Dolby Vision now possible through MP4 Mux.

[MastaG]

So after reading most of this thread it's still not clear to me which is the most compatible format across different TV's, mediaplayer.
I own a LG C8 and I compiled Dolby's mp4 muxer to remux the base and enhanced layers + ac3 audio into a mp4 container which plays fine on my device.
But afaik AppleTV will only play single layer DV videos.

So if I go and buy the DVDFab thing, I'll be able to "merge" the two layers into a single PES without losing quality right?
And if I store this in lets say a MKV container with different audio tracks I'll be able to play it on both my LG and AppleTV?

[RESET_9999]

So after reading most of this thread it's still not clear to me which is the most compatible format across different TV's, mediaplayer.
I own a LG C8 and I compiled Dolby's mp4 muxer to remux the base and enhanced layers + ac3 audio into a mp4 container which plays fine on my device.
But afaik AppleTV will only play single layer DV videos.

So if I go and buy the DVDFab thing, I'll be able to "merge" the two layers into a single PES without losing quality right?
And if I store this in lets say a MKV container with different audio tracks I'll be able to play it on both my LG and AppleTV?

If you store it in a MKV container, you will lose dolby vision and the dual-layer DV will play in HDR but the single layer DV won't play at all.
and yes, dvdfab single layer remux is lossless, no quality loss.
I just did one single layer mp4 remux with DTS-X, I wonder if mrmc support lossless audio passthrough ?? anyway I will try later tonight and report back.

[Grencola]

If you store it in a MKV container, you will lose dolby vision and the dual-layer DV will play in HDR but the single layer DV won't play at all.
and yes, dvdfab single layer remux is lossless, no quality loss.
I just did one single layer mp4 remux with DTS-X, I wonder if mrmc support lossless audio passthrough ?? anyway I will try later tonight and report back.

I see you still have ac3 audio on there as well as dts:x. if you uncheck audio in dvdfab you can make an mp4 with no sound at first, then add the dts after. just saying cuz some tvs / players only see the first audio stream and does t let you switch between the two. and mrmc will passthrough lossless audio in the form of lpcm 7.1. I'm not sure if it keeps Metadata for dts:x or not, but here's the discussion: https://forum.mrmc.tv/viewtopic.php?f=1 ... &start=320 maybe go back through the last few pages and you can try a bunch of samples and read results etc.

[RESET_9999]

If you store it in a MKV container, you will lose dolby vision and the dual-layer DV will play in HDR but the single layer DV won't play at all.
and yes, dvdfab single layer remux is lossless, no quality loss.
I just did one single layer mp4 remux with DTS-X, I wonder if mrmc support lossless audio passthrough ?? anyway I will try later tonight and report back.

I see you still have ac3 audio on there as well as dts:x. if you uncheck audio in dvdfab you can make an mp4 with no sound at first, then add the dts after. just saying cuz some tvs / players only see the first audio stream and does t let you switch between the two. and mrmc will passthrough lossless audio in the form of lpcm 7.1. I'm not sure if it keeps Metadata for dts:x or not, but here's the discussion: https://forum.mrmc.tv/viewtopic.php?f=1 ... &start=320 maybe go back through the last few pages and you can try a bunch of samples and read results etc.

thank you for the link, I'll check it out...
yeah, I know about the ac3 track but dvdfab wouldn't let me do a dv mp4 without sound, unfortunately.
I even tried to create a new DV ISO without sound (which worked) but once I try to make a DV mp4 with that new iso, no more advanced options(where you can select the single layer or dual layer)
I'm curious, were you able to create a DV mp4 without sound using dvdfab?

[RESET_9999]

damn! none of my profile 5 DV mp4 remux works on the appleTV ( mrmc or plex)... even the LG profile 5 demos failed to play, only the sound works.
the only DV file that works is the LG demo profile 4 (.ts)... I'll have to read that mrmc thread.

I guess only people with eARC HDMI like the C9 can play mp4 remux with object-based audio for now.
I hope the C8 will get updated via firmware because DV mp4 with DTS-X (or eventually atmos) works just fine directly in the USB port of the TV.

[Grencola]

I'm curious, were you able to create a DV mp4 without sound using dvdfab?

Yeah you just deselect the audio track.

damn! none of my profile 5 DV mp4 remux works on the appleTV ( mrmc or plex)... even the LG profile 5 demos failed to play, only the sound works.
the only DV file that works is the LG demo profile 4 (.ts)... I'll have to read that mrmc thread.

I guess only people with eARC HDMI like the C9 can play mp4 remux with object-based audio for now.
I hope the C8 will get updated via firmware because DV mp4 with DTS-X (or eventually atmos) works just fine directly in the USB port of the TV.

you should really read that link I sent. it says how you can try out the new mrmc beta version that has worked for those who tried.

