Problem with Eagles HD-DVD transcode

[brakestands]

Okay, I've succesfully ripped and transcoded all my HD-DVD's except for 1. The Eagles Farewell Tour (Live From Melbourne) is the culprit. Now, I know that this one extracts into 3 separate mkv files, as others have noted elsewhere. That is no problem, mkvmergeGUI can easily stitch them together into 1 using the Append feature. No big deal. The problem I'm having is not related to the 3 separate Title files business. Here is my process/results:

1. Ripped with MakeMKV (latest version) - output is 3 separate Titles, including DTS-HD and DTS-core tracks. I get 3 separate mkv files in other words. So far, looks fine.

2. I notice the resulting mkv files are playable with VLC *but with no video at all*. I get only the music, and it sounds perfect. But no video. This is true with VLC both on a Mac and Windows. Weird. But if I try to play them in Windows Media Player on the Windows machine, they play fine with video and audio perfectly! So, the file cannot be corrupted if it plays fine in some players and not others.

3. When I try to run the files thru Handbrake, I get an error when choosing the Source, right away, that says No Valid Source Found. I guess this makes sense, since if VLC can't play it, then Handbrake cannot open it.

So, thinking that MakeMKV was the culprit, I went thru an exhaustive process from the disc again, this time on a Windows machine running AnyDVDHD. I saved it as an ISO, I also tried just the normal Video extraction with AnyDVDHD, and I get the HD_DVD folder structure. I've tried to choose that in Handbrake, no luck at all. I've tried using the ISO as source in Handbrake, no luck. No luck with the extracted HD_DVD folder structure with the actual .EVO file either. What the heck am I doing wrong??? I've ripped hundreds of BluRays and HD_DVD's and never had one where I get audio but not video.

4. I have analyzed the resulting .mkv files in Media Inspector/MediaInfo Mac, and the streams look proper....all the normal video details are there. The video is VC-1 if that matters.

Here is the log output that I get when Handbrake tries to choose the source:

Code: Select all

[11:15:09] hb_init: starting libhb thread
[11:15:09] macgui: Handbrake Version: 3935svn x86_64 (2011041701)
[11:15:12] macgui: built in presets updated to build number: 2011041701
[11:15:12] hb_init: starting libhb thread
[11:15:12] hb_init: starting libhb thread
[11:15:12] macgui: hbInstances path to this instance: /Applications/HandBrake.app
[11:15:12] macgui: hbInstance found instance pidnum:87066 at path: /Applications/HandBrake.app
[11:15:12] macgui: hbInstance MATCH FOUND, our pidnum is:87066
[11:15:12] macgui: Pid for this instance:87066
[11:15:12] macgui: HBQueueController : My Pidnum is 87066
[11:15:31] macgui: trying to open video_ts folder (parent directory chosen)
[11:15:31] macgui: Preview: Disabling HUD Controls
[11:15:31] macgui: Minimum length of title for scan: 900000
[11:15:31] hb_scan: path=/Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/Part1/part1final.mkv, title_index=0
libbluray/bdnav/index_parse.c:157: indx_parse(): error opening /Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/Part1/part1final.mkv/BDMV/index.bdmv
libbluray/bluray.c:1376: nav_get_title_list(/Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/Part1/part1final.mkv) failed (0x118016200)
[11:15:31] bd: not a bd - trying as a stream/file instead
libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 4.1.3
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.10 for DVD access
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.IFO failed
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.BUP failed
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
libdvdnav: vm: failed to read VIDEO_TS.IFO
[11:15:31] dvd: not a dvd - trying as a stream/file instead
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
Input #0, matroska,webm, from '/Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/Part1/part1final.mkv':
  Duration: 01:26:36.22, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1536 kb/s
    Stream #0.0: Video: vc1, yuv420p, 1920x1080 [PAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 1k tbn, 29.97 tbc
    Stream #0.1: Audio: dca (DTS-HD MA), 48000 Hz, 5.1, s16, 1536 kb/s (default)
[11:15:31] scan: decoding previews for title 1
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:32] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:33] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:34] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:35] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:36] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:37] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:38] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:39] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:39] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented
[11:15:40] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[11:15:40] libhb: scan thread found 0 valid title(s)
[11:15:40] macgui: ScanDone state received from fHandle

[nightstrm]

[11:15:39] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[vc1 @ 0x102815400] Interlaced frames/fields support is not implemented

ffmpeg (and therefore Handbrake) cannot currently handle interlaced vc1. There are ways to deinterlace the video before feeding it into Handbrake, but I honestly haven't taken the time to look into it myself as I only have one discs (Nine Inch Nails concert disc) that has the same problem.

[brakestands]

Nightstrm, interesting stuff. I had no idea of the interlaced VC-1 limitation. Thank you. Like you say, there has to be something out there that can de-interlace it prior to throwing it into HB. Hmmmm...I'm gonna poke around for something. But at least you framed the issue for me. Cheers.

[brakestands]

FYI for those that might be interested...I found some tools out there for converting the interlaced VC-1 to something Handbrake can handle...ended up choosing RipBot264 and am converting the interlaced VC-1 to progressive AVCHD. From there, Handbrake will handle it. Needless to say at this point, the process for this is NOT easy. There are many steps involved. Here are the notes I took on it...

Final process used for successful rip of Eagles Farewell Tour HD-DVD with Interlaced VC-1 video tracks (3 separate tracks for each of the 3 sections of the concert).

1. Using Win7 VM, rip each of the 3 .EVO files using HDBrStreamExtractor (normally used just for Audio rips/conversion to FLAC or WAV and such). Choose both the video track for extraction which was VC-1, and the DTS-HD 5.1 track, which is 24-bit and 48KHz. Result will be 3 sets of 2 files each.

2. Take the video track from each of the 3 sets (no audio at all), and run it thru RipBot264 to convert the files to AVCHD Progressive, instead of VC-1 interlaced. This process takes a VERY long time (16 hours for 1.5hour track) using CQ=0. Don't modify anything else in the video track. Repeat 3 times for each of the 3 sets of files.

3. Using mkvmergeGUI on Mac VM slice, re-mux the new progressive video .mkv file with the original DTS-HD track. Repeat this 3 times for each of the 3 sets of files.

4. Take all 3 files and using the Mac VM slice, use MKVMergeGUI's "append" feature to "stitch" the 3 portions of the concert together. Result should be one single .mkv file representing the entire concert, both audio (DTS-HD surround) and video (AVCHD progressive).

5. Take the final single .mkv file and run it through Handbrake, choosing the normal AppleTV2 preset. For the Audio settings, pick the DTS-HD track and use DTS-to-AC3 conversion settings per normal.

[Deleted User 11865]

5. Take the final single .mkv file and run it through Handbrake, choosing the normal AppleTV2 preset. For the Audio settings, pick the DTS-HD track and use DTS-to-AC3 conversion settings per normal.

