How to convert .mkv to tivo . Please help

[hypnoticpimp]

I tried opening my .mkv file on virtualdub, butr virtualdub cant open it. I get an error.

I opened the .mkv video file on media info and got this

Video Stream: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio Stream: AC3

23.976 Kb/s

48 KHz 6 channels AC3

Im trying to get this high quality video played on my tivo at highest quality, please help

I seen that pyTivo ,but that program seems complicated. not a program like tivo desktop plus

[pomerlp]

I tried opening my .mkv file on virtualdub, butr virtualdub cant open it. I get an error.

I opened the .mkv video file on media info and got this

Video Stream: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio Stream: AC3

23.976 Kb/s

48 KHz 6 channels AC3

Im trying to get this high quality video played on my tivo at highest quality, please help

I seen that pyTivo ,but that program seems complicated. not a program like tivo desktop plus

I thought pyTiVo was complicated too. I'm not certain however it will play an MPEG-4 AVC file.

First go here (http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.6/). I have Windows XP so if you do pick 2.6b2. That's Python download and install that.

Then after that go here (http://pytivo.armooo.net/wiki/CurrentRelease). You will see a link that says Windows Installer, ideal for new users. That will install pyTiVo simple as can be.

Now after you install it I think the program will start right away. If it doesn't then select it from your program list. Pick pyTivo not python. I kept making that mistake.:o Click on web configuration. When you do that it should show a little box that says "Global Server Settings". This found my videos immediately. If it doesn't go to your videos then select edit and map it to that setting where it is on your computer, like C:/documents and settings/(whatever your video folder is). If it doesn't show videos then select add and name it video. Map as I have instructed above. Then you can also add your music, photos, the same way. After each change it will tell you to do a soft reset. Do that.

Next go back to Start/Programs and PyTiVo again. Select pyTivo - to go. Enter your Media Access Key (MAK) and add the path to where you store your TiVo and other video files. If it's in more then one folder I suggest putting them all in one folder. Hit save.

You should be ready to go.

It's not that complicated, really. Just think of how you go from my computer to wherever your files are located. Copy the link above the folder and post it in the pyTiVo setting.

Good luck.

[hypnoticpimp]

i do the web configuration part but i keep getting page cannot be displayed on my internet browser for some reason.. adress is like

http://localhost:9702

something like that

[pomerlp]

i do the web configuration part but i keep getting page cannot be displayed on my internet browser for some reason.. adress is like

http://localhost:9702


something like that

I think it assigns localhost. Try uninstall and reinstall. Go into program files and remove everything if you see any python or pytivo left before you reinstall.

[TexasGrillChef]

Where are you getting your MKV files?

Are you ripping Blu-ray or HD-DVD?

I have a blu-ray player & have ripped a few Blu-ray movies.

Once ripped as a "DVD folder" I use Ulead's VideoStudio 11.5 Plus to convert the MKV movie to a HD MPG2 file. It isn't free... but you get what you pay for as well. It is fast simple to use & has alot of nice features as well.

Once converted to a HD MPG2 file TiVo Desktop 2.6.2 will transfer that to your S3 or HD TiVo and it will play just fine.

Keep in mind a few things. The Picture quality will NOT be anywhere near as good as playing the original blu-ray/HD-DVD movie.

Blu-ray players play Blu-ray movies at a bitrate of around 25 to 40mbps. The TiVo will at best do around 17mbps.

Audio wise, the TiVo can only do 5.1 Dolby digital (compressed) audio. Blu-ray discs & players have the capability of doing uncompressed audio in 5.1, 6.1, or even 7.1 DTS/Dolby.

I also use pyTiVo... it IS alot easier than you think to get setup & use.

I don't rip Blu-ray discs because I want the best possible sound & picture possible. The only way to get the best PQ & SQ possible is just to use the blu-ray player to begin with.

TGC

Edit:
P.S. Once your TiVo's have been upgraded to 9.4 & you have the new TD+ 2.7 that should be released soon. You could convert the MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264) & the tivo will play those. Advantage here would be smaller file size & faster transfer to your TiVo. Ulead VideoStuido 11.5 Plus will convert MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264). While 9.4 has been released for the TiVo's, TD+ 2.7 has YET to be released so converting to H.264 is a moot point currently.

