MMH: How to Create CUE files for MKV files

[LuvMyQuad]

A few questions for you gurus.

Owing to this thread, I can successfully create and play back MKV rips using Kodi with .cue files.

Of course, being that MKV are video files, Kodi produces whatever video was on the disc. So for example, the DSOTM standalone Blu-ray shows a static prism. Not anything I care about and probably bad from a screen burn in standpoint. If this album is ripped as M4a, Kodi sees no video and initiates playback using its normal playing-now home screen. With the Aeon Nox Silvo skin, that means an artist slideshow and karaoke style scrolling lyrics are used. It's a much preferred presentation IMO.

I haven't tried it yet, but I read that a .cue file can also be used with M4a files. I assume, if I wanted to go that route I would simply use MMH to save the file as M4a and edit the existing .cue files, or create new ones. And then if I read the above comments correctly, remove the .cue files, clean the library, replace the.cue files, and update the library. A PITA, but pretty easy.

During playback with Kodi, the track timing information that shows on the playback screen displays erratic timings. The seconds values roll extremely fast. This happens during playback of both M4a and MKV (the effect with MKV can only be seen with Blu-rays that have no video, like "Moondance"). So either the timing format is different from typical flac/wav files or Kodi is interpreting it differently. Yes?

The bigger problem is, I believe Kodi uses the corrupted track timing as it's placeholder for the scrolling lyrics it finds on-line. This gives a result where the timing of the lyrics is wrong, some lines flash on for a split second and some lines get skipped completely.

Can anyone explain what is happening with this? Does anyone have a suggestion or solution? Do others see the same behavior, or is it just me?

 

[himey]

what is happening with this?

If you are passing through Atmos? That has always been an issue in Kodi.

 

[marpow]

Of course, being that MKV are video files,

Correct, when I had my Universal remote programmed by tech, I requested a screen on/off selection for screen protection.
The best MKV/ Blu Rips have a active screen with song name.
This way it easy to look up and see name of song, whether you ripped as one MKV file or chapters.
This depends on author of Blu Ray Discs, there are many different styles, like your Pink Floyd example, and screen shots with track name, list of all tracks with pointer/curser showing what track you are on.
There are also examples, Bruce Soord, completely maxed out the Blu Rays, even saying in the liner notes that because there was information that could not be displayed.
I use JRiver and I never have any problems.
I read on QQ threads that some people that use other players have issues/problems.
Of course, Garry if not for him has made my JRiver as good as it is which is perfect.
I do not ever need CUE sheets as he invented what is called a JRiver Sidecar, or maybe JRiver invented it, he just made it accessible, he can explain better than me.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

If you are passing through Atmos? That has always been an issue in Kodi.

Yes, this is during Atmos passthrough. If it is a ripped concert video, a lyric display doesn't show up (nor is it desired) and if it isn't Atmos I would have ripped it to flac. Is it actually the Atmos formatting that causes the issue?

That's too bad. In most cases, that usually leaves one with a choice between static images and a lyric display that is just unusable.

I'm impressed with the new Peter Gabriel I/O album. It's a very lyric-centric album. To play the Atmos from file and fully enjoy it, I had to sit with the video slides on the display whilst I got lyrics from a tablet at the sweet spot.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Correct, when I had my Universal remote programmed by tech, I requested a screen on/off selection for screen protection.
The best MKV/ Blu Rips have a active screen with song name.
This way it easy to look up and see name of song, whether you ripped as one MKV file or chapters.
This depends on author of Blu Ray Discs, there are many different styles, like your Pink Floyd example, and screen shots with track name, list of all tracks with pointer/curser showing what track you are on.
There are also examples, Bruce Soord, completely maxed out the Blu Rays, even saying in the liner notes that because there was information that could not be displayed.
I use JRiver and I never have any problems.
I read on QQ threads that some people that use other players have issues/problems.
Of course, Garry if not for him has made my JRiver as good as it is which is perfect.
I do not ever need CUE sheets as he invented what is called a JRiver Sidecar, or maybe JRiver invented it, he just made it accessible, he can explain better than me.

But the last time I tried JRiver, it didn't do lyrics at all. Has that changed?

 

[HomerJAU]

Owing to this thread, I can successfully create and play back MKV rips using Kodi with .cue files

You can also use a cue file with and mka in Kodi. Lyrics will show I presume.