1) 0.9.5 doesn't support DTS-HD at all, the audio output will be broken if you select that track as the source.

2) In the nightly builds, DTS-HD is sent to FFmpeg for decoding, since HandBrake's usual DTS decoder (libdca) can't deal with the HD extensions (see 1).

3) FFmpeg's DTS decoder can deal with said extensions: it will discard them to extract the core, and decode that (but it doesn't have a DTS-HD decoder).

4) Sometimes FFmpeg's demuxer returns bogus audio timestamps which can cause broken audio output. This may be more likely to happen with DTS-HD tracks in MKV.

Issue (4) is being worked on, but since all you get is the DTS core anyway, you might as well stick to using the core as a source if you're re-encoding to another audio format (which is all you can do right now, since there's no DTS-HD passthrough feature).

[brakestands]

Interesting, thanks Rodeo. I will have to re-rip just the core DTS track out from the disc then with HDBR Stream Extractor. Ahh yes, the joys of HD-DVD. I'll be glad when this one is done.

thanks again.

[Deleted User 11865]

Interesting, thanks Rodeo. I will have to re-rip just the core DTS track out from the disc then with HDBR Stream Extractor. Ahh yes, the joys of HD-DVD. I'll be glad when this one is done.

Note that if you're using the nightly and the conversion worked fine (good audio output), there's no need to re-rip.
Bad audio should be immediately noticeable.

[brakestands]

What is your feedback about the right transcoding within my step 2, the RipBot264 transcoding. I notice that because I chose CQ=0 for the de-interlaced progressive AVCHD encode, the file sizes are HUGE. Just 1 of the 3 portions of the concert went from being 9 GB in the initial rip from disc to about 34 GB in the AVC-based progressive file output. Add that to the other 2 segments of the concert, and in the end, I"ll be asking Handbrake to use as Source about a 70GB file in the hopes of encoding it down to my normal AppleTV2 preset filesize. Usually a 3 hour video like this would be about 4GB in the end, if I continue along this path I suspect I'll be dealing with a MUCH bigger final .m4v file. Rodeo, knowing I'm kind of uber-finicky about video and audio quality for my home theater experience, would you say I'm probably over-killing the video side of things here? I suspect I am, but am looking for advice on how to trim this down. I don't really know about this whole AVCHD format, and maybe the CQ=0 is not the right way to go about this inside of RipBot264.

By the way, keep in mind that I only used RipBot for the purposes of de-interlacing, I really don't want to make substantive changes otherwise. That's what HB is for in the end. But something is clearly going on there of substance, for a 9GB source to end up at 34GB on the output side. The de-interlacing can't explain all of this, right?

Thoughts? I think you probably see my quandary. Thanks again as always.

[Deleted User 11865]

The size of the output doesn't depend on the size of the input. The reason RipBot264's output is larger is because you went from a lossy source (Blu-Ray) to a lossless (CQ=0) intermediate encode. It shouldn't be any harder to compress that the original.

[nightstrm]

Thanks for the info; I may have to give your workflow a shot in order to (finally) complete ripping my Bluray/HDDVD collection.

[brakestands]

The size of the output doesn't depend on the size of the input. The reason RipBot264's output is larger is because you went from a lossy source (Blu-Ray) to a lossless (CQ=0) intermediate encode. It shouldn't be any harder to compress that the original.

Rodeo, thank you, makes sense. So, my resulting .m4v was 4.5GB, which validates your point. So, I was all excited about the finished product, but there are issues with it. It is certainly MUCH more playable than along the way with the intermediate steps, but it freezes up the AppleTV2 at times. Well, not freezes it up, but the video freezes even though the AMAZING sounding surround sound continues on without issue. So, I think I've nailed the audio, but the video needs work. Also, there are syncing issues with audio/video at times, though it is very subtle. I can accommodate that with my surround sound processor by using its "LipSync" delay feature, but of course I'd rather not have to do that.

So, I think I need to go back to the drawing board on the video settings in RipBot, I think that's where I'm getting hung up a bit with too heavy a video quality. Perhaps using a CQ not equal to Zero would be good. I am thinking of going with something like CQ=10 for instance. I'm also considering including the audio this time, and just trying to tell it not to muck with it at all, just pass it through. I will rip only the DTS core as well, not the DTS-HD this time, as of course Handbrake is just pulling out the Core anyway. Might as well use that the whole way through, it may help with these Sync issues withing the file.

I shall begin all over this afternoon, expect a day or two before results as this stuff takes a LONG time to do...long live BluRay, death to HD-DVD (or more specifically interlaced VC-1!)...

Thoughts before I begin again from the top? Thanks again.

[Deleted User 11865]

The size of the output doesn't depend on the size of the input. The reason RipBot264's output is larger is because you went from a lossy source (Blu-Ray) to a lossless (CQ=0) intermediate encode. It shouldn't be any harder to compress that the original.

Rodeo, thank you, makes sense. So, my resulting .m4v was 4.5GB, which validates your point. So, I was all excited about the finished product, but there are issues with it. It is certainly MUCH more playable than along the way with the intermediate steps, but it freezes up the AppleTV2 at times. Well, not freezes it up, but the video freezes even though the AMAZING sounding surround sound continues on without issue. So, I think I've nailed the audio, but the video needs work. Also, there are syncing issues with audio/video at times, though it is very subtle. I can accommodate that with my surround sound processor by using its "LipSync" delay feature, but of course I'd rather not have to do that.

So, I think I need to go back to the drawing board on the video settings in RipBot, I think that's where I'm getting hung up a bit with too heavy a video quality. Perhaps using a CQ not equal to Zero would be good. I am thinking of going with something like CQ=10 for instance.

If it solves your freezing AppleTV issue, then it's a coincidence. Also, regarding that issue, there may be something of interest in the HandBrake encode log.

[brakestands]

Good point, here you go....it is the full log of the encode using the latest nightly build...

