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dasx

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 18, 2012
1,107
18
Barcelona
I have over 100 MKVs and I'm converting them to M4V using Subler. I got a couple of problems though.

1. When a video's got more than one audio track, after the conversion my Apple TV3 will play all audio tracks at the same time. I need to hold down the Select button on my Apple TV and chose a track in order to just listen to that one. How can I fix this?

2. I've seen all these movies several times, so I know they are perfectly fine. But when converting the file (I convert the DTS or AC3 audio to AAC) some audio tracks seem to acquire some delay. It's pretty weird and random, can't really tell what's causing this. Any ideas on how to fix it?
All I can think of is keep going and at the end just find out how much delay each track has and then correct it with the offset setting, but of corse if you guys know of a simpler solution I'd thank you eternally.

Thanks!


P.S: What is the Optimize option exactly?
 
I have over 100 MKVs and I'm converting them to M4V using Subler. I got a couple of problems though.

1. When a video's got more than one audio track, after the conversion my Apple TV3 will play all audio tracks at the same time. I need to hold down the Select button on my Apple TV and chose a track in order to just listen to that one. How can I fix this?

2. I've seen all these movies several times, so I know they are perfectly fine. But when converting the file (I convert the DTS or AC3 audio to AAC) some audio tracks seem to acquire some delay. It's pretty weird and random, can't really tell what's causing this. Any ideas on how to fix it?
All I can think of is keep going and at the end just find out how much delay each track has and then correct it with the offset setting, but of corse if you guys know of a simpler solution I'd thank you eternally.

Thanks!


P.S: What is the Optimize option exactly?
1) Put a checkmark only in the video track and AAC stereo track
2) I would recommend trying mp4tools for audio conversion and AAC stereo track generation. I'm not really keen on Subler's audio conversion process.
3) Optimization moves some file information (called an atom) to the beginning of the file. It's normally located at the end of the file. I recommend doing it, as it can improve movie loading by providing the aTV with movie info first rather than having to wait for the movie to mostly load to receive the information.

Hope that helps.
 
1) Put a checkmark only in the video track and AAC stereo track
2) I would recommend trying mp4tools for audio conversion and AAC stereo track generation. I'm not really keen on Subler's audio conversion process.
3) Optimization moves some file information (called an atom) to the beginning of the file. It's normally located at the end of the file. I recommend doing it, as it can improve movie loading by providing the aTV with movie info first rather than having to wait for the movie to mostly load to receive the information.

Hope that helps.

1. Problem is I wanna keep these different tracks. I'm Spanish and I watch them in English (if it's the OV) but I share this library with people who don't speak English so I need the movies to also have a Spanish audio track.

2. So what would the process be like? Use Subler to get the M4V file with AC3/DTS tracks and then MP4Tools to convert the audio to AAC?

3. It's clear now.

Thank you!
 
2. So what would the process be like? Use Subler to get the M4V file with AC3/DTS tracks and then MP4Tools to convert the audio to AAC?

Despite the confusing name, MP4Tools works just fine for converting MKV files.
 
You need to enable only one track in this window:
kcm740.png


If you enable more than one, of course you'll hear more then one audio :)
 
DASX are you following the correct sequence for

Subler.. It is simple but NOT intuitive
Each title you want to work is a project, so you must OPEN it, and then ADD the MKV you want to the window, there is a + sign upper left. Select the file mkv you want to convert. The file you wanted is now in the window. DO NOT mess with the sound tracks here... As long as they are all there, leave them ALL ALONE, dont worry about the right hand descriptors, they will be proper once you ADD the file. Once you click ADD lower right, that window appears to close and you are left with the window where you can modify or edit things. I found that you DO NOT mess with the sound tracks. you make sure that the Video and the FIRST sound track AAC are checked and then leave ALL of them as they appeared in the ADD window..In this new window you can highlight the video file which should be a form of H264. A window will open to allow you to change some parameters here. You will also notice in THIS window the sound track descriptors correctly identify the type of sound track you want. It is normally correct here. For ATV2 play you should show a video, an AAC track and some form of AC with the correct number of channels here. Under these will be any other tracks you wanted.
ALTERNATIVELY to begin, You can also drag a file to the empty subler icon or window and then hit the ADD button in the lower right. It will do the add function for you and leave you in the edit window described above.
IF you are working with a lot of 'Projects" you should use the que there is what looks like a curved arrow upper right.. hit it and another drop down offers a button lower right that "adds to the que". Once you hit that, go back to File NEW and open and hit the + sign to add a file or just drag a new mkv into the subler Icon and do the cycle again.
I was pulling my hair out with this thing for a long time, now have a great workflow, often doing 10 in the que at once while I just go away from it. The length of time to process depends on how you encoded the MKV files. They MUST be in some form of H264 for subler to work with them.
Good luck
 
