Looking for an easy way to get DXVA MKVs in Media Center? Just Install Haali’s splitter!

Previously, getting MKV to work properly inside Windows 7 Media Center has required quite a bit of effort on the part of the end user. It was necessary to install a number of third party codecs, make modifications to the registry and tweak codec settings to get everything to play nicely. By default Windows 7 Media Center uses a new method for playing back audio video content known as Windows Media Foundation which replaces the older method known as DirectShow. Unfortunately, every codec package available to this point is programmed for DirectShow and doesn’t take advantage of the new WMP format meaning playing non-supported formats was a substantial hassle.

Luckily for us there is a small light at the end of the tunnel in the form of Divx Lab’s MKV project. The Divx Lab’s project aims to utilize the Windows Media Foundation to enable playback of the popular MKV format on both the main Media Center machine as well as extenders. Not only does this mean support for extenders but it could also very well mean the end to playing with various codec package settings to tweak the audio/video settings to match the output of the default Media Center playback.

Beyond enabling playback through your Windows Media Center Extenders, the picture quality of the Windows Media Foundation solution is incredible and contains complete DVXA hardware acceleration support. So not only is the quality fantastic but hardware acceleration will keep frame rates right where they should be without the drops that can sometimes occur with CPU intensive codecs such as FFDShow.

Using Divx Lab’s MKV preview video quality is amazing in full 1080p without so much as a hint of latency in the playback. There are still a few downsides to using the preview though. For instance, you’ll still be required to install a third party codec for audio playback depending on the audio encoding used for your movies. The newest version of AC3Filter is all you’ll need though and provides ACM wrapper allowing the playback to be passed through Windows Media Foundation as well.

To give this great new product a try just head on over to the Divx Labs MKV Tech Preview page and create an account. Then hit up the Project Rémoulade Apps group page for a list of downloads and grab the latest version of the tech preview. To get your MKV files to show up in the native movie library you’ll still need to install the registry fix for either x86 systems or x64 systems depending on the OS being used. Don’t forget to grab the latest version of AC3Filter Full as well if you need extra support for AC3 audio and install that as well.

That’s all you need to give this tech preview from Dixv Labs a try and get MKV videos playing through the new Windows Media Foundation system. Be sure to subscribe to Hack7MC to get the latest info and updates on this ongoing Divx Labs project and Windows Media Foundation.

To get started you’ll need your video file, which doesn’t have to be an MKV but will be when we are done, and a copy of MKVMerge. Download and install the MKVToolnix package for Windows (v.2.9.5) then open MKVMerge from the programs menu.

Add the file you want to change the defaults for by pressing the add button on the right of the Input Files box or drag and drop the file into the Input Files box. It may take a few moments but the Tracks available for the file should appear under the Tracks box.

Above you can see that this file contains multiple subtitle files. The principal will be the same with multiple audio tracks. They will be listed as A_ followed by the encoding type.

Now to completely remove any given track from the file simply uncheck the box next to that track under the track listing. Those tracks will now be excluded when we remux (rebuild) our MKV file.

Once you’ve decided which tracks to keep with your new MKV file it’s time to determine which tracks will play by default. To determine this select each track and examine the General track options below the tracks box.

Here you’ll find the Language, Default track flag and Forced track flag. These settings are read by the decoder, such as FFDShow, when the file is loaded. Then depending on the settings set in the decoder the track that is played will be selected. For example, if you have set FFDShow (VobSub) to choose English by default English should be loaded by default.

Barring any such setting, the Default track flag will determine the default track to be played. The Forced track flag comes into play if you need to force a particular audio or subtitle file to play always. For instance in a movie with foreign dialog there would be a subtitle stream specifically for this portion of the movie.  This subtitle stream should be set to forced, otherwise there would be no subtitles during this portion of the movie, leaving the audience scratching their heads.

Now you should have one stream of each type marked as the default stream. Set an output filename at the bottom of MKVMerge (which must be different than the input file) and press the Start Muxing button. The process should normally only take a few minutes then you’ll have your output MKV file with the proper default tracks.