[Rdian06]

Keep in mind a few things. The Picture quality will NOT be anywhere near as good as playing the original blu-ray/HD-DVD movie.

Blu-ray players play Blu-ray movies at a bitrate of around 25 to 40mbps. The TiVo will at best do around 17mbps.

Audio wise, the TiVo can only do 5.1 Dolby digital (compressed) audio. Blu-ray discs & players have the capability of doing uncompressed audio in 5.1, 6.1, or even 7.1 DTS/Dolby.

I also use pyTiVo... it IS alot easier than you think to get setup & use.

...

Edit:
P.S. Once your TiVo's have been upgraded to 9.4 & you have the new TD+ 2.7 that should be released soon. You could convert the MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264) & the tivo will play those. Advantage here would be smaller file size & faster transfer to your TiVo. Ulead VideoStuido 11.5 Plus will convert MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264). While 9.4 has been released for the TiVo's, TD+ 2.7 has YET to be released so converting to H.264 is a moot point currently.

As of the 9.3 software update, the HD bitrate is no longer capped at 18mbps. The latest pyTivo code allows it to peak up to 30mbps.

The audio unfortunately maxes out at Dolby Digital 5.1 448kbps.

And are you assuming that TD+ 2.7 will add the ability to upload h264 MP4 natively? Or did you find an official source that said that? If it's true, it's great news. But if you're speculating, please say so.

[NullQwerty]

As of the 9.3 software update, the HD bitrate is no longer capped at 18mbps. The latest pyTivo code allows it to peak up to 30mbps.

The audio unfortunately maxes out at Dolby Digital 5.1 448kbps.

And are you assuming that TD+ 2.7 will add the ability to upload h264 MP4 natively? Or did you find an official source that said that? If it's true, it's great news. But if you're speculating, please say so.

Any update to this? Is 30mbps still the cap, or has it reached 40 like you said BluRay players do?

Also, is the audio limitation a software or hardware limitation? If software, is there any update to that as well?

Thanks!

[bkdtv]

Any update to this? Is 30mbps still the cap, or has it reached 40 like you said BluRay players do?

Also, is the audio limitation a software or hardware limitation? If software, is there any update to that as well?The Broadcom DVR CPU used in the TivoHD and satellite HDTV DVRs can handle a maximum of about 30Mbps. Beyond that, you get pixelization.

As per my response to your other thread, you should look at something like the Popcorn Hour A110.

[lupette]

Where are you getting your MKV files?

Edit:
P.S. Once your TiVo's have been upgraded to 9.4 & you have the new TD+ 2.7 that should be released soon. You could convert the MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264) & the tivo will play those. Advantage here would be smaller file size & faster transfer to your TiVo. Ulead VideoStuido 11.5 Plus will convert MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264). While 9.4 has been released for the TiVo's, TD+ 2.7 has YET to be released so converting to H.264 is a moot point currently.

Does this mean that Tivo will now play both HD audio codecs? (I think they are AC3 and ACC)

[mr.unnatural]

Does this mean that Tivo will now play both HD audio codecs? (I think they are AC3 and ACC)
I believe you're referring to DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD, both of which are only available on Blu-Ray discs. Tivo does not have the necessary electronics or codecs to play these formats so you are limited to Dolby Digital 5.1.

[jcthorne]

Tivo will play AC3 with 5.1 channels up to 448kbps.

Tivo will play stereo AAC tracks but not 5.1 as it has no AC3 encoder to recode on the fly it has to output PCM stereo for this type track.

THere are severeal threads in the home media options area with more specifics.

[aaronwt]

Where are you getting your MKV files?

Are you ripping Blu-ray or HD-DVD?

I have a blu-ray player & have ripped a few Blu-ray movies.

Once ripped as a "DVD folder" I use Ulead's VideoStudio 11.5 Plus to convert the MKV movie to a HD MPG2 file. It isn't free... but you get what you pay for as well. It is fast simple to use & has alot of nice features as well.

Once converted to a HD MPG2 file TiVo Desktop 2.6.2 will transfer that to your S3 or HD TiVo and it will play just fine.

Keep in mind a few things. The Picture quality will NOT be anywhere near as good as playing the original blu-ray/HD-DVD movie.

