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Need Help with AS Output (.MP4). What are others doing with them?

If you get something like Plex then you don't have to worry about tweaking the file. It'll automatically convert the audio stream over to something that your device can play. I have several videos with EAC3 audio and it converts it and plays it on the unsupported devices easily.

Surely it becomes a matter of efficiency: if you do it once, who cares, if that's how you are going to watch it every time, why waste cpu cycles/money on the electricity bill transcoding every single time? Granted, it would be better if AS allowed the download of multiple audio tracks at once, but we are where we are for now...
 
@0x0x0x0x0 - ran into some problems last night working with ffmpeg. First, I couldn't get it to run within the video folder. Complained about missing libraries. Works when I move the video to the ffmpeg folder. Can I make windows realize where ffmpeg is?? I tried using the commands by putting the full folder location in the command, but it didn't work. Got more complaints! Making spaces in the command seems to make a difference?

2nd thing - When I run the convert to AC3 command, the new file has BOTH audio streams within it. Is there a command to just make the new file contain only the AC3 track?

3rd thing - The SRT command works...BUT....only when there is ONE subtitle file. When there are more than one, it spins out...and while it produces an SRT file - there is nothing within it. Is there a command that handles multiple subtitle files?

I tired looking at some documentation. Made my head hurt and my eyes bleed ;) Wow...I find this stuff tough.

Ultimately, it would be nice to just accept the files as they are. It may happen yet. Every work flow I have found so far has issues. The latest one is the forced subtitle track seems to be OUT of sync with the movie - and yet, I haven't touched anything on the timeline - except exported it from the MP4. Very strange.

Thanks
 
@0x0x0x0x0 - ran into some problems last night working with ffmpeg. First, I couldn't get it to run within the video folder. Complained about missing libraries. Works when I move the video to the ffmpeg folder. Can I make windows realize where ffmpeg is?? I tried using the commands by putting the full folder location in the command, but it didn't work. Got more complaints! Making spaces in the command seems to make a difference?

2nd thing - When I run the convert to AC3 command, the new file has BOTH audio streams within it. Is there a command to just make the new file contain only the AC3 track?

3rd thing - The SRT command works...BUT....only when there is ONE subtitle file. When there are more than one, it spins out...and while it produces an SRT file - there is nothing within it. Is there a command that handles multiple subtitle files?

I tired looking at some documentation. Made my head hurt and my eyes bleed ;) Wow...I find this stuff tough.

Ultimately, it would be nice to just accept the files as they are. It may happen yet. Every work flow I have found so far has issues. The latest one is the forced subtitle track seems to be OUT of sync with the movie - and yet, I haven't touched anything on the timeline - except exported it from the MP4. Very strange.

Thanks


C'mon I'm trying to teach you to fish, but all you want is the actual fish :p

ffmpeg should be fine where ever so long as you tell the command prompt where to get it from:-
ffmpeg.jpg

so I just call mine as:-
Code:
c:\ffmpeg\ffmpeg


spaces are input field separators so your file name has spaces in it, you have to quote the entire file name, like:-
Code:
"a very long file name"

Not sure why you'd want to ditch the original track- when/if you upgrade your amp are you going to re-download everything, or are you keeping two files around (in which case the video in the copy is much larger than just a copy of the original track... But hey ho, if you do want to ditch it, it's much simpler:-
Code:
ffmpeg -i input_file.mp4 -c:v copy -c:a ac3 -b:a 640k output_file.mp4

If you're planning on streaming you might want to add
Code:
-movflags faststart
just before the name of the output file, it will move the "information about this mp4" box to the beginning of file instead of leaving it at the end of the file.


You can have as many srt files as you want, just map them out to separate files one at a time. First get the contents of the actual mp4 with
Code:
ffmpeg -i the_actual_mp4_file
which will produce a lot of text, but look toward the bottom and you will see something along the lines of
Code:
...

    Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), ...
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: eac3 (ec-3 / 0x332D6365), ...
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Side data:
      audio service type: main
    Stream #0:2(eng): Subtitle: mov_text (tx3g / 0x67337874), 0 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SubtitleHandler
    Stream #0:3(eng): Subtitle: mov_text (tx3g / 0x67337874)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SubtitleHandler
so you know tracks #2 and #3 are subtitles, you can refer to them by their absolute addresses (file:track) "0:2" and "0:3" but i prefer context-relative (file:context:track in context) "0:s:0" and "0:s:1" in this case, so:-
Code:
ffmpeg -i input_file -map 0:s:0 -c:s srt subs_1.srt -map 0:s:1 -c:s srt subs_2.srt
& voila!

