Aspect Ratio problem with MKVs

[alfi33]

The aspect ratio when I playback MKVs in Sage is wrong now. I'm almost certain that it was playing these files with the correct aspect ratio very recently. Not sure what changed....

The material is 720x480 but it is squished down to 4:3 (I think). I have "Source" selected in Sage. If I play the files in WMP it displays correctly.

These files are DVD rips done with Handbrake. If I play the original DVD though Sage it displays correctly.
I am using FFDshow as the filter, but like I said, it only seems to get the aspect ratio wrong when played through Sage.

Any idea what's going on? What do I need to do to troubleshoot this?

[valnar]

Sage reads AR from the stream in MKV files, not the container. Make sure handbrake isn't stripping the AR from the stream.

MKVmerge can use a parameter called --engage_keep_bitstream_ar_info. I think the later versions of MKVmerge do it automatically, but I don't know what handbrake uses.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29578


Edit: It may be only the HDx00 extenders that read the stream. 'Dunno about the Windows client.

[Taddeusz]

If you still need that command-line option for mkvmerge to work you need to download the latest mkvtoolnix. Some time ago the reverted functionality back to default to not remove the stream AR data. The option is no longer needed with the latest versions of mkvmerge.

[alfi33]

Are you saying that I might need to use MKVmerge or MKVtoolnix to fix my MKVs?

I created these files very recently (within the last month or so) with the current version of Handbrake using the "Television" and "Film" presets. They seem to play with the correct AR everywhere....except within Sage. Also, I could've sworn I was able to play back MVK files without any AR issues within the last couple months.

[Taddeusz]

If they were done with the latest version of Handbrake they should be ok. If they play correctly in other players you want to make sure your aspect ratio is set to source.

Sorry, the reference to mkvmerge was more of a reply to Valnar.

[alfi33]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

If they were done with the latest version of Handbrake they should be ok. If they play correctly in other players you want to make sure your aspect ratio is set to source.

Sorry, the reference to mkvmerge was more of a reply to Valnar.

Yep, that's what I was thinking, too. When I set the AR to "Source," Sage squishes it down to what appears to be a little wider than 4:3. If I set it to "16:9", then is displays like I think it should.

I must have changed or messed up something....but what? Argh!!

Maybe I'll try reinstalling FFDshow. Or is there a better filter for H.264 that I should try?

[Taddeusz]

What changed between it working and not working?

You might download the latest ffdshow-tryout. As the orginal ffdshow hasn't been modified in quite some time. You can get it here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow-tryout/files/

[alfi33]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

What changed between it working and not working?

Good question. I don't know exactly when this behavior started. But it was working properly within the last month or so. And during this time I've upgraded to 6.6.2 and installed BMT 3.

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

You might download the latest ffdshow-tryout. As the orginal ffdshow hasn't been modified in quite some time. You can get it here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow-tryout/files/

I've noticed that I get the same behavior in Placeshifter so doubt it's an issue with ffdshow but I'll give the ffdshow-tryout a shot anyway.

[ldavis]

I am having a problem with “source” aspect ratio and my movie library (all MKV H.264 video and AC3 audio). The “source” aspect setting works fine on all other video sources that I have – most all of which are raw or converted digital TV recordings. I know the I have set the PAR correctly on the MKV files because:

1. Using “source” on the extenders works correctly
2. When using ffdshow as the video dshow filter it shows the correct aspect within the setup dialogs. It should be noted that I have tried both ffdshow and the standard sageTV filters, both with equally incorrect results

Since the aspect ratios are much more editable on a PC than on an extender, I can set up aspect ratios that will correctly show the video so this is more of a nuisance than a real big problem. Still, this should work correctly

It should also be noted that the aspect ratio also displays incorrectly using Zoomplayer (ffdshow filter)

Any suggestions as to what might be causing this problem?


Edit: Sorry, I see that this issue came up just recently and I do not know how to delete this thread or combine with the other. In any case, the thread did not end with a firm solution, so my question still stands.

* merged *

[alfi33]

Not sure if you're refering to this thread, but I've recently started having a similar problem with MKVs.
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43665

However, my problem is with DVD rips created with Handbrake. I'm also using ffdshow but I only seem to have this problem in Sage....plays fine in WMP.

I've sent Sage support a sample file as requested but I've yet to hear anything from them. I'll let you know if any resolution is found.

[ldavis]

Thanks, that is the exact the thread I was referring to. And my problem also is only with MKVs generated from DVDs. I’ll have to try WMP tonight. Zoomplayer might be adding its own aspect control. If you get the chance, tell me what your “resize”settings are in ffdshow.

[alfi33]

I finally got this resolved (or at least a decent work around).

The problem is with SageTranscoder.exe in the 6.6.2 version of SageTV. Sage support sent me a version of the file from 6.5.9 to swap and that did the trick. No more AR issues with MKV files!

[Oats]

Nice, a solution. I had this problem and searched the forums but never found a solution. I ended up just converting DVDs to MP4 instead.