MKV vs MP4 (M4v)

[poofyhairguy]

Anyone know if there's a big difference between Handbrake for Win and OSX?

The interface is different, same core.

 

[Kurshy D]

MakeMKV is a ripper, not a converter.......

HA! I just figured out what's happening. You are ripping DVDs. DVDs use an MPEG-2 codec for the video stream and is unsupported by Roku. That is different than Blu-rays that use h264 or VC-1. It has nothing to do with .mp4 or .mkv, although an MPEG-2 stream is technically incompatible with .mp4 containers.

Anyway, if you want to play these back on a Roku without transcoding, you will have to convert them to something with a compatible video codec (h264 or h265). Just about any HTPC would be able to play them back, though.

Ah, gotcha. Thank you so much for the responses. I could not figure out: " MP4Box GUI and just remux it to an .mp4" Every time I loaded an .mkv file into it, I couldn't get the program to do anything. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. Anyways, at least I know that I'm not wasting a bunch of time converting. Are you aware of a good DVD ripper that rips straight to .mp4?

 

[smitbret]

Ah, gotcha. Thank you so much for the responses. I could not figure out: " MP4Box GUI and just remux it to an .mp4" Every time I loaded an .mkv file into it, I couldn't get the program to do anything. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. Anyways, at least I know that I'm not wasting a bunch of time converting. Are you aware of a good DVD ripper that rips straight to .mp4?

Depends on how big your job is going to be and if you are willing to spend a little money for convenience. I can see a few different ways to attack this.

Honestly, the simplest and best is AnyDVD+Handbrake, especially if the job is big. I don't know if you have ever used AnyDVD but it just sits in the background and automatically removes the encryption from the DVD when you load it into the PC. That way youjust put the DVD into the PC, open up and convert. Handbrake is free but AnyDVD can be a little spendy ($40-80).
www.slysoft.com

I haven't used WinXDVD Ripper for a few years but it worked fine back in the mid 2000's. It didn't give me the level of control that I had with Handbrake and I already owned AnyDVD so I didn't use it much.
http://www.winxdvd.com/dvd-ripper/

You may even consider just implementing a 2-part system of ripping then encoding. You could just rip each of the DVDs to an .mkv using MakeMKV. The files you may already have are fine, they just won't play back on the Roku. Handbrake will let you do batches so you can just build a template and then create a job for each .mkv. Then when you are ready to let the PC do it's thing you click "Go". Come back a few hours (or days) later and you should have a nice collection of .mp4 files waiting for you. Best of all, this method is completely free.

If you need any help with Handbrake, let me know.

 

[Charlie98]

I would second the AnyDVD HD (the HD version breaks BD, I believe.) Yes, it's not free, but it works very well and is constantly updated. There is a free trial period if you want to evaluate it.

I've used the AnyDVD > Handbrake system for over 2 years, it works very well. There is something to the Handbrake presets, if you are looking for the best settings (which will certainly change the resulting file size, if storage space is important, ) make a new thread and we can help.