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Subler.. It is simple but NOT intuitive
Each title you want to work is a project, so you must OPEN it, and then ADD the MKV you want to the window, there is a + sign upper left. Select the file mkv you want to convert. The file you wanted is now in the window. DO NOT mess with the sound tracks here... As long as they are all there, leave them ALL ALONE, dont worry about the right hand descriptors, they will be proper once you ADD the file. Once you click ADD lower right, that window appears to close and you are left with the window where you can modify or edit things. I found that you DO NOT mess with the sound tracks. you make sure that the first two are checked and then leave ALL of them as they appeared in the ADD window..In this new window you can highlight the video file which should be a form of H264. A window will open to allow you to change some parameters here.
ALTERNATIVELY to begin, You can also drag a file to the empty subler icon or window and then hit the ADD button in the lower right. It will do the add function for you and leave you in the edit window described above.
IF you are working with a lot of 'Projects" you should use the que there is what looks like a curved arrow upper right.. hit it and another drop down offers a button lower right that "adds to the que". Once you hit that, go back to File NEW and open and hit the + sign to add a file or just drag a new mkv into the subler Icon and do the cycle again.
I was pulling my hair out with this thing for a long time, now have a great workflow, often doing 10 in the que at once while I just go away from it. The length of time to process depends on how you encoded the MKV files. They MUST be in some form of H264 for subler to work with them.
Good luck
Simpler to bypass the "Add" and just "Open" the file directly. "Add" is most applicable when you are modifying what you are remuxing (deleting tracks , adding tracks from different files, etc)

Also, If you are primarily non-english speaking, you can drag spanish audio track to be first on the list under the video track, check it. As mentioned, checking a track in the final window, simply designates it as default. The aTV will still play a Dolby surround track over an AAC stereo track if optical or hdmi to an AVR is being used.
 
Despite the confusing name, MP4Tools works just fine for converting MKV files.

i actually find that it sometimes has issues keeping video and audio in sync (something the developer is also aware of and struggling to fix).
 
i actually find that it sometimes has issues keeping video and audio in sync (something the developer is also aware of and struggling to fix).

Seems like everything has an issue with sync. I haven't had any problems with the recent Handbrake conversions though. Had issues a couple of years ago with that too.
 
Seems like everything has an issue with sync. I haven't had any problems with the recent Handbrake conversions though. Had issues a couple of years ago with that too.

that's the thing, handbrake converts and all i want to do is remux (and convert the audio of course).
 
that's the thing, handbrake converts and all i want to do is remux (and convert the audio of course).
It would seem that only changing the container package would be less likely to produce sync issues than a total transcode. Maybe after the weekend is over (well, I guess it is for you), some of the super knowledgeable posters will come on here and explain to us why sync is such an issue with remuxers like Subler and mp4tools.
 
i've emailed the developer of mp4tools a few times about this, and he/she is unable to pinpoint what is causing the problem unfortunately.

he/she wanted me to send over a short MKV file that had the issue, but I only have 10GB files and didn't know a way of trimming the file to make it small enough to send over.
 
I've found both Subler and mp4tools have syncing issues when converting DTS to AC3/AAC. My work around is to use the program "Remux" to convert the audio track first, then put the mkv into Subler. This ensures the video and audio sync up.
 
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i actually find that it sometimes has issues keeping video and audio in sync (something the developer is also aware of and struggling to fix).

Let me rephrase that then. :D

It's MEANT to work on MKV files as well.

To be honest, I use XMBC on my Macs and only convert files when they're going to be used away from home on the iPad or iPhone.
 