Blu-ray players play Blu-ray movies at a bitrate of around 25 to 40mbps. The TiVo will at best do around 17mbps.

Audio wise, the TiVo can only do 5.1 Dolby digital (compressed) audio. Blu-ray discs & players have the capability of doing uncompressed audio in 5.1, 6.1, or even 7.1 DTS/Dolby.

I also use pyTiVo... it IS alot easier than you think to get setup & use.

I don't rip Blu-ray discs because I want the best possible sound & picture possible. The only way to get the best PQ & SQ possible is just to use the blu-ray player to begin with.

TGC

Edit:
P.S. Once your TiVo's have been upgraded to 9.4 & you have the new TD+ 2.7 that should be released soon. You could convert the MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264) & the tivo will play those. Advantage here would be smaller file size & faster transfer to your TiVo. Ulead VideoStuido 11.5 Plus will convert MKV files to HD MPG4 (H.264). While 9.4 has been released for the TiVo's, TD+ 2.7 has YET to be released so converting to H.264 is a moot point currently.

If you rip it to a DVD folder aren't you converting to the DVD format which is SD? Wouldn't you at least rip it to the BD folder structure which would keep it in HD?

[dcstager]

The best way to play MKV files is to use MKV2VOB and create an AVCHD DVD that plays on any Blu-Ray player. No transcoding of audio or video is involved. If you have a Mac, use TSmuxerGUI and do the same thing. IMGBurn is a free DVD burner program that can create the proper UDF disc. There is also BURN for the Mac that can burn proper UDF discs. It's extremely fast and easy and anyone with a litte PC experience can figure it all out with no hand holding.

I've tried every tool out there to try and remux MKV into something that would import onto a Tivo without transcoding, but Tivo Desktop always transcodes it.

If you want to create a regular MPG from MKV that Tivo will import, just search out the free tool FFMPEG and find a FFMPEG GUI. FFMPEG handles MKV transcoding flawlessly. None of the commercial apps do it as well and as simply as the free tools created by users.

[Spenner]

Check this thread: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=436678
One of the forum users created a nice batch file that converts the MKV into a MP4, preserving the H264 track (no transcoding), which can be pushed natively to the Tivo. You get better results than transcoding to MPEG2 with ffmpeg.

[brettatk]

I would take some more time and try to get pyTivo installed and working. After the initial setup there isn't anything left to do but transfer files from your pc to your tivo without any conversion. I transfer downloaded mkv files all the time. Without question the easiest method.

[Spenner]

I would take some more time and try to get pyTivo installed and working. After the initial setup there isn't anything left to do but transfer files from your pc to your tivo without any conversion. I transfer downloaded mkv files all the time. Without question the easiest method.

Tivo doesn't support MKV files. Though pyTivo will read & transfer them without you needing to do anything, it does transcode them to MPEG2 unless you first remux them into an MP4 container (no quality loss) with the script mentioned above.

[brettatk]

I've never noticed quality loss transferring the mkv file straight from my computer to my Tivo HD. I mean if you had the two playing right beside each other then maybe you could tell but you don't. I guess if you were ripping your blurays and storing them on your PC this might make some sense. But typically for me, I play the mkv file and delete it. The above method is far too involved for that kind of user and in my opinion, unnecessary for such a small amount of quality loss.

But I was wrong earlier. I found an easier method that actually eliminates the Tivo from the equation. Hooking my computer up to my HDTV and using the VLC Media Player to play the mkv file straight from it. Instant access and no quality loss.

[aaronwt]

I've never noticed quality loss transferring the mkv file straight from my computer to my Tivo HD. I mean if you had the two playing right beside each other then maybe you could tell but you don't. I guess if you were ripping your blurays and storing them on your PC this might make some sense. But typically for me, I play the mkv file and delete it. The above method is far too involved for that kind of user and in my opinion, unnecessary for such a small amount of quality loss.

But I was wrong earlier. I found an easier method that actually eliminates the Tivo from the equation. Hooking my computer up to my HDTV and using the VLC Media Player to play the mkv file straight from it. Instant access and no quality loss.

This is what a media player is for. I have several that play basically any file, BD and DVO ISOs, and also bitstream the HD audio. Much easier than using the PC for it. I did that back in the early 2000's with my PC connected to my HD set. The media players make it so much easier.

