Converting .MKV files with subs to DVD. Cant find a good tool.

[anarchyx34]

I've got a bunch of .mkv files with internal text based subtitles that I'm trying to convert to DVD. I've been doing this on my Windows laptop using ConvertXtoDVD, which is a fantastic piece of software and does everything I tell it to perfectly. However my laptop is a bit slow and I have a 3 month old iMac that should be the one performing this arduous task instead of a 2 year old 11" notebook. Problem is I have yet to find a decent piece of software for this platform that actually works. Something that can take advantage of all 4 cores might be nice too. Can anyone help? I've tried all the crap on the app-store, but I've found nothing that works. The MKV subtitles are what seems to be the problem here.

[terryj]

You need to flatten the mkv first, then you will be ok.

My steps are to use mkvtools by engumm and make an .avi with the subtitles embedded.
Once I've done that, I drag and drop the ( XVID with mp3 audio) .avi into Toast and author the dvd.

[anarchyx34]

Well I thought of either flattening it or extracting the subs into an .srt file and adding them to the burn process. It seems many of the apps I come across can handle external subs but not internal ones. I didn't use mkvtools because I'd hate to convert it to an .avi and then have toast re-convert it to dvd form. Toast is slow as molasses as well. I'd be nice if mkvtools could convert directly into mpeg2. I guess I don't have much choice in the matter. Thanks for the reply though.

[pixel zombie]

look into "Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate 6", don't know how it handles subtitles but it handles the newer mkv files much better than Visualhub which used to be my go to conversion app...

[terryj]

Toast is slow as molasses as well. I'd be nice if mkvtools could convert directly into mpeg2. I guess I don't have much choice in the matter. Thanks for the reply though.

You could also use mkvtoolsnix to extract the assets of the .mkv, and then use DVD Studio Pro to
author and go to DVD. It will skip the flattening (.avi) step, but the cost will be more expensive.

right now, my latest project, Toast 10.0.8 on an i7 Quad Core by the way, encodes a DVD-9 ( 7.78GB) to DVD in under 2hours,
using a mixture of .mp4, .avi, and .dv files. just saying.....more cores is a good thing.....

[anarchyx34]

2 hours.... man that's how long it takes on my 2 core Celeron Notebook from a 1080p source using ConvertXtoDVD. I hate toast.

[rumplestiltskin]

An alternative method:

With Perian installed, open the mkv in QuickTime Player Pro and "command-j" to get the details of the enclosed resources. Turn off the languages you don't want. Save the file. Open that file in Submerge and verify the internal subtitle you wanted plays properly. Export as AIC and you shouldn't lose anything in the way of quality. The subtitle should then be burned in. Drop that file into Toast and you know the rest.

...or forget DVDs as the 20th Century technology they are and get a media player like the WDTV Live Plus and stream the videos from your Mac. You'll have to turn on SMB file sharing for your account. I'm doing that right now. Works perfectly.

[anarchyx34]

Lol. I actually do have a media streamer (Uebo) and I love it, but these DVD's arent for me. They're for a technologically oblivious friend that I see like once a year. I have a bunch of stuff I'd like to share with him, and in his case I can be sure he knows how to operate his DVD player. His computer still runs windows 98. Nuff said.

I know about perian and I can't get it to work. I think the whole idea is a bit of a bandaid anyway. I don't have that many more DVDs left to burn so I'll just continue to use Windows. Would've been nice to let my Mac flex its muscles though.

[terryj]

An alternative method:

...or forget DVDs as the 20th Century technology they are and get a media player like the WDTV Live Plus and stream the videos from your Mac. You'll have to turn on SMB file sharing for your account. I'm doing that right now. Works perfectly.

Now if we are going THAT route.... then you can follow these steps: hook the media player into
a DVD Recorder and then the DVD Recorder to the TV.
Whatever plays on the WDTV ( or any media player) could then be recorded to DVD for "technologically
challenged friends." With the WDTV Live Plus ( which I have), you can set it to play subs when
playing back an mkv / avi, and then when the DVD Recorder records the stream to DVD,
the subs will naturally be burned in. And everything will go in real time.

[anarchyx34]

Now THAT would be cool, but I'm not buying one of those. Really though I'm surprised at the lack of video conversion tools for the mac. Everything seems to be based on FFmpegx, which while useful, is badly outdated and a bit stubborn and buggy. There are other very good tools but they're very limited in their use (only converting to H264 or MPEG4). Toast SUCKS. I really wish there was a good "silver bullet" for this platform, but I've yet to find it. Everything is a multi-step process. Demux using this app, then convert using another, then load into toast.... blah. I guess if you have only one video to convert it's okay, but when you have 50+ it's a different story. It would be SO SWEET if Handbrake could convert directly into mpeg2 so you can select whatever audio track you want, burn the subs in, and then load it into toast and it wont take years for Toast to re-encode it.

I've been using OSX as my primary OS for going on 10 years or so, but I'll just add this to the list of reasons why I've always needed to keep a Windows box handy.

[pixel zombie]

Visualhub used to be that "silver bullet" but it has been discontinued. Do you have a small mkv clip with subtitles that i could try converting?

[PsychoManiac]

No need to convert your .mkv files.
Just burn them with the subtitles without re-encoding on a DVD disc and play with your Blu-ray player.
Works for every Blu-Ray player.

No need to re-encode all these files.
My .mkv Movies and TV series are all on DVD Discs.
I'm playing them all on a LG BD550 from which they say that they can not play .mkv files.

Will upload my guide this week how to do it.

[ChrisCosta]

Hmmm... Have you guys tried Subler?

[Ai Haibara]

No need to convert your .mkv files.
Just burn them with the subtitles without re-encoding on a DVD disc and play with your Blu-ray player.
Works for every Blu-Ray player.

Not every Blu-Ray player plays MKVs, and certainly, not all of the ones that do recognize everything that can possibly be in the MKV container. Some of them insist that MKVs have to be encoded a certain way (resolution, profile, etc.).

My Samsung (which oh-so-helpfully decided to brick itself) was supposed to be able to support MKV playback, added a few firmware updates prior. But, I could never get it to even recognize there was an MKV on either a disc, or a USB flash drive.

Our (well, okay, my sister's) PS3 doesn't support MKV files, either, last I checked. (At least, not without streaming them to the PS3.)

[rumplestiltskin]

MP4Tools does a nice job of converting mkv files to MP4 and embeds the subtitle (the one you choose if there are multiple). The quality of the MP4 is identical to the mkv (to my eyes) so, once there, drop it into iDVD. You're going to lose something when you convert to MPEG2 but that's what you get for using 20th century tech.

[PsychoManiac]

Found some posts of people who want to burn .mkv files on a Single- Dual Layer DVD and play them on a Standalone Blu-Ray DVD Player. The answer to that is in fact quite simple.
I'm doing this for over a year now and it still works.

1- After you've downloaded the .mkv file on your hard drive, just change the extentension of the file from .MKV into .AVI, burn them on a Single or Dual Layer Disc.

2- Put them into your Blu-Ray Player and off you go.

And because all Blu-Ray Players don't have any problems by recognizing .AVI files i guess it works in 99,99% off all the Blu-Ray players.

When you add .SRT files they may not work. If so, do the following.

Use steps 1 and 2 like above, BUT BEFORE changing the extension use a MKV Tool program and use the TURN OFF MKV's HEADER REMOVAL COMPRESSION.
Add your sub with the exact title as the movie, done.

I use MKVTools for Mac OSX, but when you run a PC i don't know wich one you need for that.