I've found both Subler and mp4tools have syncing issues when converting DTS to AC3/AAC. My work around is to use the program "Remux" to convert the audio track first, then put the mkv into Subler. This ensures the video and audio sync up.

might give that a try and see how it goes (i kept one of the MKV files that had the problem so can easily compare it to how mp4tools handles it).

can you give me a step by step process of how you would do it with remux and then subler ?
 
Sure.

Download Remux from here :http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/35968/remux/

Then, drag and drop the original mkv into the program.

Under the "Reencode" column in the same row as the audio, it should default to "no". Click the scroll down menu and change to AC3 448k.

Set an alternate save location (or rename the file) or else your original file will be overwritten and the conversion will fail.

After Remux does its thing, you will now have an mkv with a AC3 audio track rather than DTS.

Now, drag and drop this new file into Subler. Passthru both the audio and video track. Rename this audio track "Surround Sound" or something like that.

Then, drag and drop the same file into Subler again, this time only keep the audio track checked and use the drop down menu to select "AAC - Stereo". This will convert the AC3 track to Stereo audio for playability on an iPhone/iPad. Rename this track "Stereo" or something similar.

If you want to save the original DTS track as well, just repeat the step above using the original, unconverted mkv, only check audio, passthru, and rename to "DTS" or something similar.

You should now have a video track and a couple of audio tracks in the Subler window. You must order them as follows:

Video Track
Stereo
Surround
(DTS)

Or else the resulting mp4 will not play audio in iTunes.

Now use the magnifying glass in the top right corner of Subler to add metadata, etc.

Then, click the video track and a few options should become available to you. Make sure the video profile is set to main@3.1 (I've heard the aTV can support other versions, but its not officially listed on the Apple site, so main@3.1 is what I use).

Then, when none of the tracks (video, audio, etc) are highlighted, an "Other Settings" menu becomes available. Use this to set the file as 720p, 1080p, etc.

Finally, when you are ready to go and start the process, if your file will be >4GB, you must check the "64 bits chunk offset" option in the "Save As" menu.

Hope this helps.
 
Sure.

Download Remux from here :http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/35968/remux/

Then, drag and drop the original mkv into the program.

Under the "Reencode" column in the same row as the audio, it should default to "no". Click the scroll down menu and change to AC3 448k.

Set an alternate save location (or rename the file) or else your original file will be overwritten and the conversion will fail.

After Remux does its thing, you will now have an mkv with a AC3 audio track rather than DTS.

Now, drag and drop this new file into Subler. Passthru both the audio and video track. Rename this audio track "Surround Sound" or something like that.

Then, drag and drop the same file into Subler again, this time only keep the audio track checked and use the drop down menu to select "AAC - Stereo". This will convert the AC3 track to Stereo audio for playability on an iPhone/iPad. Rename this track "Stereo" or something similar.

If you want to save the original DTS track as well, just repeat the step above using the original, unconverted mkv, only check audio, passthru, and rename to "DTS" or something similar.

You should now have a video track and a couple of audio tracks in the Subler window. You must order them as follows:

Video Track
Stereo
Surround
(DTS)

Or else the resulting mp4 will not play audio in iTunes.

Now use the magnifying glass in the top right corner of Subler to add metadata, etc.

Then, click the video track and a few options should become available to you. Make sure the video profile is set to main@3.1 (I've heard the aTV can support other versions, but its not officially listed on the Apple site, so main@3.1 is what I use).

Then, when none of the tracks (video, audio, etc) are highlighted, an "Other Settings" menu becomes available. Use this to set the file as 720p, 1080p, etc.

Finally, when you are ready to go and start the process, if your file will be >4GB, you must check the "64 bits chunk offset" option in the "Save As" menu.

Hope this helps.
Very good instructional outline!

I don't re-containerize mkv's but I am curious about if optimization would be a good additional step? I do this for mp4's and it has solve some occasional streaming issues while using the aTV3. It relocates the moov atom from the end of the file to the beginning, thus allowing a large file to start playing before entire movie has been loaded.
 
Yes, using the optimization option is a great idea!

I just didn't specifically include it because when I downloaded Subler for the first time, the "Optimize" function was enabled by default.