[scottvf]

I don't rip Blu-ray discs because I want the best possible sound & picture possible. The only way to get the best PQ & SQ possible is just to use the blu-ray player to begin with.



How to rip your Blu-ray discs and still get original Quality.
1. Rip
2. copy the movie file .m2ts file to a folder that contains all your movies.
3. Stream to your tv with Popcorn Hour player.
http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/

You will lose no quality this way.
I have 3 removable 2tb hard drives filled with my movies this way.
I use kingwin removable tray racks - http://kingwin.com/products/racktray_line.asp

[dcstager]

I've had some success in converting .MKV files to something that Tivo Desktop will pull and play. Unfortunately, I can only get it to play with sound if I convert to MP2 stereo audio. If I use AC3 or AAC sound, I get picture but no sound. Can anyone tell me exactly what format I should use for sound so that Tivo will play it back properly? I'd like to preserve the 5.1 audio if possible. What is the trick I'm missing?

[aaronwt]

Someone earlier mentioned that the tiVo is limited to decoding DD at 448kbs. if it is coming from a BD, the DD track is probably 640kbs. So maybe the bitrate of the Dolby Digital is beyond the capability of the TiVo to decode?

[dcstager]

I did read about the 448k requirement and that was the first thing I tried. Tivo Desktop imports it without transcoding, but when you go to play it back - silence. The picture is the original x264 1280x720, just no sound. When I transcode just the sound and not the video to MP2 2 channel - it plays fine. So there is something else about the AC3 audio I've screwed up. Any FFMPEG experts that might know the right switch?

All I'm doing is

FFMPEG -y -i input.mkv -vcodec copy -acodec AC3 -ac 6 -ar 48000 -ab 448k output.mp4

When I use -acodec MP2 -ac 2 -ar 48000 -ab 192k instead I get an MP4 that imports and plays just fine - Tivo Desktop doesn't transcode it while pulling. At least I don't have to transcode the video, but you lose the 6 channel sound.

[orangeboy]

I did read about the 448k requirement and that was the first thing I tried. Tivo Desktop imports it without transcoding, but when you go to play it back - silence. The picture is the original x264 1280x720, just no sound. When I transcode just the sound and not the video to MP2 2 channel - it plays fine. So there is something else about the AC3 audio I've screwed up. Any FFMPEG experts that might know the right switch?

All I'm doing is

FFMPEG -y -i input.mkv -vcodec copy -acodec AC3 -ac 6 -ar 48000 -ab 448k output.mp4

When I use -acodec MP2 -ac 2 -ar 48000 -ab 192k instead I get an MP4 that imports and plays just fine - Tivo Desktop doesn't transcode it while pulling. At least I don't have to transcode the video, but you lose the 6 channel sound.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=448424

[dcstager]

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=448424

Of course I had already gone through all those techniques and tried everything already mentioned in that thread before I posted. The batch file makes an MP4 that can be pushed via PyTivo and I've successfully done that -- yet, the video in a lot of these MKVs are 23.976 fps and the Tivo can't play it back smoothly as prepared by the methods discussed in the thread you are referring to.

The new Tivo Desktop software can pull MP4 files -- I've done it successfully as long as I convert the audio to MP2. FFMPEG is much faster and the resultant files do play back smoothly and the video is not transcoded at all -- a huge time saver.

There is some quirk in the audio portion I need to figure out.

[orangeboy]

Of course I had already gone through all those techniques and tried everything already mentioned in that thread before I posted. The batch file makes an MP4 that can be pushed via PyTivo and I've successfully done that -- yet, the video in a lot of these MKVs are 23.976 fps and the Tivo can't play it back smoothly as prepared by the methods discussed in the thread you are referring to.

The new Tivo Desktop software can pull MP4 files -- I've done it successfully as long as I convert the audio to MP2. FFMPEG is much faster and the resultant files do play back smoothly and the video is not transcoded at all -- a huge time saver.

There is some quirk in the audio portion I need to figure out.

Spenner posted a link to a thread titled "Best way to get H.264 (MKV) 1080 videos onto HD Tivo with pyTivo?", which is what I think you are referring to. My link is to "mkv2tivomp4.bat", which sets the AC3 audio to 448k, if a higher value is found. mkv2tivomp4.bat only separates out the (appropriate) video and audio streams and combines them into an mp4 container, so not transcoding is done (unless of course the audio bitrate is too high, then eac3to.exe drops it to 448k).

