Converted audio renders MKV unplayable

[76pfred]

Hi all,

I've been experimenting with video & audio conversions for some time & this is the first time I've come across this problem.

I've remuxed my Star Wars BD's to MKV to be played via my WDTV Live SMP. As the WDTV doesn't support DTSMA I usually convert the audio to flac (using the Arcsoft decoder & eac3to).
Problem is, any audio other than the original DTSHD track renders the MKV unplayable on the WDTV (I get a file type not supported error message). If i keep the DTSHD track it's recognised & plays fine.
I've tried numerous variants of format & container (M2TS with LPCM etc) & several different converters, all with the same result; 'File not recognised'. Strange thing is, they play fine on the PC & it's never happened with any of my other ripped BD's, only these Star Wars ones.
The natural conclusion to come to is that it's a problem with the WDTV, but I'm curious to know if anyone else has had the same problem & if you managed to find a solution.

Cheers,
Fred.

[Baldrick]

Have you compared the video and audio tracks against some files that works? Use mediainfo to get all details.

[jman98]

Your post is contradictory. First you say

I've remuxed my Star Wars BD's to MKV to be played via my WDTV Live SMP. As the WDTV doesn't support DTSMA I usually convert the audio to flac (using the Arcsoft decoder & eac3to).

OK. Many of us have the WDTV and we understand this. But then you say

Problem is, any audio other than the original DTSHD track renders the MKV unplayable on the WDTV (I get a file type not supported error message). If i keep the DTSHD track it's recognised & plays fine.

If it "plays fine" then you don't have a problem. Does it or does not "play fine" if using DTS-MA in the MKV on the WDTV? Playing fine on the PC only proves that the audio is OK, not that the WDTV can play it.

Probably not the answer you're looking for, but if you use eac3to to convert your audio to AC3, it will probably work.

[hello_hello]

Does the WDTV support header compression removal? I'm just wondering if the the MKVs have been remuxed using it after the audio has been converted?

[76pfred]

Does it or does not "play fine" if using DTS-MA in the MKV on the WDTV? Playing fine on the PC only proves that the audio is OK, not that the WDTV can play it.

Probably not the answer you're looking for, but if you use eac3to to convert your audio to AC3, it will probably work.

Sorry if I wasn't clear;
I extract the uncompressed tracks from the BD, convert the audio & then remux to MKV.
Any combination of audio & container plays fine on the PC. The WDTV will only recognise the file (regardles of container) if the audio is the original unconverted DTSHD track.

I convert the DTSHD to PCM or flac so that I can pass through some form of HD audio signal to the receiver. If I was to convert the DTSHD to AC3 I'm no better off than I would be with the DTS core that is currently passed through by the WDTV.

[76pfred]

Have you compared the video and audio tracks against some files that works? Use mediainfo to get all details.

I have & there is no obvious discrepancy that I can see.

[_Al_]

Does the WDTV support header compression removal?

WDTV Live Plus plays those files, latest fw, but OP has WDTV Live SMP who knows.

Is length for that audio the same as video? ClownBD demuxes to streams with the option to re-encode main audio to AC3 (if it is DTS MA then just check one box) then video+those two audio streams mux with mkvmerge. Never had a problem. Never tried Star Wars unfortunately and I never will I guess .ClownBD uses eac3to as well but with those BD's it is all about to pull right length or get right playlist together I think.

[76pfred]

Update:

I've discovered that the issue I'm experiencing has something to do with the Arcsoft DTS decoder's (in conjunction with eac3to) inability to remap DTSHD 6.1 tracks when converting to another format (or something along those lines). DTSHD 5.1 & 7.1 pose no problem at all.
If I downmix the 6.1 track to to 5.1 when converting, the file plays fine.
Apparently, I'm not the first person to come across this rather specific conversion anomaly after all.

Is there another relatively easy way to losslessly convert DTSHD to WAV without using the Arcsoft & eac3to combination (my Googling has yielded no real clear answer)?