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  1. Hi everyone ...

    I'm brand spanking new to Blu-ray.

    I've been trying to convert "mkv files" to "blu-ray format" (BDMV and CERTIFICATE Folders) in preparation for burning them to Blu-ray 25 GB Disks.

    I'm using AVS Video Converter v8.1.2.510 ....

    When I view the "mkv file" using VLC Media Player it is flawless and beautiful .... when I view the outputted BDMV/CERTIFICATE files using the same VLC Media Player it jumps at spots, pixilates, breaks up in spots ....

    I'm thinking that it's "AVS Video Converter" .... any thoughts? Is there any recommendations for another converter that I could try?
    Thanks for any help

    BG
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  2. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    Use avchdcoder or bdtoavchd instead. Both are free and very good mkv to blu-ray converters. They will not reconvert the mkv if it's already blu-ray compliant also.
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  3. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Also try multiavchd.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  4. I looked at the "Screen Shot" for BDtoAVCHD ...... HELP !!!!!

    Any tutorials to help me understand all of the options/selections?

    Thanks ...

    BG
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  5. Morning everyone ....

    I did some "BDtoAVCHD" reading and downloading over coffee this AM ..... didn't install yet though ... had a couple of questions.

    Most of the "Help" talks about converting to AVCHD format so that Blu-ray will fit on DVD5 or DVD9 .... will it also convert a mkv file to straight Blu-ray format where I have a BDMV and CERTIFICATE Folder with no loss, no compression, and I burn it onto a 25GB BD-R disc? That's what I want to be able to do .... if it can I will install latter today after work and start playing around.

    Thanks .... BG
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  6. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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  7. I decided to jump into the deep end .....

    I installed Java 6 and BDtoAVCHD v1.6.5 ..... using it was pretty straight forward .... it looked more intimidating than it was ... it's converting right now. I'll post my findings when it's finished.

    BG
    Last edited by BigGreenie; 4th Jan 2012 at 06:17.
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  8. OK .... conversion complete.

    Wish I knew how long it took cause I let it run when I left for work. I used the "MEDIUM" setting for "speed vs qaulity" ... which was the default for X264. Th problems that I had with AVS Converter are gone. No jumping, pixilating, or sound issues.

    I compared the MKV File to the Converted Blu-ray copy using VLC Viewer .... I'd say that the MKV File is ever so slightly sharper.

    Here's all of the Speed vs Quality Choices

    Ultrafast (High Speed)
    Super Fast
    Very Fast
    Faster
    Fast
    Medium (x264 default)
    Slow
    Slower
    Very Slow
    Placebo (High Quality)

    So there are 4 options that will deliver better quality ... guess it depends om how much time you want to spend.

    I'm going to do it again .... this time I'll use "Slower" .... hopefully it will be finished before bedtime.

    More news to come ...

    BG
    Last edited by BigGreenie; 4th Jan 2012 at 17:00. Reason: added pc info
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  9. I almost forgot ... this is on an intel i7-950 CPU System with 6 GB of memory using an SSD drive for temp space and 1 raid0 array for mkv source and a 2nd raid0 array for Blu-ray output files
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  10. I guess you're using BD25 (single-layer BDR) target size? If so, it's gonna be hard to tell the difference between medium and slower settings. The bitrate will be ample for the average length movie; most of the quality hit will be because of the (unavoidable) lossy re-encode. Notice the very slowest and highest quality setting is called "placebo"?

    Anyway, good luck and welcome to the forum.

    [EDIT] I should probably clarify my remarks. Slower encoder settings simply perform more intensive calculations to allocate bitrate more efficiently. So with variable bitrate a high motion scene, for instance, gets more bits than a still scene.

    Now, I'm quite certain that I personally would not be able to distinguish the two (medium vs. slower) just by watching them.

    As to what I mean by "lossy re-encode", you could force a re-encode to twice the bitrate of the original and the result would still be inferior to the original. Any re-encode with a lossy codec means quality degrades, even if it's so slight you can't distinguish it. OTOH, if you can lose unwanted subtitle and audio tracks, or perhaps re-encode the audio only to AC3 640 kbs, oftentimes a Blu-Ray movie will fit a BDR without having to re-encode the video.
    Last edited by fritzi93; 4th Jan 2012 at 21:46.
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  11. Well I just woke up in the middle of the night .... getting used to being back at work after a long vacation and I'm getting adjusted to my "work" schedule ..... the conversion is "still" running .... it's in step 2/3 and has 8 hours to go ....

    using the "slower" ain't gonna make the cut ... TOOOOOOOO long.

    I was doing some reading yesterday too and I am gonna explore another option.