[RESET_9999]

yeah you just deselect the audio track.

it doesn't work on my end. I can uncheck all the audio but I have to leave at least one checked, it won't uncheck.
I tried to re-install dvdfab but still the same issue. weird...

[MastaG]

So I did some quick testing using my Plex server and my LG C8 television.

I've compiled ffmpeg, gpac (for MP4Box) and dolby's mp4muxer from source.
Now when I take a look at the decrypted 4K bluray of Alita:

Code: Select all

$ ffmpeg -i bluray:.
...
Input #0, mpegts, from 'bluray:.':
  Duration: 00:03:28.21, start: 11.646667, bitrate: 2251891 kb/s
  Program 1 
    Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: hevc (Main 10) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p10le(tv, bt2020nc/bt2020/smpte2084), 3840x2160 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 90k tbn, 23.98 tbc
    Stream #0:1[0x1015]: Video: hevc (Main 10) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p10le(tv, bt2020nc/bt2020/smpte2084), 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 90k tbn, 23.98 tbc
    Stream #0:2[0x1100]: Audio: truehd (AC-3 / 0x332D4341), 48000 Hz, 7.1, s32 (24 bit)
    Stream #0:3[0x1100]: Audio: ac3 (AC-3 / 0x332D4341), 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 640 kb/s
    Stream #0:4[0x1101]: Audio: dts (DTS-HD MA) ([134][0][0][0] / 0x0086), 48000 Hz, stereo, s32p (24 bit)
...

So I decided to demux the tracks and convert the dolby truehd 7.1 audio track to lpcm 7.1.
Thanks to yusesope over at mrmc: https://forum.mrmc.tv/viewtopic.php?f=1 ... 310#p25425

Code: Select all

ffmpeg -i bluray:. \
	-map 0:0 -c copy video_bl.hevc \
	-map 0:1 -c copy video_el.hevc \
	-map 0:2 -c:a pcm_s24be -ar 48000 -rf64 auto audio_lpcm.mov \
	-map 0:3 -c copy audio_dd.ac3

So this leaves me with the following files:
video_bl.hevc = HDR10+ base layer
video_el.hevc = Dolby Vision enhanced layer
audio_lpcm.mov = 7.1 LPCM Audio converted from Dolby TrueHD track
audio_dd.ac3 = 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio track

Now I created two mpeg4 files, one with ac3 audio and one with lpcm audio.
For ac3:

Code: Select all

mp4muxer --dv-profile 7 -i video_bl.hevc -i video_el.hevc -i audio_dd.ac3 -o alita_dovi_ac3_audio.mp4

For lpcm:

Code: Select all

mp4muxer --dv-profile 7 -i video_bl.hevc -i video_el.hevc -o alita_dovi_no_audio.mp4
MP4Box -add alita_dovi_no_audio:rate=0 -add audio_lpcm.mov:disable -brand mp42isom -ab dby1 -no-iod alita_dovi_lpcm_audio.mp4

Now when I play alita_dovi_ac3_audio.mp4 in Plex, which was muxed with mp4muxer only, I'm getting the Dolby Vision logo in the upper-right corner and all works well.

But when I play alita_dovi_lpcm_audio.mp4 in Plex, I'm getting the 7.1 lpcm audio but the video will only show HDR10...

So either MP4Box breaks the mp4 container when adding the lpcm audio or my LG tv simply doesn't activate Dolby Vision when it detects anything other than ac3 audio ?

I was wondering whether this would be solved when I mux the two layers (video_bl.hevc and video_el.hevc) together with DVDFab and then add the lpcm 7.1 audio track to the mp4 container.
Then technically there's only a single Dolby Vision layer so my tv can't deny it right?

[yusesope]

yeah you just deselect the audio track.

it doesn't work on my end. I can uncheck all the audio but I have to leave at least one checked, it won't uncheck.
I tried to re-install dvdfab but still the same issue. weird...

You can also choose to import only the video track when you use mp4box (and thus ignore the audio generated by DVDFab):

mp4box.exe -add %userprofile%\Desktop\dvdfab_out.mp4#1 -add %userprofile%\Desktop\lpcm.mov -brand mp42isom -ab dby1 %userprofile%\Desktop\mp4box_out.mp4

[daddy]

So either MP4Box breaks the mp4 container when adding the lpcm audio or my LG tv simply doesn't activate Dolby Vision when it detects anything other than ac3 audio ?

I did the exact same method (mux DV then add trueHD converted to PCM audio) with Fantastic beast 2 and it works. Dolby Vision logo on the tv (C7) and pcm audio.
So i think your problem doesn't come from MP4box or from the C8.

Perhaps you should look on the Plex side, or try to read your test file from an usb drive (3 min 28 shouldn't take too much storage)

[MastaG]

So either MP4Box breaks the mp4 container when adding the lpcm audio or my LG tv simply doesn't activate Dolby Vision when it detects anything other than ac3 audio ?

