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MKV converter for appletv

M

micrors4racer

n00b
Joined
Aug 12, 2006
Messages
41
Just got the new 1080p Apple TV and would like to convert some MKV files into mp4/m4v so that I can stream it using iTunes. I am using a ppc power mac g5 so im usually stuck on older version of software. I tried subler which supposedly works but it crashes everytime I save the video.

I would rather try to remux the file than re-encode it because that takes ages.
 
G5 is really the only computer you have?


How about paying for stuff in itunes?
 
http://www.mediacoderhq.com/device/ipod_iphone_ipad.html

has a copy option that skips actual conversion and makes the mkv into a compatiable mp4 very quickly.
also converts videos to a specific screen format in the fastest time according to a comparison i read last week.

and im a source forge fan.

im not certain about a mac version, but i figure several people would like this link.
 
illdklli said:
Handbrake works great, and it's free.
Click to expand...

I have stuff encoded by handbrake in mkv files with "normal" preset.
Is it really JUST the file extension that AppleTV has a problem with?
The AppleTV preset uses x264 so that obviously works, and the device
specs claim AC3 works fine which is what I use.

Seems like a very silly limitation.
 
I re-encoded using handbrake and the normal profile which is what is recommended for the new 1080 apple tv. It transcoded the 11gb mk into a 6gb m4v and it works perfect with no discernible loss in quality. However it took 20 hours on my G5! What settings are you guys using?

And yes appletv requires a m4v/mp4 file with acc audio for stereo or ac3 for passthru to a compatible reciever for decoding.

What I really need is something that will remux the mkv file and take out the h.264 file and ac3 audio out and repackage it into a m4v/mp4. Mk4tools and subler should be able to do that in no more than a couple of minutes without transcoding anything however my G5 keeps crashing even with the compatible PPC binaries. I think i need to format and start clean perhaps it has something to do with random system files because wasting 20 hours on handbrake is insane.
 
That's absurd. Every other device out there plays MKV, apple needs to get over themselves.
 
Did you install Perian when trying to use Subler? I'd try working on getting Subler to work. It's the best and quickest for converting (it's really remuxing the file) to a mp4 container from MKV and also adds the metadata for you.

FYMbyIce said:
That's absurd. Every other device out there plays MKV, apple needs to get over themselves.
Click to expand...

PS3 and XBox do not. XBox is definitely the most limited of the two as far as formats. I'd love MKV support too, but it's not universally supported it just seems to be the best for converting to other devices when needed on the fly consistently IMO.
 
I like handbrake quite a bit. I've also used VidCoder as well. There was a little stretch where i just couldn't make handbrake work due to some kind of bug that took them a long time to work out. I think they've fixed it.
 
FYMbyIce said:
I have stuff encoded by handbrake in mkv files with "normal" preset.
Is it really JUST the file extension that AppleTV has a problem with?
The AppleTV preset uses x264 so that obviously works, and the device
specs claim AC3 works fine which is what I use.

Seems like a very silly limitation.
Click to expand...

Handbrake mostly puts the video into an mp4 container.
 
FYMbyIce said:
I have stuff encoded by handbrake in mkv files with "normal" preset.
Is it really JUST the file extension that AppleTV has a problem with?
The AppleTV preset uses x264 so that obviously works, and the device
specs claim AC3 works fine which is what I use.

Seems like a very silly limitation.
Click to expand...

It's the container. You should be able to remux to MP4 in just a few minutes.
 
Got XmediaRecoder for my windows pc and it works awesome only takes about 15-20min per video on my P4 3.0ghz. I suppose Subler or MKVTools for OSX will work even faster on my dualcore g5 but I need to reinstall OSX first and see if that fixes the crashing.

One question though; my receiver is old so it does not have a optical input so my appletv is connected with a 3.5mm to RCA. Should I use AC3 or AAC to encode my videos and to future proof them when I do have optical inputs. Or will my receiver not even work with AC3?
 
Are there any tools that are smart enough to remux when they detect the right codec (e.g. h264) inside the wrong container, but re-encode at other times, and do so in batch?

I went through the painful process of digitizing a ton of media I had... everything from VHS to BluRay, and I've switched containers and codecs a few times over the years... usually when I went to take some media with me on a trip, I end up having to pick the content and start a re-encoding process the night before. It's a royal pain, being tied down to Apple's codecs and iTunes, but there it is. Being that I do like the hardware, I'm wondering whether I can bite the bullet and re-encode EVERYTHING to MP4 so that iTunes stops complaining. I have no qualms about re-encoding via remux since I don't lose any quality and my PC will play MP4 as easily as MKV anyway, but I don't want to have to examine every folder one at a time to see what tool I used for the original encode.

Ideally I'd like to have a tool remux everything to MP4 that can be remuxed, leaving the rest for me to handle either via re-encode or re-capture (to MP4 this time).
 
If you install ATV Flash (black) ($30) on your Apple TV then you won't need the convert them at all. It says an update for Apple TV 3 is coming soon, I'd just grab it rather than mess around with re-encoding.
 
I looked at it and agree, it's interesting. That said, I don't think the ATV3 has been jailbroken yet.

A ton of my newer stuff is in h264 already--these are personal recordings largely, without much in the way of subtitles, chapters, etc., and in .mkv containers, so if there were a tool that simply re-muxes those files that can be re-muxed, and ignores the rest, then I could migrate the majority of my collection over to mp4, again ipad3/appletv compatibility and lose nothing. Any tools smart enough to do this?
 
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