Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
This is what I have been thinking as well. So can I create the m4v in HB and keep the DTS HD Master Audio in the same container that I can then use in other (non Apple) players ? Was thinking that in the quest to get to 1 file with all audio tracks in the container that I encode into m4v then can use something like Plex to pull DTS out of it or XBMC (through Windows/Boot Camp) to pull Master Audio if I want. All without having to have separate MKV & M4V files. Thoughts ?

I should also mention I use Plexconnect on the ATV to pull from the Plex Media Server.

Thanks

WC

Just a quirk of MakeMKV. Not 100% sure but I think there is something you can do to make the HD track checked by default. You might want to check their forum for that.

HB does not do HD in an mp4 nor does the aTV. You are doing it "ideally" as possible with a media streamer that does not play or pass-through HD audio tracks.

However, if you keep your mkv's as archives, I would recommend checking the HD audio box in the selection list so that you archive the best quality sound possible. Who knows what the future holds.
 
As this thread got bumped, I'll take the opportunity to note that Handbrake has moved on since that workflow was produced. Specifically, regarding non-English subtitles, Handbrake can now search for and burn in forced subtitles all while transcoding your BD rip.

To date, for me, it has never failed to pick up the non-English forced subs. It saves a lot of time and effort.
 
You can use a MakeMKV to decrypt disc protection first, and then use a free video converter to transcode MKV to M4V for Apple TV, that works for me.
 
There is lots of genuinely good advice here and some brief commentary on audio stream formats.

Yes ATV3 is limited in playback so MP4 is a good choice for final file format. Handbrake, along with other software do fine.

HD audio cannot be fully handled by OSX. However, many who use Macs for HTPC purposes will opt for software such as XBMC (now called Kodi) that is a free player that is very powerful. You can preserve your media file with HD audio and it will automatically pass through the core (DTS- MASTER is rendered as DTS etc.). This is one advantage over ATV.

If you plan to have a Mac eco system with playback only with ATV, then you must, as explained, convert the file from MKV.

If you have access to Windows (virtual also works with software like Parallels), you have many other tools available both licensed and free ware.

I highly suggest if you are only going to use ATV, that you spend time in forums specific to Handbrake or other software that handles the conversion of MKV. There, you may find other users offering tweaks and settings as well as caveats.

As for me, I rarely use MKV as a wrapper but prefer to go native with VOB for DVD quality and M2TS for 1080p material. I don't use an ATV3 simply because it is a bit too limited for my needs though it is a very nice product that ties into the Mac eco system. I store my files on my network and cab access them through my TV, my blue ray player and my HTPC. If I were to use a lightweight media player, I would be looking at ATV counterparts that are not as limited in file format.

Last - If you have the patience and desire, take a look at PLEX (a spin off from XBMC). From what I recall, they found a way to exploit a hole in ATV so it can play other types of files when you install Plex on your computer. Plex will also handle HD audio streams and pass through regular 5.1 and stereo if need be. Check out their forums and log in and ask questions. Both XBMC and Plex forums (their sites) seem to have very helpful users.
 
you can convert the blu-ray video to the format that Apple TV supported,like mov, m4v,mp4,etc.
 
Another thing which I don't think has been mentioned yet is how you handle the fact that some BluRays that you rip will have forced subtitles e.g. Avatar. They can also be a right pita to do correctly. This is how I rip my collection and handle forced subtitles (I don't know of any easier way!).

Applications Used

1. MakeMKV http://www.makemkv.com/download/
2. VLC http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
3. Handbrake http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php
4. Subler http://code.google.com/p/subler/downloads/list
5. iDentify 2 http://identify2.arrmihardies.com

Preparation

Before I first started ripping I created folders to organise movie files at their various stages. These were:

- "To Transcode" <-- Folder to store the .mkv BluRay rips.
- "To Tag" <-- Folder to temporarily store newly transcoded BluRay .m4v's for tagging.
- "To Add" <-- Folder to store tagged newly transcoded BluRay .m4v's for copying to iTunes.

Stage 1 - Ripping

The first time I opened MakeMKV I changed the following preferences to make it easier to filter out unnecessary tracks and to link to my folders:

- Default destination: Changed this to the newly created folder "To Transcode". (Found under the Video tab of preferences.) This saves the rips to that specific folder to keep them organised.
- Minimum title length (seconds): 2400. (Found under the Video tab of preferences.) This ignores extras like trailers, deleted scenes etc.
- Preferred language: eng: English. (Found under the Language tab of preferences.) This checks only the English versions of tracks such as subtitles and audio (saves a lot of unchecking).

1. Open MakeMKV and click 'Open Blu-ray disc'.
2. To select the correct video track, I make sure the largest title is checked (around 25-35 GB in size). It looks something like this: "Movie name - xx chapter(s), xx.x GB). Sometimes there are duplicate tracks (no idea why) but only one needs checking.
3. To select the correct audio track, I check only the best available audio track. In nearly all cases this will be the audio track at the top and will either be named "DTS-HD Lossless" (this is the DTS-HD Master Audio), "TrueHD" (this is Dolby TrueHD) or in rare cases "DD 3/2+1"/"DTS 3/2+1" (this is Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS 5.1).
4. After the main audio tracks are listed, there can sometimes be several audio tracks listed one following another named "DD 2/0". These can be audio visual descriptions (not important to most), a stereo track of the main audio (not important) or feature commentaries (to me they are important). As there is no way to tell which is which I check all of the "DD 2/0" tracks and disregard any which I don't use later.
5. Check all relevant language subtitles, making sure that the (forced only) tracks inside them are not checked. I do this as forced subtitles can be located on any of these tracks.

