http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 11:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 1:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
Use SageTV:
Rip to hard drive
Play in any client PC (softsled) or HD100 or HD200 extender

Or Use SageTV:
Run AnyDVD
Stream to any client PC (softsled) or HD100 or HD200 extender

For Extenders this includes Blu-rays...]]>Aug 18th 2009 1:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 11:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 11:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
But again, I am not seeing any issues. Batman Begins bit rate is at 16 bits and The Dark Knight is over 20 bits, I can't remember the exact number right now.]]>Aug 18th 2009 1:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 1:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/No, if only it was. h.264 is optimized for live streaming, while AVC is for media playback, scrubbing etc. So the header is different and Media Center doesn't support AVC, just h.264. The good news is that you can make them the same very easily without transcoding, the bad news is that right now there isn't a way to do this. I've heard of a few projects with this goal, but currently it just doesn't work.]]>Aug 18th 2009 1:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
Brian how did you get your Blu-ray m2ts files to play back stutter free? In the Windows 7 beta I could not even get m2ts files with VC-1 to play at all even on the PC itself. I have not tried it on the RC. AVC m2ts files have played back just fine on the PC but they have always stuttered and crashed my xbox extender. My only solution has been to convert to WMVHD with TMPGEnc but I have been having some lack of memory errors lately as well as the RC does not work as well as the beta for streaming m2ts to my xbox (works fine on the dashboard but not through the extender interface).]]>Aug 18th 2009 2:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
I really don't mind too much if I can convert the files from m2ts to WMV HD and I have been looking into this for the past day but I can't find a simple solution, and one that doesn't require you to convert to something like MWV and then to WMV HD. Or with HD DVD converting the evo files to MWV HD. There are solutions but it seems like you have to convert the video, then convert it again which to me isn't ideal. I only want to allow it to be converted once.

Oh, and I can play m2ts on the PC via PowerDVD with no problems.]]>Aug 18th 2009 2:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 3:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
Personally Im waiting for somebody to figure out how to create wtv's since they can support some flavors of mpeg4.

also can you not embed subtitles the way its embedded in dvr-ms files? You would think there would be a way since recorded tv can do it.]]>Aug 18th 2009 12:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 12:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
this whole process sounds great since it makes it more user-friendly (or in my case, wife and in-law friendly), but if it costs too much space i probably won't do it.

having all that metadata added in automatically would be great tho. :(]]>Aug 18th 2009 12:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
You can use Yammm with any file type. Just install and configure it to watch a folder with the same structure and it will add the metadata automatically.]]>Aug 18th 2009 12:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
The dvr-ms files aren't that much bigger, and can even be smaller if the original file had DTS since it converts it to 440kbps AC3.

Yes, ideally we could just re-wrap the mkv into the wtv container, but so far no one has yet to devise a way to do that. I'm sure someone will eventually though.

As for subtitles. WTV files support closed captions but not subtitles. So you'd have to figure out a way to convert the subtitles to the closed caption format and then add it to a stream. Technically it is possible, but again, no one has done it yet.]]>Aug 18th 2009 12:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
And to tell you the truth on most movies subtitles dont matter but some they do and it is an issue on those movies. If the quality is good enough with dvr-ms ill probably just keep 2 copies of my movie rips for now. (I have plenty of space still on my whs)]]>Aug 18th 2009 2:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
Mine is connected to a receiver which is connected to a TV... seems to work just fine for me, and I don't need to do all this re-encoding nonsense when I play mkv's or blu-ray iso's on my beautiful TV. I have a second -- cheaper -- HTPC connected to the bedroom TV that is just as capable.

So I don't get it... $400 for another HTPC seems better than storing multiple versions of everything on a NAS and wasting countless hours of your life converting files.

MC Extenders are just sooo... 2005.

But, I guess if you have to deal with them, this is a handy way to do so.
/shrug
]]>Aug 18th 2009 12:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
I agree with most things Ben says, but not this time.

I have no issues with overscan or anything on my LCD. Direct DVI to my HDTV, and I could have just as easily used HDMI if I wanted.