    Here's what this is all about .... I got a new TV for the Bedroom PLUS a PS3. My plan was to take these "mkv" files, convert them to Blu-ray format, burn them on BD-25 disks and play them in the PS3 .... well I'm finding out that I can setup a Media Server on my PC, grab a new codec for WMV and stream mkv files that are on my PC via netwotk, through the PS3 and to my TV.

    I'm not sure yet how good the "streaming" will be. Right now I am wireless ... I may need "hard-line" .... and if even that will provide suffficent speed .... worth a shot.

    More to come about both approaches .... BG
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  12. Originally Posted by fritzi93 View Post
    As to what I mean by "lossy re-encode", you could force a re-encode to twice the bitrate of the original and the result would still be inferior to the original. Any re-encode with a lossy codec means quality degrades, even if it's so slight you can't distinguish it. OTOH, if you can lose unwanted subtitle and audio tracks, or perhaps re-encode the audio only to AC3 640 kbs, oftentimes a Blu-Ray movie will fit a BDR without having to re-encode the video.
    fritzi93,

    I don't really understand all this encode stuff, and what causes quality loss and what doesn't. And when it's needed, when it's not, and what it can accomplish.

    Is there any reading that I can do? I'd really like to better understand all of the in-and-outs of processing video. I'm always playing with something but never really understand what I'm doing. Not understanding just doesn't sit well with me.

    Thanks .... BG
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  13. Start by reading the "What Is" heading top left of the page, and refer often to the Glossary. Then read some articles.

    There's a lot to know in digital video, even for the most narrowly defined purpose. But the hobby is endlessly interesting, because you'll never know it all, and by that time what you've learned may be semi-obsolete. You'll need patience and persistence. Good luck.
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  14. So if someone had a Blu-ray Disk and ripped it into a "mkv" file .... that's encoding and there will be some loss?

    And then if I turn around and convert that "mkv" file back into Blu-ray format ... that again is encoding and again there will be some loss?

    When the glossary says changing video format is encoding, I'm assuming going from "mkv" to "blu-ray" is changning format? Or can you use the same codecs for both "mkv" and "blu-ray" and then it is really a "repackaging" and not a "format change" (not encoding)

    BG
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  15. 1) Not necessarily. The container has been changed, certainly. Like pouring wine from a bottle into a carafe, different container, same contents. Which is *not* to say the contents may not indeed have been re-encoded to fit a certain target size. (Most MKVs containing high-definition video use the same BD specification codecs. If it's a "BD Rip" it definitely will).

    2) Again, not necessarily. If the original was not cropped to a non-compliant resolution (for BD) while making the MKV, you could then remux to Blu-Ray without re-encoding. And it would then play okay on a standalone.

    3) You're getting the idea here.

    BTW, the term "ripping" is the cause of endless confusion. What it actually means is copying to hard drive, and usually having to decrypt the disc as well. People confuse this with encoding. (DVDFab is a prime culprit, they confound the terms when they should know better.)
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  16. I just read in the glossary about "codec"

    "An acronym for "compression/deccompression", a codec is an algorithm or specialized computer program that encodes or reduces the number of bytes consumed by large files and programs."

    I didn't realize that codec was compression/decompression .... so using any codec implies that something was compressed or decompressed or "encoded" ..... is that correct?

    So is there a format that is "not compressed" .... lets say the "cleanest, most accurate, and original"???

    Like in Digital Photography there are pictures taken in "RAW" format ... pretty much untoched image right off of the cameras sensor .... Sorta like a TIFF Format untouched, JPG uses a "codec" of sorts and is "touched", "encoded" "compressed". What are those formats? or How can you tell if a video file is in or close to untouched format?

    BG

    I was just thinking ..... would a "Blu-ray" movie in "RAW" format be one that was in the same "folder type" format that you would find on the Blu-ray disk itself? Like with BDMV and CERTIFICATE Folders? Like a DVD with AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders? Does the fact that the "Blu-ray" movie is now in "MKV" Format mean that it was encoded or could it be that the video and audio "may not" have been compressed but only put into a different scheme of packaging?

    Thanks .... BG



    Last edited by BigGreenie; 7th Jan 2012 at 02:15. Reason: added some info
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  17. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    Yes, there is an uncompressed/raw video format but it would be HUGE like a 1920x1080 in 24 fps would be around 334GB/hour. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncompressed_video . But Blu-ray video is not uncompressed.
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  18. Originally Posted by Baldrick View Post
    But Blu-ray video is not uncompressed.

    I did not know that .... but I'm assuming that "for now" Blu-ray Disks are the best we have to go with as far as a portable/viewable media.

    BG
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