I did the exact same method (mux DV then add trueHD converted to PCM audio) with Fantastic beast 2 and it works. Dolby Vision logo on the tv (C7) and pcm audio.
So i think your problem doesn't come from MP4box or from the C8.

Perhaps you should look on the Plex side, or try to read your test file from an usb drive (3 min 28 shouldn't take too much storage)

Thanks I'll give it a shot using my USB drive
Btw, when muxing the lpcm audio track using mp4box.
Did you also disable the audio track (with :disable) and put these options: -brand mp42isom -ab dby1

[RESET_9999]

You can also choose to import only the video track when you use mp4box (and thus ignore the audio generated by DVDFab):

mp4box.exe -add %userprofile%\Desktop\dvdfab_out.mp4#1 -add %userprofile%\Desktop\lpcm.mov -brand mp42isom -ab dby1 %userprofile%\Desktop\mp4box_out.mp4

Thanks! it works...

[MastaG]

So either MP4Box breaks the mp4 container when adding the lpcm audio or my LG tv simply doesn't activate Dolby Vision when it detects anything other than ac3 audio ?

I did the exact same method (mux DV then add trueHD converted to PCM audio) with Fantastic beast 2 and it works. Dolby Vision logo on the tv (C7) and pcm audio.
So i think your problem doesn't come from MP4box or from the C8.

Perhaps you should look on the Plex side, or try to read your test file from an usb drive (3 min 28 shouldn't take too much storage)

Thanks I'll give it a shot using my USB drive
Btw, when muxing the lpcm audio track using mp4box.
Did you also disable the audio track (with :disable) and put these options: -brand mp42isom -ab dby1

Hell yeah!
It works from USB and also when using the XPlay client for plex!
It seems the official plex client will remux it due to the lpcm audio track which loses the DV enhanced layer. I will report it on the plex forums.

But XPlay and usb play DV + 7.1 audio just fine

But I now realise I'm sending back the audio to my denon avr using regular arc (not e-arc) which only supports up to dolby digital plus.

Some questions:
1.If I select dolby digital plus for arc output, do you think the tv will try its best to convert the lpcm stream to a high quality 7.1 eac3 stream for my receiver?

2. Let's say I buy the DVDFab software and merge the two DV layers together.
Would it then be possible to store the single layer DV hevc track into a mkv (or some other) container together with the truehd audio and atmos metadata?
(so without converting it to lpcm).

[Grencola]

Some questions:
1.If I select dolby digital plus for arc output, do you think the tv will try its best to convert the lpcm stream to a high quality 7.1 eac3 stream for my receiver?

it should down sample the audio to its best supported format, but it would be no different than just choosing eac3 audio when making your mp4.

2. Let's say I buy the DVDFab software and merge the two DV layers together.
Would it then be possible to store the single layer DV hevc track into a mkv (or some other) container together with the truehd audio and atmos metadata?
(so without converting it to lpcm).

the dv rpu data is written directly into the mp4 container (think of it like a secret layer) and not hardcoded to the video track. so when that single layer video track is removed from the mp4 it won't have any dv info and will just give you hdr10. if there was public rpu demuxing/muxing software then you could do it. weeks ago I tried getting DVDFab to use .ts instead as it supports everything we want, but there's been no response.

[MastaG]

Some questions:
1.If I select dolby digital plus for arc output, do you think the tv will try its best to convert the lpcm stream to a high quality 7.1 eac3 stream for my receiver?

it should down sample the audio to its best supported format, but it would be no different than just choosing eac3 audio when making your mp4.

2. Let's say I buy the DVDFab software and merge the two DV layers together.
Would it then be possible to store the single layer DV hevc track into a mkv (or some other) container together with the truehd audio and atmos metadata?
(so without converting it to lpcm).

the dv rpu data is written directly into the mp4 container (think of it like a secret layer) and not hardcoded to the video track. so when that single layer video track is removed from the mp4 it won't have any dv info and will just give you hdr10. if there was public rpu demuxing/muxing software then you could do it. weeks ago I tried getting DVDFab to use .ts instead as it supports everything we want, but there's been no response.

Thank you for explaining.
So if I understand correctly DV outside of a bluray container can currently only be muxed into a mpeg4 container.

So either store both layers using dolby's mp4muxer or create a single video layer using DVDFab.

What's currently the benefit or lets say usecase for buying DVDFab and creating a single layer DV video if it can only be stored inside a mpeg4 container?

Also is there any (commercial) software which can extract the truehd track (including the atmos metadata) and mux it into the existing mpeg4 container?

So we can have DV + truehd(atmos) inside a single mpeg4 container. (instead of converting to lpcm 7.1).