I know looking at documentation is daunting, but people did put an effort into writing it, and for everything the documentation actually has examples with explanations of what the examples try to achieve, so... perseverance... learn to fish! :coffee:

one final tip: hitting tab auto-completes to what the command prompt thinks you want to get to, hitting it repeatedly cycles through possibilities.
 
@ 0x0x0x0x0 - Really, really appreciate this. For me...it's a lot to take in. I grew up in an era where computers weren't a thing - nor did we have them at school. We had slide rules. ;) To make it even tougher, I never got into puters until I was somewhat mature :eek: - so I don't have the understanding others have. Still...I try! (Or I'm trying my wife would say!! o_O)

Documentation is good, but is usually written by people who have a complete understanding of the software (think Phd Genius!) :banghead:. Not my forte. Think...brain turning to liquid jelly. That's me :D

As for the audio tracks, the AC3 is good enough. I've never had the latest formats, so I don't really care what I'm supposedly missing. Also, space is at a premium, so every little bit helps. Wish I had a 120TB server, but the power bill alone would be painful - not to mention the cost of the HDD's. :confused:. Still...I keep the original file as a backup, so can always go back to EAC3.

As for the SRT file output, here is the one I came up with if I followed the sequence correctly for 3 SRT file outputs. This should be correct??

Code:
ffmpeg -i input_file -map 0:s:0 -c:s srt subs_1.srt -map 0:s:1 -c:s srt subs_2.srt  -map 0:s:2 -c:s srt subs_3.srt

I can see once the head is around this stuff it becomes 2nd nature. Keeps the brain active, which helps to stay a step ahead of the fade :rolleyes:

:thankyou::thankyou::thankyou:
 
<snip>

As for the SRT file output, here is the one I came up with if I followed the sequence correctly for 3 SRT file outputs. This should be correct??

Code:
ffmpeg -i input_file -map 0:s:0 -c:s srt subs_1.srt -map 0:s:1 -c:s srt subs_2.srt  -map 0:s:2 -c:s srt subs_3.srt

yup, you've got it, that should do it!
 
To each his own, but I still prefer physical media. As such, I author all my AnyStream downloads to Blu-ray. Below is a list of the tools I use.

Subtitle Edit 3.4.5 (SRT editing and export to Blu-ray subtitles, SUP files.)
BDSup2Sub 4.0.0 (Checking over SUP files and repositioning captions.)
Photoshop CS3 (Blu-ray menu background creation.)
BD Rebuilder v0.61.01 (MP4 to BDMV creation. Blu-ray menu creation.)
multiAVCHD v4.1 (MP4 to BDMV creation. Adding/removing audio tracks and subtitles. Adding chapter stops. Modifying start and end time of a given stream if so desired to eliminate items prior to and after the feature presentation.)
BDedit v0.39b (Updating playlist and menu navigation behavior. Setting state of audio and subtitle tracks. Turning a forced subtitle track on by default for example.)
PowerDVD 18 (Testing Blu-ray folder prior to burning to BD-R.)
ImgBurn 2.5.7.0 (Burning "BDMV/CERTIFICATE" folders to BD-R.)

And here's the quick and dirty for those interested...
In AnyStream I use the SRT option for subtitles. (The SRT files are the first thing that downloads.) Once downloaded I work the SRT files over using "Subtitle Edit" as I have certain preferences for how subtitles are presented. Along the way I always create a separate SRT file where I've stripped out any "text for the hearing impaired" items. That then serves as my primary subtitle track followed by the subtitle track that includes the "text for the hearing impaired" items. If there's a SRT file for forced subtitles as well I'll make that the primary subtitle track over the other two when going to build the Blu-ray. Once the SRT files are prepared I export them to Blu-ray (SUP) subtitles. (I prefer the Verdana font. Font size, 40. Shadow width, 2.) I use "BDSup2Sub" to check over the resulting Blu-ray (SUP) subtitles repositioning captions if needed. (My preference is to always have subtitles appear within the visible frame as I use black velvet masking to eliminate any black bars that might be projected on my white projector screen. The physical masking provides for a true black hole around the projected image.)

