Please bring back audio track config in presets

General questions or discussion about HandBrake, Video and/or audio transcoding, trends etc.
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OstinatoFreak
Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 2:38 pm

Please bring back audio track config in presets

Post by OstinatoFreak »

When I convert a large MKV to a smaller MP4, I always create two audio tracks: stereo mixdown and AC3 passthru (unless of course the original track is stereo).

A previous version of Handbrake would remember this basic audio configuration after saving a preset. Now, I'm using Handbrake 1.07, and the presets forget the audio track configuration. I have to add the second track every time, and I have to specify stereo mixdown and ac3 passthru, even when these settings were supposedly saved in the preset.

Ironically, I've seen it suggested (and I agreed at the time) that Handbrake should remember foreign subtitle configuration since it is so predictably the same in 99.9% of all movies. This suggestion was dismissed at that time, but now I see it has been implemented: with version 1.07, one no longer has to manually add foreign subtitle tracks after selecting a preset.

Can we get all configuration to save all at the same time in one of the future Handbrake versions?
mduell
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Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:54 pm

Re: Please bring back audio track config in presets

Post by mduell »

The audio setup became sufficiently complex HB couldn't guess at what to do on a new title based on the settings for an old title in all cases, so they added the audio defaults to better express what you want done when. Set the audio defaults the way you want and save it in a preset.

Also update to 1.1.0, which has hundreds of changes since 1.0.7.
Woodstock
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Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:39 am

Re: Please bring back audio track config in presets

Post by Woodstock »

OstinatoFreak wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 2:48 amIronically, I've seen it suggested (and I agreed at the time) that Handbrake should remember foreign subtitle configuration since it is so predictably the same in 99.9% of all movies.
Whoever came up with that percentage must only view movies from a particular studio... I've identified 4 different subtitle scenarios that make up "most" of the movies I've encountered, but even the sum of those doesn't qualify as "99.9%".

Foreign Audio Search's 10% rule works remarkably well for "most" movies. But even it can't hit "99.9%".

Audio can be even worse, if you're wanting to have the highest quality audio, as opposed to "most compatible".
OstinatoFreak
Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 2:38 pm

Re: Please bring back audio track config in presets

Post by OstinatoFreak »

It isn't just movies from a particular studio. Previous versions of Handbrake used to identify the foreign subtitle track so well that I literally can't remember a single time when I had to manually adjust the preset settings. Maybe I should have said 100% instead of 99.9%. ;) The number isn't the point though anyway, so let's not get too hung up on that red herring. My point remains that it was a perfectly good feature that never seemed to fail, and continues to function perfectly (as far as I can tell anyway) with every movie I encode, now that the function has been restored, whether it's Disney, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, etc.

Audio configuration also never failed me. Maybe it fails other people sometimes, but I can't imagine that having Handbrake put forth its best guess (which can still be tweaked by the user if it guesses wrong) does more harm than the harm that is done by giving up altogether and omitting audio configuration from presets. Just because a feature can't be 100% perfect doesn't mean the feature should be removed.
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