Code: Select all

HandBrake Activity Log for /Volumes/Data/Music/Music Library/MP3/Movies/Eagles-stitchedfinal.m4v: 2011-04-19 00:16:13 -0400
Handbrake Version: 3939svn x86_64 (2011041901)

[00:16:13] macgui: Rip: Pending queue count is 0
[00:16:13] macgui: getNextPendingQueueIndex next pending encode index is:0
[00:16:13] macgui: scanning specifically for title: 1
[00:16:13] hb_scan: path=/Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/StitchedFinal/stitchedfinal.mkv, title_index=1
libbluray/bdnav/index_parse.c:157: indx_parse(): error opening /Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/StitchedFinal/stitchedfinal.mkv/BDMV/index.bdmv
libbluray/bluray.c:1376: nav_get_title_list(/Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/StitchedFinal/stitchedfinal.mkv) failed (0x117013e00)
[00:16:13] bd: not a bd - trying as a stream/file instead
libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 4.1.3
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.10 for DVD access
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.IFO failed
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.BUP failed
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
libdvdnav: vm: failed to read VIDEO_TS.IFO
[00:16:13] dvd: not a dvd - trying as a stream/file instead
Input #0, matroska,webm, from '/Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/StitchedFinal/stitchedfinal.mkv':
  Metadata:
    title           : 1_0progressive
  Duration: 02:44:23.19, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1536 kb/s
    Stream #0.0: Video: h264 (High 4:4:4 Predictive), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [PAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 1k tbn, 59.94 tbc (default)
    Stream #0.1: Audio: dca (DTS-HD MA), 48000 Hz, 5.1, s16, 1536 kb/s (default)
[00:16:13] scan: decoding previews for title 1
[00:16:20] Warning: Could not read data for preview 10, skipped
[00:16:20] scan: 9 previews, 1920x1080, 29.970 fps, autocrop = 0/0/0/0, aspect 16:9, PAR 1:1
[00:16:20] scan: title (0) job->width:1920, job->height:1072
[00:16:20] libhb: scan thread found 1 valid title(s)
[00:16:21] macgui: ScanDone state received from fQueueEncodeLibhb
[00:16:21] macgui: Preset: A4BluRay
[00:16:21] macgui: processNewQueueEncode number of passes expected is: 1
[00:16:21] macgui: Start / Stop set to chapters
[00:16:21] macgui: prepareJob exiting
[00:16:21] 1 job(s) to process
[00:16:21] starting job
[00:16:21] sync: expecting 295630 video frames
[00:16:21] job configuration:
[00:16:21]  * source
[00:16:21]    + /Volumes/Data/Movies/BluRay Audio Output/EaglesVideo/StitchedFinal/stitchedfinal.mkv
[00:16:21]    + title 1, chapter(s) 1 to 1
[00:16:21]    + container: matroska,webm
[00:16:21]    + data rate: 1536 kbps
[00:16:21]  * destination
[00:16:21]    + /Volumes/Data/Music/Music Library/MP3/Movies/Eagles-stitchedfinal.m4v
[00:16:21]    + container: MPEG-4 (.mp4 and .m4v)
[00:16:21]      + 64-bit formatting
[00:16:21]  * video track
[00:16:21]    + decoder: h264
[00:16:21]    + frame rate: 29.970 fps -> peak rate limited to 29.970 fps
[00:16:21]    + loose anamorphic
[00:16:21]      + storage dimensions: 1920 * 1080 -> 1280 * 720, crop 0/0/0/0, mod 16
[00:16:21]      + pixel aspect ratio: 1 / 1
[00:16:21]      + display dimensions: 1280 * 720
[00:16:21]    + filters
[00:16:21]      + Detelecine (pullup) (default settings)
[00:16:21]      + Decomb (default settings)
[00:16:21]    + encoder: x264
[00:16:21]      + options: b-adapt=2:rc-lookahead=50
[00:16:21]      + quality: 20.00 (RF)
[00:16:21]  * audio track 0
[00:16:21]    + decoder: Unknown (DTS-HD MA) (5.1 ch) (track 1, id 0x1)
[00:16:21]    + mixdown: Dolby Pro Logic II
[00:16:21]    + encoder: ca_aac
[00:16:21]      + bitrate: 320 kbps, samplerate: 48000 Hz
[00:16:21]  * audio track 1
[00:16:21]    + decoder: Unknown (DTS-HD MA) (5.1 ch) (track 1, id 0x1)
[00:16:21]    + mixdown: 6-channel discrete
[00:16:21]    + encoder: ffac3
[00:16:21]      + bitrate: 640 kbps, samplerate: 48000 Hz
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 1
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 0
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 2
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 4
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 3
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 6
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 5
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 0
[00:16:21] yadif thread started for segment 7
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 2
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 1
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 4
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 5
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 3
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 6
[00:16:21] decomb thread started for segment 7
[00:16:21] encx264: min-keyint: 30, keyint: 300
[00:16:21] encx264: encoding with stored aspect 1/1
[00:16:21] encx264: Encoding at constant RF 20.000000
x264 [info]: using SAR=1/1
x264 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 FastShuffle SSE4.1 Cache64
x264 [info]: profile High, level 3.1
[00:16:21] reader: first SCR 0 id 0 DTS 0
[01:42:47] sync: adding 271 ms of silence to audio 0x1  start 535355010, next 535330560
[01:42:47] sync: adding 271 ms of silence to audio 0x1  start 535355010, next 535330560
[02:47:54] reader: done. 1 scr changes
[02:47:57] work: average encoding speed for job is 11.814049 fps
[02:47:57] sync: got 107442 frames, 295630 expected
[02:47:57] h264-decoder done: 107442 frames, 0 decoder errors, 0 drops
[02:47:57] render: 107357 frames output, 0 dropped and 0 duped for CFR/PFR
[02:47:57] render: lost time: 251730 (84 frames)
[02:47:57] render: gained time: 251730 (331 frames) (0 not accounted for)
[02:47:57] render: average dropped frame duration: 2996
x264 [info]: frame I:1198  Avg QP:18.17  size: 91717  PSNR Mean Y:45.91 U:48.33 V:49.79 Avg:46.69 Global:46.40
x264 [info]: frame P:29805 Avg QP:20.60  size: 28227  PSNR Mean Y:44.90 U:46.88 V:48.68 Avg:45.61 Global:44.88
x264 [info]: frame B:76354 Avg QP:22.04  size:  9617  PSNR Mean Y:42.69 U:45.72 V:48.84 Avg:43.69 Global:43.50
x264 [info]: consecutive B-frames:  2.1%  3.7% 16.2% 78.0%
x264 [info]: mb I  I16..4:  7.6% 71.6% 20.8%
x264 [info]: mb P  I16..4:  2.4%  8.2%  1.6%  P16..4: 45.8% 17.4% 11.1%  0.0%  0.0%    skip:13.5%
x264 [info]: mb B  I16..4:  0.2%  1.0%  0.2%  B16..8: 48.8%  5.9%  1.3%  direct: 4.6%  skip:38.1%  L0:42.2% L1:49.4% BI: 8.5%
x264 [info]: 8x8 transform intra:68.7% inter:79.0%
x264 [info]: coded y,uvDC,uvAC intra: 65.9% 81.2% 53.2% inter: 22.0% 33.1% 4.0%
x264 [info]: i16 v,h,dc,p: 43% 16% 11% 30%
x264 [info]: i8 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 18% 14% 25%  6%  8%  8%  7%  7%  7%
x264 [info]: i4 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 23% 17% 15%  6%  9%  9%  8%  7%  6%
x264 [info]: i8c dc,h,v,p: 49% 20% 22%  9%
x264 [info]: Weighted P-Frames: Y:9.5% UV:7.3%
x264 [info]: ref P L0: 56.0% 11.8% 21.8%  9.9%  0.5%
x264 [info]: ref B L0: 85.7% 11.4%  2.9%
x264 [info]: ref B L1: 93.5%  6.5%
x264 [info]: SSIM Mean Y:0.9735056 (15.768db)
x264 [info]: PSNR Mean Y:43.011 U:45.893 V:48.820 Avg:43.966 Global:43.679 kb/s:1856.14
[02:47:57] dca-decoder done: 0 frames, 0 decoder errors, 0 drops
[02:47:57] mux: track 0, 107357 frames, 1685465139 bytes, 1367.08 kbps, fifo 32
[02:47:57] mux: track 1, 462337 frames, 454685477 bytes, 368.79 kbps, fifo 32768
[02:47:57] mux: track 2, 308224 frames, 789053440 bytes, 640.00 kbps, fifo 16384
[02:47:57] decomb: deinterlaced 0 | blended 90897 | unfiltered 16460 | total 107357
[02:47:57] libhb: work result = 0

