously, this is fine for the living room but useless in the bedroom where there is no surround. ATV2 just plays the video with no sound. similarly, I would be happy with the stereo for the bedroom if that was the only ATV, but I want 5.1 in the living room. Lazy, but I have paid for the convenience. A bit like when iTunes first came out, I imported all my Cd's... becase it was far easier.

I wish Handbrake had support for blu ray :(

I doubt we'll need physical discs in the next couple of years but I don't want to have to re-buy movies.

I'd also like to state for the record that these are boxed movies that I have purchased!

Thanks guys!

Ed
The aTV does not support dts, so really no reason to have it in the mp4.

You should always transcode your discs with HB, using the following audio format:

track 1: AAC (coreaudio) Dolby Pro Logic II
track 2: AC3 passthrough (or AC3 (ffmpeg) 5.1 channels if source is dts)

The aTV expects this format. Have done about a 100 BR's using that format and never an audio problem.
 

drjack69

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 16, 2013
28
0
thanks for your reply. Very helpful.

My issue is that a lot of BD's have DTS as the 5.1 source and I see no way of making it dolby 5.1 in any of the apps I am using. I have tried AVIdemux, Handbrake and MakeMKV but I seem to have had little success...

----------

Oh and just to add to that I have no ffmpeg option in the audio options in handbrake...

If anyone can give me an idiots guide to sorting this out I'd very much appreciate it...

sorry again !!
 

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
thanks for your reply. Very helpful.

My issue is that a lot of BD's have DTS as the 5.1 source and I see no way of making it dolby 5.1 in any of the apps I am using. I have tried AVIdemux, Handbrake and MakeMKV but I seem to have had little success...

----------

Oh and just to add to that I have no ffmpeg option in the audio options in handbrake...

If anyone can give me an idiots guide to sorting this out I'd very much appreciate it...

sorry again !!
The HB audio AC3 (ffmeg) setting converts the dts 5.1 track to a Dolby Digital 5.1 track

Edit: sorry, just seen the second half of your post saying you don't see the AC3 (ffmeg) option.

What version of HB are you using, windows or mac?
 
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priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,028
638
Estonia
This is what I see in my HandBrake Version 0.9.9 x86_64 (2013051800)
HandBrakeAudio.png

PS On Apple TV you shall turn Dolby Digital to Auto or On under Audio & Video Settings.
TS3518_01---de.png

After that you will be able to select Language (Surround) track from Audio options during playback, although on Auto/On setting, it should have selected it automatically so as to pass that track to digital out.
Described here: http://blog.fosketts.net/2012/12/31/access-alternate-audio-tracks-subtitles-apple-tv/
 
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drjack69

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 16, 2013
28
0
Thank you so much for your help... I'm just trying it now. I hadn't realised how old my version of handbrake was so I've updated it.

I'll let you know how I get on!

I still really wish Handbrake had a BD import though. DVD's work flawlessly...

Here's hoping the next release will!

Cheers,

Ed
 

priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,028
638
Estonia
I still really wish Handbrake had a BD import though. DVD's work flawlessly...
In contrast with DVD copy protection scheme (CSS) which did never change, the BD copy protection (AACS, newly BD+) gets updated every now and then (they can even revoke compromised decryption keys with next pressing of disks!). So it will be an eternal play of cats vs mice. Manifested by regular (compulsory) updates to the MakeMKV product.
 

drjack69

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 16, 2013
28
0
Well it seems to have worked thanks to your kind help :)

My only problem now is (as I am ripping the Lord Of The rings extended versions) is trying to get the two resulting mp4's (they used 25GB BD's rather than 50GB BD-DL's... cheaper I suppose, but it means it's still on two discs) to become one mp4 and also get the subtitles working for the elvish bits... Subtitles in particular seem to be a nightmare on mac!

Thank you again for your help! It is much appreciated...
 

salohcin

macrumors member
Jun 5, 2008
91
21
Well it seems to have worked thanks to your kind help :)

My only problem now is (as I am ripping the Lord Of The rings extended versions) is trying to get the two resulting mp4's (they used 25GB BD's rather than 50GB BD-DL's... cheaper I suppose, but it means it's still on two discs) to become one mp4 and also get the subtitles working for the elvish bits... Subtitles in particular seem to be a nightmare on mac!

