I backup a Blu Ray using MakeMKV, and have tried setting the audio track to TrueHD 5.1 and DD 3/2+1 (separately).
The backup works fine, then I use iSkySoft Media Converter, and only get an option for 2 Channel Stereo.
When I play back thru AppleTv the signal is stereo.
Where in the process am I losing the 5.1 ?
Thanks
Losing 5.1 Audio in Conversion
Re: Losing 5.1 Audio in Conversion
In iSkySoft Media Converter. MakeMKV does not (and cannot) re-encode the audio to stereo.
-
SiliconKid
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:57 pm
Re: Losing 5.1 Audio in Conversion
Download a program called MediaInfo and install that. Then you can right click on any media file in Windows Explorer and select MediaInfo and you will be presented with everything you could possibly want to know about any media file, what video and audio is inside the container, what subtitles etc. etc.
That way you can immediately verify what MakeMKV did when it created the MKV.
You will see that MakeMKV will have in fact created an MKV containing Dolby or DTS surround audio tracks IF that is what you ticked on the MakeMKV title selection screen.
So the problem is not with your MKV or MakeMKV, it is with your conversion software, which apparently only outputs stereo audio tracks.
The problem, in a nutshell, is that an Apple Media Player wants either an MOV or MP4 container, and BOTH of those containers do not natively support Dolby Digital or DTS audio streams, they only support AAC, which 99% of normal A/V amps on planet earth cannot handle properly if there are more than 2 channels (of AAC audio that is). So, in order to maintain compatability with most hardware and avoid issues, converters that convert to MOV or MP4 containers with AAC audio typically don't bother to output anything more than stereo AAC audio.
That's one of the reasons why containers like MKV and M2TS are generally preferred and why media players like the Mede8er and Popcorn Hour are preferred over proprietary devices like the Apple player. I'm not really familiar with the Apple player though so I'm really not sure if it is capable of decoding formats other than MOV and MP4 properly.
What you need is conversion software that can accept an MKV container with a Dolby Digital or DTS 6+ channel audio stream, convert that audio stream to an equivalent 6+ channel AAC audio stream and put that together with the video stream in whatever format you choose, into an MP4 or MOV container.
Offhand I actually cannot think of a single converter that will do that for you easily and reliably, but that certainly does not mean there aren't any available. You will have to do some research.
That way you can immediately verify what MakeMKV did when it created the MKV.
You will see that MakeMKV will have in fact created an MKV containing Dolby or DTS surround audio tracks IF that is what you ticked on the MakeMKV title selection screen.
So the problem is not with your MKV or MakeMKV, it is with your conversion software, which apparently only outputs stereo audio tracks.
The problem, in a nutshell, is that an Apple Media Player wants either an MOV or MP4 container, and BOTH of those containers do not natively support Dolby Digital or DTS audio streams, they only support AAC, which 99% of normal A/V amps on planet earth cannot handle properly if there are more than 2 channels (of AAC audio that is). So, in order to maintain compatability with most hardware and avoid issues, converters that convert to MOV or MP4 containers with AAC audio typically don't bother to output anything more than stereo AAC audio.
That's one of the reasons why containers like MKV and M2TS are generally preferred and why media players like the Mede8er and Popcorn Hour are preferred over proprietary devices like the Apple player. I'm not really familiar with the Apple player though so I'm really not sure if it is capable of decoding formats other than MOV and MP4 properly.
What you need is conversion software that can accept an MKV container with a Dolby Digital or DTS 6+ channel audio stream, convert that audio stream to an equivalent 6+ channel AAC audio stream and put that together with the video stream in whatever format you choose, into an MP4 or MOV container.
Offhand I actually cannot think of a single converter that will do that for you easily and reliably, but that certainly does not mean there aren't any available. You will have to do some research.
Re: Losing 5.1 Audio in Conversion
In theory, you can mux both AC-3 (Dolby Digital) and DTS in MP4: http://www.mp4ra.org/codecs.htmlSiliconKid wrote:The problem, in a nutshell, is that an Apple Media Player wants either an MOV or MP4 container, and BOTH of those containers do not natively support Dolby Digital or DTS audio streams, they only support AAC, which 99% of normal A/V amps on planet earth cannot handle properly if there are more than 2 channels (of AAC audio that is). So, in order to maintain compatability with most hardware and avoid issues, converters that convert to MOV or MP4 containers with AAC audio typically don't bother to output anything more than stereo AAC audio.
That being said, I have yet to hear of any non-FFmpeg based player actually supporting DTS in MP4. AC-3 in MP4 support, on the other hand, is reasonably common these days. The AppleTV can pass it through to a compatible receiver (but cannot decode it, however).