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[Z0001]

Hi

I am doing some rips of my video library with makemkv and I'll playback with MC.  My question is about which audio track to selected and how MC handles being given a number of audio tracks to choose from. 

Although I have a stereo system and analogue amp only (PC sound card with 2ch RCA output) I want to rip with the best HD audio so that I am future proofed for when I get an AV amp, but also so that my stereo system can play back to the best of its ability.

What audio streams should I be including in the mkv?

How does MC select the appropriate audio track, does it need to see a stereo track to output stereo on my system?  will it work if I have only included say DTS MA?

Does MC downmix the best multi-channel HD track to 2 channel stereo?

Its a big job ripping all these discs, so i want to get it right!

Thanks!

[badger]

You will probably want to include the "core" DTS track in addition to the DTS-MA with your rips.  MC should automatically downmix to stereo if that's what your system can handle.  I believe MC needs an HDMI connection and a capable video card to use the actual DTS-MA track.  At any rate if you rip both tracks, you can take advantage of the highest quality track as you upgrade your hardware.  I'm sure others will add or correct my understanding here.  But to answer your question, you don't need to include a stereo track in your rip.

[Matt]

DTS-MA decoding is supported, but requires a third-party decoder:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Blu-ray#Decoding_for_DTS-HD

This shows what it looks like when it's working:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=72015.msg487171#msg487171

[mikesp1]

I like to know this also, because via analog with dtsdecoder.dll mc17 is choosing dts or dolby digital on an automatic basic instead of the avaiable hd tracks.

Anyone knows a workaround?

[JustinChase]

What audio streams should I be including in the mkv?

How does MC select the appropriate audio track, does it need to see a stereo track to output stereo on my system?  will it work if I have only included say DTS MA?

I only rip/include the Lossless Audio on all my rips to MKV.  MC can/will handle these audio tracks, and only use the best your downstream can accept.  This lets you keep only the best audio available, but use whatever you're currently able to process.

The only possible caveat to this is DTS-MA, which Matt pointed out earlier.  It's an easy workaround.

If you're not sure your system can/will handle DTS-MA, you can add the core DTS audio for those movies.

Later, if you decide you no longer wan the DTS core audio, you can remove it, without re-ripping the whole movie again.  Installing mkvtoolnix gives you an interface called mkvmerge GUI, which will allow you to 'open' the mkv and see all the individual tracks; video, audio, subtitles, chapters, etc, and you can always uncheck the DTS track, and remux, which will just rewrite the mkv without the DTS track, with no encoding, so it's still lossless.

[mikesp1]

Thanks for your fast reply Justin.
Yes, i know mc will accept when there is just the hd stream in the mkv container.

problem is i have an automated music to flac and movies to mkv machine, but for movies it just rips all the audio files, included the none hd ones.

[NickF]

I think MC will automatically select the audio stream marked as default.  Your ripping software may be marking one of the non HD streams as default.

You can right click during play and select the stream you want.

Nick.

[JimH]

You can right click during play and select the stream you want.

Or you can use the OSD.