MKV to Blu-Ray

[Hal05154]

Hey folks,

It's been a while since I've been able to do anything with video work, but recently I got a new computer with a Blu-Ray burner, and was hoping for a little advice on burning packages.

I have used ConvertXtoDVD almost exclusively in the past, with a little DVDFab & TMPGEnc.

A coupe of quick questions:

Is there a program similar to ConvertXtoDVD for BluRay? That would of course be a perfect world solution.

Are people burning Blu-Rays to MKV files for a particular reason?

I have an MKV file (8+ gigs in size) that backed up from a Blu-Ray. What would be the best way to burn it - multiAVCHD?

Thank you,

Hal

[Kerry56]

If the mkv file has audio and video streams that are already blu ray compliant, you can use tsmuxer to give you a blu ray video as output. Examine the file with MediaInfo and compare to the accepted codecs, resolutions, fps and bitrates. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu_ray

MultiAVCHD should be able to do this, and convert anything that is not compliant.

Actual burn to the disk should be with ImgBurn, using UDF 2.5 file format.

Most people are converting to mkv for easier streaming/playback from various types of hardware outside of blu ray players. Also, many compress the original blu ray to save space.

[Hal05154]

The original file claims to be a blu-ray rip. I'll check it with the file you recommended, but Imgburn will burn a MKV? hmm, learn something new every day? Thanks!

[Kerry56]

Once tsmuxer or MultiAVCHD process the mkv file, it will be in blu ray video format (or AVCHD depending on what you choose). Once in blu ray format, ImgBurn will recognize the structure and burn as blu ray video.

You can burn the mkv file to a disk as data, and not have to use UDF 2.5, but it might not be recognized by a stand alone blu ray player, depending on the capabilities of the player.

[Hal05154]

Ah, not I understand. Thank you for the addition info. One last question, do you have a preference between tsmuxer and MultiAVCHD?

Thanks!

[Kerry56]

tsmuxer will not convert anything if it was changed from the original formats seen in the blu ray source. Normally you'd see some form of ac3 (Dolby Digital) or DTS sound, or on rare occasions LPCM. But I've seen some converted mkv files with AAC, which won't work within a blu ray video...basically they were encoded for portable devices. And many blu ray "rips" will have 720p video, instead of the original 1080p just to save space, but that is ok, since 720p is within blu ray specs.

So, its not a choice of preferences so much as it is a choice of what is needed. If the audio and/or video formats need to be converted, use MultiAVCHD. If the streams are already blu ray compliant, use tsmuxer.

I have to admit, I was never a fan of the user interface in MultiAVCHD, and had problems with it crashing, so I pretty much gave up on it. But I normally work with my own blu ray rips, not mkv files.