[Deleted User 11865]

OK. Here's what I can gather:

1) Re-encoding with RipBot got rid of the decoding issue (VC-1 codec with interlaced compression), but it certainly didn't deinterlace the input (HandBrake's decomb filter found plenty of combed frames).

I'm not sure what deinterlacing options RipBot offers, so you may still want to deinterlace (or preferably decomb) in HandBrake. In which case, you'll probably want to disable detelecine in HB (from the log, it appears that your source has very little or no hard telecine and is instead fully interlaced).

More importantly, your RipBot264 encode has all frames flagged as progressive. Which means that HandBrake's decomb will always use blend instead of yadif*. It would be preferable to encode interlaced in RipBot (so that all frames are flagged as interlaced). It's not outputting VC-1 so interlacing compression won't cause any decoding issues.

* when decomb finds combing artifacts in a frame, it does the following:
- if the frame is flagged as interlaced and has a high amount of combing artifacts, send it to a "traditional" deinterlacer like yadif
- if the frame is flagged as interlaced and has a low amount of combing artifacts, send it to a blend deinterlacer instead
- if the frame is flagged as progressive, send it to a blend deinterlacer regardless of the amount of combing detected

2) Regarding the A/V sync issues, there have been user reports of detelecine causing sync issues (never reproduced by a dev though), so you may want to disable it for that reason too.

Looking at your workflow, there are two steps that could also be the cause of your sync issues: merging the audio from the MakeMKV rip with the video re-encode from RipBot (3), and combining the 3 MKVs into one (4).

While step 4 may be unavoidable unless you're willing to settle for 3 separate files, personally I'd skip step 3 and try feeding the 3 MKV source files to RipBot (you may have to install the Haali Media Splitter for MKV input) and output MKV files with lossless video and passthrough audio** from RipBot, then combine the 3 MKVs and finally encode and decomb with HB.

** if available; not sure what audio options are available in RipBot, TBH

3) regarding the freezing issue, there is nothing obvious in the log. I'm assuming you're streaming the encodes to the AppleTV (no local storage), but are you doing so via a wired or wireless network?

[brakestands]

OK. Here's what I can gather:

1) Re-encoding with RipBot got rid of the decoding issue (VC-1 codec with interlaced compression), but it certainly didn't deinterlace the input (HandBrake's decomb filter found plenty of combed frames).

I'm not sure what deinterlacing options RipBot offers, so you may still want to deinterlace (or preferably decomb) in HandBrake. In which case, you'll probably want to disable detelecine in HB (from the log, it appears that your source has very little or no hard telecine and is instead fully interlaced).

More importantly, your RipBot264 encode has all frames flagged as progressive. Which means that HandBrake's decomb will always use blend instead of yadif*. It would be preferable to encode interlaced in RipBot (so that all frames are flagged as interlaced). It's not outputting VC-1 so interlacing compression won't cause any decoding issues.

* when decomb finds combing artifacts in a frame, it does the following:
- if the frame is flagged as interlaced and has a high amount of combing artifacts, send it to a "traditional" deinterlacer like yadif
- if the frame is flagged as interlaced and has a low amount of combing artifacts, send it to a blend deinterlacer instead
- if the frame is flagged as progressive, send it to a blend deinterlacer regardless of the amount of combing detected

2) Regarding the A/V sync issues, there have been user reports of detelecine causing sync issues (never reproduced by a dev though), so you may want to disable it for that reason too.

Looking at your workflow, there are two steps that could also be the cause of your sync issues: merging the audio from the MakeMKV rip with the video re-encode from RipBot (3), and combining the 3 MKVs into one (4).

While step 4 may be unavoidable unless you're willing to settle for 3 separate files, personally I'd skip step 3 and try feeding the 3 MKV source files to RipBot (you may have to install the Haali Media Splitter for MKV input) and output MKV files with lossless video and passthrough audio** from RipBot, then combine the 3 MKVs and finally encode and decomb with HB.

** if available; not sure what audio options are available in RipBot, TBH

3) regarding the freezing issue, there is nothing obvious in the log. I'm assuming you're streaming the encodes to the AppleTV (no local storage), but are you doing so via a wired or wireless network?

What do you think about using CQ=10 or even CQ=1 as opposted to Zero in RipBot? No sense going from lossy (BluRay) to lossless and then back to lossy in HB, right? Or am I misguided here?

[Deleted User 11865]

What do you think about using CQ=10 or even CQ=1 as opposted to Zero in RipBot? No sense going from lossy (BluRay) to lossless and then back to lossy in HB, right? Or am I misguided here?

Lossy -> Lossless -> Lossy i.e. Lossy -> Lossy -> Lossier (workflow 1)

vs.

Lossy -> Lossy -> Lossy i.e. Lossy -> Lossier -> Even lossier (workflow 2)

Workflow 1 creates larger intermediate files, and is slower, but quality will be better (how much better depends on how lossy the intermediate file is). In any case, it shouldn't be the cause of freezing issues.

[brakestands]

What do you think about using CQ=10 or even CQ=1 as opposted to Zero in RipBot? No sense going from lossy (BluRay) to lossless and then back to lossy in HB, right? Or am I misguided here?

Lossy -> Lossless -> Lossy i.e. Lossy -> Lossy -> Lossier (workflow 1)

vs.

Lossy -> Lossy -> Lossy i.e. Lossy -> Lossier -> Even lossier (workflow 2)

Workflow 1 creates larger intermediate files, and is slower, but quality will be better (how much better depends on how lossy the intermediate file is). In any case, it shouldn't be the cause of freezing issues.