I'm not really understanding: "the video in a lot of these MKVs are 23.976 fps and the Tivo can't play it back smoothly" and "files do play back smoothly and the video is not transcoded at all". If the video isn't transcoded, the fps wouldn't change.

Edit: mkv2tivomp4.bat had it's roots in the "Best way to get H.264 (MKV) 1080 videos onto HD Tivo with pyTivo?" thread, but I spawned a new thread with an updated file, as well as setup a google project page (see my signature). jcthorne's script on page one of the "Best way..." thread is what really got the ball rolling, so I want to give credit where credit is due! ;)

[jcthorne]

Not too sure when or what revision it happend, but I can report that 640kbps AC3 audio plays fine on both THD and Premiere when included in an mp4 file and pushed via pytivo.

I think what dcstager is seeing is a limitation of tivo desktop.

It is interesting that 'a new version of tivo desktop is able to PULL mp4 files without transcoding' WmMcBrine might take an interest in this to see if new capablity can be added to pytivo which can only pull mpeg2 at the moment.

One problem I see with the ffmpeg method of transcoding mentioned above is that the resultant mp4 is not streamable with the mov atom at the begining of the files. qtfaststart may fix this.

THD and Premiere are both capable of playing 1080p/24 files however THD converts them to 1080i/30 for display while Premiere can display them natively. This may be what dcsager is seeing. I did not play with 1080p video on the THD much when I had it as my projector at the time was only 720p.

[dcstager]

So, you personally have had success?

mkv2tivomp4.bat's technique does not work correctly. Early on in the thread I pointed that out and proposed my own solution of creating AVCHD discs to play back MKVs in HD on a Blu-Ray player.

Back to my original question, if anyone knows the specific parameters for Tivo AC3 audio (beyond just setting the bitrate to 448k) please pm or reply to this thread. I'm sure it can be done quickly and easily with FFMPEG and the regular Tivo Desktop software.

If you are satisfied with 2 channel stereo it's already a quick and easy to make an MKV into a playable MP4 that can just be placed into your "My Tivo Recordings" folder in one step.

[dcstager]

One problem I see with the ffmpeg method of transcoding mentioned above is that the resultant mp4 is not streamable with the mov atom at the begining of the files. qtfaststart may fix this.

http://notboring.org/devblog/2009/07/qt-faststartexe-binary-for-windows/

This is what I'm interested in. There's probably some arcane switch for FFMPEG that will make a fully streamable file. The files it makes using only the -vcodec copy -acodec copy method can be pulled with Tivo Desktop 2.8.2. I can play the video while the file is transferring but there's no audio playback.

I've tried changing the AC3 to 448k and 192k and other seeming Tivo standards. Only by changing the audio to MP2 works so far.

[orangeboy]

...I think what dcstager is seeing is a limitation of tivo desktop...


Agreed. I just tried to "Pull" an h264/AC3/mp4 file using TD+, and it immediately started transcoding.

From the TiVo Desktop Transcoder.log:

