Trying to demux MKV file and remux as AVI with hardcode subs

[medicated]

I'm at my wits end. I've attempted this with avimux, avidemux, mkvcleaver, xvid4psp, videodub, videodubmod, autogk and probably 5 others. NOTHING I do works. sometimes the program can't open an mkv or an elemental stream demuxed from the mkv, sometimes the program doesn't have hardsubbing functionality, always I am crushed when it doesn't work. I've been trying to make this happen for about 6 hours over the course of 2 days and I'm ready to give up.

My question: Is there any program that can demux an MKV (video audio and subtitle streams) and remux into an AVI with subtitles hardcoded? Or maybe a method I am not aware of?

[netmask56]

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/298094-How-to-convert-any-video-to-AVI-or-MP4-or-MK...=1#post1820386

[Baldrick]

Or even easier, freemake video converter, open mkv video, click on subtitle to load the subtitle, click to avi, select xvid/mp3 preset, convert. You can't select any subtitle settings though.

(Be sure to deselect all annoying adware crap when installing freemake)

[medicated]

Or even easier, freemake video converter, open mkv video, click on subtitle to load the subtitle, click to avi, select xvid/mp3 preset, convert. You can't select any subtitle settings though.

(Be sure to deselect all annoying adware crap when installing freemake)

i don't want to convert as it annihilates video quality. i've been using that method forever and am sick of it.

at other guy: when using xvid4psp, everything goes smoothly until i actually encode. theres subs in the preview but not in the final output. i've tried several versions with no luck, but until now i haven't tried (or found) the version that's displayed in most how-to guides. i'll try it tonight when i get to my computer.

[poisondeathray]

i don't want to convert as it annihilates video quality. i've been using that method forever and am sick of it.

When you hardsub, you have to re-encode the video

Or maybe you were thinking of soft subs ?

[medicated]

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/298094-How-to-convert-any-video-to-AVI-or-MP4-or-MK...=1#post1820386

Holy crap, that guide worked! I should have come here in the first place! Thanks thanks thanks!

[medicated]

alright instead of making a new thread i'll ask my new question here.

I've been converting anime episodes in mkv container into avi. i'm getting block artifacts when i try to play them on my tv. when i literally double the bitrate, the artifacts disappear, but i don't want 1gb episodes.

here's the problem: i've been trying to use AnimeDeblocker filter in xvid4psp, but it causes the program to freeze. when i bypass the freeze and actually try to encode, the first pass fails without even 1% progress. any ideas on why this is happening?

[FulciLives]

I stopped using XviD a long time ago because the quality sucks, especially noticeable on a HDTV or large screen SDTV. It needs A LOT of bitrate to avoid the blockiness and by that time you often have something that isn't hardware capable if your device is a DVD player with DivX/XviD support (they can't handle much although something like the PS3 can handle much more bitrate).

Anyway ... I used to use XVID4PSP a lot but haven't in a long time. There are many different versions. In my past experience the best version was v5.0.37 Pro

That version can be found on the winnydows website as XVID4PSP 5.037 Full Official Version

If you have another version, then I suggest trying this one. When it comes to AviSynth scripting and manually modifying it this was always the best version for me.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[medicated]

thanks for the advice, i am now using 5.037 full and deblock works fine. however, it seems i'm unable to select the bitrate of the output. it simply says "unknown". i've tried selecting different codecs and presets but nothing comes up. how do i select the bitrate?

p.s. now to wait 2 hours for a 45 minute episode to encode and mux. if there's no artifacts in the output it'll be worth it.

[manono]

however, it seems i'm unable to select the bitrate of the output.

I use CRF 1-pass quality-based encoding, but it's easy enough to set up a 2-pass bitrate encode. Up at the top, go Video->Encoding Settings->Encoding Mode->2-Pass Bitrate and then the bitrate can be set.

[medicated]

it seems no matter what settings i use on xvid4psp, i'm getting a whole screen of block artifacts. here's the settings I'm using:

Format: AVI Hardware
Denoise/Sharpen: i've tried with MSU Smart Deblock and without
Audio Encoding: MP3 CBR 128k
Video Encoding mode: 2-pass quality
Quantizer: 3 (don't know what it is, left it alone)
Preset: Ultra
FOURCC: DIVX
Codec MPEG4

[manono]

If you're making DivX AVIs and you have the quantizer set for three (but why the 2-pass quality?), then you're not getting a screen full of blocking. Maybe in very fast scenes, maybe in solid areas like sky or night-time scenes, but not everywhere and always. My guess is it's being decoded incorrectly. Can you upload a 10 second or so piece here that shows blocking for you?

