Avi to Mp4/AVC for PS3 Playstation 3 with subs - VirtualDubMod

[moses6533]

I have been trying to find a way to make ps3 playable mp4's with subtitles without having to re-encode the video soo many times. The only method that works so far is using VirtualDubMod to add permanent subtitles then use PS3 Video 9 to convert to Mp4.
Only problem is that means re-encoding the video twice which highly degrades the video quality. Thats once for subs and twice to mp4.
I have tried using YAMB to mux the .srt and .ttxt(GPAC TTXT) but neither shows up (I don't think ps3 can read any sub streams from mp4's).
I had a few videos that had subs already embedded in them, but as fars as i can tell the were subpics, which i guess is how VirtualDubMod adds subtitles. But you can't add these without re-encoding the video, and if I want to keep the original file size that means taking a bit hit on quality. I even tried just adding and .srt "stream" in Virtual dub with direct video copying, but then the end result file doesn't show any subs, they kinda just get dropped off in the process i guess, unless you re-encode the video.
So the BIG question is, is there a way to embed subtitles without re-encoding the video portion of the movie?
And belive me when i say i have tried just about everything. I tried using AviSub to mux idx/sub (vobsubs) , but they don't show. I tried using Avi- mUx Gui (for .srt and .ssa), but the subs don't show, i tried converting and muxing many subs using Subtitle Workshop, I tired using AViDemux2.3, Muxman, Pgcdemux, Super (doesn't support subs, and is Super slow, but does make great PS3 supported videos, while stripping away any type of subs).
I have been working on this for about 3 weeks everyday (very time consuming converting, encoding, muxing, etc.) and in the end i have learned much about videos, but nothing to help me make quality ps3 playable mp4's with subs.
In addition i did notice that in VirtualDubMod in the Compression> Xvid > Configure > Calc there is a place for opening the subtitle files to check there size, but i guess that is for the filter> vobSub or Txtsub , because if you go streams and try to add, it only lets you add .srt's but i can't seem to get these to stay and they might not even work on the PS3.
I wish i knew exactly what the PS3 would play as far as subtitles, it's very picky about video and audio though, pretty much favors AVC (h264/x264 with AAC audio, and as far as i can tell only subpic subtitles [is that the same as b-frames?] ), but it will also play mpeg-1, mpeg-2, mpeg 4 (ffmpeg codec only, i think) and also will play mp3 audio. Will Not do avi, Xvid, Divx, OGM, MKV, OGG/Vorbix, 3gp, ggp, ttxt (GPAC TTXT), srt, ssa, etc. none of that is supported.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[jagabo]

Can you frameserve from VirtualDubMod to PS3 Video 9? Frameserving from AVISynth would be even better.

[BJ_M]

not news -- moving you

[moses6533]

I just wanted to say quickly in my earlier post i meant ffmpeg encoder not codec. I checked one file that i used the MPEG-4 Profile in PS3 Video 9 and it says MPEG-4 (Divx) in Avidemux, so i was wrong about Divx, i opened the file in AviDemux to check the info and it says codec 4cc DIVX, and that is from one of my videos that wouldn't work as H264. Regardless....doesn't help with my subs. But maybe i can skip one re-encoding if i use DIVX compression instead of Xvid, in virtualDubMod.
But i don't think VirtualDubMod has any AAC audio options. So i would have to mux an AAC audio track to it, then i have to worry about sync issues. Not even sure which of these tools would mux AAC audio with the least configuration.

I wonder if i use DIVX compression, and MP3 audio (which should play on PS3) and put them in mp4 container if that would work, but i don't think you are suppose to put mp3 audio in an mp4 container O_O

As far as framewerving from VirtualDubMod to PS3 Video 9, i am not sure if it can be done. As well as AVISynth, but PS3 Video 9 does have some options for using AVISynth, but no control over it, just some checkboxes for AVISynth.

Just a though, Avidemux does have option for all of the PS3 supported types like FAAC Audio
(i guess this is the same as AAC), x264 Video, subtitle filters, but it has sooooooo many settings for Quantizer, Partiton Decision, Method, Range, Chroma ME, Mixed Refs, Max Ref. frames, sample A/R, Deblocking filter, CABAC Trellis, Noise Reduction, Partiton Macroblocks, B-Frames, Bias, Bidirectional ME, Adaptive DCT, Weighted Bip Redirection, B-Frame direct mode, rate control, key frame boot, B-Frame reduction, Bitrate Variablity, min QP, Max QP, Max QP step, Scene cut threshold, min IDR frame interval, max IDR frame interval. I have no ideal what 95% of that stuff means, and i can't ever get a decent working video from this, they skip alot, and at the begging of opening a video you have to build a VBR timemap, and Tool > Rebuild Frame, if the source is H264 you have to use some other mode to prevent stuttering, but it still stutters. This would probably be a great program if it had some like preset profile for ps3. But i guess it depends on the source files as well.

I haven't had any sync issues using VirtualDubMod, but i just really haven't had any luck with Avidemux although it offers all the options i need.

[moses6533]

Where does this move to? a new thread? I am new.

[moses6533]

Nevermind, i see now.