Yeah, good point. I'll stick to CQ=0 for the lossless video output, but as you say, I'll keep things interlaced coming out of RipBot (just without the VC-1 encoding). I'll just have to figure out RipBot's audio situation, so that it doesn't touch the audio at all. Alright, I've started re-ripping now, with just the DTS Core tracks, more to come as I go through each phase here. I'll be redocumenting my process along the way, given the different settings this time and such. Thanks again Rodeo, couldn't have gotten nearly this far without ya! I'll keep at it over here. Cheers!

[brakestands]

Okay, completed a very lengthy process on this one. The result? A 6.5GB file that seems pretty good, though I haven't yet tried it on AppleTV2 which is the real test of things. But it's way better than the first one I think. Here is the HB log which of course was the last step in a very lengthy multi-step process (I'll be updating my workflow to explain what I did later today). Here is the log...please let me know if things look reasonable, I took your suggestion Rodeo and only used Decombing not Detelecine in HB for this one.

Code: Select all

HandBrake Activity Log for /Volumes/Data/Music/Music Library/MP3/Movies/EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL-HDDVD.m4v: 2011-04-22 09:13:27 -0400
Handbrake Version: 3939svn x86_64 (2011041901)

[09:13:27] macgui: Rip: Pending queue count is 0
[09:13:27] macgui: getNextPendingQueueIndex next pending encode index is:0
[09:13:27] macgui: scanning specifically for title: 1
[09:13:27] hb_scan: path=/Volumes/Data/Movies/Handbrake Input/EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL-HDDVD.mkv, title_index=1
libbluray/bdnav/index_parse.c:157: indx_parse(): error opening /Volumes/Data/Movies/Handbrake Input/EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL-HDDVD.mkv/BDMV/index.bdmv
libbluray/bluray.c:1376: nav_get_title_list(/Volumes/Data/Movies/Handbrake Input/EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL-HDDVD.mkv) failed (0x1160f9c00)
[09:13:27] bd: not a bd - trying as a stream/file instead
libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 4.1.3
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.10 for DVD access
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.IFO failed
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.BUP failed
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
libdvdnav: vm: failed to read VIDEO_TS.IFO
[09:13:27] dvd: not a dvd - trying as a stream/file instead
Input #0, matroska,webm, from '/Volumes/Data/Movies/Handbrake Input/EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL-HDDVD.mkv':
  Metadata:
    title           : EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL2-HDDVD
  Duration: 02:44:23.01, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1536 kb/s
    Chapter #0.0: start 0.000000, end 383.500000
    Metadata:
      title           : Opening
    Chapter #0.1: start 383.500000, end 685.500000
    Metadata:
      title           : New Kid in Town
    Chapter #0.2: start 685.500000, end 1060.666000
    Metadata:
      title           : Wasted Time
    Chapter #0.3: start 1060.666000, end 1322.433000
    Metadata:
      title           : Peaceful Easy Feeling
    Chapter #0.4: start 1322.433000, end 1621.566000
    Metadata:
      title           : I Can't Tell You Why
    Chapter #0.5: start 1621.566000, end 1917.466000
    Metadata:
      title           : One of These Nights
    Chapter #0.6: start 1917.466000, end 2177.466000
    Metadata:
      title           : One Day At a Time
    Chapter #0.7: start 2177.466000, end 2565.200000
    Metadata:
      title           : Lyin' Eyes
    Chapter #0.8: start 2565.200000, end 2869.266000
    Metadata:
      title           : The Boys of Summer
    Chapter #0.9: start 2869.266000, end 3142.700000
    Metadata:
      title           : In The City
    Chapter #0.10: start 3142.700000, end 3453.766000
    Metadata:
      title           : Already Gone
    Chapter #0.11: start 3453.766000, end 3663.533000
    Metadata:
      title           : Tequila Sunrise
    Chapter #0.12: start 3663.533000, end 3941.166000
    Metadata:
      title           : Love Will Keep Us Alive
    Chapter #0.13: start 3941.166000, end 4240.533000
    Metadata:
      title           : No More Cloudy Days
    Chapter #0.14: start 4240.533000, end 4511.100000
    Metadata:
      title           : Hole In The World
    Chapter #0.15: start 4511.100000, end 4749.400000
    Metadata:
      title           : Take It to The Limit
    Chapter #0.16: start 4749.400000, end 5191.066000
    Metadata:
      title           : You Belong To The City
    Chapter #0.17: start 5191.066000, end 9863.019000
    Metadata:
      title           : Walk Away
    Stream #0.0: Video: h264 (High 4:4:4 Predictive), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [PAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 1k tbn, 59.94 tbc (default)
    Stream #0.1(eng): Audio: dca (DTS), 48000 Hz, 5.1, s16, 1536 kb/s (default)
[09:13:27] scan: decoding previews for title 1
[09:13:27] scan: audio 0x1: DCA, rate=48000Hz, bitrate=1536000 English (DTS) (5.1 ch)
[09:13:30] scan: 10 previews, 1920x1080, 29.970 fps, autocrop = 0/0/0/0, aspect 16:9, PAR 1:1
[09:13:30] scan: title (0) job->width:1920, job->height:1072
[09:13:30] libhb: scan thread found 1 valid title(s)
[09:13:30] macgui: ScanDone state received from fQueueEncodeLibhb
[09:13:30] macgui: Preset: A4BluRay
[09:13:30] macgui: processNewQueueEncode number of passes expected is: 1
[09:13:30] macgui: Start / Stop set to chapters
[09:13:30] macgui: prepareJob exiting
[09:13:30] 1 job(s) to process
[09:13:30] starting job
[09:13:30] sync: expecting 295625 video frames
[09:13:30] job configuration:
[09:13:30]  * source
[09:13:30]    + /Volumes/Data/Movies/Handbrake Input/EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL-HDDVD.mkv
[09:13:30]    + title 1, chapter(s) 1 to 18
[09:13:30]    + container: matroska,webm
[09:13:30]    + data rate: 1536 kbps
[09:13:30]  * destination
[09:13:30]    + /Volumes/Data/Music/Music Library/MP3/Movies/EaglesFarewellTourI-LiveFromMelbourne-FINAL-HDDVD.m4v
[09:13:30]    + container: MPEG-4 (.mp4 and .m4v)
[09:13:30]      + 64-bit formatting
[09:13:30]      + chapter markers
[09:13:30]  * video track