What player are you using that shows blocking? Have you tried with different players?

[medicated]

If you're making DivX AVIs and you have the quantizer set for three (but why the 2-pass quality?), then you're not getting a screen full of blocking. Maybe in very fast scenes, maybe in solid areas like sky or night-time scenes, but not everywhere and always. My guess is it's being decoded incorrectly. Can you upload a 10 second or so piece here that shows blocking for you?

What player are you using that shows blocking? Have you tried with different players?

the blocks definitely are more noticeable in dark shaded areas, but i can see blocks everywhere. if you really need a video to confirm that i'll upload one.

i've tried VLC media player on PC and SMS media player which is a ps2 exploit, i get blocks on both. when i set the bitrate extrordinarily high (more than doubling the file size) the blocks disappear. i set the resolution to the same as my tv, which means an increase of the resolution of the input file.

[FulciLives]

Problem number 1 = Do not resize bigger than the original.
Problem number 2 = Sounds like you have an HDTV and I said it before, XviD looks crappy on a HDTV unless you get "crazy high" with the bitrate. You should be using x264 which works MUCH better.

Is there some reason that you are using XviD over x264? Almost all media players support both.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[medicated]

where do i select x264? under codec only MPEG4 and Xvid are selectable. i'm using 5.037

[Steve(MS)]

If you are using software media player, why are you converting mkv files to avi?

[manono]

where do i select x264? under codec only MPEG4 and Xvid are selectable. i'm using 5.037

Choosing MP4 gets you x264 video and whatever audio you choose to give it.

You can confirm afterwards with MediaInfo.

[medicated]

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=14t6ipy&s=5

As you can see from that exerpt, I'm getting screen-wide block artifacts when using the following settings:

Format: AVI Hardware
Denoise/Sharpen: none

Input video settings -

Resolution: 704 x 480
Codec: h264
Size: 699.9mb
Quality: 0.123

Output video settings -

Resolution: 720 x 576
Codec: MPEG-4
Size: 699mb
Quality: 0.323

They're easier to see on a bigger screen (like my TV). Does increasing the resolution have to do with them? I tried "copy" mode but the player I use fits the video to the size of the screen, stretching it anyway.

[manono]

It looks OK to me, but it's too bright where I am. Maybe after dark.

If you increased the pixel count by nearly 23%, why did you keep the file size the same, expecting good results? A quality-based encode wouldn't have turned out to have the same size and if you want a non-blocky result (or a less-blocky result), do a 1-pass CRF encode for 16-18.

Can this thing be downloaded for study? You were complaining about the XviDs before, but you're finding the same thing with x264 encodes?

Does increasing the resolution have to do with them?

Yes, increasing the resolution while at the same time keeping the bitrate the same can do nothing but degrade the video.

They're easier to see on a bigger screen (like my TV).

Have you ever calibrated your TV set?

[FulciLives]

For some reason he (the OP) wants to do XviD as opposed to x264 although he never did make it clear why.

In other words, there really should be very little reason these days to do XviD so you better have a damn good reason for using it.

How exactly are you playing these videos on your HDTV? Are you using some sort of device or is the computer hooked up or what?

I guess my point is ... if you can use x264 (if it will work with your device) then that would be the much better option. Of course the negative is that x264 takes longer to encode than XviD but the positive is that it will look much better at a smaller size (the XviD will need more bitrate to look "as good")

[manono]

For some reason he (the OP) wants to do XviD as opposed to x264 although he never did make it clear why.

Right, the output is XviD (I guess), but it can't be a quant 3 encode, not if it's the same size as the source. Can that thing be downloaded, or only watched?

Thanks for setting me straight.

[medicated]

Fulci, if you'll notice, the settings on my latest post are for x264. i don't have an hdtv. i'm playing these videos on a ps2 exploit called SMS player (simple media system), however that's not the issue as these blocks are apparent even on my computer. if you need to download the video, i'll find an uploader that allows for that.

i'm currently trying a constant quality pass in mpeg-4. will leave overnight.

[manono]

Can see the original better now. Looks bitrate-starved to me.

[medicated]

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=iqvdrd&s=5

that's the same video and same settings, cept bitrate set to 3000 kbps, increasing the file size from 699mb to 1149mb.

[FulciLives]

Hate to say it medicated but that video sample looks like ass.

How about providing a short clip of the original file?

There's a great free program called: SolveigMM AVI Trimmer + MKV

This program will allow you to cut a MKV / AVI file without any re-encoding.

Also when you upload it I suggest putting it in a ZIP file first and uploading it that way. One hosting company that is free and seems to have decent speeds is SendSpace. A file can be up to 300MB in size.