High Definition Playback Guide

For thgse PS3 users, one of the best options is TsMuxer.....there is a version for Windows & Linux.....just convert the *.mkv to an *.m2ts. It's very fast since in this case TsMuxer just repackages the audio/video streams into a PS3 compatible m2ts container w/o any transcoding etc.

Not really.
Yes, it does its job, it copy streams from MKV to TS container but... that's it.
While on computer it will play flawlessly then PS3 and other AVC1/H264 players might have problem with it.
It is because AVC1 stream might have additional flags inside like "Level" flag.
I don't know current situation with PS3 media player but a year ago it had trouble with any AVC1/H264 stream with flag "Level" greater than "L3.1".
But scene coders is doing its job with full feature options on AVC1/H264 encoders ( "x264" is encoder not a format ) which will set "Level" flag to "L5.1".
Now, I personally HEX edited one TsMuxed file to change every "L5.1" to "L3.1" and that file played flawlessly with PS3 but not oryginal one with "L5.1" inside - PS3 assumes on base of this flag that streams is too high spec for its media player and drop it.

Solution?
1. use TsMuxer and HEX edit every file that not play thereafter, or
2. use MKV2VOB which is made specifically with PS3 in mind and is doing IT by themselves with no user knowledge or handwork -> http://www.mkv2vob.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=10
 
You seem to forget by the way, interlaced fields come at twice the frequency (assuming the BBC is broadcasting 1080i50, their FAQ only say 1080i). 25 pictures per second equals 50 fields per second, so you'll get the same number of pixels in 1080i50 as in 1080p25 per second, or twice the pixels per second as in 720p25.

I think the BBC used MBAFF which chooses interlaced or progressive depending on what's best suited to the situation.

BBC Delivery Guidelines said:
All delivered high definition master tapes must be 1080i25 (4:2:2) whether the programme was acquired using 1080p25 or 1080i25. Rollers, moving captions and DVE moves must be added in 1080i25 to prevent unacceptable judder.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/dq/pdf/tv/hd_summary_delivery_formats_v1_09.pdf Page 5
 
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Hey guys! I am new here... so a short "hello"! I am wondering.. you guys are discussing a lot about video format. What about audio? The 720p mkv i have here says it has a AC3 audio stream. But it sounds like simple two channel audio nowhere near a proper digital audio stream with 5.1 channels. Can anybody confirm that the audio of BBC HD isn't any better?

I was hoping sooo much for nice roaring sound when the guys take their rides through the tunnels... or palaces ;)

I would appreciate if anybody could give some input...
 
Hey guys! I am new here... so a short "hello"! I am wondering.. you guys are discussing a lot about video format. What about audio? The 720p mkv i have here says it has a AC3 audio stream. But it sounds like simple two channel audio nowhere near a proper digital audio stream with 5.1 channels. Can anybody confirm that the audio of BBC HD isn't any better?

I was hoping sooo much for nice roaring sound when the guys take their rides through the tunnels... or palaces ;)

I would appreciate if anybody could give some input...

You could simply check the PDF file linked in the post directely above yours. It contains all info on BBC HD content.
 
For those that are looking to convert MKV files for the Xbox 360, here are some tools that I use which have yielded good results.

Gotsent:
http://sentry23.googlepages.com/

XenonMKV:
http://xenonmkv.ev98.net/

They will basically copy the x264 source, retranscode the audio and package everything in the .mp4 format. You must split files to be <4GB or else all this doesn't work. This seems to be a 360 limitation.

Either stream using WMP12, TVersity or directly on the 360 using a USB stick.
 
The VLC-player opens but it just doesn't start the vid. You can click on the Play-button but nothing happens.

How large is your file in Byte?



You can play around with Extras -> Media Info or Codec Info, see if anything is displayed (albeit shortly) when you press play.
 
Worth noting for those of you, like me, who are in the habit of tossing the divx/xvid file onto a disc/thumb drive and playing it on your home DVD player. The only way you can play a MKV file like that is if you have a blu-ray player that can handle the format. There are no regular DVD players that can play the HD MKV format.

I use the Western Digital HD Media Player for all my movie watching, supports 1080p mkv files with ease. Before that I would just plug my computer into my tv and let VLC do all the work.
 
How large is your file in Byte?



