Help with ripping blurays

[craigap]

I decided I would try to convert my current video library (that is Video_TS for DVD and BDMV for bluray) already copied onto my server, in order to be compatible with Plex, but I am running into an issue. I am trialing DVDfab ripper and I get different results trying to play the resulting file on my server versus my HD300. For example: I tried full quality audio/video conversion to MP4. I set DVDfab to rip "Same as Source" to MP4. When playing the file on my HD300 it won't play at all. It just shows a blank screen with the timeline frozen at the 0 min mark. I can fast forward into the movie, but the screen remains blank and the time stays fixed at whatever time I FFW to. The same file on the server will play very broken video, as well as, play a visually impaired descriptive audio track. I've tried various setting combinations within the MP4 container and get varying results. None are ideal until I compress everything and change the HD audio to AC3 resulting in a file that is 3.5gb from a 20+gb file. At this point it will play fine on both the server and the HD300.


I'm curious if there is some kind of limitation in Sagetv that would prevent it from playing a fully uncompressed version of a bluray as an MP4

I tried out Handbrake briefly as well, but I am not getting the video output that I want, so I need to mess with that some more.

I'm using DVDfab ripper mainly for the Decryption since AnyDVD isn't working for me anymore.

[stanger89]

I've never tried mp4, I know the HD300 supports MKVs just fine though. I use MakeMKV for all my rips.

[will]

For the encoding, are you using h.264 in the mp4?

If the software did something funky then the HD300 would not play the file back.

Blu-rays use h.264 and HD300 plays those back wonderfully. I usually convert my Blu-rays into MKVs (just a container) that houses mp4s with h.264.

[craigap]

I thought I read that there was issues with MKV in SageTV and subtitles which is why I figured I'd try MP4. The only subtitles I would care about are the one's that translate a foreign language into english text on the bottom of the screen. I figured if I even ran into that requirement then I wouldn't have to worry about it working or not.

The MP4's I'm attempting to create are H.264. I tried contacting DVDfab about it, but haven't heard back yet.

[stanger89]

The HD300 does MKV subtitles just fine. You just have to manually select them.

[craigap]

Originally Posted by stanger89

The HD300 does MKV subtitles just fine. You just have to manually select them.

What if I'm watching on my server?

Also, if I use handbrake to "burn in" any forced tracks would that alleviate any issues with the type of subtitles that I want (as stated above) and MKV?

[KryptoNyte]

Finding the correct subtitle track to "burn-in" can be a time consuming situation, unless you are willing to burn-in the entire subtitle dialog.

[craigap]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

Finding the correct subtitle track to "burn-in" can be a time consuming situation, unless you are willing to burn-in the entire subtitle dialog.

As I understand it. Handbrake has a built-in function that can be manually triggered to do a Foreign Language Search within the movie and will select the forced subtitle in the correct language and Burn it in if that option is selected as well.

[mistergq]

I'm ripping my dvd's to MP4 because those playback very well on other devices like roku.

[KryptoNyte]

Originally Posted by craigap

As I understand it. Handbrake has a built-in function that can be manually triggered to do a Foreign Language Search within the movie and will select the forced subtitle in the correct language and Burn it in if that option is selected as well.

How's this feature working for you?

[will]

Not sure if this is related or not but I've noticed that MP4s I output from iMovie (home videos) don't play back as reliably on HD300s/200s as MKVs Blu-rays. I'll sometimes get some loss frames.

Also, I've noticed that un-encrypted MP4s from iTunes won't playback on my client at first (blank screen at first, no audio) until I change the audio track to AC3 (the second track) and hit pause/play. My HDx00s have no issues with the iTunes files though (just the client).

[craigap]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

How's this feature working for you?

I haven't actually tested it. I decided that I would just keep the full DVD/BD for local playback on my server/HD300s and convert each move to a seperate MP4 in another folder for Plex. I stopped using Handbrake because DVDFab's quality was quite noticeably better for a substantially smaller file size when I compared it to handbrake. i.e. a 5 gb file DVDfab had a noticebly better PQ than a 8 gb file from Handbrake. Plus DVDfab seems faster in general. I can tell DVDfab to put in the forced subtitles, but I'm just going to sit back and hope the right ones go in.