Simple way with GUI to Re-encode from VC-1 to h264, h65 or anything "Plexable"?

[nicolaidenmark]

Hi all,


I enjoy MakeMKV for ripping my original discs to my Synology NAS / Plex server. I have ripped Star Wars - The Clone Wars Season 1-5 for my son (and myself) to enjoy via Plex. Problems is that some episodes (basically all from Season 1 and some from Season 2) have the VC-1 codec, which means they are basically unplayable from / on my NAS (DS918+, 4 gig RAM).

Is there a program for Mac that let's me re-encode from VC-1 to say, H265 or anything Plex (and my NAS) can actually handle? I have read guides using Handbrake but those seem very technical for a guy who knows nothing about (re)encoding of video.

I have no desire to change anything BUT the codec but I wish to do so without loosing quality. I have MKVToolnix on my machine and use it frequently to convert various file formats into MKV, set deafult audio, subs and so on. However, I don't see an option to do a codec change in this software.

My son really likes SW-TCW, as do I, however, the fact that I have to dig out the BDs and play them "old style" in my Sony X800 bothers me big time as one of the main reasons I purchased my NAS was for its (lacking?) media center capabilities.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks and have a great week.

[xr200]

https://forums.plex.tv/t/batch-converti ... v/166921/3

says you can do it with mkvtools. YMMV.

This is a CPU intensive job; it will likely take many hours to complete depending on your PC.

I personally wouldn't get too hung up on requiring lossless video. The streaming
services (eg, Netflix) all convert videos. If you are satisfied with Netflix quality,
then you don't need lossless quality. The primary advantage of encoding your
videos is the space you will save to store them. The downside is it takes a lot
of CPU to encode videos.

Good Luck.

[Woodstock]

The "losing quality" train already departed when the video was distributed on optical media, because UHD isn't big enough to hold loss-less video.

If you're moving to a different codec, you can only limit the amount of quality lost.

Plex should be able to handle VC-1, since it's been around longer than h265, and is less complex.

Otherwise, visit https://handbrake.fr for something free that works with MKV files and lets you chose the quality you want.

[nicolaidenmark]

https://forums.plex.tv/t/batch-converti ... v/166921/3

says you can do it with mkvtools. YMMV.

Good Luck.

Doesn't say HOW.... as far as I can tell

[Woodstock]

I poked around for a few minutes and I see what the issue is with VC-1 and Plex - they can read it, but their decoder is "single threaded", and can't decode it as fast as it can h264 or h265. Especially since newer machines include hardware decoding of h264, and the newest machines have h265 hardware on board (alas, not on Synology yet).

I don't bother with Plex on my Synology, but I also use handbrake to encode 2 copies of most stuff. One copy is an MKV at full resolution, with all features enabled, and the other is a compatible-with-most-things lower-resolution MP4 file for devices not capable of doing full resolution. The up-front encoding means that I don't have to worry about the system bogs down if more than 1 person is streaming.

[nicolaidenmark]

https://forums.plex.tv/t/batch-converti ... v/166921/3

says you can do it with mkvtools. YMMV.

Good Luck.

Doesn't say HOW.... as far as I can tell

My bad. Some how "MKVTools" became "MKVToolnix" in my brain. I found MKVTools, and it seems to do the job.

Thanks,

[Chetwood]

I'd rather invest in cheap media players that can handle VC-1 instead of wasting time and energy on conversion. Plex would then simply deliver the content without on the fly encoding and you can watch the original rips.

[nicolaidenmark]

I'd rather invest in cheap media players that can handle VC-1 instead of wasting time and energy on conversion. Plex would then simply deliver the content without on the fly encoding and you can watch the original rips.

My Synology NAS IS my Plex Server, so is it possible to have anything BUT Plex and my Synology doing the concersion? If so, what do you suggest?

I have VLC as an app om my Smart TV. Perhaps it ias capable of doing it? Then I would just have to grant VLC access to the Star Wars Folder(s) on my Nas?

[nicolaidenmark]

Tried with VLC on the Sony TV: No problems with VC-1, it seems...

However, some reason VLC on my TV can only "see" and play one of the two audio tracks within the MKV: I ripped the CW to have Danish Audio as standard (for the sake of my son) and the original English as a second track. Also, PGS Danish and English subtitles.

VLC can't "see" that the files actually contain two audio tracks or any subtitles. When choosing the settings, I only get: English 5.1 and no subs at all. Plex, on the other hand, can see it all and I can choose freely (although choosing PGS subtitles with Plex) slows the video down / tales a lot of processing power from the NAS.

Any Ideas?

[Chetwood]

I can't put it any other way: with hardware players capable of playing this content there's NO NEED for conversion. You would simply playback the files from your NAS.

[nicolaidenmark]

I can't put it any other way: with hardware players capable of playing this content there's NO NEED for conversion. You would simply playback the files from your NAS.

Well, seeing as VLC for Android won't let me choose the Danish audio track or any subtitles included in the MKV, I'm converting for use with Plex (which lets me choose audio and subs).

[gtrogue]

Hi all,


I enjoy MakeMKV for ripping my original discs to my Synology NAS / Plex server. I have ripped Star Wars - The Clone Wars Season 1-5 for my son (and myself) to enjoy via Plex. Problems is that some episodes (basically all from Season 1 and some from Season 2) have the VC-1 codec, which means they are basically unplayable from / on my NAS (DS918+, 4 gig RAM)...

What are you actually using for playback?
The transcoding that Plex does is related to the playback hardware and software. The standard Plex player uses a player's native playback engine, if the playback device supports VC-1 playback then Plex doesn't have to transcode it, it will play directly.

On the Apple TV 4k (any modern iOS device) Infuse will playback just about anything directly. A Popcorn Hour will playback everything directly. An HTPC or Mac will direct play the video.

I have a DS416Play and I can direct play 1080p, VC-1 video remotely without any hiccups (gigabit fiber with no data caps).