Append on mkvmerge error

[blinkmadden]

Here's the error message I got:

"Warning: The track number 0 from the file 'C:\Users\Bonito\Desktop\4.mkv' can probably not be appended correctly to the track number 0 from the file 'C:\Users\Bonito\Desktop\3.mkv': The codec's private data does not match (lengths: 41 and 56). Please make sure that the resulting file plays correctly the whole time. The author of this program will probably not give support for playback issues with the resulting file."

Mediainfo:

4.mkv

Complete name : C:\Users\Bonito\Desktop\4.mkv
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4 / Version 2
File size : 539 MiB
Duration : 29mn 11s
Overall bit rate : 2 581 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2010-02-22 21:41:31
Writing application : mkvmerge v5.9.0 ('On The Loose') built on Dec 9 2012 15:37:01
Writing library : libebml v1.3.0 + libmatroska v1.4.0

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 29mn 11s
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Writing library : x264 core 107 r1745 4785e8e
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=4 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=10 / psy=1 / psy_rd=0.40:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=0 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=6 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=8 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=1 / scenecut=75 / intra_refresh=0 / rc=crf / mbtree=0 / crf=16.0 / qcomp=0.70 / qpmin=2 / qpmax=30 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.40 / pb_ratio=1.30 / aq=2:1.00
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : A_AAC
Duration : 29mn 11s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No



3.mkv


Complete name : C:\Users\Bonito\Desktop\3.mkv
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4 / Version 2
File size : 132 MiB
Duration : 2mn 51s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 6 488 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2010-02-22 21:41:31
Writing application : mkvmerge v5.9.0 ('On The Loose') built on Dec 9 2012 15:37:01
Writing library : libebml v1.3.0 + libmatroska v1.4.0

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 2mn 51s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Maximum bit rate : 40.0 Mbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Writing library : x264 core 120
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=4 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=6 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=24 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=50 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=13.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=3 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.0
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Color primaries : BT.601 NTSC
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.601

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : A_AAC
Duration : 2mn 51s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Default : Yes
Forced : No




Well basically, result was the 2nd file that I appended will be messed up (green screen, no video, etc..) I have re encoded 3.mkv so that it will match 4.mkv. I probably missed something but I'm not so sure. Any thoughts? If possible, I'd like to keep 4.mkv the way it is and avoid any re encoding for it.

[Baldrick]

Maybe try join with something else like avidemux. Open first mkv, append the other. Save as a new mkv. Choose copy under video and audio to avoid any reconversion.

[blinkmadden]

Maybe try join with something else like avidemux. Open first mkv, append the other. Save as a new mkv. Choose copy under video and audio to avoid any reconversion.

Tried this and had 2 versions. One was AVI muxer and other was Mkv muxer as output format but still having the same results as before (messed up 2nd appended video while audio is fine.)


I still think I missed to match the encoding for 3.mkv (The codec's private data does not match (lengths: 41 and 56). Here is the raw mediainfo of 3.mkv before I re encoded using vidcoder(resulted in High@L3.1) and then I set it to L4.1 using tsmuxer.


Complete name : C:\Users\Bonito\Desktop\1.mkv
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4 / Version 2
File size : 44.5 MiB
Duration : 2mn 51s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 2 180 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2010-02-22 21:41:31
Writing application : mkvmerge v5.9.0 ('On The Loose') built on Dec 9 2012 15:37:01
Writing library : libebml v1.3.0 + libmatroska v1.4.0

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 16 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 2mn 51s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 1 945 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 1 101 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 40.0 Mbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 1.85:1
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.235
Stream size : 39.7 MiB (89%)
Writing library : x264 core 80 r1376M 3feaec2
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=16 / deblock=1:1:1 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=10 / psy=1 / psy_rd=0.9:0.2 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=32 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=0 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=4 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=120 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=11 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / wpredb=1 / wpredp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=50 / rc_lookahead=72 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=1101 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.70 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:0.8
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension : CM (complete main)
Format settings, Endianness : Big
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 2mn 51s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 3.91 MiB (9%)
Default : Yes
Forced : No


Any other programs to try? Where is the "lengths: 41 and 56" which had mismatched codecs? Or maybe there's an option to set High@L4.1 using vidcoder which I can't see on the encoding options?

[hello_hello]

I asked about a similar problem in a thread at doom9 a while back. Even when the codec's private data appeared the same (the numbers matched) I was still getting the same warning message. http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1610745#post1610745

"CodecPrivate data is an element that stores data that the codec in question needs in order to decode the file properly. Different codecs have very different requirements for their private data (it's often called "codec initialization data" as wel). For example, Vorbis needs its codebook which tells the codec how to expand the encoded/compressed stuff back to the uncompressed stuff that can be played back.

Same with AVC/h.264. The CodecPrivate data contains (amongst other things) the sequence parameter sets and picture parameter sets. They contain important information like pixel resolution, codec features used etc.

So it is generally technially impossible to decode video from an encoding A with the private data from encoding B (and mkvmerge can do nothing about it). However, there are situations in which that will work: if the codec private data only differns in unimportant fields (e.g. the frame rate is also stored in the sequence parameter sets, and if they and only they differ then there should not be any problem). That's why mkvmerge doesn't prevent you from doing it. "

It appears it may be an x264 bug, but it was discovered recently if you run two 2 pass encodes, even when using exactly the same encoder settings, you'll probably still get the same "private data doesn't match" error message when you try to join the encodes. Apparently it only happens with a few recent versions of x264. If you do the same thing but use CRF encoding instead, you can successfully join the two files.
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1619372#post1619372

Not that it helps with your problem as such, but if MKVMergeGUI is saying it can't append the files correctly, I'd give up trying. Well I have..... I've tried re-encoding a section of old video and then appending the new version to the old, and never managed to do it successfully even when I'm sure the same encoder settings were used each time. If you happen to discover more info regarding the codec's private data and/or a way around the problem, please post back with any further info.