Behavior of audio fallback encoder param has changed in v1.0

[neilfairall]

The host is Windows Server 2012 R2.

In the last-but-one (before 1.0) version of handbrakecli, I used the following parameters in a batch file with the intent of:

a. Copying AC3 and/or AAC streams if they existed
b. Creating AC3 and/or AAC streams if they did not via fallback.

I used these parameters:

Code: Select all

-E copy:aac,copy:ac3 --audio-fallback av_aac,ac3

This appeared to work just fine. With version 1.0 of the CLI, the result is as follows:

Code: Select all

Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'sample.mkv':
  Duration: 00:23:34.62, start: 0.000000, bitrate: N/A
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High)
      yuv420p, 1280x720, PAR 1:1 DAR 16:9
      23.98 fps, 1k tbn
    Stream #0:1: Audio: ac3
      48000 Hz, 5.1, fltp, 448 kb/s (default)
[21:06:21] scan: decoding previews for title 1
[21:06:21] scan: audio 0x1: ac3, rate=48000Hz, bitrate=448000 Unknown (AC3) (5.1 ch)
Scanning title 1 of 1, preview 9, 90.00 %[21:06:22] scan: 10 previews, 1280x720, 23.976 fps, autocrop = 0/0/0/0, aspect 16:9, PAR 1:1
[21:06:22] scan: supported video decoders: avcodec qsv
[21:06:22] libhb: scan thread found 1 valid title(s)
+ Using preset: CLI Default
+ title 1:
  + stream: sample.mkv
  + duration: 00:23:34
  + size: 1280x720, pixel aspect: 1/1, display aspect: 1.78, 23.976 fps
  + autocrop: 0/0/0/0
  + support opencl: no
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 0 blocks, duration 00:23:34
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, Unknown (AC3) (5.1 ch) (iso639-2: und), 48000Hz, 448000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
ERROR: Invalid fallback audio codec (av_aac,ac3)
Failed to initialize job

HandBrake has exited.

What changed?

[JohnAStebbins]

What changed?

Better error handling. Your command line is (and always has been) broken. --audio-fallback is meant to be used in conjunction with -E copy only. It has no effect with -E copy:aac etc. And it does not take a list of fallbacks, it is a single codec that will be used when "copy" is not possible.

When using -E copy:aac or copy:ac3, it automaticlly falls back to the "right" encoder for the type of audio you are attempting to copy. So if you asked it to copy:aac and the source track is not aac, it will transcode to aac. And if you ask it to copy:ac3 and the source track is not ac3, it will transcode to ac3.

To summarize
copy - passthrough the audio track if possible, use the (singluar) fallback encoder if not possible
copy:aac passthrough the audio track if the source audio is aac, transcode to aac if not

[neilfairall]

That makes sense, thank you!