Selecting Files Larger Than XX GB

[SonOfJacob]

I'm currently using this:

-sel:all,+sel:(eng|nolang),-sel:core,-sel:havelossless,-sel:(subtitle&(!forced))

And I LOVE it, but it selects all "top-level" tracks within a Bluray. I was wondering if there is a way to only select those over a certain GB size.

I've read this and can't figure it out: http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4386

Also, I know I'm pushing the envelope here, I can just right-click and unselect all. Just wondering if there's an even better way to optimize.

LOVE your product - bought it and recommended it to everyone.

[Woodstock]

Current version of the software, not directly - just the "minimum length in seconds" setting. Mike will have to decide if this is something for a future version.

Going by file size only is a problem, because a short "extra" on a BD is bigger than a 3 hour feature film on DVD.

[SonOfJacob]

Thanks Woodstock. I've read through the forums thoroughly and I've seen you reply a TON. Appreciate you working so hard to reply to as many posts as possible on behalf of Mike.

I totally get that about DVD/Bluray files sizes - and it makes sense. I'm really only asking for it because I'm ripping only U.S. blurays, but I appreciate those who aren't.

Thanks again!

FOR FUTURE READERS:

Use the code I put at the top of this topic to rip forced subtitles only with the video and highest quality audio file. WDTV works PERFECTLY with this...just turn ON subtitles by default in WDTV.

[Chetwood]

So it does NOT work perfectly cause as with most players the WDTV ignores these flags (also your default selection rule won't help you one bit with forced subs that aren't flagged as forced on the BD).

[Woodstock]

Subtitles are, as Chetwood points out, a pain to deal with. I deal with them on over 95% of the stuff I buy... the consequence of being an otaku with money.

Common scenarios for subtitles:

Two tracks per language, one containing only "forced" (signs and languages other than the dub) subtitles, the other "everything". Most common in my experience.

One track per language, all subtitles. Common in movies, and anime titles sold by Viz Media.

One track per language, all subtitles, some marked as "forced". May be common, but I've only seen it once.

Hardware players seem to really suck when it comes to obeying flags like "forced" and "default". Most play whatever is the lowest-numbered track in your preferred language, regardless of flags.

[SonOfJacob]

Chetwood, a little angry there? Seriously dude...calm down just a bit.

Perhaps I should have said it works perfectly FOR ME. I just put the settings for subtitles in WDTV to always be ON. That way, it plays them all the time. As long as I have the right subtitles in the MKV, then I'm good.

I get the part about the bluray not always ear-marking the forced subs as "forced" for MakeMKV to pick up. However, this is the thing I don't understand: when my PS3 plays the movie, it DOES pick up and automatically play the forced subs. So there has to be a way for the bluray to be read to know whether or not a sub should be forced. The two movies I've found aren't picked up with the code: Avengers and Captain America The Winter Soldier. I'll work on figuring those out. But I'm betting Mike is probably working on that as an ongoing concern.

Also, Woodstock: I came back to thank you again. I changed the title length to 3600 because at this point I'm just ripping bluray movies - not worrying about extras or TV episodes. I just want my movie collection on my hard drive. I already use Mezzmo for my media server and I love it's customization for everything. but that title length makes it MUCH more efficient when going through 300+ movies on a first pass!

Thanks again!

And Chetwood, I'm not angry, I just read your post as really aggressive. Thanks for understanding.

[Chetwood]

Chetwood, a little angry there?

Nope. Words do have meanings though, and 'perfect' does not go together with the WDTV, not by a long shot.

when my PS3 plays the movie, it DOES pick up and automatically play the forced subs.

Because it reads the navigational commands from the "menu", MakeMKV does not and apparently Mike is not working on that either.

[SonOfJacob]

... 'perfect' does not go together with the WDTV, not by a long shot.

I've been working with the WD TV Live Media Player (aka, "WD TV Live Streaming Media Player", aka, "WD TV LIVE GEN3"), using firmware version 2.01.86 and so far I haven't had any hiccups (the last released version of this WD TV generation was terrible though - even though it incorporated embedded subtitles, it borked everything else).

In the time since I posted my first note here, I have learned what you mean about subtitles - so I admit you are right on that. In the mean time, I've been using the following:

-sel:all,+sel:(eng|nolang),-sel:core,-sel:havelossless,-sel:(subtitle)

Then, when I come across a movie that actually has subtitles, I re-rip it with what I posted originally. It's another step, but, hey, I don't care.

I originally was ripping all subs, figuring out which file was right, and then remuxing using MKVToolNix GUI, but I found it introduced artifacts like pixelated "tearing" of the video. Not sure what that was about.

So far WD TV has worked well for me. I'm sure your experience has it's reasons. I am still testing how to get subtitles to work - I've read there's a way to do it with external SRT, SUB, and/or IDX files if they are named the same as the movie - just haven't gotten it worked out yet.

[Chetwood]

even though it incorporated embedded subtitles, it borked everything else).