Today we’ve got a new application from CLSid, Doom9 member and FFDShow Tryout developer, that takes much of the leg work and guess work out of setting up your preferred codecs. To get started you can download v1.9 from Hack7MC servers here or check the thread on Doom9 for the latest version.

There’s no installation needed, just run the downloaded exe file and the program will automatically detect the installed codecs available as well as whether or not they are properly setup for playing back that particular format. For instance, if FFDShow has VC-1 enabled properly it will appear under the options, otherwise it will not.

This can actually serve a dual purpose of double checking whether or not you’ve got your configuration right. The tools currently supports the following output formats:

• H.264
• Xvid
• DivX
• MP4V
• MPEG-2
• VC-1
• MP3

In version 1.0 the following 32-bit filters are able to be detected by the program (Later versions include additional support for both 64-bit and 32-bit filters):

• ffdshow
• CoreAVC H.264 decoder
• Xvid MPEG-4 decoder
• DivX H.264 decoder
• DivX MPEG-4 decoder
• DScaler5 MPEG-2 decoder
• Cyberlink H.264 decoder (PDVD 7)
• Cyberlink MPEG-2 decoder (PDVD 7/8/9)
• Cyberlink VC-1 decoder (patched with VC1Tweak)
• ArcSoft H.264 decoder
• ArcSoft MPEG-4 decoder
• ArcSoft MPEG-2 decoder
• ArcSoft VC-1 decoder (patched with VC1Tweak)

The program also includes support for Microsoft and FFDShow filters under 64-bit operating systems.

The biggest advantage of this wonderful app is the ability to set separate decoders for each of the formats. This way you get a very customized setup allowing you to select the best suited decoder and tweak playback for specific formats.

With all these manual hacks being transformed into easy to use programs lately it seems like we may even see a comprehensive tweaking application at some point. We can all hope (and beg and plead) in any case that sometime soon getting your Media Center “just right” will be that simple.

Subscribe to Hack7MC and we’ll be sure to let you know when that glorious day comes!

#1 – It’s Open Source

Quite frankly being open source is one of the best steps a media format can take towards acceptance. This means that anyone who wishes can add the format to their product without paying outrageous licensing fees. The end result is that the format is widely useable in most media player software and the tools for creating MKVs are extremely well polished to boot.

#2 – Awesome Free Tools

Number two goes hand in hand with number one. The free source community has some of the best programmers there are. It attracts these people as a sense of community and philanthropic duty. They also aren’t afraid to ask for help from the community and they often get it. That’s just the nature of open-source. The end result is some of the most usable, highly developed tools for utilizing a format ever created.

#3 – What It Can Hold

Matroska is a container format, which means that it only holds the content. What makes MKV special as a container is what it can hold. Matroska has the flexibility to contain almost any audio/video format, including most lossless types, making it perfect for high definition content. What sets it even farther above other formats such as MP4 though is it’s ability to also pack in multiple subtitle languages, track information, multiple audio streams and more. Everything in one file! 

Reason to not use Matroska

Even with all these great reasons for using the MKV format there are still a few caveats which need to be considered. For Media Center users these include extender compatibility. Media Center Extenders tend to not play very nicely with MKV files depending on the combination of codecs and the version of Media Center used. Reports of support for the format coming and going with each patch are common.

Also, Microsoft seems to be only a fair-weather fan of the format. Support for MKV in Windows 7 is sketchy and requires some effort to accomplish. The Windows Media Foundation’s support of the format seems to be as picky as general extender support. Though there are some options in the works from the likes of DivxLabs there’s still no comprehensive publicly available solution for Windows Media Foundation.

This means that out of the box Media Center enthusiasts need to make some adjustments to the way the system handles media playback. Far from a fault of the format this points more to a failing on Microsoft’s part in implementing it’s new “fail safe” media handler.

Conclusion

Though Microsoft’s support of the format is borderline neglectful, Matroska’s ability to utilize so many features is inescapable. The portability of the media is only bound to increase with time as the open-source format lends itself to inclusion in any future media players and devices. For those creating MKV files the tools available are some of the best, not to mention free.

