Make MKV Problem

[slammer120]

I've been using Make MKV to backup my collection of standard DVDs and, with a few exceptions, it works. However, BluRays are a different issue. After ripping a BluRay, it plays on the computer flawlessly with BD-quality video and sound; however, when I try to play it on my LG TV set model OLED65B2PUA using the USB port, there is either no audio at all or some narration audio that describes what is happening in the movie like it was audio for the blind. I choose the English language in MakeMKV but it doesn't seem to matter. All I get is narration or no audio at all. Maybe the TV can't handle the audio but the set is only 2 years old - manufactured in September 2022.

[flashandpan007]

DTS support was dropped by more TV manufacturers some time ago. Maybe the audio stream of the problematic files is DTS.

Get a HTPC oder an external media player if you want to play these back.
Alternatively reencode the audio to play it using the internal player of the TV.

[october262]

I've been using Make MKV to backup my collection of standard DVDs and, with a few exceptions, it works. However, BluRays are a different issue. After ripping a BluRay, it plays on the computer flawlessly with BD-quality video and sound; however, when I try to play it on my LG TV set model OLED65B2PUA using the USB port, there is either no audio at all or some narration audio that describes what is happening in the movie like it was audio for the blind. I choose the English language in MakeMKV but it doesn't seem to matter. All I get is narration or no audio at all. Maybe the TV can't handle the audio but the set is only 2 years old - manufactured in September 2022.

try this - https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24739
Enable "Expert mode" on the preferences General page, and Advanced will appear.
retry your BluRay discs again.

[netmask56]

It's possible you chose the wrong title. Often there will be several versions on the disc and the narration version is another track. There will always be an AC3 track as it is part of the standard select that instead of the DTS as others have posted many TV manufacturers are dropping support because they won't pay the DTS license fee. SONY is one of the few manufacturers that support all the formats.

[slammer120]

Thanks to everyone but special thanks to october262 - I didn't realize that DTS support was something that was taken out of newer sets - thought my set might be too old - but changing the settings fixed the issue.

[flashandpan007]

What did you change in settings?

[slammer120]

I do have another issue when using Make MKV: For some movies, the aspect ratio appears to be correct but the video doesn't fill the screen - it appears to be 16:9 but the picture is centered in the screen and does not extend to the borders - noticed this with movies like "The King and I" and "The Longest Day".

[slammer120]

What did you change in settings?

I changed View>Preferences>General and checked Expert Mode. Then, when ripping the disc there is a "Profile" selection below the Make MKV button. I select AAC - Stereo in place of Default and the audio track now plays in the LG TV.

[flashandpan007]

Glad I could help you with the DTS issue.

These movies will be 4:3 encoded as 16:9 with black vertical bars on the left and right. But how these will create problems, I don't know. Please download MediaInfo and post log of new mkv file as text here. Maybe I can see more then.

[Alwyn]

I do have another issue when using Make MKV: For some movies, the aspect ratio appears to be correct but the video doesn't fill the screen - it appears to be 16:9 but the picture is centered in the screen and does not extend to the borders - noticed this with movies like "The King and I" and "The Longest Day".

Something is definitely off there. A YT trailer for the longest day is 16:9, but even that doesn't look right to me. I think it should be 1.85:1 (the heads are too elongated vertically at 16:9), so if the MKV is coming out as 4:3, I think something is amiss. At the very least, there should be no side bars (pillars).

Can you give us a screen shot of what you're seeing?

How does the disk look when played on your TV (assuming it's a 16:9)? I expect you'll see thin top and bottom bars (letterboxing)?

Edit: looking at it further, if that trailer is correct, it could be squashed even more vertically to something like 2.19:1.

Edit 2: arr well, there you go. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056197/technical/

It is conceivable that the disk version has had the sides cropped off so it better-fits 16:9 screens. In any case, as I say above, you shouldn't have any side bars, whatever cropping has been done.

[slammer120]

I checked the MKV file with MediaInfo and I also right clicked on one of the VOB files directly from the disc - didn't know whether it would read it or not since I assume it is encrypted. The attached file shows the results and, in both cases, it is calling it a 720x480 with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The DVD container calls it a Widescreen at 2:55:1, and it shows as a narrow strip of video in the center of the screen when played in a DVD player with bars above and below but not on the right or left. When extracted and playing the MKV file, it shows up with bars at the top, bottom, right, and left sides of the screen.

[Alwyn]

Sounds like MakeMKV is making a hash of the ripping. You shouldn't be getting any black side bars (pillars). Can you post a 30 second clip of the ripped video; a section with movement would be good. Don't re-encode it, just clip/snip.
Use AVIDemux, as per my guide here.

Another good ripper for DVDs is DVDShrink, then convert it's output to MPEG with AVIDemux.

DVDShrink ripping:
For Main Movie only
• Choose Re-Author.
• ON the DVD Browser tab, drag the main title to the left window
• On the Compression tab:
• Choose no compression
• Untick all unwanted Audio and subpicture items

• Click Backup!

