After a little help. I have been trying to convert my DVDs to digital, and having no problems on the initial rip using makemkv. But when I encode using Handbrake, I seem to lose Surround Sound audio options as well as losing English Subtitles on an English language audio where foreign language is being spoken. An example is Oceans 13 and the mexican scenes.
I have some screenshots that show my settings (added Video settings as well just to have complete info), and hoping someone can see what setup I have wrong. I saw some posts from JuiceWSA, but it seemed like his preference was to skip the surround sound, so I tried using standard options with some tweeks.
Any advice is helpful.
Tech info
Windows PC for the RIP and hosting PMS
Files stored on Drobo NAS
Client being played on Amazon Fire TV (both Gen 2 and the 4k version).
Forget that foreign audio stuff. Identify, select and burn in the forced English sub track. You’ll have to identify the correct track with Mediainfo or use MKVToolNix to identify and/or delete the unwanted tracks so selecting them is easier in Handbrake.
If you still have trouble, ill post some screens when I’m back at the desktop.
Unless you edit the tracks and identify them during the MakeMKV run, they all just show up without tags making the selections later in Handbrake nearly impossible.
@JuiceWSA said:
Unless you edit the tracks and identify them during the MakeMKV run, they all just show up without tags making the selections later in Handbrake nearly impossible.
Something the Handbrake devs need to fix. I don’t see this issue on any other encoding program.
Yea, but let’s get real… and if we’re wishing for something, let’s wish for something that might actually happen… like a cure for world hunger, or global peace, or some other nonsense… Handbrake is a lot like Plex. They pretty much do what they want, when they want. I mean they’re 7 Versions into the 1.0 series and just now got it so you can encode a DVD properly: https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1605970/#Comment_1605970
(better start there - it’s a work in progress, but appears to be functional)
The Plex Dance® is a work-around for a problem old enough to draw Social Security and Plex stopped trying to fix that a LONG time ago. I think this one is going to be another one to add to that list: https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/279520/unable-to-delete-file-please-check-your-permissions
(July - and the symphony of crickets is deafening)
Anyway…
Here’s a Forced English Subtitle Track, properly tagged with MKVToolNix - I removed a bunch of other tracks I didn’t need:
Now, when it goes into Handbrake I add a track, then select the only sub track there (that way I know it’s the right one). Since I’m going to need it every time I watch it (English is the ONLY language I speak - and there’s no danger of me learning a new one any time soon) I Burn those subs in so I don’t have to fiddle with them any further. If you want to fiddle with them (taking the chance, and creating an opportunity for Plex’s helpful transcoder to kick in and save the day) you could create a Default, or a Forced Sub track - and hope it turns out to be a UTF-8 track that may even Direct Play on something…:
Yea - I burn. It works for me.
As for Audio… I’ve already configured my Default Audio for this Profile to be AC3 5.1 (you do NOT want to use AAC for multi-channel and you do NOT want to use that Dolby Pro Logic Crap!). I don’t need to fiddle with the audio just yet - that comes right before it goes to the library for the Normalization of the levels with Xmedia Recode -so I just pass the AC3 5.1 through:
Thanks Juice - I came across one of your in depth advisory posts, but it sounded like you dont worry about surround sound (something about only having 2 ears), so i must have misunderstood how you have your setting