Problem playing back TrueHD audio from an mkv on an hd-200

[medwynd]

I have been experimenting with converting my hd-dvd's to mkv format for playback on my hd-200. As I understand it the hd-200 will bitstream the TrueHD audio to my AVR.

The setup:
- I used AnyDVD to rip the HD-DVD to my hard drive.
- I used HdBrExtractor to join the 2 evo files into a single vc1 video file and to rip the audio in TrueHD to a thd file.
- I remuxed them all using mkvmerge.
- I have my audio setting on my hd-200 set to digital bitstream.
- I am using the latest beta firmware on the extender and latest beta SageTV server software as a plugin on a WHS box.
- When I use MediaInfo to get the information on the mkv I see:
Video as - 1920*1080 (16:9), at 23.976 fps, VC-1 (Microsoft)(AP@L3)
Audio as - 48.0KHz, 6 channelse, TrueHD
- I am using an Onkyo TX-SR608 AVR that can decode TrueHD, specs here
- If I playback the mkv using VLC Media Player on my PC I can hear the audio fine.

When I playback the mkv I see the video fine but I hear no audio at all.

Any ideas what may be causing this?

Putting the files into an mkv container seems to be the only way to get TrueHD audio into a usable format. I tried various other programs, tried ripping them to a BR folder structure, all sorts of things.

[civerson4]

HD 200 will not Bitstream True HD (it will send the core Dolby Digital or DTS included in the HD audio stream). The HD 300 will bitstream the full HD audio (at least per all the reviews on the site).

[medwynd]

So how exactly is that related to my problem? If I hear NO audio at all then I am neither hearing the TrueHD track nor a DD or DTS core audio stream that you say I should be hearing.

Does that mean I should not have the extender set to Digital Bitstream?
Does that mean I didn't rip something properly?

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by medwynd

So how exactly is that related to my problem? If I hear NO audio at all then I am neither hearing the TrueHD track nor a DD or DTS core audio stream that you say I should be hearing.

Does that mean I should not have the extender set to Digital Bitstream?
Does that mean I didn't rip something properly?

I think he is saying that you aren't ripping it with the correct sound track. It appears that you are only ripping the TrueHD track. You need to rip a sound track that the 200 can decode, which is apparantely the DD or DTS stream.

[PLUCKYHD]

The hd200 will read dolby hd it just extracts the core Dolby digital track none hd sonic you are not hearing something then your rip is probably bad

[medwynd]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

The hd200 will read dolby hd it just extracts the core Dolby digital track none hd sonic you are not hearing something then your rip is probably bad

Hmmm, I wonder why I can play it fine on my pc then with VLC media player. Is it possible when you do a rip to rip the TrueHD stream without the core?

[stanger89]

HD-DVD TrueHD tracks don't have a core AC3 stream. For HD-DVD rips you have to add your own AC3 (I did it in eac3to way back with by specifying IIRC filename.ac3+thd as the audio output).

[medwynd]

Originally Posted by stanger89

HD-DVD TrueHD tracks don't have a core AC3 stream. For HD-DVD rips you have to add your own AC3 (I did it in eac3to way back with by specifying IIRC filename.ac3+thd as the audio output).

Doh, thanks that's what I needed to know. I thought they had a core, so I figured just the TrueHD stream would be enough. Easy enough to add an ac3 stream to it.

[stanger89]

Yeah, I think HD DVD players tended to have ac3 or dts encoders on board for that reason.

I know eac3to can create a truehd track with ac3 core though, not sure if any of the guis for it do or not though.