MakeMKV generating bad MKVs?

[mangry]

When I use makemkv to generate an mkv its never without problems - the WDTV Live can't FF/REW in them, it will either jump to the end or the start. If i play it in windows (with splitter and ffdshow) programs usually can't find either the video or the audio or both. Seems its not so easy making an mkv...

(Edited to add: This is about DVD's)

[tony55]

Don't know if it's a problem with the mkv container, makemkv, or with the WD player. I've had the same problem with mine. However, with my Seagate player it will fast forward but only 1.5 and 2x will increase the speed. 4x to 32x will actually slow it down to something less that 1.5x.

Other things I've noticed with mkv vs ts or m2ts with these devices is that mkv files will not show subtitles but will show chapters. Convert the mkv to ts and the devices will play the subtitles but not the chapters. Mkv for hd is kind of new and so are the players so these anomalies seem to be ever present. In time it should all sort itself out. Seems like right now everything including the players are in the Beta stage.

Tony

[mangry]

I tried taking the output MKV and extracted video/audio/subs - and then muxed them back again with Mkvtoolnix - and then it plays perfectly.
So it seems there is something in the chapter information which is causing the screw up.

[mangry]

Try this

1. Get latest version of mkvtoolnix
2. start mmg.exe
3. click "Add" and add the faulty mkv
4. click "Start Muxing"

When finished you have an MKV which is working.

I wonder if MakeMKV is using some old obsolete libraries to generate its files.

[setarip_old]

Do you have AnyDVD running in either the foreground or background when you're using MakeMKV?

I wonder if MakeMKV is using some old obsolete libraries to generate its files.

I can assure you, that's not the case...

[mangry]

Do you have AnyDVD running in either the foreground or background when you're using MakeMKV?

No I don't.

I wonder if MakeMKV is using some old obsolete libraries to generate its files.

I can assure you, that's not the case...

Ok, I just want to figure out the problem.
How do you explain the behavior as I described it in my previous message?

Another example;

If I use MKVCleaver to extract video/audio/subtitles/chapters - and not the rest.
And then use MKVtoolnix to build a new mkv with only those items, the resulting MKV plays fine. Its like there are extra tags present which confuses the WDTV Live.

[setarip_old]

Perhaps it has to do with the somewhat "quirky" nature of subtitles when thgey are first ripped as part of the making of the initial MKV.

As an experiment, why don't you try using MakeMKV to simply rip a BluRay without selecting any subtitles?

[mangry]

I'm afraid I only have DVD's at the moment.

[setarip_old]

@mangry, @tony55
Did your initial post to this thread refer to problems with DVDs or BluRays?

If you were referring to DVDs, please forget my suggested experiment, as it's only applicable to BluRays...

[mangry]

@mangry, @tony55
Did your initial post to this thread refer to problems with DVDs or BluRays?

If you were referring to DVDs, please forget my suggested experiment, as it's only applicable to BluRays...

Sorry, I guess I should have specified. I problem is with DVD's. Don't have any Bluerays yet.

[tony55]

@setarip_old
My comments were in reference to BDs. My feeling still is that everything that I use to play converted BDs in .ts .m2ts or mkv is still all in beta and that includes both my players a WD and a Seagate. I have used the other mkv programs that remux and have had better success in playing them on my WD. However, those same programs take a little longer to load the program. The WD accepts that. The Seagate is not tolerant of the time delay and it refuses to play the file. It always plays a MakeMKV file.

All in all I really like what MakeMkv does. I expressed my concern that on occasion it does not find chapters on the BD. Eventually that problem will be fixed on the next upgrade. My only other problem is that my Seagate will not play the subtitles as they existed on the BD. The subtitles are there, they play in .ts format they just don't play in mkv format. I see lots of comments re: subtitles so I assume there is a remux fix for the problem. But MakeMKV works so quickly and effortlessly that I've just ignored that issue.

In time, I would like to see MakeMKV
Split BDs by selected chapters and enable the auto conversion of subtitles to something that my Seagate will play. Of course it would be better if Seagate fixed the problem. But I figured, good luck with that.

Tony

[Elbart]

I solved the problems with the WDTV weeks ago, put apparently bugfixing ain't a top-priority for this project....
Read me

[mangry]

I solved the problems with the WDTV weeks ago, put apparently bugfixing ain't a top-priority for this project....
Read me

Yeah, its a bit of a bummer nobody is interested in fixing these things.

[setarip_old]

@elbart

Your fix indicates an incompatibility between your "WDTV" and MakeMKV - but I don't think it does anything to show that the fault lies with MakeMKV.

I say this because I've read several post here and at other sites/forums that appear to indicate that several of these newer intermediate players are "suffering growing pains" regarding how they handle various formats - and each of them seems to have different problems.

In light of the fact that the .MKV packaging format existed before any of these players, I'd suggest that it is quite likely that you'll see firmware updates in the future that will significantly increase overall compatibility...

[mangry]

@setarip_old

You run the MKVs made by MakeMKV through mkvtoolnix and then they work. To me that doesn't absolve MakeMKV of culpability.

But it would help if we could get a list of what files MakeMKV puts in the mvk, what their task and format is - so we might figure out what is going on.