However, if this is not the case for all, in the "Queue" window in Subler, in the bottom right corner, hit the down arrow and make sure "Optimize" is enabled.

Good catch.
 
Yes, using the optimization option is a great idea!

I just didn't specifically include it because when I downloaded Subler for the first time, the "Optimize" function was enabled by default.

However, if this is not the case for all, in the "Queue" window in Subler, in the bottom right corner, hit the down arrow and make sure "Optimize" is enabled.

Good catch.
You can also do it manually, after saving a file, if you only are processing a single file and not using the queue.
 
Sure.

Download Remux from here :http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/35968/remux/

Then, drag and drop the original mkv into the program.

Under the "Reencode" column in the same row as the audio, it should default to "no". Click the scroll down menu and change to AC3 448k.

Set an alternate save location (or rename the file) or else your original file will be overwritten and the conversion will fail.

After Remux does its thing, you will now have an mkv with a AC3 audio track rather than DTS.

Now, drag and drop this new file into Subler. Passthru both the audio and video track. Rename this audio track "Surround Sound" or something like that.

Then, drag and drop the same file into Subler again, this time only keep the audio track checked and use the drop down menu to select "AAC - Stereo". This will convert the AC3 track to Stereo audio for playability on an iPhone/iPad. Rename this track "Stereo" or something similar.

If you want to save the original DTS track as well, just repeat the step above using the original, unconverted mkv, only check audio, passthru, and rename to "DTS" or something similar.

You should now have a video track and a couple of audio tracks in the Subler window. You must order them as follows:

Video Track
Stereo
Surround
(DTS)

Or else the resulting mp4 will not play audio in iTunes.

Now use the magnifying glass in the top right corner of Subler to add metadata, etc.

Then, click the video track and a few options should become available to you. Make sure the video profile is set to main@3.1 (I've heard the aTV can support other versions, but its not officially listed on the Apple site, so main@3.1 is what I use).

Then, when none of the tracks (video, audio, etc) are highlighted, an "Other Settings" menu becomes available. Use this to set the file as 720p, 1080p, etc.

Finally, when you are ready to go and start the process, if your file will be >4GB, you must check the "64 bits chunk offset" option in the "Save As" menu.

Hope this helps.

WOW. Thanks for the explanation, will definitely try that! So the syncing problem only shows up when converting DTS tracks? Such a shame...

Also, thanks everyone for the replies. I thought that checking tracks only meant they were included in the final video file, I didn't know I was setting them all as default at the same time.

To correct this issue, could I re-open these files and now just select the track I want to be the default one? Or is it a lost cause already?


Thanks!
 
WOW. Thanks for the explanation, will definitely try that! So the syncing problem only shows up when converting DTS tracks? Such a shame...

Also, thanks everyone for the replies. I thought that checking tracks only meant they were included in the final video file, I didn't know I was setting them all as default at the same time.

To correct this issue, could I re-open these files and now just select the track I want to be the default one? Or is it a lost cause already?


Thanks!

They are still editable. Just create your new covered audio track, open the old file and delete the problem track and add the new track. Viola!! I would also re-optimize if not done already.
 
Thanks mic j.

One other thing. I understand DTS is better than AAC, but how is AC3 better than AAC? I mean, assume a 5.1 AC3 audio track converted to a 5.1 AAC track. Why is the first one better? (In case it is, I might have misunderstood this)

Thanks!
 
Thanks mic j.

One other thing. I understand DTS is better than AAC, but how is AC3 better than AAC? I mean, assume a 5.1 AC3 audio track converted to a 5.1 AAC track. Why is the first one better? (In case it is, I might have misunderstood this)

Thanks!

this is the format you want for your files (assuming you're playing on appletv etc).

Screen%20Shot%202012-03-21%20at%2017.51.55.png
 
Yup, I'm using an Apple TV3. Doesn't it play just fine AAC 6 channels tracks? Cause I'd say I've seen mine do it. :confused:

My question was based just in quality. I know I need AAC, I was just curious to know why is (in case it is) AC3 better.

I didn't keep AC3/DTS versions of the tracks I re-encoded as AAC... I assume I'll have no further problems with this, right?
 
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