 

[HomerJAU]

I do not ever need CUE sheets as he invented what is called a JRiver Sidecar, or maybe JRiver invented it, he just made it accessible, he can explain better than me.

It’s something JRiver created to support tagging of files that are difficult to tag internally. JRiver needs tag data to describe the audio file in JRiver’s media database. The sidecar is just the tags stored in a text file (xml). I just added support to MMH to export sidecar xmls from the tags created within MMH.

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

It’s something JRiver created to support tagging of files that are difficult to tag internally. JRiver needs tag data to describe the audio file in JRiver’s media database. The sidecar is just the tags stored in a text file (xml). I just added support to MMH to export sidecar xmls from the tags created within MMH.

gMKVExtractGUI is able to generate .xml (along with .cue sheet and .ogm chapter navigation) files from .mkv/.mka files that already contain chapters. Are these what JRiver uses?

Example: -

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!-- <!DOCTYPE Chapters SYSTEM "matroskachapters.dtd"> -->
<Chapters>
  <EditionEntry>
    <EditionFlagHidden>0</EditionFlagHidden>
    <EditionFlagDefault>0</EditionFlagDefault>
    <EditionFlagOrdered>0</EditionFlagOrdered>
    <EditionUID>5865390436588647866</EditionUID>
    <ChapterAtom>
      <ChapterUID>4786789782991178541</ChapterUID>
      <ChapterTimeStart>00:00:00.000000000</ChapterTimeStart>
      <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
      <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
      <ChapterDisplay>
        <ChapterString>10: Sun King</ChapterString>
        <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
        <ChapLanguageIETF>en</ChapLanguageIETF>
      </ChapterDisplay>
    </ChapterAtom>
    <ChapterAtom>
      <ChapterUID>11316524823655868139</ChapterUID>
      <ChapterTimeStart>00:02:26.401000000</ChapterTimeStart>
      <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
      <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
      <ChapterDisplay>
        <ChapterString>11: Mean Mr Mustard</ChapterString>
        <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
        <ChapLanguageIETF>en</ChapLanguageIETF>
      </ChapterDisplay>
    </ChapterAtom>
    <ChapterAtom>
      <ChapterUID>4679689046655403528</ChapterUID>
      <ChapterTimeStart>00:03:32.926000000</ChapterTimeStart>
      <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
      <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
      <ChapterDisplay>
        <ChapterString>12: Polythene Pam</ChapterString>
        <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
        <ChapLanguageIETF>en</ChapLanguageIETF>
      </ChapterDisplay>
    </ChapterAtom>
    <ChapterAtom>
      <ChapterUID>18334681496918066927</ChapterUID>
      <ChapterTimeStart>00:04:45.791000000</ChapterTimeStart>
      <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
      <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
      <ChapterDisplay>
        <ChapterString>13: She Came In Through The Bathroom Window</ChapterString>
        <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
        <ChapLanguageIETF>en</ChapLanguageIETF>
      </ChapterDisplay>
    </ChapterAtom>
    <ChapterAtom>
      <ChapterUID>15663076769285041009</ChapterUID>
      <ChapterTimeStart>00:06:44.654000000</ChapterTimeStart>
      <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
      <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
      <ChapterDisplay>
        <ChapterString>14: Golden Slumbers</ChapterString>
        <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
        <ChapLanguageIETF>en</ChapLanguageIETF>
      </ChapterDisplay>
    </ChapterAtom>
    <ChapterAtom>
      <ChapterUID>17287580483127671440</ChapterUID>
      <ChapterTimeStart>00:08:16.163000000</ChapterTimeStart>
      <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
      <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
      <ChapterDisplay>
        <ChapterString>15: Carry That Weight</ChapterString>
        <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
        <ChapLanguageIETF>en</ChapLanguageIETF>
      </ChapterDisplay>
    </ChapterAtom>
    <ChapterAtom>
      <ChapterUID>11660799880131865354</ChapterUID>
      <ChapterTimeStart>00:09:52.666000000</ChapterTimeStart>
      <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
      <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
      <ChapterDisplay>
        <ChapterString>16: The End</ChapterString>
        <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
        <ChapLanguageIETF>en</ChapLanguageIETF>
      </ChapterDisplay>
    </ChapterAtom>
  </EditionEntry>
</Chapters>

 

[marpow]

But the last time I tried JRiver, it didn't do lyrics at all. Has that changed?