If you’re just starting to convert your collection for digital storage MKV is the clear winner. Don’t hesitate to convert all your movies to MKV and keep an eye on Hack7MC, we’ll help you set up your Media Center to utilize this superior format.

Hopefully, this collection of tools will help you sort out any issues you come across while using your Media Center. The collection will be kept as up-to-date as possible and can be found on the linked page so you can check back for updates as they become available.

Currently the toolbox contains copies of Radlight’s Filter Manager, Graphstudio x86 and x64, Matroska Diag, MediaInfo, and the registry fix for Take Ownership. Together these tools provide a fairly comprehensive solution to most any trouble you encounter, specifically codecs and filter setups.

Also, included in the package is a quick set of directions for using each tool in the package. Open the included Help.html file in the package to get directions and assistance using each of the tools. Of course you can always come over to hack7mc.com and get help here as well!

If you have any other programs you’d like to see included in the toolbox drop a line in the comments section below or through the contact page. Of course, only free programs will be accepted to the toolbox and open-source software is a bonus as well.

Hopefully together we can build a comprehensive downloadable package to help beginners and advanced users alike troubleshoot problems with their Media Center setups. Download the package today and save it somewhere for that rainy day.

Getting started with Matroska Diag is easy, just download the program from the Matroska.org website and run. There’s no need to install anything. Opening the program you’ll see that using the program is just as simple. Just drag and drop your MKV file onto the window and Matroska Diag will do the rest.

Once Matroska Diag has completed processing your file you’ll be able to browse through the process that your current setup goes through in displaying that MKV file. You will be presented with a list of codecs used for audio, video and subtitles (if applicable) with your current codec setup in an easy to read format.

Should you happen to be missing a codec, say for subtitle playback, Matroska Diag will let you know that as well. You will even be presented with a link to an available codec to solve the issue. In this case there’s no codec installed to deal with the subtitle track and MPC’s standalone VSFilter is the suggested cure.

For those more interested in the deep down technical details of how the file is being rendered and the process by which these particular codecs where chosen for playback those details are provided as well. Matroska Diag will present you will a full rundown of the process with a step by step readout which can help nail down any unexpected problems.

All these features packed into a simple to use program make Matroska Diag a handy tool to keep around. Be sure to head over and download a copy to keep handy in your Media Center toolbox.

Be sure to stick around for more handy applications to keep in your Media Center toolbox! Subscribe to the Hack7MC RSS Feed to get the latest delivered straight to your feed reader or sign-up for email updates.

Want to Keep MS DTV/DVD for live TV playback? Use this guide, instead.

What we need to do is disable the Microsoft DTV/DVD Decoder so we can use FFDShow and the like for our movies then replace the codec used for TV playback with a suitable replacement. First, install the codecs you intend to use to playback video content other than live TV. If you’re in need of a guide on this try Playing MKVs for Minimalists on Windows 7.

Once you’ve got basic movie playback working we need to find a suitable replacement for live TV playback. This has very specific requirements including being able to work with DRM built into Windows 7 Media Center. One codec that has been found to work perfectly in this situation is the Cyberlink video decoder included in PowerDVD 9.

The easiest method to access the Cyberlink decoder, if you don’t already own Cyberlink PowerDVD 9, is to download the trial version. For those looking for a more minimalist install you can follow these steps to extract only the necessary decoder from the trial install package (taken from the MediaPortal Forums and modified for 7MC):

1. Download PowerDVD trial software here.
2. Rename "CyberLink.1501a(DVDTrial)_DVD081031-03.exe" to "CyberLink.1501a(DVDTrial)_DVD081031-03.zip"
3. Open "PowerDVD9.1501D(Trial)_DVD081031-03.zip" in a program like 7zip
4. Extract "[ data1 ]" and rename it "[ data 1 ].zip"
5. Open "[ data 1].zip" in 7zip and Extract "data1.cab"
6. Find "_A2999B32CFD14E0385CC0CC8DB803CB4" file and extract it on your "C:\" root
7. rename "_A2999B32CFD14E0385CC0CC8DB803CB4" to "CLVsd.ax".
8. Open an elevated command prompt (start > cmd > ctrl + shift + enter)
9. Type "C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32 C:\CLVsd.ax" and hit enter
10. You should receive a message stating the proccess succeeded, otherwise try the process again

