various handbrake mkv to atv2 questions

[gonzoking]

1.
I use handbrake to convert mkv videos (which have already been encoded) to play on my atv2, if i use the atv2 preset the framerate is ntsc but i live in the uk so have a pal telly, should i always set it to pal, ntsc or same as source?

2.
I like the quality to be as good as the original on my 50 inch plasma to me its important, is the best way to set the target size same as the original, size is not an issue for me as i delete after watching often, or will a larger file size cause the streaming too many problems. Also should i use rf (constant quality) instead or average bit rate. I tried rf 18 and was dissapointed with the pq.

3.

Only just having bought my atv2 I was converting to mp4, putting that on a usb and playing on the ps3, worked perfectly although a little cumbersome.
But now handbrake makes m4v files and wont let me put them on a usb, how can i make the files mp4 s again(preferably right from the start, i dont want to convert m4v s to mp4s, but mkv s to mp4.
Thanks for looking and thanks for any help!

 

[gonzoking]

anyone?

 

[Che Castro]

Can i ask you something

You could jailbreak your apple tv and install xbmc and play all your mkv , you could do all this in 10 minutes

Compare that to converting all your mkv files

Have you thought about jailbreaking ? Is really easy

 

[AdrianK]

1. Use 'same as source' so it does not alter the framerate, don't worry about the PAL/NTSC thing. All your source files (assuming they're from BD or HDDVD) will be 23.97 FPS (24/1001) which is fine.

2. I can't stand CQ, I've tried using it and I always end up encoding about 10 samples before I get the desired result, but everything I encode looks good at 4mbp/s so that's what I use.

3. Just change the file extension to mp4.

 

[gonzoking]

Thanks, where and how do i change the file extension to mp4?

 

[henrikrox]

Really?

Wow. Well you right click the file, rename, and change the extension, from m4v to mp4. Takes you 1,4 seconds

That messes up sometimes though, due to audio formats and so on, but ye.

 

[gonzoking]

Thanks I have tried this though and have renamed to an mp4 file but then when I try to put it onto a usb stick ( to watch on a ps3 etc) it wont let me, it says error code 0. Previously on the older version of handbrake it only made mp4 files so this wasnt a problem. Should I go to the older handbrake version or is it because I am using the apple tv2 presets?

 

[peterjcat]

Thanks I have tried this though and have renamed to an mp4 file but then when I try to put it onto a usb stick ( to watch on a ps3 etc) it wont let me, it says error code 0. Previously on the older version of handbrake it only made mp4 files so this wasnt a problem. Should I go to the older handbrake version or is it because I am using the apple tv2 presets?

The file extension or type will make zero difference to whether you can copy it onto a USB stick or not. There must be something else wrong. Maybe your USB is formatted FAT and the file is greater than 4GB or something?

 

[gonzoking]

Nope thats not it either as i was happily copying mp4 s from the previous version of handbrake to a usb and the file size was often 6 to 7 gigs, any other suggestions?

 

[HarryPot]

Thanks, where and how do i change the file extension to mp4?

MKV is just a container, meaning that if it has H.264 video and AAC audio, within the Apple TV specs, you can just remux the file and covert it to M4V.

To do this, download Subler and follow their instructions. Is fairly easy and quick. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Really?

Wow. Well you right click the file, rename, and change the extension, from m4v to mp4. Takes you 1,4 seconds

That messes up sometimes though, due to audio formats and so on, but ye.

Really? You can't just change the file extension in a video file. It will NEVER work, in the contrary, you will just make the video file unplayable.

EDIT: I was under the impression you were saying to change the extension from .mkv to .m4v. My bad, now I see you mean from mp4-m4v. (Which I didn't knew was possible, but it seems to be possible sometimes).

 

[Jimmdean]

generally m4v and mp4 extensions are interchangeable - you can simply rename them and they should still play, but if that doesn't work or is cumbersome, you can change the setting in Handbrake to not use the iTunes friendly extension - that setting is in the preferences - you might have to get a newer nightly build for it though.

 

[Shoesy]

MKV is just a container, meaning that if it has H.264 video and AAC audio, within the Apple TV specs, you can just remux the file and covert it to M4V.

To do this, download Subler and follow their instructions. Is fairly easy and quick.

Do this - by far the best option. I use mkv2m4v now- very easy.

 

[jason2811]

What about MKVTools? It takes about 10min to convert a 2GB MKV file into a MP4 file.

 

[spacepower7]

The m4v is an extension of mp4 that includes chapter markers and the ability to include AC-3 (Dolby Digital) sound.

The PS3 will not play back m4v, so you need to change the extension to mp4.

 

[Sedulous]

What about MKVTools? It takes about 10min to convert a 2GB MKV file into a MP4 file.

This is the approach I take. MKVTools lets you passthrough video. If needed, audio can be set to AC3/include 2 channel track (AAC). Works like a charm 90% of the time.