.mkv files, no audio - what conversion software?

[Spannerhead]

I've got a load of new .mkv HD movies to watch, but on some of them there is no sound when I play them on the PCH, they work fine on the PC.

Before my PC crashed and burned and I had to re-install everything I had a bit of software recommended by guys on here that converted the sound file on .mkv files so they worked. It wasn't Xilisoft.

Can anybody tell me what it is? I've got an A-100 and am running Windows 7.

Here's the Mediainfo (now I've sussed what that is!):

General
Complete name : D:\Videos\Sherlock Holmes\cbgb-sherlockholmes720.mkv
Format : Matroska
File size : 6.56 GiB
Duration : 2h 8mn
Overall bit rate : 7 313 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2008-03-08 21:31:54
Writing application : mkvmerge v2.9.8 ('C'est le bon') built on Aug 21 2009 13:21:42
Writing library : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L3.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Unknown@3.1
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 2h 8mn
Bit rate : 5 658 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 5 804 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Resolution : 8 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.256
Stream size : 5.07 GiB (77%)
Writing library : x264 core 88 r1471 1144615
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=5 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=umh / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.20 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=6 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / wpredb=1 / wpredp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=5804 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Language : English

Audio
ID : 2
Format : DTS
Format/Info : Digital Theater Systems
Codec ID : A_DTS
Duration : 2h 8mn
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 1 510 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Resolution : 24 bits
Stream size : 1.35 GiB (21%)
Language : English

Text
ID : 3
Format : UTF-8
Codec ID : S_TEXT/UTF8
Codec ID/Info : UTF-8 Plain Text
Language : English

[spawn]

Here you go

http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showth...?tid=20887

[Spannerhead]

Thanks for that, and what sound output should I select?

[spawn]

Dolby Digital / AC3 5.1

The problem is the A-100 do not decode DTS - thus if you do not have it connected to a surround receiver that can decode DTS then you instead want DD/AC3 which the A-100 do decode.
You also want to keep it in 5.1 multichannel because you may later aquire a surround receiver capable of decoding 5.1 multichannel DD/AC3 - untill then the A-100 will decode and downmix to stereo if only connected to a TV

   

[Spannerhead]

It is connected to a new Onyko amp, which I would have thought would do all the decoding, but at the moment I don't seem to be getting a Digital output from it at all.

I'll try converting the audio to AC3 then, I'm sure that's what I usedto have to do before the PC crash.

Cheers

[spawn]

Quote:It is connected to a new Onyko amp

Oh - well then you should not need to convert this at all.
Have you connected with HDMI or Coaxial to your AMP ?
Which Onkyo model is it ?

Did you set your A-100 audiosettings like this:

HDMI audio on
Surround mode stereo
DD/AC3 - digital RAW
DTS - digital RAW (this one may be set wrong to Analogue PCM - then you would get no sound from mkv with DTS audio)
AAC - analogue PCM
WMA - analogue PCM

[Spannerhead]

It's an Onkyo TX-SR307, so a fairly basic amp. The Wiki guide for the amp said the following:

DD/AC3 - digital RAW
DTS - analogue PCM
AAC - analogue PCM
WMA - analogue PCM

And I've set the following to:
HDMI audio - off
Surround mode 5.1?? I think, without looking (I'm at work)

Connected via coaxial as the amp wont do HDMI sound.

I used the software to convert the audio on the files, I thought it was to DTS? But, whever I did, and I left most of the software settings as they are, I'm now getting sound on the converted movies through the PCH.

So now I've got some sound, I'll start to play around with the setting and see if I can get it without having to convert all the movies.

Thanks again for you help, I know I'm a bit of a noob with this.

[spawn]

Your onkoy fully support DTS also, so basically all you need todo is change this audio setting

from
DTS - analogue PCM

to
DTS - Digital Raw

Then you should have audio from the original file with no need for conversion at all.

[Spannerhead]

Thanks mate - I'll give it a go tonite

I thought I should have been able to play the .mkv files through the pch without messing with them (or at least only occassionally) as I used to.

[Spannerhead]

Well, I tried this:

'Your onkoy fully support DTS also, so basically all you need todo is change this audio setting

from
DTS - analogue PCM

to
DTS - Digital Raw'

And then I got absolutely no sound at all from the movie on the PCH. When I left DTS at Analogue, and converted the movie with the recommended software, then I did get sound last night, but not DTS, or DD, so I had to use the Advance Sound settings on the Onkyo to give me the movie feel.

So something is defintiely still wrong with the PCH to Onkyo setting, as when I try to play movies on the PCH that used to play with full DTS through my old amp, I'm still getting no sound.

More help please? Maybe I would be better posting a new topic ' Help needed setting up an Onkyo amp with PCH' ??????

[Spannerhead]

Still no sound here, any more help available?

[halfelite]

you should have dts audio to digital as your amp fully supports it. and you should get sound. If you do not I would start looking at settings on your amp. As if it used to work with your old amp and you switched to a new amp. The amp would be the first thing to look at as something wrong.

[spawn]

Not really no
Theres nothing special to it

Your setting should be

HDMI audio off
Surround mode stereo
DD/AC3 - digital RAW
DTS - digital RAW
AAC - analogue PCM
WMA - analogue PCM

And you should connect a coaxial cable from the player to the Onkyo
Then just play your files.

If you dont get audio from this on files with DTS and your Onkyo are properly configured I cant really see whats wrong