Using MakeMKV then Handbrake - adivce on creating MKVs

johnnyturbo3 · Member Joined: 31 May 2009 Location: United Kingdom

Hi there.

I've been looking for a solution to rip and convert my DVDs into .MKV with subtitles and chapters. After doing lots of different searches on google the best solution I have found is MakeMKV to rip and then using Handbrake to shrink the file.

However, the subtitle and chapter information is lost during the shrinking process.

Is there anyway around this?

What is the de facto method/application to encode movies to mkv usingany codec? I used AutoGK and Gordian knot in the past put I'm new to the whole MKV container thing.

Thanks for your help!

Baldrick · Administrator Joined: 09 Aug 2000 Location: Sweden

One method would be to use mkvtoolnix to load the makemkv mkv file and then load the new shrinked mkv and just replace the old video and audio files.

But can't you keep subs and chapters if you open the dvd/video_Ts folder directly in handbrake? I haven't tested it...

mpalm887 · Member Joined: 27 Oct 2007 Location: Canada

It's because MakeMKV doesn't keep the sub/chapter files in the same format that they exist as natively on the disk. In a Video_TS folder, handbrake is looking for the original files. I'm sure there is an easy walk-around in Handbrake and you may want to search a little in the handbrake forum. But personally I've come to the point where I use RipBot if there isn't any HD audio (so all DVD's).

IMO MKV is THE best container for DVD back-up. And personally I hardly shrink my files. HDD space comes too cheap and in the future I know I'm going to want as close to original audio/video quality as possible when my DVD is so beat-up it won't play anymore, or I've lost it. NMT are going to take over in my opinion as well and MKV's are brilliant containers.

Here's what I do for DVD rips: if the video fills an entire 16:9 frame and no cropping is needed then I may just use MakeMKV and pull out the subs, chapters, and unadulterated audio I need and be done with it. OR if I want to crop out the black lines I'll decrypt the DVD using DVD Decrypter (free) and then load the main VOB set into RipBot264. Do a direct stream copy of the DTS or AC3 and mildly compress the video using x264.

If you've got sub/chapter files that aren't being read by these front-end apps then I'd do what Baldrick recommended and use MKV Toolnix. It's a brilliant little bundle of GUI apps that can take apart your MKV from MakeMKV. Load the video only into handbrake or RipBot264 and crop/encode with x264. Then find the video file you've just made and load it along with the other parts of the former MKV (from MakeMKV) into MKV Merge and you are done!

Wolfen · Member Joined: 02 Jun 2009 Location: Canada

I have found for me anyways(WinXP) that the Mencoder GUI "MeGUI" is great after you use a decrypter like dvd decrypter or dvd Shrink etc. After I rip a dvd I run MeGUI and convert just my vob (in decryter settings don't split vob) into a rawavc (.264)which takes about an hour, then mux the original ripped sound file from the dvd with the rawavc with MKMerge which takes about 5 minutes. You end up with a perfect .MKV file if everything(settings) were right. MeGUI is a little over whelming but once you get the hang of it is one of the best (FREE) tools around.