[09:13:30]    + decoder: h264
[09:13:30]    + frame rate: 29.970 fps -> peak rate limited to 29.970 fps
[09:13:30]    + loose anamorphic
[09:13:30]      + storage dimensions: 1920 * 1080 -> 1280 * 720, crop 0/0/0/0, mod 16
[09:13:30]      + pixel aspect ratio: 1 / 1
[09:13:30]      + display dimensions: 1280 * 720
[09:13:30]    + filter
[09:13:30]      + Decomb (default settings)
[09:13:30]    + encoder: x264
[09:13:30]      + options: b-adapt=2:rc-lookahead=50
[09:13:30]      + quality: 20.00 (RF)
[09:13:30]  * audio track 0
[09:13:30]    + decoder: English (DTS) (5.1 ch) (track 1, id 0x1)
[09:13:30]      + bitrate: 1536 kbps, samplerate: 48000 Hz
[09:13:30]    + mixdown: Dolby Pro Logic II
[09:13:30]    + encoder: ca_aac
[09:13:30]      + bitrate: 320 kbps, samplerate: 48000 Hz
[09:13:30]  * audio track 1
[09:13:30]    + decoder: English (DTS) (5.1 ch) (track 1, id 0x1)
[09:13:30]      + bitrate: 1536 kbps, samplerate: 48000 Hz
[09:13:30]    + mixdown: 6-channel discrete
[09:13:30]    + encoder: ffac3
[09:13:30]      + bitrate: 640 kbps, samplerate: 48000 Hz
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 0
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 2
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 1
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 3
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 4
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 5
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 6
[09:13:30] yadif thread started for segment 7
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 0
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 1
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 2
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 3
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 4
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 5
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 6
[09:13:30] decomb thread started for segment 7
[09:13:30] encx264: min-keyint: 30, keyint: 300
[09:13:30] encx264: encoding with stored aspect 1/1
[09:13:30] encx264: Encoding at constant RF 20.000000
x264 [info]: using SAR=1/1
x264 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 FastShuffle SSE4.1 Cache64
x264 [info]: profile High, level 3.1
[09:13:30] reader: first SCR 0 id 0 DTS 0
Stream with high frequencies VQ coding
Stream with high frequencies VQ coding
[09:32:06] h264: "New Kid in Town" (2) at frame 11502 time 34516440
[09:47:06] h264: "Wasted Time" (3) at frame 20553 time 61696620
[10:02:27] h264: "Peaceful Easy Feeling" (4) at frame 31797 time 95462370
[10:15:33] h264: "I Can't Tell You Why" (5) at frame 39642 time 119020860
[10:29:10] h264: "One of These Nights" (6) at frame 48607 time 145942830
[10:44:06] h264: "One Day At a Time" (7) at frame 57475 time 172573380
[10:57:23] h264: "Lyin' Eyes" (8) at frame 65267 time 195972750
[11:17:07] h264: "The Boys of Summer" (9) at frame 76888 time 230870610
[11:33:02] h264: "In The City" (10) at frame 86000 time 258233940
[11:47:16] h264: "Already Gone" (11) at frame 94195 time 282843540
[12:03:11] h264: "Tequila Sunrise" (12) at frame 103518 time 310840560
[12:13:36] h264: "Love Will Keep Us Alive" (13) at frame 109805 time 329720400
[12:27:19] h264: "No More Cloudy Days" (14) at frame 118125 time 354705300
[12:42:50] h264: "Hole In The World" (15) at frame 127097 time 381648240
[12:56:04] h264: "Take It to The Limit" (16) at frame 135206 time 405999630
[13:08:06] h264: "You Belong To The City" (17) at frame 142348 time 427446990
[13:29:46] h264: "Walk Away" (18) at frame 155585 time 467197740
[17:19:27] reader: done. 1 scr changes
[17:19:29] work: average encoding speed for job is 10.136642 fps
[17:19:29] sync: got 295595 frames, 295625 expected
[17:19:29] h264-decoder done: 295595 frames, 0 decoder errors, 0 drops
[17:19:29] render: 295594 frames output, 0 dropped and 0 duped for CFR/PFR
[17:19:29] render: lost time: 0 (0 frames)
[17:19:29] render: gained time: 0 (0 frames) (0 not accounted for)
x264 [info]: frame I:3102  Avg QP:18.37  size: 98827  PSNR Mean Y:45.64 U:48.40 V:49.74 Avg:46.46 Global:46.18
x264 [info]: frame P:80649 Avg QP:20.71  size: 29584  PSNR Mean Y:44.61 U:47.50 V:49.12 Avg:45.40 Global:44.72
x264 [info]: frame B:211843 Avg QP:22.42  size: 10948  PSNR Mean Y:42.93 U:46.25 V:48.14 Avg:43.82 Global:43.37
x264 [info]: consecutive B-frames:  1.9%  3.4% 12.3% 82.3%
x264 [info]: mb I  I16..4:  5.7% 73.7% 20.6%
x264 [info]: mb P  I16..4:  1.7%  7.5%  1.4%  P16..4: 45.6% 18.7% 11.6%  0.0%  0.0%    skip:13.5%
x264 [info]: mb B  I16..4:  0.2%  1.2%  0.1%  B16..8: 50.3%  6.9%  1.5%  direct: 4.9%  skip:34.9%  L0:43.5% L1:48.5% BI: 8.0%
x264 [info]: 8x8 transform intra:73.2% inter:76.5%
x264 [info]: coded y,uvDC,uvAC intra: 72.5% 81.5% 55.1% inter: 25.0% 34.4% 4.2%
x264 [info]: i16 v,h,dc,p: 46% 15% 13% 26%
x264 [info]: i8 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 17% 12% 28%  6%  8%  8%  7%  8%  7%
x264 [info]: i4 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 24% 15% 15%  6%  9% 10%  8%  7%  6%
x264 [info]: i8c dc,h,v,p: 51% 19% 22%  8%
x264 [info]: Weighted P-Frames: Y:9.3% UV:7.1%
x264 [info]: ref P L0: 54.7% 12.5% 22.3% 10.0%  0.5%
x264 [info]: ref B L0: 85.6% 11.5%  2.9%
x264 [info]: ref B L1: 93.2%  6.8%
x264 [info]: SSIM Mean Y:0.9781395 (16.603db)
x264 [info]: PSNR Mean Y:43.414 U:46.610 V:48.422 Avg:44.275 Global:43.726 kb/s:4065.08
[17:19:30] mux: track 0, 295594 frames, 5011604298 bytes, 4064.97 kbps, fifo 8
[17:19:30] mux: track 1, 462329 frames, 428383658 bytes, 347.47 kbps, fifo 256
[17:19:30] mux: track 2, 308219 frames, 789040640 bytes, 640.00 kbps, fifo 256
[17:19:30] decomb: deinterlaced 243292 | blended 24447 | unfiltered 27855 | total 295594
[17:19:30] libhb: work result = 0

[Deleted User 11865]

Okay, completed a very lengthy process on this one. The result? A 6.5GB file that seems pretty good, though I haven't yet tried it on AppleTV2 which is the real test of things. But it's way better than the first one I think. Here is the HB log which of course was the last step in a very lengthy multi-step process (I'll be updating my workflow to explain what I did later today). Here is the log...please let me know if things look reasonable, I took your suggestion Rodeo and only used Decombing not Detelecine in HB for this one.