You can play around with Extras -> Media Info or Codec Info, see if anything is displayed (albeit shortly) when you press play.

It's the 720p 14x1...1.5GB?
VLC shows nothing in Media Info or Codec Info...the older seasons of Topgear all are working, only the 14x1 doesn't work at all :-(
Weirdly even the SD-Version does not work.
 
It's the 720p 14x1...1.5GB?

I asked for the size in Byte for a reason. If the file is damaged it is very likely to differ in size slightly.

Weirdly even the SD-Version does not work.

Sounds like a major problem on your end then. SD and HD releases are entirely different - different container, different video codec, different audio codec, different everything. If one doesn't work, fine. If both don't work, there's a major disaster happening in your media player/os/computer.
 
Sounds like a major problem on your end then. SD and HD releases are entirely different - different container, different video codec, different audio codec, different everything. If one doesn't work, fine. If both don't work, there's a major disaster happening in your media player/os/computer.

Might be really simple. If you're on Linux, MacOS or even some versions of Windows (i think) it might be a problem with acess rights to the file. Are you absolutely sure the user you run VLC as has read acess to the file?
 
So I used GOTSent and made mp4 out of the episode but my PS3 doesn't "see" any files on my USB Flash drive. As a matter of fact, its never been able to recognize any mp4 vids for that matter. The directory name/structure is as follows: PS3\VIDEO\*****.mp4 Any ideas? It's able to stream from my Windows 7 desktop but it's choppy.
 
Not really.
Yes, it does its job, it copy streams from MKV to TS container but... that's it.
While on computer it will play flawlessly then PS3 and other AVC1/H264 players might have problem with it.
It is because AVC1 stream might have additional flags inside like "Level" flag.
I don't know current situation with PS3 media player but a year ago it had trouble with any AVC1/H264 stream with flag "Level" greater than "L3.1".
But scene coders is doing its job with full feature options on AVC1/H264 encoders ( "x264" is encoder not a format ) which will set "Level" flag to "L5.1".
Now, I personally HEX edited one TsMuxed file to change every "L5.1" to "L3.1" and that file played flawlessly with PS3 but not oryginal one with "L5.1" inside - PS3 assumes on base of this flag that streams is too high spec for its media player and drop it.

Solution?
1. use TsMuxer and HEX edit every file that not play thereafter, or
2. use MKV2VOB which is made specifically with PS3 in mind and is doing IT by themselves with no user knowledge or handwork -> http://www.mkv2vob.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=10

The PS3 in its current form supports up to level 4.1, and tsMuxer will change that for you if you select it. Its much faster them MKV2VOB, it took 1min 8secs to remux the most recent episode. MKV in.. M2TS out.

Dr.
 
yeah, does not transcode all that well. As posted on page one, I'm trying to get a copy to play on my AppleTV. computer at home is so old I can't even play SD vids on it :lol:

In any case I found a program called MKVTools, seems to have worked. I'll find out tonight if it works on my AppleTV will report back what I find out. :)


Nope. did video passthrough and it's just a smidge too much for the AppleTV. starts playing but video skips than stalls audio keeps going for a bit than the whole thing locks up. the Handbrake version's video plays perfectly, but audio is no good

I'll tinker more from work (computer at home is way too slow to mess around with encoding video)

Edit: side note, think it's frame rate issue. Apple calls for 24FPS, did my Handbrake reencode at 24 (even at 25FPS the audio was messed up, so I don't think that was the cause of the audio issues) I might see if putting the MKVtools version through handbrake will make for functional audio...
 
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So I used GOTSent and made mp4 out of the episode but my PS3 doesn't "see" any files on my USB Flash drive. As a matter of fact, its never been able to recognize any mp4 vids for that matter. The directory name/structure is as follows: PS3\VIDEO\*****.mp4 Any ideas? It's able to stream from my Windows 7 desktop but it's choppy.

You need to make a m2ts file for the PS3 to recognize it.
 
Audio sync problems

Audio sync problems

Am I stupid???? I downloaded the HD version and vision plays ok excpt for VLC the problem I have is the lip sync, audio and vision in sync, in any player you have mentioned. I am in Australia and our download speeds are soooo slow, I was getting 40-50kbs, it took me hours to get so I dont want to go through that again. I have had no trouble before with season 11,12 and 13. Anyone have any idea what I have to do?

Thanks everyone.:?
 
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