The next step is to take the MP4 and create the Blu-ray (BDMV) folder structure which in most cases involves encoding the video. To do that I use multiAVCHD and/or BD Rebuilder. (BD Rebuilder will automatically convert the audio for Blu-ray compliance on import if needed, so quite often I'll start an import just to grab the resulting audio file, then creating the Blu-ray folder structure using multiAVCHD instead that way I can add the audio, subtitles and chapter stops from the outset.) If the given Blu-ray is to include more than one title I prepare each title as its own Blu-ray first, then importing them all at once into BD Rebuilder which on import creates a simple title selection menu (Top Menu) via its "Quick-Play" feature that I've configured ahead of time. (I use Photoshop to create the given Blu-ray menu background image which includes everything except the actual menu buttons used for title selection.) I then load the resulting BDMV folder up in BDedit. In BDedit I futher customize the playlist and menu navigation behavior to my liking in addition to updating the state of the audio and subtitle tracks if needed ensuring any forced subtitle tracks are turned on by default for example. It's then time to test the Blu-ray folder using PowerDVD 18 prior to burning to BD-R with ImgBurn. Are we having fun yet!

And for your viewing pleasure, here's what a few of the Blu-ray menus look like I worked up recently. (A "Play All" option can be baked in using BDedit though my preference is to return back to the menu after a given episode finishes playing.) Again, nothing fancy here. Just a simple Top Menu for title selection. It more than gets the job done. And as you'll probably notice, I worked up a template of sorts in Photoshop making the process of creating the given Blu-ray menu background quick and easy. It's simple, but effective.

Cobra Kai: Season 3
bd_menu_cobra_kai_s3_thumb.jpg
(Click here to view the full 1920x1080 screenshot.)

Lost in Space: Season 2
bd_menu_lost_in_space_s2_thumb.png
(Click here to view the full 1920x1080 screenshot.)

Stranger Things: Season 3
bd_stranger_things_s3_thumb.png
(Click here to view the full 1920x1080 screenshot.)

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Season Two
tom_clancys_jack_ryan_s2_thumb.png
(Click here to view the full 1920x1080 screenshot.)
 
Last edited:
@0x0x0x0x0

Been working on a workflow for several days. Getting close. Put some hours into ffmpeg - had some success figuring things on my own (basic things).

Need some help. Want to know if ffmpeg can do the following...

1 - select ALL mp4's in a folder using there current file name, export all subtitle streams (regardless of how many within MP4) and export them using the current file number, but each incremented by the number "1"

For eg...input.mp4 >>> output(same as input name)+1.srt, output(same as input name)+2.srt etc.

It would be even greater if the subtitle files could be incremented using the name they have inside the MP4 - that is...English, English [CC], English Forced (narrative) etc. That way the forced one would be easy to spot.

2 - select ALL mp4's in a folder using there current file name and export to AC3 using the current file input file name as the output file name with a -AC3 on the end.

eg...input.mp4 >>> output(same as input name)-AC3.MP4

Note: It would be even greater if the kbps of the audio wasn't set in the code as an output, but matched the input file (because NOT all the files have the same kbps value)

I feel I've made some progress. BUT...it's been frustrating. Every time I think I'm close to a final workflow, I discover something that just plain doesn't work (usually either chapters or subtitles).

I have found that MP4 chapters don't work on my version of kodi. MKV does though.

Hope you can help.

Many thanks.
 
My system has more . My gaming/video/htpc/Plex server rig has 37TB :p

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I’ve got 3 8TB Ironwolf drives in my Synology NAS Plex server.


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5 x 14TB in RAID 6 in my QNAP with room for 3 more drives.
 
NAS: TVS-882BR | F/W: 4.5.2.1566 | 40GB | 2 x 1TB M.2 SATA RAID 1 (System/VMs) | 3 x 1TB M.2 NMVe QM2-4P-384A RAID 5 (cache) | 5 x 14TB Exos HDD RAID 6 (Data) | 1 x Blu-ray

I also upgraded the processor from an i3 to an i7 but don’t remember the model.


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NAS: TVS-882BR | F/W: 4.5.2.1566 | 40GB | 2 x 1TB M.2 SATA RAID 1 (System/VMs) | 3 x 1TB M.2 NMVe QM2-4P-384A RAID 5 (cache) | 5 x 14TB Exos HDD RAID 6 (Data) | 1 x Blu-ray

I also upgraded the processor from an i3 to an i7 but don’t remember the model.

Oh, wow, you went all out! I've got the TVS-871-i7-16G.
 
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