New user: pre-purchase questions

[Number Six]

Hello

I am looking at purchasing MakeMKV for the purpose of ripping titles from Blu-ray movie discs and remixing them into MKV containers and have some questions about how it works before taking the plunge.

For nearly 7 years I've ripped dozens of movies to an MKV container by the same process. I use AnyDVD HD to decrypt the disk, rip the BDMV folder to my SSD, using bdinfo to determine the required playlist file, adding this txmuxer to demux the specific streams I want, then mkvtoolnix to remux into MKVs and cut out any unwanted scenes or rename tracks/chapters.

More recently I've just been adding the playlist file directly to mkvtoolnix as it seems capable of remixing straight from the blu-ray's m2ts files to mkv. This has been fine for the 5 or so movies I've ripped this way recently.

Unfortunately attempting to rip the most recent purchase, Inception (2010), I run into issues with this method. The playlist has many (29) m2ts files. When remixed into MKV, at every point where a join occurs, the video becomes corrupted for a second like this:



If I demux using tsmuxer first and then feed the raw stream files into mkvtoolnix instead of directly adding the playlist this fixes one issue - the visual corruption - but introduces another: now the subtitles run very slowly, about half the speed they should be. So by the time the movie itself ends only half the subs have played and the movie file duration ends up being 4 hours 50min whereas the video and audio end around 2hrs 30 mins.

If I use a trial of makemkv to process the files the movie comes out fine, with subs playing correctly and no visual corruption.

So, firstly, what is it that makemkv does that fixes this issue? How is it better than just demuxing and remixing using free software like tsmuxer and mkvmerge?

Secondly, an issue I have with makemkv is that it doesn't seem to have as many options to customise the file as mkvtoolnix. Specific examples include the lack of ability to name chapters that are extracted from the original mpls playlist, and also the inability to cut the mkv into sections according to timecodes and rejoin them. Both are present in mkvtoolnix, are they planned to be included in makemkv at some point or are already included by any chance?

Finally, the cost for my particular application is prohibitively expensive in that I already have AnyDVD HD to decrypt the disks - therefore I'd be paying over £50 just for remixing software. Is there any way I can use makemkv for free or at least a lower price without the decryption feature?

Thanks

Odai.

[Woodstock]

So, firstly, what is it that makemkv does that fixes this issue?

See this page: /svq/

[Number Six]

Thanks for your response.

Shouldn't AnyDVD HD be circumventing the BD+ protection anyway? As far as I'm aware, this is part of the basic functionality of the software and considering it's what I used to rip the BDMV folder that I then put through makeMKV I would have thought that it wouldn't be a factor. Furthermore, I have found after further testing that processing the files in eac3to actually yields the same result as in makeMKV, i.e. it manages to join the m2ts files in the playlist and remux into MKV without any issues. Although of course it's not quite as easy to use.

Therefore, I feel that BD+ isn't what is causing the issue here and its ability to cope with BD+ isn't how MakeMKV is managing to create correct files.

[Woodstock]

I cannot speak to what AnyDVD can/cannot do, because I've never used it. Sorry.

[Number Six]

No worries, I have had a look and am certain BD+ is being processed by AnyDVD HD, so it can't be an issue once the resulting ripped BDMV folder is fed into MakeMKV.

Is there anything else you can think of that MakeMKV could be doing that simply using tsmuxer/mkvmerge is not?

It must be associated with the subtitles as when I don't mux these (i.e. only extract and remux the video and audio streams) the resulting file is fine. For what it's worth, looking at the sub streams of each of the 29 component m2ts files in the playlist using Mediainfo the value for "delay relative to video" keeps changing from one m2ts file to the next.

[blufred]

Thanks for your response.

Shouldn't AnyDVD HD be circumventing the BD+ protection anyway? As far as I'm aware, this is part of the basic functionality of the software and considering it's what I used to rip the BDMV folder that I then put through makeMKV I would have thought that it wouldn't be a factor. Furthermore, I have found after further testing that processing the files in eac3to actually yields the same result as in makeMKV, i.e. it manages to join the m2ts files in the playlist and remux into MKV without any issues. Although of course it's not quite as easy to use.

Therefore, I feel that BD+ isn't what is causing the issue here and its ability to cope with BD+ isn't how MakeMKV is managing to create correct files.

ANYDVD seems like they are offline. It no longer works in my computer. I get a message that the server is no longer available.

MAKE MKV seems to be working for me as a replacement for SlySoft Anydvd. Something happened in the last 6-8 months to decode the precious movies on blu ray

blufred

[springer]

Slysoft was closed down and became Redfox. The last version of Slysoft's Anydvd was 7.6.9.5 and it will no longer access the OPD. If you wish to continue using the program you have to buy a new license. That version will still work with older movies but not reliable, without OPD, for new releases. Redfox considers themselves a new company and does not honor the old lifetime licenses. Take a look at their new web site https://forum.redfox.bz/

[blufred]

Slysoft was closed down and became Redfox. The last version of Slysoft's Anydvd was 7.6.9.5 and it will no longer access the OPD. If you wish to continue using the program you have to buy a new license. That version will still work with older movies but not reliable, without OPD, for new releases. Redfox considers themselves a new company and does not honor the old lifetime licenses. Take a look at their new web site https://forum.redfox.bz/

Typical online ripoff that we have no control over...I'll just stick with MAKE MKV and see how it decodes / rips blu rays for the $50 I paid. So far, so good. All I want is an MKV file for my Western digital player with ext. 2T HDD and I am happy. Don't need a physical disk in my hands.

Blufred

[yorgo]

Redfox considers themselves a new company and does not honor the old lifetime licenses. Take a look at their new web site https://forum.redfox.bz/

RedFox IS a new company, or more correctly, is now a closed-source project; the devs were handed AnyDVD in lieu of payment by the former owner. New licenses are required, which makes complete sense in my opinion, otherwise AnyDVD would be dead.

I post this only to correct any misunderstandings, further conversations about AnyDVD should be taken over to their forum and not conducted here, IMHO.

[springer]

You are correct all discussions regarding Redfox should be done at their forum. I only responded because I had the impression that the person was not aware of the changes that have occurred with Anydvd and the OPD. What I don't understand is why did you feel it was necessary to come in and change the wording considers themselves a new company to IS a new company. Which you capitalized. It is semantics and this is the kind of back and forth that is going over at Redfox. The fact that they consider themselves a new company makes them a new company since they own it. Your comment added nothing and seemed insulting.

[yorgo]

You are correct all discussions regarding Redfox should be done at their forum. I only responded because I had the impression that the person was not aware of the changes that have occurred with Anydvd and the OPD. What I don't understand is why did you feel it was necessary to come in and change the wording considers themselves a new company to IS a new company. Which you capitalized. It is semantics and this is the kind of back and forth that is going over at Redfox. The fact that they consider themselves a new company makes them a new company since they own it. Your comment added nothing and seemed insulting.

No insult was intended and in general your post is factual but corrections were needed. Your use of "seems" is inappropriate, and could be interpreted that something unseemly may have happened with the transition especially when it was followed by the "not honoring lifetime licenses" comment. You can call it semantics if you wish but I stand by my correction.