[MEncoder-users] Ripping dvd to mp4

[Erik Slagter]

Grozdan Nikolov (openSUSE Linux) wrote:
> On Monday 24 March 2008 19:38, Erik Slagter wrote:
>> Grozdan Nikolov (openSUSE Linux) wrote:
>> Ehmm, sorry, but I like things to go automatically and unattended.
>>
>> So I am actually not looking for a complete script but just (rough)
>> combinations of applications/options to achieve what I want.
> 
> and this shows that you don't understand how h264enc works, or at least didn't 
> get the time to investigate... h264enc supports batch encoding, you can't 
> automate more than that...

I am sure h264 is a wonderful application/script, but it's simply not 
what I am looking for.

And indeed, I only had a quick look at the source, to spot how the 
actual encoding is done. From my past experience with mencoder, which 
this script indeed appears to use for encoding the video, I don't 
understand how this can work, other than using intermediate subtitles 
files (more on this) which I don't want.

> and how are you going to insert those subtitles into the mp4 container if not 
> first dumping them to vobsub format and then importing this file into the mp4 
> container...

I am not going to do that, simple. The PS3 (and probably most other 
hardware devices) does not support subtitles in mp4.

And yes I actually tried it.

> Do you actually understand what hardcoding of subtitles means? 
> it means it burns them directly into the movie so every time you watch it, 
> you get to see the subtitles and there's no way to get rid of them. That's 
> hardcoding.

Duh.. Yes, hardcoding of subtitles is actually evil, believe me, if I 
wouldn't need it, I wouldn't use it. But (again) PS3 leaves me no choice.

> What you're talking about is called embedding subtitles into a 
> container.

No, I am talking of hardcoding subtitles into the video stream while 
transcoding it from mpeg2 video to h264. This must be done at the same 
time/stage to prevent an extra encoding stage which is unacceptable.

> This can be very well done with MP4Box but first you have to dump 
> the subtitles to vobsub files and after the encoding is done you import them 
> into the mp4 file on a separate track, so you'll have a video track, an audio 
> track and a subtitles track... this is called embedded subtitles, not 
> hardcoded

Been there, done that, mplayer handles the subs fine, PS3 ignores them, 
doesn't work, full stop.