Thank you again for your help! It is much appreciated...

Try MKVToolNix: http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/downloads.html#macosx

Open the MKV of the first disc, and then append the second MKV to that. It shouldn't take long to create the combined MKV. Once you have that you can just run it through Handbrake like your other MKVs.

Also, I'm pretty sure, on lord of the rings at least, that the elvish subtitles are already burned in. But on the latest version of handbrake you can do a foreign language subtitle search on MKVs.
 

Michael CM1

macrumors 603
Feb 4, 2008
5,681
276
Well it seems to have worked thanks to your kind help :)

My only problem now is (as I am ripping the Lord Of The rings extended versions) is trying to get the two resulting mp4's (they used 25GB BD's rather than 50GB BD-DL's... cheaper I suppose, but it means it's still on two discs) to become one mp4 and also get the subtitles working for the elvish bits... Subtitles in particular seem to be a nightmare on mac!

Thank you again for your help! It is much appreciated...

You figure out that LOTR issue and I'll be happy. I haven't done those yet for that one reason. I'm guessing I might be able to merge them using iMovie, but I'm not sure. As for subtitles, I think the modified ATV3 setting I'm using in HB uses forced subtitles.
 

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
You figure out that LOTR issue and I'll be happy. I haven't done those yet for that one reason. I'm guessing I might be able to merge them using iMovie, but I'm not sure. As for subtitles, I think the modified ATV3 setting I'm using in HB uses forced subtitles.
I merged LOTR extended BR's using MKVToolnix then ran through HB. No problem, subtitles included (as mentioned, not sure they are forced or burned in on the discs). I did keep them as 3 separate files corresponding to the 3 books.

Try it if you haven't already. If you have a problem, head back for help.

Edit: if you are trying to combine mp4's instead of mkv's, try using mp4tools (latest version). But it is better to start from the mkv's.
 

priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,028
638
Estonia
Also, after you've merged the two halves of a movie gotten from MakeMKV, you simply HandBrake it into a MP4 file (be sure to use .m4v file extension so iTunes will like it), without adding the subtitle.
Then, open the full-movie MKV in Subler, add only the smallest soundtrack as passthru (no time-consuming conversions!) and your desired PGS subs from BDrip. Save the file as MP4, this will OCR (Optical Character Recognition) the PGS subs into text. After the type of subs changes to 3GPP Text, select the subtitle, export it to SRT and import it back to your previously converted m4v full movie.
I know, this is a lenghty workflow, but from my experience, Subler is the best way to convert bitmapped subs into text (soft-) subs to embed as Subtitle Track into iTunes movie.
 

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
Also, after you've merged the two halves of a movie gotten from MakeMKV, you simply HandBrake it into a MP4 file (be sure to use .m4v file extension so iTunes will like it), without adding the subtitle.
Then, open the full-movie MKV in Subler, add only the smallest soundtrack as passthru (no time-consuming conversions!) and your desired PGS subs from BDrip. Save the file as MP4, this will OCR (Optical Character Recognition) the PGS subs into text. After the type of subs changes to 3GPP Text, select the subtitle, export it to SRT and import it back to your previously converted m4v full movie.
I know, this is a lenghty workflow, but from my experience, Subler is the best way to convert bitmapped subs into text (soft-) subs to embed as Subtitle Track into iTunes movie.
There really is no need to go through all of that, unless you want to have full soft subtitles and even then, I would opt to use downloaded srt files vs creating them from scratch. HB can burn in PGS subtitles (regular and forced) if you want hard subs. The U.S. version of the discs, the forced subtitles are burned in. The U.K. version have a separate forced subtitle track.
 

JoeBlow74

macrumors regular
Aug 2, 2012
218
9
This is what I see in my HandBrake Version 0.9.9 x86_64 (2013051800)
Image
PS On Apple TV you shall turn Dolby Digital to Auto or On under Audio & Video Settings.Image
After that you will be able to select Language (Surround) track from Audio options during playback, although on Auto/On setting, it should have selected it automatically so as to pass that track to digital out.
Described here: http://blog.fosketts.net/2012/12/31/access-alternate-audio-tracks-subtitles-apple-tv/







Leave the AC3 (FFMpeg) and select the mixdown column. In the mixdown column there should be a setting called 6 channel discrete. Here is a link to Handbrake's web site explaining the setup. When setup properly using 6 channel discrete, Handbrake will bitstream the signal, passthough AppleTV, and to your receiver.