<snip>
02/24/2011 09:48:56.430-05:00 0x00000bdc TranscodingCore::TranscodingEventsLocal::setup: 103: Transcoding type: auto
02/24/2011 09:48:56.480-05:00 0x00000bdc TranscodingCore::ExternalTranscoderHandle::run: 41: Try to start TranscodingHost...
02/24/2011 09:48:56.510-05:00 0x000007b0 ...ExternalTranscoderHandle::onThreadMainLoop: 112: Start...
02/24/2011 09:48:56.530-05:00 0x000007b0 ...ExternalTranscoderHandle::startTranscoderHost: 138: Initialize parameters of Transcoder Host
02/24/2011 09:48:56.550-05:00 0x000007b0 ...ExternalTranscoderHandle::startTranscoderHost: 171: Try to create TranscoderHost process.
02/24/2011 09:48:56.720-05:00 0x000007b0 ...ExternalTranscoderHandle::startTranscoderHost: 178: The Transcoder Host process was created
02/24/2011 09:48:56.810-05:00 0x00000bdc TranscodingCore::ExternalTranscoderHandle::run: 45: TranscodingHost was started...
02/24/2011 09:48:56.971-05:00 0x000005b4 TranscoderHostMonitor::TranscoderHostMonitor: 15: Try to Initialize events and shared memory...
02/24/2011 09:48:56.991-05:00 0x00000658 TranscoderHost::onThreadMainLoop: 247: Start...
02/24/2011 09:48:57.011-05:00 0x00000658 EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile: 118: Try to find profile: "ttcb hd stream"
02/24/2011 09:48:57.021-05:00 0x00000658 EncodeProfileManager::enumerateStandardProfile: 182: Try to enumerate standard profiles
02/24/2011 09:48:57.081-05:00 0x00000658 EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile: 127: Profile: "ttcb hd stream" is found in Standard Profiles
02/24/2011 09:48:57.111-05:00 0x00000658 MediaInfoCheckV2::check: 71: MediaInfo file: F:\ToTivo\Downloaded\Movies\Batman Under the Red Hood\Batman Under the Red Hood (2010).mp4
02/24/2011 09:49:02.689-05:00 0x00000658 MoovParse::ParseHere: 113: "moov" precede "mdat"
02/24/2011 09:49:02.729-05:00 0x00000658 TranscoderHost::startTranscoder: 150: Media destination is 'Stream'...
02/24/2011 09:49:02.759-05:00 0x00000658 TranscodingCore::TranscoderHandle::run: 61: Try to start transcoding...
02/24/2011 09:49:02.769-05:00 0x0000026c ...TranscoderHandle::onThreadMainLoop: 99: Start...
02/24/2011 09:49:02.789-05:00 0x0000026c TranscoderImpl::TranscoderImpl: 77: Transcoder started...
02/24/2011 09:49:02.819-05:00 0x0000026c TranscodingCore::TranscoderHandle::startTranscoder: 124: Initialize parameters of transcoder
02/24/2011 09:49:02.829-05:00 0x0000026c TranscodingCore::TranscoderHandle::startTranscoder: 133: Transcoding destination: stream
02/24/2011 09:49:02.849-05:00 0x0000026c TranscodingCore::TranscoderHandle::startTranscoder: 146: Try to build graph
02/24/2011 09:49:02.859-05:00 0x0000026c TranscoderImpl::setupSource: 218: setup source
02/24/2011 09:49:03.600-05:00 0x0000026c TranscoderImpl::setupSource: 241: setup ()
02/24/2011 09:49:05.412-05:00 0x0000026c quiterr: 54: quiterr: failure 0x80004003 in Render trick was failed
02/24/2011 09:49:05.743-05:00 0x0000026c quiterr: 57: quiterr: non abort failure 0x80004005 in No audio output pin found
02/24/2011 09:49:07.976-05:00 0x0000026c quiterr: 57: quiterr: non abort failure 0x80004005 in mp2 mux: audio stream does not exist
<snip>


I think the key is the last two lines, relating to the output pin and "mp2 mux".

[dcstager]

When I prepare the MP4 with qtfaststart Tivo Desktop will transcode it, so that's not the solution.

orangeboy... try the method I've been successful with, i.e.:

ffmpeg -i -y input.mkv -vcodec copy -acodec mp2 -ac 2 -ar 48000 -ab 192k output.mp4

It doesn't transcode that and it plays perfectly.

[orangeboy]

It doesn't transcode that and it plays perfectly.

Right, because ffmpeg is transcoding it prior to TD+ ever seeing the file.

[dcstager]

Okay well I thought the issue was not being able to pull x264 video files without getting them transcoded to MPEG2 by Tivo Desktop? The FFMPEG parameters -vcodec copy doesn't transcode, it just copies the original video stream in the MKV.

[dcstager]

What the...? Saint Patrick's Day isn't until next month tovarich. Can the moderator please delete the last message? It translates as Russian porn spam.

Anyway, I've been doing some more trial and error and the way the file is muxed has something to do with it rather than the technical specs of the audio. I have a video editor and the MP4s I create with YAMB seem to work good to just playback but when you go to edit it the editor says it has no soundtrack. When I make it with FFMPEG - same audio and video the editor recognizes the soundtrack. So there is more than one way to create an MP4 and I'm thinking Tivo Desktop is reading the file like my video editor and believes there is no soundtrack which is why there is no sound when I play it on the Tivo after importing.