*Cyberlink codecs are usable only in 32-bit installs as far as I know

Now to disable the built in Microsoft DTV/DVD Decoder. The simplest way to do this is to just rename the decoder in the system32 folder. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to “C:\Windows\system32\”. Find the file named “msmpeg2vdec.dll” and rename it “msmpeg2vdec.dll.bak”. This will disable that particular codec and may cause instability in other programs so this is recommended only for pure Media Center installs.

After the default Microsoft codec has been disabled we need to instruct Media Center to use the Cyberlink codec instead. To do this open regedit (start > regedit > ctrl + shift + enter) and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Decoder

Locate the entry labeled “PreferredMPEG2VideoDecoderCLSID” and double-click to modify the value. Enter “{3AC8EA8C-990A-424A-BD7B-D5B57A9DEB83}”, without the quotes as the new value. This is the CLSid of the Cyberlink Video/SP Decoder. You can double-check the CLSid using RadLight’s Filter Manager with this guide.

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Converting each movie from it’s current format to another using traditional means can be a task that many would give up before even starting. The idea of converting each file one by one can be daunting for those with large collections. That’s where these files and guide can come in handy. This will enable you to do a batch processing of AVI and MP4 files into MKV files.

Get the tools

Before we get started you will need a couple of items downloaded and installed. The first of which is MKVToolnix, this set of tools will provide the command line program used by the .bat file to convert any AVI or MP4 files which don’t include WMA audio. Install the program using the installer provided on the MKVToolnix website.

Second, this zip file, which includes a .bat file and a directory which should be placed in your movies directory. Also, these files are marked “Hidden” by default and necessity, you’ll need to enable hidden items which you can find instructions for here.

Getting Started

Once you have installed MKVToolnix and extracted the zip file to your movies directory you will need to move all your AVI and MP4 files to the main directory if they aren’t there already. The simplest way to accomplish this is to enter a search in Windows Explorer for .avi/.mp4 and cut/paste into the main directory.

This is done due to the fact that the .bat file doesn’t use recursive directory codes. There are four different versions of the batch file included in the zip.

1. Just Convert – Will convert any AVI and MP4 files to MKV
2. Convert and Move – Will convert to MKV then move to a directory with the same name as the file’s name
3. Convert and Delete – Wil convert to MKV then delete the original AVI/MP4 files
4. Convert, Move and Delete – Will convert to MKV, move to folders then delete the originals

During conversion, if the file is able to be converted by MKVToolnix’s MKVMerge it will be. This is the fastest method of converting the files to the MKV format as it simply re-muxes the file into an MKV. If the original file uses WMA for audio, however, the conversion will not occur with current versions of MKVToolnix. Support for these files is planned for later versions.

Also, included is a version named simply “avitomkv.bat”. This version includes the ability to convert files encoded with WMA audio by using the HandbrakeCLI from Handbrake.fr. This version is the most robust as it will re-encode all files, however, during this process the original files are deleted. This isn’t optional in this version and is irreversible, use with extreme care!

Stick with Hack7MC

Hopefully, this guide will get anyone looking to do a batch conversion of their media where they need to go. This little .bat file saved me much time recently converting a sizable collection of AVIs to MKV in order to circumvent Windows Media Foundation in Media Center.

Check out more Tips to Organizing Your Movie Collection on Hack7MC!

To get started download and install the MKVToolnix program from the MKVToolnix website. This amazing little open source product comes in a variation for almost every platform. Once you’ve got it install run the MKVMerge GUI from the programs menu to open the merging program. The interface is simple for beginners but has enough features to satisfy most any user.