[moses6533]

Well i have kinda given up on trying to convert movies to a playable PS3 (game OS only), it just way too picky. I have decided to install Linux Yellow Dog v5.0 for PS3 (it's free). I should have done that a long time ago anyways. But if anyone is intrested i have learned much about what it will and won't play:

Will Play:
Containers: .mp4
Video: AVC(H264) don't know about x264
Mpeg-4 (Divx) i don't know about Xvid
Mpeg-1
Mpeg-2
Audio: AAC (ps3 preffered audio)
mp3 (by itself, i think, don't know if will work in an .mp4 container)
wma (in the 1.6 firmware update)
Subs: no "text based" subs (.srt, .ttxt, etc.) Internal(muxed) or external
i could not get the "image based/subpic" XSUB's to work (those are DIVX 6.0)
Can do idx/sub (vobsub's) [ only image based subs i know besides XSUB] but not
external idx/sub. Only ones added using the vobsub filter, i think if you use
textsub filter you can then use textbased subs
since they will be hardcoded to the frame.

ps3 will play my avi's (although the website says it can do some type of avi), will not play my .mkv, .rmvb,.mov, .ogm/.ogg, .divx (a newer container)

This is what i came up with from personal experience, if any one knows different please post it here and feel free to repost what i have learned of the capabilities of the ps3 game OS so far. Ofcourse keep in mind that with each ps3 update more of these may be supported.

[moses6533]

*ps3 will not play my avi's

[Que2]

Sorry to resurrect this topic from the dead but I had the same problem as moses6533 and found a solution by putting a different twist on his proposed solution. Instead of converting multiple times to MP4 , worrying about demultiplexing, and etc . I converted MPEG2 Video to Huffy lossless and just kept the audio stream embedded in the video in AVI container. PS3 Video 9 opened this container and converted the whole ball of wax to a format that the PS3 could deal with.

Moses6533 it looked like you gave up hope but I took where you left off in your instructions to help me solve my problem of converting a few foreign films which I need subtitles for viewing on my PS3. I purchased my PS3 primarily to be used as a Media Center. I have a 1TB external USB 2.0 drive connected to it and I am in the process of filling it up. I expect to store 300-400 movies when I am finished. My total collection of films is 900+ but it will be nice to have a subset of my library of DVD's readily accessible.

Again, thanks for your post, it gave me a starting point. Don't give up!

Now that I have solved my problem, I just wanted to share my spin on the solution.

Here are the steps that I took:

0. Install ffdshow (modern version 1050 created on Mar 19, 2007)
1. Install PS3 Video 9. (2.25 was the version I used)

2. Install Virtual dub Mod (1.5.10 was the version I used)

3. Install VobSub so you can use the VobSub filter for the subtitles. (I used version 2.23)

4. Install DVD Shrink. Your DVD's have to be already decrypted and DVD Shrink cannot be used for modern protected DVDs so use whatever utility is your favorite to do the Decryption.

Use DVD Shrink to combine the VOB's into one file, uncheck the preference to "Split VOB Files into 1GB sized chunks". I do not allow DVD Shrink to recompress video so I make sure that my Target DVD size, in preferences, is always larger than my source DVD.

5. Take the all in one file VOB and is corresponding BUPs and IFO files and put them aside. Open Virtual dub Mod and go to Video -> Filters then add a filer. Select the VOBsub filter and click "OK". Select the OPEN button within the VOBsub filter and change "files of type" to IFO (ifo and Vobs, for creating idx/sub) browse to where you put your large VOB file and select the "VTS_01_0.IFO" and click open; do not select the "VIDEO_TS.IFO" (Virtual dub Mod seems to crash if VIDEO_TS.IFO is loaded in). Then a "Browse for folder" window will appear create a folder or use an existing folder to store the subtitle data that will be generated. You will then see the program chain and subtitle information. Click OK. Shortly a key will be found (It does not matter since the source is not encrypted) and the indexing will begin. After the indexing is finished click OK. Click OK again to exit the filters window.

6. Go to the File menu and "Open video file". Open the all in one file VTS_01_0.VOB. Virtual DUB Mod will parse the interleaved MPEG-2 file. If your data was not in one file then it will only parse a single piece of your video. After the parsing is finished you will receive a Virtual Dub Mod warnings about the audio stream (MPEG : Anachronistic or discontinuous time stamp found in audio stream) which in my example happens to be ac3, ignore all of these warnings and press "OK". Use the slider on the bottom to go through your video and you should see the subtitles.

7. Go to Video-> Compression. By default it is Uncompressed RGB. If I had a ton of disk space I would use this option but since it looked like it would take upwards of 200+GB for a single 2 hour DVD @720x480 I chose the next best option. Select ffdshow Video Codec and click "Configure". Switch your encoder to HuffyUV, click OK to exit the ffdshow dialog, and OK again in the "Select video compression" dialog with ffdshow Video Codec selected . Note: I did not change any options of HuffyUV, just accepted the defaults. HuffyUV is a lossless codec, you will lose some information when converting but not as much as converting to MP4 or any lossy codec at this time.

8. Go to file "Save As". Make sure your video mode says Full processing mode and your compression says ffdshow. Choose a file name and location with enough space, 50GB-80GB for the 2 hour movie that is my example. Click Save and your video will start processing. An hour or 2 later, or less if your system is fast , you will have a large AVI. In my example my AVI was 45GB.

9. Open PS3 Video 9. Click on "Settings". Make sure the Device is PS3 and the Profile is AVC 720p 3072kbps Stereo/160kbp. Edit this profile by click on "Edit Profile". In the Edit Profile window click on "Video" and make sure that under Codec that Profile is set as "High Profile". Click OK. Click on the "Save Converter Settings" button.

Click on Convert and click on Current Conversion. Click on Convert Video and select the large AVI that you created. Make sure that the Device is PS3 and the Profile is AVC 720p 3072kbps Stereo/160kbps. Click Apply. Your video should start converting and 3-5 hours later depending on the speed of your computer you should have a AVC MPEG4 video with sound and subtitles without a significant loss of quality.

10. Copy this over to your PS3.

11. Enjoy!