Looks perfectly reasonable. Have you noticed an A/V sync issues playing the file locally?

One thing I notice is that this encode is much longer than the previous one (295595 - 2h45m at 29.97 fps - vs. 107442 - 1h00m - for the log you posted on 04/19); it looks like your previous encode was incomplete.

[brakestands]

Okay, I've now watched on AppleTV2 and on the iPad (first gen). This encoding is very good, with 1 main exception. From about 2/3 of the way into the video, the audio gets out of sync with the video. It starts subtly, and then gets further off until the last 30 minutes or so are really off. Again, the movie came in 3 chunks. And it would seem that the significant audio/video issues are in that last of the 3 chunks. Perhaps this is inevitable, given the use of the Append feature of MkvmergeGUI, but I'm also wondering if there's any chance that lowering the RF level in HB could help at all. It is fairly aggressively set at 20 in my AppleTV2-ish preset for HD sources. Would going to 24 or so possibly help at all? Or are we talking taking a different approach than my workflow? Here is the workflow I followed and the duration of each step:

1. Using MakeMKV on the Mac Pro, rip the HD-DVD into its 3 separate titles. These 3 titles taken together represent the whole 2hour44min concert. Choose the DTS Core for the audio, not the DTS-HD track. (there is no sense to using the DTS-HD track, as Handbrake will only discard it after extracting the Core DTS track anyway). Result should be a total of 3 .mkv files, representing Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the concert.

[Time to complete 32 minutes]

2. Take all 3 .mkv files and using the Mac VM slice, use MKVMergeGUI's "Append" feature to "stitch" the 3 portions of the concert together. Result should be one single .mkv file representing the entire concert, both audio (DTS 5.1 Core surround) and video (still interlaced VC-1).

[Time to complete 101 minutes]

3. Using Windows Media Player in the Win7 VM, play the file and ensure all is well with both audio/video. Back on the Mac, open the file in MediaInfo and take screenshot to detail the streams and exact encoding details at this stage of the process. Just good to have a copy of before/after if necessary later.

4. Using RipBot264 on the Win7 VM, run the .mkv file through it to convert the interlaced VC-1 to interlaced High Definition profile 4.0 output in a new .mkv file. Couple points here - don't use the deinterlacing capability of RipBot because we want Handbrake ultimately to do that with its yadif decombing. So, leave all the settings disabled under Properties, basically leave the defaults as they are correct. For Video profile, choose HIGH 4.0 HD Interlaced. When choosing the Audio profile to perform, make sure to use the option called XX COPY STREAM, not any of the other choices. Lastly, make sure CQ=0 for the video and that your output is set to .mkv not .mp4 (you will not have the option to XX COPY STREAM if you choose .mp4). We simply want RipBot264 to transcode the video losslessly and preserve the original DTS core audio track untouched and give us a nice big .mkv file that Handbrake will be able to handle and perform its magic with.

This process takes a VERY long time (took exactly 41 hours 31 minutes for the 2hour44min video file on my Win7 VM running on an 8-core 3.2GHz Mac Pro with 32GB of RAM) using CQ=0. It will also result in about a 216GB .mkv file. No problem, Handbrake can handle it.

[Time to complete 41 hours 31 minutes]

5. Handbrake (use the most recent nightly build) - Take the final single .mkv file and run it through Handbrake, choosing the normal AppleTV2 preset. For the Audio settings, pick the DTS 5.1 track and use DTS-to-AC3 conversion settings per normal to preserve the surround sound. The file will also be playable on any iOS device in 2-channel stereo as well of course.

[Time to complete 8 hours]

[Deleted User 11865]

Okay, I've now watched on AppleTV2 and on the iPad (first gen). This encoding is very good, with 1 main exception. From about 2/3 of the way into the video, the audio gets out of sync with the video. It starts subtly, and then gets further off until the last 30 minutes or so are really off. Again, the movie came in 3 chunks. And it would seem that the significant audio/video issues are in that last of the 3 chunks. Perhaps this is inevitable, given the use of the Append feature of MkvmergeGUI, but I'm also wondering if there's any chance that lowering the RF level in HB could help at all.

You keep asking whether this is a bitrate problem (albeit indirectly). If you're so inclined to think increasing the RF (i.e. lowering the output bitrate) will help, why don't you give it a try?

[brakestands]

Okay, tried encoding it with HB at RF of 24, and the same video lag exists in the 3rd part of the 3-part movie. I suspect that MKVMergeGUI didn't do a great job of stitching together the 3 files. Notice in my workflow I stitched them together first right after ripping them with MakeMKV. So, now I believe I need to go back and encode each of the 3 parts individually and see if they play with no a/v sync issues. I will of course start with Part 3, the one with the problem. I'll take it all the way through the process of using Rip264 and then HB it per normal and see if that part by itself has any trouble with a/v sync. If it does, then it can't be the Append with MakeMKVMergeGUI that is the problem. It's going to take another VERY long time, even just for the 3rd part which is about 1hour of video. If it works well, then I'll do Parts 1 and 2 individually, the same way. In the end, I believe there are tools that will stitch a set of m4v files together into one, like maybe visualhub for instance. Maybe doing it that way will be better.

Let me know if my testing plan is sound or not. Thanks again.

[brakestands]

Okay, I've re-transcoded all 3 parts with Ripx264 as before, this time as 3 individual parts. I've transcoded each of those 3 parts with Handbrake as before. This time, the quality is outstanding, and as I thought, there are no audio/video sync issues. But they're still 3 separate .m4v files. I really don't want to leave them as individual .m4v's. So, I've been researching how best to join them. Many people recommend Quicktime 7 Pro, as it has the ability to combine files together while choosing "passthrough" for the video portion. Great! Or so I thought. The problem seems to be that the audio options don't include Passthrough because there is more than 1 audio stream in the files (the 6-channel discrete for the surround sound). I'm not willing to give up the surround sound that sounds so good with these video's. So, it seems I can tell QTPro to save as .mov instead, though it's not clear if that will preserve the surround sound. I can try it, as I know the .mov standard does support multi-channel audio. The AppleTV2 supports .mov files also, so I'm starting to think I might be okay with .mov, though I normally would never use it. Visualhub is no longer available and there is some debate whether that would even work as again, it may only support 1 audio track. Even mp3streamclip supposedly won't work for this. I have access to Final Cut Pro, and wondering if that might work, it does so many other things, there's got to be a way to join these 3 while still preserving the surround sound multi-track audio.