https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/SurroundSoundGuide
 

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
Leave the AC3 (FFMpeg) and select the mixdown column. In the mixdown column there should be a setting called 6 channel discrete. Here is a link to Handbrake's web site explaining the setup. When setup properly using 6 channel discrete, Handbrake will bitstream the signal, passthough AppleTV, and to your receiver.


https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/SurroundSoundGuide
In the latest stable release, v0.9.9, 6 Channel Discrete is no longer an option. It has been replaced with 5.1 Channels. Same thing...different name.
 

priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,028
638
Estonia
...I would opt to use downloaded srt files vs creating them from scratch. HB can burn in PGS subtitles (regular and forced) if you want hard subs.
I personally don't like the burned in subs, so I opt for soft subs anytime possible (only times I burn subs in is when converting SBS or OU 3D movies).
I agree, you can always download soft subs from internet, however, these you oftentimes need to retime from different FPS or adjust time delay to achieve perfect sync. Depending on source, these can also be quite inaccurate. Considering all this, the subs converted directly from BDrip are mostly translated from written script and have no sync issues.
 

mic j

macrumors 68030
Mar 15, 2012
2,663
156
I personally don't like the burned in subs, so I opt for soft subs anytime possible (only times I burn subs in is when converting SBS or OU 3D movies).
I agree, you can always download soft subs from internet, however, these you oftentimes need to retime from different FPS or adjust time delay to achieve perfect sync. Depending on source, these can also be quite inaccurate. Considering all this, the subs converted directly from BDrip are mostly translated from written script and have no sync issues.

But you lose formatting (font, color ,etc) with OCR and the time it takes to go back and correct errors can be large. It's a lot of work, I've done it multiple times as a last resort. I have also had very good success with downloaded subtitles. Using Subler to adjust the offset when necessary. Also, with forced subs, which I believe was the topic, I always burn in. Why would I want to listen to something like Avatar navi language without knowing what they are saying?

To each his own, but I will always opt for the easiest and quickest process that gives me acceptable results. Obviously, your standards are a lot higher than mine. ;)
 

priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,028
638
Estonia
But you lose formatting (font, color ,etc) with OCR and the time it takes to go back and correct errors can be large
Correct. On top of that, the only font attributes Apple TV seems to obey, are the Italic and Underline.
OK, forced subs are a different topic. For me, as not natively english-speaking, as a minimum I add english subs, or one in my mother tongue, if available ;)
 

Ace1024

macrumors member
Jun 19, 2011
32
0
Just note that using HB, you're actually encoding the original video to slightly less quality. Whilst maintaining DTS is great, I'd rather maintain the original quality of the video with DD5.1 for sound.

There are plenty of great software out there to remux your ripped mkv's i.e. subler (free), mp4tools, iFlicks, remux (free), mkvtoolnix (free).

I have two 3TB HDD completely full of ripped Blurays, all with amazing picture quality to boot.

Also, given the size of the files (usually 25gb or more) it's likely you'll need to wire up either the server or ATV (or both).
 

drjack69

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 16, 2013
28
0
Just a quick thanks to everyone who posted on this thread. All the replies and converstaions have been invaluable!

I have now succesfully ripped my LOTR extended versions with extremely good results. I went for the soft subtitles eventually because trying to convert Blu ray subs to srt was a nightmare! I found a really good website called "subscene" and with a bit of tweeking, got the subs synced nicely.

Having said that... the amount of apps I've used is crazy....

MakeMKV, Handbrake, Mkvtoolnix, subler, jubler....

I said earlier, I wish Handbrake supported BD ripping, but now I just wish iTunes supported MKV's, then I'd just buy a huge external hard drive and leave them as is...
 

priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,028
638
Estonia
I went for the soft subtitles eventually because trying to convert Blu ray subs to srt was a nightmare!
Subler handles that very well! They even have some language packs, so I installed one for my native Estonian, and now I have also my accented characters recognised.
Explained here in the Comment by Hendrik....@gmail.com, Jan 16, 2012
http://code.google.com/p/subler/wiki/ReleaseNotes
The necessary Tesseract language packs are available here:
http://code.google.com/p/tesseract-ocr/downloads/list
 
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