If you want, Edit>Preferences> Output Files tab and untick 1gb chunks. You’ll then get 1 big VOB.

[cholla]

You didn't post if the blu ray was a 4k BDAV which MakeMkv has problems ripping from what I read.
I have not tested this.
It is the same with DVDFab Passkeyeven the full version.
I recommend you try Passkey anyway,
I has a trial version which becomes Passkey Lite after the trial.
Passkey Lite is lifetime freeware it works on many blu ray formats,
one of it's main restrictions is it will not decryrpt the newest BDs.
After they are 60 or 90 days old it will.
This way the rip to BD folders will be decrypted.
Then if you want a .mkv file for the bluray try MakeMkv.
Or other conversion software Like avidemux,Handbrake,or even ffmpeg(try Clever a GUI for ffmpeg).

@ Alwyn,
I use DVDShrink on a lot of DVDs but for most newer DVDs it needs a decrypter.
My favorite for working with TV series DVDs when you want to seperate the episodes.
Passkey works well for this & I believe that Passkey Lite would also.
I have the Passkey full version & I have note tested Passkey Lite.
The old AnyDVD HD still also works on many DVDs.

[netmask56]

I checked the MKV file with MediaInfo and I also right clicked on one of the VOB files directly from the disc - didn't know whether it would read it or not since I assume it is encrypted. The attached file shows the results and, in both cases, it is calling it a 720x480 with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The DVD container calls it a Widescreen at 2:55:1, and it shows as a narrow strip of video in the center of the screen when played in a DVD player with bars above and below but not on the right or left. When extracted and playing the MKV file, it shows up with bars at the top, bottom, right, and left sides of the screen.

DVD's when showing widescreen movies present the correct AR of the movie as a postage stamp size within the standard 4:3 canvas ie black bars all around the image unless it is Anamorphic see https://www.widescreenmuseum.com/index.htm

[slammer120]

Alwyn,

Attached is a clip of the King and I that shows the pillars on the left and right that are seen when opening the clip using VLC or watching it on TV.

[Lostion]

Thats like the bluray is. The disc looks horrible, MakeMKV has no transcoding option, the picture is 16:9 (like all BluRay ARs) with black borders added into the videostream by the company.

Why? I have no idea.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-King-and-I-Blu-ray/47170/

Video
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC (30.33 Mbps)
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.55:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.55:1

Horrible AR.

[flashandpan007]

Video is encoded as 4:3 which has black bars on top and on the bottom of the video (letterboxed). The player sees it at 4:3 and adds additionally black bars to the left and right (pillarboxed).
One can crop the video, or simply use pan&scan.
If you play the DVD with VLC, is it the same? It should be because MakeMKV does not alter the video and audio, it just muxes it into another container.

[slammer120]

If I play the DVD using VLC, it is the same but if I play it through a DVD player at least the left and right pillars are gone although the video appears in letterbox format since it is "supposedly" 2:55:1 according to the information on the DVD box. Can I crop right and left, top and bottom with some application?

[Lostion]

With Handbrake that is possible.

Maybe the DVD Player plays it in 16:9 and zooms it? That could be the case here. You could change the AR to 16:9 instead of 4:3 with mkvtoolnix.

No 16:9 doesnt make the trick.

[davexnet]

The pillar boxing bars left and right are less than 8 pixels, I think it's fairly common.
Seems this movie should have been encoded in an anamorphic frame, movie is so wide, the active picture so small,
it looks silly in the 4:3 presentation

[Alwyn]

Looks like a 2.55:1 movie, as per the box. Agree with Dave. Yul Brinner has a very fat head! but everybody else looks normal...

This can be fixed in AVIDemux. Crop the black stuff off, resize to 1920x752 and re-encode. Let us know if you need help with that.

I don't exactly understand how it did it, but AVIDemux has removed (decimated) the duplicate frame (every 5th frame) and changed the speed to the correct film speed of 23.976, but it's variable.

[Alwyn]

Here's my tute on this (bottom of page). I don't have an NTSC DVD that has the duped 5th frame so can't test audio syncing.

[netmask56]

Aspect ratio of the King and I

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049408/technical/

[Alwyn]

Aspect ratio of the King and I

Which one is it?

Brynner (who I think has a fatter head than normal)
2.2:1

[Attachment 81549 - Click to enlarge]

2.55:1

[Attachment 81550 - Click to enlarge]

Girls (not exactly the same frame, CBA)
2.2:1

[Attachment 81551 - Click to enlarge]

2.55:1

[Attachment 81552 - Click to enlarge]

I'm staying with 2.55:1.

[netmask56]

It depends on which version you have
Aspect ratio

2.20 : 1(70 mm version)2.55 : 1

Cinematographic Process

Grandeur 70(1961 70 mm version)Spherical(4: 3 pan and scan versions)CinemaScope 55(as A Cinemascope Picture and as A CinemaScope Picture also)