Handbrake as a Muxer

[FaiT]

Handbrake files seem to have a high compatibility with itunes. For this reason I was wondering if the developers had considered an audio passthrough option (not just AC3 passthrough) such that handbrake didn't touch the track as long as it is compatible with the output container. Likewise for the video, subtitles, and chapters. This way handbrake could be used to mux itunes compatible .m4v's when all or part of the files come from other sources. The main purpose for me is to encode audio in nero and add it to my Handbrake encode, however having an itunes compatible muxer would, I imagine, be a great boon to content generators whose output is destined for ipod's.

[rogue23]

There are plenty of existing tools to do this type of work.

[FaiT]

Name one on PC that will do multiple audio tracks, audio track language and names, as readable by itunes. Please, I actually really would like to know and don't care if it costs money.

[FaiT]

You know what never mind, I can do all that now. I guess my point was that handbrake could simplify the process significantly and increase usability greatly. Your point is "why add a feature you can do with something else?" But if the devs followed that logic there would be no handbrake. I can do anything I do in handbrake with other programs like megui but I use handbrake because its just as good or better at it and FAR SIMPLER - meaning my productivity is much greater. In fact, following your logic would mean I would use any half rate convoluted process out there as long as it was first but I would rather seek to improve the creme of the crop - handbrake. Now I make no demands, I am not a developer, I have contributed nothing in terms of time or money to handbrake, I just wanted to make a suggestion, one that from an ignorant standpoint looks simple - add two drop down boxes "video - passthrough" "audio - passthrough" And two buttons "Video Import" "Audio Import" this small change would mean so much in terms of useability. But whilst I am ignorant I am not naive, this "small change" is in actuality, probably a horrendous amount of work - work I'm not doing - and work regardless even if it is simple. So, again, I'm not demanding - just giving my opinion on what would be useful in case someone who actually contributes is interested.

[s55]

It's nowhere near as simple as that. Also, when you start going down this route, you end up with, other feature requests with that exact same "It does X, so why not Y".

HandBrake is not aiming to be a all-in-one tool. It's aim is to do one thing well and leave most other stuff to other tools which will always do a better job. There really isn't any need to clutter up the UI and make it overall worse off.

[Deleted User 11865]

one that from an ignorant standpoint looks simple - add two drop down boxes "video - passthrough" "audio - passthrough" And two buttons "Video Import" "Audio Import" this small change would mean so much in terms of useability.

I second that. I'd also suggest adding a checkbox "Enable DivX-compatible MPEG-4 Visual encoder that's faster than any other encoder on Earth yet beats any H.264 encoder hands-down".

But whilst I am ignorant I am not naive, this "small change" is in actuality, probably a horrendous amount of work - work I'm not doing - and work regardless even if it is simple.

Video passthrough is harder than audio passthrough. Still, you actually have to support each codec specifically. Not to mention the interface work to make sure HB doesn't try to put the wrong type of video or audio in the wrong container, fallbacks, etc.

[FaiT]

Thats all I wanted, to make a suggestion and get a reasoned response of whether its a good idea, in development, or why it won't or can't be done. I get what s55 is saying, and I see he has a developer label so all respect to him, I just don't want to see that defense preclude the possibility of user suggestion entirely. I don't want to give the sense that I think we (the users) are to be regarded as if we can simply give orders - this is your project, you get no monetary compensation for it, and at the end of the day you (The Developers) dictate what will and will not be done, as it should be. "Handbrake encodes video for DVD backup" - is this a correct definition of what handbrake does well? If so then handbrake need not accept video files as input since handbrake is for the use of encoding DVD's, but it does - because its useful. I'm not suggesting you enable all video & audio to be passed through. Just as the old formats handbrake used to do like .avi were removed, stick to what handbrake is good at h.264, MPEG-4, Theora on the video side - and AAC, MP3, AC3, and Vorbis on the audio side. I am in no way advocating that someone else do this work for my personal benefit, I am simply trying to make a suggestion that would increase the productivity of handbrake. If a developer likes this idea great, if no one does - that's fine too I just wanted to mention it.