MKV (h.264 file) conversion to AVI or MP4

[Ai Haibara]

FYI, the 5992 has no problem displaying VobSubs, so there's no real need to convert to srt.

...unless you're using the latest versions of vb6rocod's custom firmware, which don't seem to handle VobSubs as well.

[killwill169]

The 5992 like most other divx compatible standalones prefer xvid/divx. That's always been the case and is surely listed in the player manual. h.264, regardless of the container it's wrapped in, isn't going to play period.

As poisondeathray mentioned earlier in this thread, xvid/mp3 or AAC/avi is the combination you want to stick with.

FYI, the 5992 has no problem displaying VobSubs, so there's no real need to convert to srt.

So then will an mp4 container work? I'm using mp4 right now, but it's not working with any subtitles. I checked some earlier videos I had that are avi, and those that are generic MPEG-4 will work with the subtitles, but the new videos I have converted are MPEG-4, played with Perian codecs, and don't work with the subtitles. The video plays just fine on the 5992, but no subs.

[Ai Haibara]

The 5992 should recognize filenames with the .mp4 extension - but it'll generally only play what it can play in the AVI container. It'll play DivX/Xvid video and MP3 audio muxed into an MP4, for example, or a DivX/Xvid AVI with its extension renamed to .MP4... but it won't play h264 in an .MP4, of course.

The only advantage I've seen to using the MP4 container with my 5990 (technically, the same machine as the 5992), so far, is that the 5990 doesn't have the slight 'indexing' pause and message when beginning to play an .MP4 (as opposed to .AVI).

[killwill169]

The 5992 should recognize filenames with the .mp4 extension - but it'll generally only play what it can play in the AVI container. It'll play DivX/Xvid video and MP3 audio muxed into an MP4, for example, or a DivX/Xvid AVI with its extension renamed to .MP4... but it won't play h264 in an .MP4, of course.

The only advantage I've seen to using the MP4 container with my 5990 (technically, the same machine as the 5992), so far, is that the 5990 doesn't have the slight 'indexing' pause and message when beginning to play an .MP4 (as opposed to .AVI).

Yes, I know, the video is MPEG-4 encoded in a mp4 file container. There's not problem playing it, just I can't play the subtitles with it. Generic MPEG-4 work with subtitles, these don't.

[Ai Haibara]

I don't know about VobSubs (you're not using the custom firmware, are you?) but an .mp4 with the same name .srt (or .sub/.ssa, also assuming you're not using the custom firmware) should theoretically work.

(I say 'theoretically,' because I've never tried to play subtitles with an .mp4. )

Have you tried pushing the Subtitle button on the remote and see if that helps?

[killwill169]

I don't know about VobSubs (you're not using the custom firmware, are you?) but an .mp4 with the same name .srt (or .sub/.ssa, also assuming you're not using the custom firmware) should theoretically work.

(I say 'theoretically,' because I've never tried to play subtitles with an .mp4. )

Have you tried pushing the Subtitle button on the remote and see if that helps?

I have tried everything, including pushing the Subtitle button on the remote. It doesn't work. I am using custom firmware, but it's supposed to work because the custom firmware enhances my abilities to do stuff. The mp4 doesn't play the subtitles on the computer either, even if I use VLC, or Quicktime.

[Ai Haibara]

The more recent versions of vb6rocod's custom firmware for the 5990 and 5992 seem to cause difficulty with loading subtitle formats other than .srt. I'll try remuxing an AVI that I have .srt subtitles for (it's currently on the USB pen I use with my 5990) into an MP4, and see if the 5990 has any difficulties recognizing the subtitles.

Odd, though - I thought that as long as the subtitles were named exactly the same as the video (text-mode subs, though, probably not VobSubs), VLC would load and play them.

(Example: My Movie.avi, My Movie.srt)

Edit: Okay, I tested the remuxed MP4 with external subs on my 5990. It didn't start playing the subtitles when the video started, but that may actually be due to my player's settings. I had to press the Subtitle button on the remote for the subtitles to display.

[killwill169]

The more recent versions of vb6rocod's custom firmware for the 5990 and 5992 seem to cause difficulty with loading subtitle formats other than .srt. I'll try remuxing an AVI that I have .srt subtitles for (it's currently on the USB pen I use with my 5990) into an MP4, and see if the 5990 has any difficulties recognizing the subtitles.

Odd, though - I thought that as long as the subtitles were named exactly the same as the video (text-mode subs, though, probably not VobSubs), VLC would load and play them.

(Example: My Movie.avi, My Movie.srt)

Thanks, though what I have is not a regular mp4. Normally, the video's format (as displayed in Quicktime), is Generic MPEG-4, which this video's format is just MPEG-4. The format is playable in quicktime because of Perian. So, I think the only way you're going to get the same problem as me is if you re-encode the avi into a MPEG-4, rather than just changing the container formats.

Thanks,

Will

[Ai Haibara]

I suspect your problem may be because you were using VobSubs. Did you convert those to .srt format? As I mentioned, the more recent versions of vb6rocod's custom firmware may have problems with any other format of subtitle.

Re-encoding an .MP4 to .avi shouldn't have been the problem, as long as it's encoded as the player wants it to be.

(For more information on a video file, you might try the Mac version of MediaInfo. Don't know if it'll provide information on a separate subtitle file, though.)

[killwill169]

I suspect your problem may be because you were using VobSubs. Did you convert those to .srt format? As I mentioned, the more recent versions of vb6rocod's custom firmware may have problems with any other format of subtitle.

Re-encoding an .MP4 to .avi shouldn't have been the problem, as long as it's encoded as the player wants it to be.

(For more information on a video file, you might try the Mac version of MediaInfo. Don't know if it'll provide information on a separate subtitle file, though.)

Yes, I converted it to .srt format. Still didn't work. Tried this ages ago, and it didn't show up in Quicktime or VLC...

[Ai Haibara]

There's other things that could prevent the players from seeing the .srt file, which is why I usually try to avoid them. :/ At least my 5990 seems a little less picky about them than my 642 was. One little 'mistake' could prevent the player from loading the subtitle file. On rare occasions, it would even prevent them from seeing the file in the browser.

I think the .srt file has to be encoded in ANSI format, and everything in the .srt file has to be correct in regard to the .srt format. I don't know of a way to ensure all of that under OS X, though - haven't looked into the subtitle-related apps available.

[killwill169]

There's other things that could prevent the players from seeing the .srt file, which is why I usually try to avoid them. :/ At least my 5990 seems a little less picky about them than my 642 was. One little 'mistake' could prevent the player from loading the subtitle file. On rare occasions, it would even prevent them from seeing the file in the browser.

I think the .srt file has to be encoded in ANSI format, and everything in the .srt file has to be correct in regard to the .srt format. I don't know of a way to ensure all of that under OS X, though - haven't looked into the subtitle-related apps available.

No, I don't think that's it. I think it's the video's problem. There's no mention of audio in the format thing in quicktime, but there still is audio and a soundtrack in the info page of quicktime. The subtitles can work with other videos even though they are not in sync... So it must be the video and its MPEG-4 format.

[Ai Haibara]

I doubt it's the video. You can still play it normally on the 5992, right? I had no problems playing an .mp4 with a .srt, and the video format shouldn't interfere with the subtitles as long as the 5992 can play the video correctly.

I think some programs like to refer to Xvid as 'generic MPEG-4,' which is why I suggested you might use MediaInfo to get more information about the file. Or just open the video in VLC and check the information there.

[killwill169]

I'll try that, thanks..