The conversion of high definition .MKV (Matroska) video just got easier with the release of the latest mkv2vob versions. From the version 2.4.3 and up the mkv2vob tool supports creation of AVCHD (aka Blu-ray on DVD) discs with support for subtitles. If you have AVCHD compliant video material then it will not even need to be re-encoded and the whole process only takes a couple of minutes to do. On the other hand, if the video material is not standard compliant, the mkv2vob will notice this and do the whole encoding work for you automatically – it only takes substantially longer time, usually couple of hours.

Preconditions

• Matroska .MKV video file with AVC (h.264) video and AC3 audio streams.
• A .SRT subtitle file with exactly matching name for the .MKV video.
• ImgBurn software. Download from here and install.
• mkv2vob software. Download from here and install
• Recommended reading: Read our AVCHD guide for more detailed information.

Configuring mkv2vob for AVCHD output

Couple of options need to be set in the mkv2vob Configuration tab to enable the AVCHD output.

1. Set the Output type as AVCHD – Disc. Note: There is also an option to use AVCHD – USB which is used for saving and watching AVCHD content on a USB disc. We have not tried this yet, but we have received reports that it is working well also. USB -AVCHD playback will covered with another guide on BitBurners.com in the near future.
2. In order to get the subtitles, tick the Load Subtitles from file. Note that the .SRT subtitle file name must be EXACTLY the same as the name of the .MKV video file. So if you have My_TV_series_episode_1.mkv you must also have My_TV_series_episode_1.srt.
3. There are two additional subtitle options to choose: Overscan Compensation and Large Subtitles. The Overscan compensation feature places the subtitles slightly higher in order to avoid them being cut of on some TV systems. Large Subtitles increases the size of the subtitle font. For my HDReady 32″ Samsung television I prefer to have the Compensation on and Large subtitles disabled. Try it out on your own system to see which is the best setting for you.
4. Set you Subtitle Language and Audio Language.
5. Video Transcoding should be left to automatic – mkv2vob will apply the re-encoding of the file if needed. The Transcoding Codec is x264 for AVCHD complicancy and best image quality. When recording the AVCDHD content on disc, there is no need for file splitting. Note: If you use the AVCHD – USB feature, the USB stick has to be formatted in FAT32 format with has a maximum file size limite of 4GB and therefore the splitting feature needs to be enabled.

Using mkv2vob

Using mkv2vob is very simple as it is only a matter of choosing the input file and defining the destination folder for the output

1. Click on Source file / Browse and point to your .MKV video file. Rememer to have the matching .SRT subtitle file in the same folder as the video.
2. Click on the Destination Folder / Browse and point the desired destination for the AVCHD output
3. Click Add File which adds the file to mkv2vob the queue, immediately processing the 1st file in the queue. As seen on the picture the test file subtitle_test.mkv is AVCHD compliant and only needs to be muxed with the subtitles into the AVCHD format. This process is very fast and takes only couple of minutes.

Burning the AVCHD disc with ImgBurn

After the mkv2vob has completed processing your video files, you will have the following directory structure in your destination folder:

D:\video_file_name\BDMV
D:\video_file_name\CERTIFICATE

The recording process for AVCHD or Blu-ray disc is not very different from regular DVD recording. In AVCHD / Blu-ray file structure there are two root level folders to record, and the file system must be set to UDF 2.50.

Perform the following steps:

1. Add folders ..\BDMV\ and ..\CERTIFICATE\ to be recorded
2. Under options choose File System UDF 2.50. Note that this change is persistent, and will be effective next time you start ImgBurn, unless reverted before that. Also be sure to have Recurse Subdirectories checked.
3. Optionally tick the Verify option of you want some security that the disc is readable.
4. Click the button to start recording
5. The ImgBurn may prompt you to auto correct file systems settings – accept the proposed change. It will also prompt you for a Volume Label, where you may enter a title for the disc if you wish.

Watch the recording process go, and after it is done you are ready to watch AVCHD/Blu-ray on your PlayStation 3. Just slip in the disc and the PS3 will recognize it as a video disc, and auto-start playback. Under Options menu (triangle) you can now enable/disable subtitles as desired.

Enjoy your AVCHD high definition video!