For the basic user, getting started is as simple as adding the separate parts of your video to the input files box using the “Add” button to the right. This will create separate tracks for director commentary, special features, etc. To play one part immediately after another, add the first file then use the “Append” button to add subsequent parts.

The files will be read by the program and display the track information below in the “Tracks” box. Separate video and audio tracks should appear for each part added to the input files. Currently, MKVMerge doesn’t support WMA audio however and can’t be merged. An error will appear in the tracks section if this occurs.

From here just set the output filename in the input at the bottom of the dialog and press “Start Muxing” to begin the merge. No flash, no fuss, this is one of those apps that just works and that’s the best kind.

For more advanced users (or perhaps just more demanding) there are also options to include attachments, split files, set chapters and more. All for the same basic interface you have the ability to attach subtitle files and set chapters for your MKV files. There really isn’t much you can’t do with MKVMerge if you have the time or desire to do so.

Once the process has started merging the files into a new MKV file takes almost no time at all since re-encoding isn’t required to create the new file. This narrows the time spent converting videos down from hours to mere minutes, especially nice for those with larger collections need work. In a matter of minutes MKVMerge will spit out your fresh new MKV file.

This really is one of the simplest programs available and the ability to simply remux videos into MKV as opposed to converting them frame by frame is a godsend. Time is precious, save yourself some time by using MKVMerge from MKVToolnix and you won’t regret it. Best of all it’s free!

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Get the Tools

To do this conversion we’ll use DVRMSToolbox which can be downloaded from Andy VT’s Blog. The latest version of DVRMSToolbox will include all the programs we need to do the conversion from MKV to DVR-MS for our Media Center Extender.

The profile for DVRMSToolbox was developed by Ben of Engadget HD with help from Warren Wiltshire of Seagull Consulting. Be sure to head over there and check out Engadget HD as they have lots of great home theater related articles each day.

Let’s Get Started

Once you’ve downloaded and installed DVRMSToolbox launch DVRMStoMPEGSettings from the start menu programs. We will need to tell the profile that we aren’t just working with TV series files and instruct it to not send all the files to Recorded TV.

Since we aren’t exclusively using TV series’, locate “Convert MKV to DVR-MS – mencoder” in the profile listing then press the “Edit Profile” button. Select the line that reads “Read metadata from TvDB and build Sage XML file” and click “Configure”. Check the “ContinueOnFail” checkbox and click OK.

Next locate the line reading “Move file specified in Context(‘OutputFile’) to …” and select it then hit “Configure”. Uncheck the “UseRecordedTVPath” checkbox and double-click the DestinationPath dialog box to set the output directory. This will prevent each converted file from being moved to the Recorded TV directory. Alternatively, you could also simply remove this step from the conversion profile. Once this is done, save the profile and exit DVRMSToolbox Settings.

After saving the conversion profile you should be able to convert non-TV series files to DVR-MS. Open DVRMStoMPEGGUI from the start menu programs. Once inside, double-click the Input File dialog box and select the MKV file you want to convert (you will need to change the file types dropbox to “All Files (*.*)”). Then set the output file name by double-clicking the Output File dialog box and setting the “Save as Type” dropbox to DVR-MS.

Inside the main window set the Process Priority, the higher the priority the faster the transcode should take place. Setting the priority to “Realtime” is not suggested, however, as this can cause system instability. In the Profile dropbox select the “Convert MKV to DVR-MS – mencoder” profile and make sure the “Use Selected Profile” checkbox is marked.

Press “Run” to begin the conversion. This process can take quite a bit of time to complete and doesn’t scale well with multiple core systems. The resulting DVR-MS file will most likely take up more space than the original MKV file as well. Any MKV files that have been converted can be deleted after the process is completed.

That’s all there is to converting your MKVs to DVR-MS using DVRMSToolbox. You should now be able to play the converted file on any Windows Media Center Extender.

Be sure to leave a comment on your experience and tips for using DVRMSToolbox and Media Center Extenders below or in the Google Friend Connect at the top of each page!