[MPlayer-users] How programmatically determine the correct one of two english soundtracks for an encode

[Graham Lawrence]

> Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2012 08:46:20 -0500
> From: Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson at cox.net>
> To: mplayer-users at mplayerhq.hu
> Subject: Re: [MPlayer-users] How programmatically determine the
> 	correct one of two english soundtracks for an encode
> Message-ID: <4FF83DAC.2010108 at cox.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
>
> On 07/07/2012 03:36 AM, houghi wrote:
>> On Fri, Jul 06, 2012 at 10:31:07PM +0200, Marcin 'Rambo' Roguski wrote:
>>>> My "guess" is that typically lowered number tracks are preferred.  But
>>>> I'm not entirely sure...
>>>
>>> Unfortunately it's not the rule - I happen to have an X-Files DVD loaded
>>> right
>>> now and stream id 128 is the commentary on a few episodes, while the
>>> other
>>> have normal audio there.
>>
>> Why not encode them both? I am in the process of ripping all my DVDs. I
> [snip]

Pretty much that is what I've elected to do.   I encode id 128 with
the video regardless of its language, and also extract all english
soundtracks with id > 128.  Of course that means I'm now expanding my
script that successively plays me the latest batch of encodes, so that
it will cycle through these soundtracks and then merge the chosen one
with the extracted video.

>>
>> I must say that I use Handbrake and not mencoder or mplayer. The reason
>> is
>> that it is much easier to use for ripping. (Actually I use HandBrakeCLI)
>> For me it is a better tool for this specific task. mplayer and mencoder
>> are much better for other tasks.
>>
>
> +1  I like running HandBrakeCLI in scripts through at(1).
>
> Also, "HandBrakeCLI --scan" gives descriptions of each audio channel, so
> you can more easily decide which to transcode.
>

I did use Handbrake's gui version when I used windows OS, and it was
certainly easy to use and mostly gave good results.  But occasionally
not, which I ascribed to my ignorance of the subject, so I started
delving into Handbrake's documentation, and soon realized there was a
most complex can of worms lurking beneath Handbrake's smiling gui.  So
I backed away from the subject, took up with linux instead.

On linux I turned to mplayer/mencoder.  My examination of Handbrake's
documentation taught me the subject is so involved I would have to
script it.  I've reached the age where one remembers one's childhood
with crystal clarity, but what one may have done 30 seconds ago is
often lost and gone forever.  So now I automate everything I possibly
can, scripts don't have memory lapses.

I've incorporated everything I could glean from chapters 6 and 7 of
mplayer's html documentation
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/HTML/en/index.html
and am more than pleased with the results.  Encoding is fast, less
than half the time of Handbrake, and the size reduction is OK, about
1/3 - 1/2 the size of the dvd, though Handbrake is superior in that
respect.  Visually the encode is as good as the dvd, and frequently
better.  That may seem impossible, but is so.  I assume mencoder tunes
its product specifically for mplayer, while the dvd may not be.  I can
fiddle with mplayer's brightness and contrast controls to bring the
dvd presentation up to the quality of the encode, but with the encode
I don't have to do that.

Its certainly not perfect, particularly with some grossly interleaved
dvds, but "as good or better than the dvd" is a standard I can live
with.  And it is really close now.  After this soundtrack business the
only real problem remaining is a group of dvds that the script fails
to encode.  If I can track down a common cause for that, I'll have my
goal, fully automated movie encoding.