If anything, overscan is for the birds.]]>Aug 18th 2009 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 11:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 12:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
1) Rip to hard drive
2) play in media browser

]]>Aug 18th 2009 1:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 1:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 5:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
I have everything centralized on my Media Center and Home Server. Whenever a movie shows up in Media Browser now there is no question as to whether or not it will work. Works every time with smooth fast forward and rewind. Works on my Media Center PC and on both of my $100 Linksys extenders.]]>Aug 18th 2009 1:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
Also if i use the encoder in DVRMS for VOB2DVRMS will it mess up the aspect ratio as was initially the problem for Blue Ray Rips?]]>Aug 18th 2009 1:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 1:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://bjdraw.com/2009/04/05/how-to-automatically-convert-vob-to-mpg-and-dts-to-ac3/]]>Aug 18th 2009 1:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 2:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/What is your process. I am looking for a simple as possible of a process for ripping movies. I want insert the DVD pick an audio track (i usually use DVD Shrink) and rip to a folder and let VideoRedo go do its thing. Is this what you do and can i auto grab meta data thanks to this article or am i still stuck mapping each file in My Movies 2]]>Aug 18th 2009 3:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
It's pretty easy to convert VOB to MPEG2, which keeps everything at 100% quality. There is no video or audio conversion, it's basically change the container. You first need to get the VOB file. Once you have that, can open up VideoReDo and open the VOB file. It may or may not show an error while it tries to play the file for you. It may also show that the movie is maybe 2 seconds long. It's still okay. To select AC3, inside VideoReDo you go to Tools/Select Stream. AC3 is almost always shown as x80. Sometimes it may show as x81 or another but it is rare. Only a handful out of hundreds of movies I have done I have run into this. Then you just do a File/Save As and it will save it as MPEG2 with AC3. It also may error out or start to show a timer that is in the thousands of minutes. In that cause, you need to do a Tools/QuickStream Fix…and save it that way. This works 99.9999999% of the time for me.

It can’t hard code the subtitles if you need them. I actually need to look into how to do sub titles for movies like Apocalypto.

The biggest issue I ever run into is ripping the VOB file off. I sometimes have to use various programs and various methods to do it. But the tools I use is DVD Decrypter, AnyDVD, and DVD Fab. Sometimes I have used DVD Shrink to get some movies to work but it’s been awhile since I have needed to. AnyDVD or DVD Fab seem to almost always do the trick. Which with those I may rip them to an ISO (maybe just the main movie, or cloning the entire disc) and then use DVD Decrypter to get the VOB off.

It sucks to have to go through this to put movies I already own to be viewed via Media Center but at least it’s not too complicated for DVDs.]]>Aug 18th 2009 11:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
Also forgot to mention about My Movies. I use it because it seems to load faster then the new Movies app in Windows 7. It sucks to have to map each movie to My Movies but once it is setup it works great. The metadata does not populate over to the WIndows 7 Movies so you would need a way with like how Ben discribes it.

I know My Movies does have a way to auto add movies and I beleive it is based on the name of the folder but I am not 100% sure. I just don't trust it and I want to add each movie the way I want it so I never tried it.

I do think the new Movies section in Wnidows 7 looks better then My Movies but for me it runs slower when using my Xbox 360 because I have a lot of movies. I have had it take 5+ minutes just to load while My Movies takes maybe 10 seconds to load.]]>Aug 19th 2009 7:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/I'd rather spend 7 bills on that Sony bluray changer.
]]>Aug 18th 2009 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 4:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
I am not a Microsoft hater or anything just a frustrated HTPC user who has long since abandoned their Media Center front end for greener pastures. Windows looks attractive but when will they get it through their skulls that people want to play more than their file formats?]]>Aug 18th 2009 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 9:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 18th 2009 10:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
I dont see any reason the resoltion would change.... just for some reason.

Looks like it happened here in the scripting.

Writing header...
INITV: 0.200, 0.158, fps: 23.976
VDec: vo config request - 1280 x 544 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is 2.35:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
videocodec: libavcodec (1280x704 fourcc=3267706d [mpg2])
INITV: 0.242, 0.200, fps: 23.976
BUFFER UNDEFLOW at stream 0, raising muxrate to 11088 kb/s, delta_scr: 39896]]>Aug 18th 2009 10:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 19th 2009 7:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/You'd have to ask the developer of MencoderProper that one, follow the link above to his site and post a comment.

