How do you make a MakeMKV MKV file, dlna compliant?

[paulguytourret]

I use MakeMKV to convert DVDs into mkv files and use a Netgear ReadyNAS NV+, enabling ReadyDLNA to view movies on Samsung SmartTVs etc

Over past 12 months, I have found that some blu-ray mkv files fail to be indexed by the NAS, which essentially crashes the indexing of the available mkv movies. DLNA service remains working for mkv files that manage to get indexed!

A Revo running Windows 7 (or linux) and xbmc can readily stream all "problem" mkv files without any issue!

Over the past months I have slowly tried many different fixes, running latest NAS software etc even using AnyDVD alongside MakeMKV, just in case there was some protection issue, however with no success!

I am at point of exhaustion ... do I simply find another NAS with more robust DLNA? Any assistance/pointers would be fantastic ....

[Woodstock]

I'll have to look at my Netgear as a DLNA server again, if you're saying you can get MKV files to show up on Samsung TVs. To date, the only reliable way I've been able to do that is to convert them to MP4s with Handbrake, and make sure their file extension was "mpg"!

[paulguytourret]

I'll have to look at my Netgear as a DLNA server again, if you're saying you can get MKV files to show up on Samsung TVs. To date, the only reliable way I've been able to do that is to convert them to MP4s with Handbrake, and make sure their file extension was "mpg"!

Yep, Samsung TVs play mkv.

As a further investigation, I downloaded DVDFab and converted a blu-ray to mkv (a blu-ray which cant be indexed by the Netgear NAS DLNA after processing with MakeMKV) and to my shock horror, the NAS successfully indexed the movie and allowed to play!

All DVDFab settings were on default.

Hence I am now firmly believing that there must be a way to solve this with MakeMKV?

DVDFab playback has lip synch issues and also some quality issues?! Something I have never encountered with MakeMKV on any movie my NAS allows me to play.

What to do?! I am looking for inspiration, can anyone help?

[Chetwood]

Fixing the lousy DLNA obviously. I've played MakeMKV MKVs on Samsung TV's without any issues. No embedded subs though.

[Woodstock]

Yes, I know that Samsung TVs play MKV files quite well via USB, but I haven't found one yet that will play it from a DLNA server. Of course, they may have come out with something new in the last 60 days.

As a confirmation of the original post, the Netgear ReadyShare server does seem prone to crashes when it encounters large files. Knocked mine off line every time I plugged the USB drive with the BD collection into it yesterday. So much for THAT experiment.

[Chetwood]

I haven't said anything about USB, it plays MKV via DLNA (Twonky).

[paulguytourret]

I haven't said anything about USB, it plays MKV via DLNA (Twonky).

Yep I agree Samsung TVs play mkv files with no problem, as long as they get listed by the dlna service being used ... however majority of blu-ray converted to mkv via MakeMKV, do not get listed as available to play by the dlna service running on the Netgear NAS NV+! Instead the mkv files cause the dlna indexing of available files to hang, even though you can stream the films that do get listed, prior to the hang.

So for example, if you have "Battleship" as a mkv file, when you rescan the movie directory, "Avatar" will be listed and can be readily played and any other movie starting with the letter "A", but any film after "Battleship" in your directory will not be listed by the dlna service and hence you cant play it!

I agree this is a dlna issue, with Netgear NAS ... but alas Netgear refuse to admit any blame! They simply blame the "bad mkv" file!

I have to agree with them, after using DVDFab, which readily converts blu-ray into mkv files, using default settings, that dont hang the dlna indexing.

But surely MakeMKV will have a solution to this issue and it wont be, yep, go use DVDFab!

Since I have purchased MakeMKV, I would kinda like to solve this.

Whilst I appreciate all MakeMKV mkv files can be readily played on my Revo, using xbmc on Windows 7, there is clearly an issue with the Netgear NAS dlna not liking the MakeMKV mkv file format, for majority of blu-ray rips.

Hence, can anyone shed any light on how to change settings on MakeMKV to get round this problem, so I can reliably have mkv files from blu-ray rips that work on Netgear NAS dlna, hence fully enjoying the Samsung Smart TV standalone, without the need for a Revo?

[Smithcraft]

Maybe posting the MediaInfo data from a good file and a bad file will let us see the differences.

Another thing that you might want to try is to remux the MakeMKV files with mkvtoolnix to fix any problem that might have come up during the rip.

SC

[paulguytourret]

Maybe posting the MediaInfo data from a good file and a bad file will let us see the differences.

Another thing that you might want to try is to remux the MakeMKV files with mkvtoolnix to fix any problem that might have come up during the rip.

SC

Great input ... thanks.

I tried remux, removing subtitles at same time, using mkvtoolnix. It worked!

What on earth has mkvtoolnix done during the remux process?

Attached is media info for a "bad" file.

Be great to understand what is going on behind the scenes here?!

Surely MakeMKV need to make a change to ensure that remux is not required?

I went back to DVDFab and changed profile to "passthrough" for lossless output and removed the lip synch issues. With DVDFab you dont need to do any remux to get file to work.

Thanks so much again for your help, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel on this issue ... its been bugging me for months!

[Chetwood]

We'd need Mediainfo output on both files, playing and not, preferably from the same source BD.

[Smithcraft]

Maybe the Samsung is not happy with PGS subtitles, and the DNLA service throws a fit and stops scanning.

SC

[Chetwood]

The Samsung simply ignores any other sub than external SRT.

[paulguytourret]

Maybe the Samsung is not happy with PGS subtitles, and the DNLA service throws a fit and stops scanning.

SC

I tested this theory of removing PGS subtitles and hey presto, you are correct!!!!!!

Smithcraft you have been great ... totally to the point at every turn, thanks so much.

How do we go about getting MakeMKV aware of this issue, since Netgear ReadyNAS is a very popular NAS and hence the dlna issue will be potentially experienced widely as more and more start to use mkv files.

Ahhhhh another problem solved! Next!

[Chetwood]

Aware of what issue? PGS subs compressed with zlib in MKVs are specs compliant so if any hardware/softwar don't play them, it's their fault. MakeMKV has nothing to change here.

[Smithcraft]

From what I understand there is really no DNLA standard, so it's kinda up to every vendor to handle it how they want.

There are four ways to deal with PGS.

A - Include them without compression.

B - Include them with compression.

C - Don't include them.

D - Convert them to something else.

So, I would suggest you try a sample file with the WDTV setting in MakeMKV and see if that file works. If it does, then make sure that it's always selected when you do your rips. If it doesn't then you need to figure out one of the other two options.

SC