At this stage MakeMKV usually looks something like this:

Screen_Shot_2012_12_29_at_01_36_40.png


6. Click 'MakeMKV' to create the custom BluRay .mkv rip.

Stage 2 - Brief Research

Once the .mkv rip is created I then open it up in VLC. I then change the audio track being played in order to identify any "DD 2/0" tracks that I selected to include in the .mkv rip (e.g. some may be feature commentaries that I like to keep). For those that I want to keep, I then make a note of the order in which it appears in the audio track list e.g. 2.

Screen_Shot_2012_12_29_at_01_41_22.png


At this stage I also check the film I am ripping against a user created database of Forced subtitles: https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t8Xb85eyNFtZ3vaNK8gqkbQ&single=true&gid=0&output=html

As far as I know, forced subtitles can come on BluRays in two ways, either in their own subtitle track, or flagged as forced in a subtitle track with subtitles for the whole film.

If someone has flagged it on the database as being on their own subtitle track, I will open the .mkv in VLC, find a relevant point in the movie which should contain forced subtitles (e.g. foreign language scene) and change between the different subtitle tracks that I selected to include in the .mkv to identify which shows only the forced subtitles. I will then make a note of the order in which it appears in the subtitles track list e.g. 2.

If someone has flagged it on the database as not having their own subtitle track, I will open the .mkv in VLC, find a relevant point in the movie which should contain forced subtitles (e.g. foreign language scene) and change between the different subtitles tracks that I selected to include in the .mkv to identify which shows the dialogue subtitles. I will then make a note of the order in which it appears in the subtitles track list e.g. 1. This is important as some subtitle tracks included in the BluRay .mkv rip can be subtitles of feature commentaries.

Screen_Shot_2012_12_29_at_01_42_28.png


Stage 3 - Transcoding

The first time I opened Handbrake I changed the following preferences to make life easier:

- When Done: I checked "Send file to: xx", hit Browse and selected "Subler". (Found under the General tab of preferences.) This opens the newly created .m4v in Subler, ready for track naming.

1. Click 'Source', navigate to the folder "To Transcode" and select the BluRay .mkv rip for transcoding.
2. Select the 'AppleTV 3' preset.
3. Under the Audio tab, I add any necessary additional audio tracks to include in the transcoded file. e.g. If I have earlier made a note that track 2 of the audio from the .mkv BluRay rip is a feature commentary, I will select the second one down from the track list (this is 1, as they are ordered 0, 1 2, 3, etc.).

At this stage the Audio settings usually look something like this:

Screen_Shot_2012_12_29_at_01_39_50.png


4. If I identified the film as having forced subtitles, select the Subtitles tab and do one of the following:

- If I identified the forced subtitles as being on their own subtitle track I will select the necessary subtitle track and make sure that 'Forced Only' is unchecked and that 'Burned In' is checked. e.g. If I have earlier made a note that subtitle track 2 from the .mkv BluRay rip has the forced subtitles on their own subtitle track, I will select the second one down from the track list (this is 1, as they are ordered 0, 1 2, 3, etc.) and make sure that 'Forced Only' is unchecked and that 'Burned In' is checked. This burns any subtitles that appear in that subtitles track which, as identified, will only be forced subtitles.

- If I identified the forced subtitles as not having their own subtitle track I will select the necessary subtitle track and make sure that both 'Forced Only' and 'Burned In' are checked. e.g. If I have earlier made a note that subtitle track 1 from the .mkv BluRay rip has the forced subtitles together with subtitles for the whole film, I will select the second one down from the track list (this is 0, as they are ordered 0, 1 2, 3, etc.) and make sure that both 'Forced Only' and 'Burned In' are checked. This burns only subtitles flagged as being forced that appear in that subtitle track. The rest of the film subtitles should therefore not be included.

At this stage the Subtitles settings can look something like this:

Screen_Shot_2012_12_29_at_01_40_33.png


5. Select the destination for the transcoded file as the folder "To Tag".
6. Click 'Start'.

Stage 4 - Renaming Audio Tracks

Once Handbrake has finished transcoding the BluRay .mkv rip, the newly created .m4v should automatically open in Subler (as per the settings). At this stage I rename the audio tracks as following:

- Audio Track 1: Stereo --> Dolby Pro Logic II.
- Audio Track 2: Surround --> Dolby Digital 5.1.
- Audio Track 3 (Optional): Stereo --> Feature Commentary: Actors/Feature Commentary: Directors.

I then save it.

Stage 5 - Tagging

1. I open the newly created file in iDentify 2 and allow it to look it up.
2. If it does not find a match I find the film on IMDb http://www.imdb.com/ and copy and paste the unique film identification from the URL into the IMDb code field in iDentify 2. e.g. In the case of http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258463/ I would copy and paste the tt0258463 part.
3. I re-scan if necessary and use IMDb to fill in any blank fields.
4. If chapter names are not found, I use http://www.tagchimp.com to fill in blanks.
5. Select my preferred cover artwork.
6. Save the file and move it into the folder "To Add".

The newly transcoded/tagged .m4v is then ready to add to iTunes.

I know this is an old post, but thank you very much for detailed explanation and workflow.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.