[jcthorne]

http://notboring.org/devblog/2009/07/qt-faststartexe-binary-for-windows/

This is what I'm interested in. There's probably some arcane switch for FFMPEG that will make a fully streamable file. The files it makes using only the -vcodec copy -acodec copy method can be pulled with Tivo Desktop 2.8.2. I can play the video while the file is transferring but there's no audio playback.

I've tried changing the AC3 to 448k and 192k and other seeming Tivo standards. Only by changing the audio to MP2 works so far.

Using TDT 282 to pull video, it is being transcoded to mpeg2. TDT does not have a DD5.1 encoder so sends the audio as PCM stereo. TDT 282 cannot pull mp4 directly, I thought you were implying there was a newer version, perhaps a beta or something we had not seen.

Yes, I have had LOTS of success pushing mp4 files with ac3 5.1 audio to THD and Premiere. Using pyTivo, not TDT. Don't know why you are so intent on doing this with TDT but it currently does nothing pyTivo cant and pytivo does many things TDT cannot.

There is no switch for ffmpeg to create the mp4 as a streamable file. It cannot because the mov atom must be at the begining of the file and its contents is not known until the file is built completely. ffmpeg cannot 'back up' and redo the header as one of its primary functions is to output to a pipe rather than a file.

[dcstager]

Yes, I have had LOTS of success pushing mp4 files with ac3 5.1 audio to THD and Premiere. Using pyTivo, not TDT. Don't know why you are so intent on doing this with TDT but it currently does nothing pyTivo cant and pytivo does many things TDT cannot.

I am intent on doing it faster and better. The method of pushing an MP4 with PyTivo does work -- just not for me because the MP4s it creates stutter on my Series 3 on playback when they are 23.976 frames per second as most of the MKVs I'm dealing with.

Contrary to what is being posted, I am reporting that Tivo Desktop 2.8.2 Plus CAN pull MP4 files without transcoding the video to MPEG2 video when prepared by FFMPEG:

FFMPEG -i -y input.mkv -vcodec copy -acodec MP2 -ac 2 -ar 48000 -ab 192k output.mp4

This technique does not change the x264 video, only the 6 channel audio is converted to 2 channel. It's very fast, usually less than a minute to convert a 42 minute MKV file. I put the MP4 into the My Tivo Recordings folder, go to now playing, scroll to the bottom to see my PC and select the file and it imports it and plays. It's not transcoding the video or the audio and there is no stuttering in the playback.

I do not know why this is working this way, only that it does work. Different programs seem to create different kinds of MP4s - and so far any other program I've tried makes an MP4 that Tivo Desktop transcodes when it pulls in. The transcoding process takes forever - snail slow. The files I make with FFMPEG as above can be played on the fly as transferring -- it's not transcoding anything. Wierd. Just reporting my trial and error results.

Keep doing it with the mkv2Tivomp4.bat file and PyTivo method if that works for you. I would have stuck with that except for the fact it doesn't work on my Tivo.

It's so easy to just make AVCHD discs I should quit F'ing with this. Can't help myself.

P.S. The version of FFMPEG I am using is:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/mplayer-win32/files/FFmpeg/revision%2023038/

Every version after 23038 has a bug where the aspect ratio flag isn't set properly. This is the last good version I've found and it can load the libfaac.dll to make Ipad/IPhone videos too , so it's a good version for general use.

[wkranzjr]

I am new to ffmpeg. Could you please tell me how to do this?
ffmpeg -i -y input.mkv -vcodec copy -acodec mp2 -ac 2 -ar 48000 -ab 192k output.mp4

[dcstager]

Look at this link:

http://howto-pages.org/ffmpeg/

[wmcbrine]

I am new to ffmpeg. Could you please tell me how to do this?
ffmpeg -i -y input.mkv -vcodec copy -acodec mp2 -ac 2 -ar 48000 -ab 192k output.mp4

You don't want mp2 for that. Either ac3, aac, or copy.

[dcstager]

You don't want mp2 for that. Either ac3, aac, or copy.

I think he was reading my previous post where I'd had success using Tivo Desktop to put .MP4 files onto the Tivo as long as they had .mp2 audio. So if that's what he's trying to do, then he does want .mp2.