Lyrics show in JRiver I would guess 95% of time. They always show on every album, but every once awhile, lets say there is a 10 song album 9 songs will have lyrics, but one song won't.
I have my settings that include Lookup Lyrics, but if for whatever reason they are not showing, click Tools>Library Tools>Look Up Lyrics. Note, you cannot do more than 10 songs at a time when Looking Up Lyrics.
I'll try to show some screen shots of this and jRiver Sidecar later.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Lyrics show in JRiver I would guess 95% of time. They always show on every album, but every once awhile, lets say there is a 10 song album 9 songs will have lyrics, but one song won't.
I have my settings that include Lookup Lyrics, but if for whatever reason they are not showing, click Tools>Library Tools>Look Up Lyrics. Note, you cannot do more than 10 songs at a time when Looking Up Lyrics.
I'll try to show some screen shots of this and jRiver Sidecar later.

Well that's good news. I may look into this. Do the lyrics scroll or is it a full static page?

 

[marpow]

Well that's good news. I may look into this. Do the lyrics scroll or is it a full static page?

No, they do not scroll like for instance when listening to a song via your TV on Apple, they scroll.
It is static two choices.
1. Top half shows album cover, song title time playing on track and lyrics, but very small, to small me to read.
2. Display View, this opens to a full page where lyrics are much easier to read, plus you get all the other info.
I know they are having an update, very soon, usually about 2 updates a year?

 

[marpow]

@LuvMyQuad I found a new tool for my screen shots on the computer that I remote access to called Snipping Tool that is in Windows.
These are all my JRiver screen shots showing ways of viewing lyrics.
I did some messing around and I found the way lyrics do scroll, I actually want to go back as I don't like the scrolling lyrics. If I open up my dedicated fanless PC that my JRiver is on and I open the HDMI mode then I can see all of this in front of me on my TV, even though I can, I rarely do. When I listen/watch MKV files I have to use HDMI out which opens TV screen, but my remote also has a picture off feature.
#1 is top pane while album is playing all of lyrics and album cover when you are also pressed into what zone you are in, in this case I am in my stereo zone.

#2 Notice in this shot, I am not in stereo zone but lower left has small display. Which you can enlarge to different display views.

#3 Shows I have opened up display view, now lyrics are larger. The lyrics do scroll, notice 1 of 3.

#4 shows lyrics are scrolling, notice 2of 3.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Thank you for the screenshots @marpow . I may look into JRiver again if I can't get the lyric situation straightened out with Kodi.

I took a quick look at the JRiver home page.

To be honest, the JRiver play screen looks pretty vanilla compared to what Kodi does when using the artist slideshow routine.

I also didn't see an option for an Android version. That would mean I'd have to use one player for windows and a different player for my Android devices.

It just seems like there is no perfect media player.

 

[marpow]

Thank you for the screenshots @marpow . I may look into JRiver again if I can't get the lyric situation straightened out with Kodi.

I took a quick look at the JRiver home page.

To be honest, the JRiver play screen looks pretty vanilla compared to what Kodi does when using the artist slideshow routine.

I also didn't see an option for an Android version. That would mean I'd have to use one player for windows and a different player for my Android devices.

It just seems like there is no perfect media player.

Yeah, sorry can't help with Android.
I do know that JRiver has many different views, theater view, mini view, cover view, party mode, to name a few, it is just none of that interests me.
You can also access Wikipedia, Google, Images, Amazon, plus many other things, all on your front page.
I think they are pretty good in all that they offer.
JRiver for me is perfect, for my needs, I can't imagine wanting to change to another player.

 

[himey]

It just seems like there is no perfect media player.

There isn't. Between Kodi, jRiver and Foobar2000, everything is covered at least.

 

[HomerJAU]

Good news for Kodi users: The upcoming Kodi v21 Omega release will support mka album tagging! @albertop

No more CUE files needed for gapless Atmos playback. Just tag the MKA (all songs in a single MKA file with chapters) and Kodi will scan it into its music database and you can still see and select individual songs to play:

Example using the default Kodi skin:

Here’s MediaInfos view showing the MKA tags:

I will update Music Media Helper to tag MKA and MKV files as above from MMHs Tag from MusicBrainz tool.

 

[Albert Dagger]

Great news @HomerJAU !

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

Here’s MediaInfos view showing the MKA tags:
View attachment 100429

I will update Music Media Helper to tag MKA and MKV files as above from MMHs Tag from MusicBrainz tool.

That's a lot of meta-data. I can't say I've ever delved that deep with such info...