DTS 6.1 Tracks automatically being downmixed to 5.1

[CSManiac33]

This is an issue I have run across trying to rip a couple of DVDs with DTS ES 6.1 tracks where it automatically converts them into a 5.1 track without any indication. I can understand this being an option as I have had compatibility issues with 6.1 tracks before but it shouldn't be the only option available and done without any indication.

[dcoke22]

I don't think I have any DVDs with DTS-ES Discreet 6.1, but I would guess you could make a backup of the disc (icon of yellow folder with green arrow) and then open the resulting .iso file in something else, like the MKVToolNix tools, and create a .mkv file from there. It might handle that audio codec better.

[CSManiac33]

Yeah that is what I did to get the 6.1s but it just shouldn't like be automatically downmixing it and older builds use to not do this.

[dcoke22]

Are you running on Linux? The reason I ask is because the latest versions of MakeMKV on Linux support a different, newer version of FFMPEG. Maybe this behavior is a side effect of the newer version of FFMPEG used?

It is my understanding that on Windows and Macintosh, MakeMKV ships with a tiny version of FFMPEG baked in.

[SirYodaJedi]

IME (last checked a few months before OP), it doesn't actually convert them; it just writes the wrong metadata because it doesn't recognize DTS-ES Discrete. From my testing, if you use MKVExtract to extract the DTS stream from the MKV, then MKVToolNix-GUI to re-insert the extracted stream, the track in the resultant MKV should be correctly flagged as 6.1.

Unless you're using the "convert the FLAC" profile or something, which I'm not familiar with how that works (I always do A/V conversion after ripping to MKV).