Not sure how you checked the final resolution, but I do know that sometimes dvr-ms files can report the incorrect resolution in the metadata.

As for the HD logo, that is just a metadata element. It should just be just a matter of figuring out which one it is and setting it to yes.]]>Aug 19th 2009 7:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 19th 2009 9:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 19th 2009 9:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 19th 2009 9:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 19th 2009 1:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
any suggestions?

is there a x64 version I need to be running? or "run as administrator" crap I have to do?]]>Aug 19th 2009 1:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 19th 2009 1:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en/Download/Windows
dll 64-bit without installer version. put in x64 directory next to x86 directory.

"Mencoderproper.exe has stopped working"


InputFile=E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv
Processing actions, this may take some time!!
File is not a dvrms-file
Run Profile = Convert MKV to DVR-MS and put in Movie Folder
ProcessId = 656
DvrmsToolbox Version: 1.2.1.8
Get the value of Context["InputFile"] and set the value of Context["MoviePath"]
Context["InputFile"] = E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv
Context["MoviePath"] = E:\Movies\true.blood.s01.e01\
Duration = 00:00:00.0020001
Throttle DVRMStoMPEG
FWThrottle: E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv
WaitTime: 5 PollTime
Waiting to process file
Queue file
Duration = 00:00:01.0160581
Waiting for available worker: 8/19/2009 2:40 PM
Worker allocated: 8/19/2009 2:40 PM
Get the value of Context["InputFile"] and set the value of Context["OutputFile"]
Context["InputFile"] = E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv
Context["OutputFile"] = C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg
Duration = 00:00:00.0010001
Run MencoderProper\MencoderProper.exe "E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv" "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg"
Run C:\Program Files (x86)\DVRMSToolbox\Applications\MencoderProper\MencoderProper.exe "E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv" "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg"
[MencoderProper] Need some help running Mencoder? Well that's what I'm here for!
[MencoderProper] You entered [E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv] as the file you would like to convert and [C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg] as the destination file.
[MencoderProper] Initializing........
[MencoderProper] Loading config file located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\DVRMSToolbox\Applications\MencoderProper\MencoderProper.config
[MencoderProper] Config file loaded.
[MencoderProper] Initialization complete.
[MencoderProper] Obtaining input file location from parameter passed in and setting output to parameter passed in.
[MencoderProper] Getting MediaInfo for [E:\temp\true.blood.s01.e01.mkv]
Duration = 00:00:05.0082865
Get the value of Context["OutputFile"] and set the value of Context["InputFile"]
Context["OutputFile"] = C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg
Context["InputFile"] = C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg
Duration = 00:00:00
Get the value of Context["OutputFile"] and set the value of Context["OutputFile"]
Context["OutputFile"] = C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg
Context["OutputFile"] = C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.dvr-ms
Duration = 00:00:00.0010000
Run todvrms.exe "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg" "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.dvr-ms"
Run C:\Program Files (x86)\DVRMSToolbox\Applications\todvrms.exe "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg" "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.dvr-ms"
C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.mpg does not exist
Duration = 00:00:05.0032862
Delete the file in Context["InputFile"]
Duration = 00:00:00.0010000
Run C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /c mkdir "E:\Movies\true.blood.s01.e01\"
Run C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /c mkdir "E:\Movies\true.blood.s01.e01\"
Duration = 00:00:05.0082865
Run C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /c move /y "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.dvr-ms" "E:\Movies\true.blood.s01.e01\"
Run C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /c move /y "C:\Users\Public\DvrmsToolbox\DTBTemp\true.blood.s01.e01.dvr-ms" "E:\Movies\true.blood.s01.e01\"

Duration = 00:00:05.0082865
Total Duration = 00:00:21.0512040]]>Aug 19th 2009 2:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/Aug 20th 2009 3:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/how-to-import-hd-movies-into-windows-media-center/
aechevarria@gmail.com]]>Aug 19th 2009 2:56PM