Huh? The WDTV supported embedded subtitles from day one, firmware version 1.x.

I've read there's a way to do it with external SRT, SUB, and/or IDX files if they are named the same as the movie - just haven't gotten it worked out yet.

Of course it works and it does so with embedded subs. However, if you usually don't want subs and turn them off, you don't get any either when they are forced which is simply lazy coding on WD's part.

[SonOfJacob]

even though it incorporated embedded subtitles, it borked everything else).

Huh? The WDTV supported embedded subtitles from day one, firmware version 1.x.

I've read there's a way to do it with external SRT, SUB, and/or IDX files if they are named the same as the movie - just haven't gotten it worked out yet.

Of course it works and it does so with embedded subs. However, if you usually don't want subs and turn them off, you don't get any either when they are forced which is simply lazy coding on WD's part.

Ok. You and I are experiencing different results then. I have set the WDTV to show subs by default. When I play a file that has embedded subs, they do not show up.

I've tried manually turning them off and on again, unplugged the WDTV and restored it several times, and made absolutely certain the embedded subs were actually there (they play fine on my PC with VLC player).

Please, if you want to, name a test I haven't mentioned, because I probably did that and just forgot to mention it. However, maybe you'll think of something I didn't.

I just figured it didn't matter at this stage because I have so few movies with subs.

[Chetwood]

What container, sub format, source, protocol?

[SonOfJacob]

So I left this whole thread alone for a while because I was really new to MakeMKV, WDTV, ripping, subtitles, etc when I originally posted. I felt it necessary to come back here to explain why what I wrote in various responses might not have been entirely accurate - that and just in case anyone ever comes across this thread, I want to resolve it for them.

Chetwood is indeed correct in that WDTV works with subtitles (I have the WDBHG70000NBK-HESN WDTV model which includes Netflix, running firmware 2.01.86 --> DO NOT USE THE LATEST 2.02.32). However, I wasn't using the WDTV conversion profile within MakeMKV when I began the process in the Autumn of 2015 - which is what prevented the WDTV from reading the PGS subtitles correctly (see links below for why).

So today I began reading a lot more about subtitles and came across these two key pieces of information:

1) https://community.wd.com/t/i-wish-the-w ... tles/35648
--> "the WDTV Live supports PGS subs when they are compressed with zlib which is the default in MKVToolnix and done when using the WDTV profile in MakeMKV"

2) http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic ... 6&start=15

Are you using Windows? I'm going to assume you are.

Step 1: Download MKVtoolnix from here:
http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoo ... -setup.exe

Run the downloaded file and install it. Just keep clicking "next" and it'll make an icon on your desktop called "mkvmerge GUI". Run it.

Step 2: Click "file", then "options", look down the list of options and put a tick in the box that says "Disable header removal compression for audio and video tracks by default". Once you have a tick in the box click "OK".

Step 3: Now you're back on the main Windows, click the "add" button and navigate to one of your MKV files which isn't displaying subtitles, select it and click "open".

Step 4: By default the file will be written to the same place as the original. For example, if your file is called "OldBoy.mkv" the new file will be called "OldBoy (1).mkv". Your original will be unchanged. Click the "start muxing" button and wait. It will be 10-15 mins depending on the speed of your hard drive.

Step 5: Once the process is complete test the new file e.g.: "OldBoy (1).mkv" on your WD TV Live, and see if the subtitles display.

I remuxed the file using the current version of MKVToolNix (9.0.1 as of this note) NOT CHANGING ANYTHING and it worked - I could see the subtitles when playing the file through the WDTV. Sometime over the last six months I started ripping using the WDTV profile in MakeMKV, but I kept putting the movies that required subtitles off to the side. So now I'm using two profiles:

For movies without subtitles: -sel:all,+sel:(eng|nolang),-sel:core,-sel:havelossless,-sel:(subtitle)

For movies with subtitles: -sel:all,+sel:(eng|nolang),-sel:core,-sel:havelossless
--> Then using VLC to figure out the correct PGS file and remuxing using MKVToolNix to remove the extra PGS files

It works for what I'm doing - pretty much entirely US/Region 1 bluray. Of course this won't help you if you have imports, but it's something I think a large portion of individuals just wanting to rip most of their collection are looking for.

Appreciate you Chetwood - you made me figure everything out and I grew in knowledge. And yes, it took me a while. Take care!

PS. This issue apparently confused more than just me: http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6352

[Woodstock]

You can always add the compression of the PGS subtitles to any (custom) profile.

Code: Select all

    <!-- Compress PGS subtitles with ZLIB compression -->
    <trackSettings input="PGS">
        <output outputSettingsName="copyzlib"
                defaultSelection="$app_DefaultSelectionString">
        </output>
    </trackSettings>
    <trackSettings input="PGS-forced">
        <output outputSettingsName="copyzlib"
                defaultSelection="$app_DefaultSelectionString">
        </output>
    </trackSettings>