Help with or alternatives to Handbrake?

[Ronin2300]

Hey guys hope some of the experts in here can help me out with this question.

I've gotten an AppleTV and I want to convert my DVD and Blu Ray collection to I can store it all digital to be viewed on the Apple TV. So far I've been using AnyDVD to rip the Blu Rays to the harddrive and then I use Handbrake to convert to the proper format for iTunes and the Apple TV.

Lately however Handbrake has let me down. I start the convertion as normal and everything seem to be running smoothly. Handbrake converts and ends the whole thing but afterwards I can't open the files. They are in the right folder and take up space and everything but they won't play. Do any of you have an idea to fix the problem? I can convert to mkv format without a problem... I'm using PC by the way.

Is there an alternative to Handbrake for this conversion? I need to be able to add and play different audio tracks and I would like to be able to add subtitles as well. All this I can do ind Handbrake but I haven't found any other software with the same features in that regard.

[Baldrick]

Wont play at all(like with VLC Media player) or only with the appletv?


You can try vidcoder. It's another frontend for handbrake.

[jman98]

xvid4psp is another alternative. But I feel pretty strongly that having to convert to what Apple TV supports is foolish. Unless you fall into that "cheap bastard" category of people who place no value on their spare time as long as they don't have to spend any money, you'd be able to just rip your DVDs and BluRays and get on with your life with a Western Digital media player. DVDs can be ripped to ISOs, but the WD players don't really support BD per se, so for those you could rip and convert the movie to MKV or one giant TS or M2TS file. That would be much quicker than having to rip AND convert to what Apple TV likes. But some people are married to iTunes and if you can't live without using it to control your media, then your Apple TV route is the way to go.

[transporterfan]

Agree on xvid4psp. Great little app. MKV players are cheap these days, and even many of the 'bargain basement' variety off ebay can cope comfortably with a small external drive. I would look at using MakeMKV (still free at the moment) to convert my collection.

[brusno]

@Ronin_2300:

Could it be that you have changed some of the settings under "advanced"-tab in Handbrake, such that the mp4 file has been incompatible to play?

It happened to me once, I changed adaptive b-frames to optimal and adaptive direct mode to automatic and suddenly the standalone LG player wouldn't play it. But the iPad did however.

As an alternative I use a lot is staxrip. This can convert DVD and Blu Ray to mp4 and divx.

[Ronin2300]

The files won't play at all on the computer with either Windows Mediaplayer, VLC or any other player I tried so I haven't tried via the AppleTV. The funny thing is the problem only arises when I try to convert the Blu Ray rips. If I choose a MVK file er some other file there's no problem and that's what makes me crazy.

I use the Apple TV option because I use it for all my media and with iPad, iPhone and I use the AirPlay function a lot so moving from that setup is not an option for me right now

As far as I can tell I can only use MakeMKV for DVDs. The Blu Ray option in not included in the free version?

[transporterfan]

All features (including Blu-ray decryption and processing) are free during BETA. (from main site)
Unless it's gone out of beta it should still work. Not sure as I use AnyDVD.
You need to get the monthly serial key from the main site.

[Ronin2300]

Well regardless the ripping part of the proces is not the problem af this works just fine with AnyDVD The problem is getting the Blu Ray rip to a format that playes with iTunes and AppleTV and has the option af different audiotracks for languages and subtitles.

That used to work with Handbrake but for some reason Handbrake has started screwing with me and just producing 4 GB files that can't play

[Baldrick]

And you are using same handbrake version as before?
And no other problems with files on your hdd?

YOu can also try the latest handbrake beta builds from https://build.handbrake.fr/view/Nightlies/job/Windows/ .

[Moontrash]

try ripbot

[Ronin2300]

And you are using same handbrake version as before?
And no other problems with files on your hdd?

YOu can also try the latest handbrake beta builds from https://build.handbrake.fr/view/Nightlies/job/Windows/ .

As far as I can tell it's the same version. The only media files I havde any trouble with are the ones mentioned before.

try ripbot

Well I did but it doesn't have all the functions that i need. As far as I can tell I'm not able to add more than one audio track for multiple languages and so forth. I might just be a n00b but I can't find it if the function is there somewhere

When I rip the Blu Rays to the harddrive it in a folder and not a sigle file and RipBot can't work with that either.

[Baldrick]

Have you tried remux the mp4 that handbrake creates? With mymp4boxgui, open mp4 and make a new one. Maybe some corrupt headers.

Or make a mkv and use mkvtomp4 after. No reconversion.

And ripbot264 supports a blu-ray folder, you just select the first m2ts file and it will scan the blu-ray.

Most converters does not support several audio tracks directly.

[Ronin2300]

Or make a mkv and use mkvtomp4 after. No reconversion.

Great! This seems to be the best solution by far! Thanks for the tip