While I continue to pursue the above, I'm also in parallel changing my workflow a bit, and trying my hand at mkvmergeGUI again, this time differently though than the first time. This time, I'm trying to use the Append feature on the 3 .mkv files post-processing by RipBotx264. I believe that's what you recommended in the first place Rodeo, so about time I get around to it

If you have any other ideas on proper joining of .m4v files into 1 file, please let me know, as long as they would not sacrifice the surround sound audio. I'll investigate Final Cut Pro as well, though I may have to transcode to some other format and then back to .m4v at the end. I guess that would be fine as long as I don't lose anything substantial in the process.

Thanks again, this is a labour of love for sure!
Brian

[brakestands]

Well, final success has been reached!!! Having exhausted every other possible workflow imaginable, and all having differing levels of failure discovered through long bouts of trial and error, I have now finally found the successful workflow to ripping and transcoding this HD-DVD with interlaced VC-1. Here it is for the record, in case some other poor [Censored] wants to get this done with a little less suffering than I went through...I'm sure you can vary this a little, but be careful my friends, doing any of this out of order in particular will absolutely cause problems, trust me...thanks to Rodeo for setting me straight throughout my attempts at this. Here's the workflow:

1. Using MakeMKV on the Mac Pro, rip the HD-DVD into its 3 separate titles. These 3 titles taken together represent the whole 2hour44min concert. Choose the DTS Core for the audio, not the DTS-HD track. (there is no sense to using the DTS-HD track, as Handbrake will only discard it after extracting the Core DTS track anyway). Result should be a total of 3 .mkv files, representing Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the concert.

[Time to complete 32 minutes]

2. Using RipBot264 on a Windows7 VM, run the .mkv files through it to convert the interlaced VC-1 to interlaced High Definition profile 4.0 output in new .mkv files. Couple points here - don't use the deinterlacing capability of RipBot because we want Handbrake ultimately to do that by utilizing its own decomb detection and deinterlacing with its yadif deinterlacer. So, leave all the settings disabled under Properties, basically leave the defaults as they are correct. For Video profile, choose HIGH 4.0 HD Interlaced. When choosing the Audio profile to perform, make sure to use the option called XX COPY STREAM, not any of the other choices. Lastly, make sure CQ=0 for the video and that your output is set to .mkv not .mp4 (you will not have the option to XX COPY STREAM if you choose .mp4). We simply want RipBot264 to transcode the video files losslessly into interlaced H.264 and preserve the original DTS core audio track untouched and give us 3 nice big .mkv files that we will first merge into 1 and then finally let Handbrake perform its magic on.

This step takes a VERY long time (took exactly 41 hours 31 minutes for the 3 files representing 2hour44min of actual video on my Win7 VM running on an 8-core 3.2GHz Mac Pro with 32GB of RAM) using CQ=0. It will also result in about 216GB total disk usage for the 3 .mkv files. No problem, Handbrake can handle it.

[Time to complete 41 hours 31 minutes]

3. Take all 3 .mkv files and using the Mac VM slice, use MKVMergeGUI's "Append" feature to "stitch" the 3 portions of the concert together. Result should be one single .mkv file representing the entire concert, both audio (DTS 5.1 Core surround) and video (still interlaced, lossless H.264.).

[Time to complete 101 minutes]

4. Handbrake (use the most recent nightly build) - Take the final single .mkv file and run it through Handbrake, choosing the normal AppleTV2 preset. For the Audio settings, pick the DTS 5.1 track and use DTS-to-AC3 conversion settings per normal to preserve the surround sound. The file will also be playable on any iOS device in 2-channel stereo as well of course. Important: For video filters, make sure to choose Decomb=Default but do not use Detelecine. All other settings follow directly the AppleTV2 preset.

[Time to complete 8 hours]

5. Perform proper chapter markers and labeling using Subler on the Mac. I did it manually by checking song times/durations in the video itself. It may be quicker to search for a Chapter track online, but everything I found was crap. Besides, I'm picky, so I did it myself so I know it's done right. Add movie poster artwork and other meta-data tagging in Subler as desired.

[Time to complete 1 hour]

6. Test the final resulting .m4v file directly on the computer using VLC, or through iTunes/Quicktime. Pay particular attention to audio/video sync and make sure they are good at different places in the video. Then, add to iTunes and stream to AppleTV2 or whatever you're using to ensure it streams and plays properly, once again paying attention to lip sync with the audio/video being seamless.

[Time to complete 2 hours]

[GRAND TOTAL DURATION FOR WORKFLOW = roughly 55 hours]

[Deleted User 11865]

2. Using RipBot264 on a Windows7 VM, run the .mkv files through it to convert the interlaced VC-1 to interlaced High Definition profile 4.0 output in new .mkv files. Couple points here - don't use the deinterlacing capability of RipBot because we want Handbrake ultimately to do that with its yadif decombing.

Just for the record, yadif is the deinterlacer HandBrake uses by default when decomb finds a frame it thinks is heavily combed - combing detection is done by the decomb filter which is unrelated to yadif.

So, leave all the settings disabled under Properties, basically leave the defaults as they are correct. For Video profile, choose HIGH 4.0 HD Interlaced. When choosing the Audio profile to perform, make sure to use the option called XX COPY STREAM, not any of the other choices. Lastly, make sure CQ=0 for the video and that your output is set to .mkv not .mp4 (you will not have the option to XX COPY STREAM if you choose .mp4). We simply want RipBot264 to transcode the video files losslessly and preserve the original DTS core audio track untouched and give us 3 nice big .mkv files that we will first merge into 1 and then finally let Handbrake perform its magic on.

This step takes a VERY long time (took exactly 41 hours 31 minutes for the 3 files representing 2hour44min of actual video on my Win7 VM running on an 8-core 3.2GHz Mac Pro with 32GB of RAM) using CQ=0. It will also result in about 216GB total disk usage for the 3 .mkv files. No problem, Handbrake can handle it.

[Time to complete 41 hours 31 minutes]

Note that as long as you don't mind even larger intermediate files, you should be able to customize the x264 encoding settings to speed this up; since you're using CQ=0 there won't be any quality hit. I'm not familiar with RipBot264 but I know it lets you customize the x264 settings. Assuming it's an x264 CLI wrapper you should even be able to use one of x264's presets (e.g. --preset veryfast).

The resulting higher bitrate might make decoding slower in HandBrake (the next step would be slower), but since this step takes 41 hours out of 55, it's probably worth it.

3. Take all 3 .mkv files and using the Mac VM slice, use MKVMergeGUI's "Append" feature to "stitch" the 3 portions of the concert together. Result should be one single .mkv file representing the entire concert, both audio (DTS 5.1 Core surround) and video (still interlaced VC-1).

Actually, no

The whole point of using RipBot264 is to get rid of interlaced VC-1 compression. At this point the video is interlaced, lossless H.264.