Requirements
- ffmpeg (install using default Homebrew configuration)
- One or more .mkv or .m2ts files ripped from Blu-ray using MakeMKV.
This method preserves 5.1 audio, so if you use a home streaming environment such as Apple TV, the audio can be delivered in Surround Sound.
You can use Rob Griffith’s Blu-ray ripping recommendations to get a compatible .mkv file. I have been able to get the necessary source file by analyzing the Blu-ray disc (you must have a Blu-ray capable CD/DVD disc reader, such as a Buffalo, attached to your Mac) using MakeMKV and selecting the title with the greatest number of chapters and including a 7.1/5.1 audio stream for ripping. If you back up the entire Blu-ray disc, you should also be able to locate the correct .m2ts file and drop it instead. The output file of this AppleScript application is created in the same folder as the dropped source file(s). The process will open a Terminal window which displays the progress of the conversion process. Until you’re used to the process, it’s probably a good idea to press ⌘-. (command – period) while the Terminal window is frontmost a minute or two into the conversion process so that you can audition the output video to be sure it’s what you wanted. If it’s not the right title, or doesn’t contain the correct audio program, you can adjust the MakeMKV ripping configuration settings and try again.
Create the AppleScript applet by copying and pasting the following code into the Script Editor included with a recent Mac system version such as Mojave or High Sierra and saving as an application. You may then simply drag and drop one or more .mkv files created using MakeMKV. I rarely do more than one at a time, but if your Mac has enough disk space to accommodate several, and you have time to let your Mac complete the process, you can convert multiple files with a single drop.
The AppleScript includes a construct for determining the proper crop values to be applied for the version. It is based on determining the video dimensions at a point that is 44 seconds into the video. If you encounter incorrect crop values for the converted video, you may wish to change the value to a higher or lower number. The adjustment should be made to the script by changing the default value specified (“-t 44”) to something else such as (“-t 25”).
--begin AppleScript--
property temppath : "/private/tmp/"
property startnum : 0
property newline : ASCII character 10
property tmpfile : "/tmp/execme.command"
on open the_items
my video_convert(the_items)
end open
on video_convert(the_items)
set theshellscript to ""
repeat with the_item in the_items
set the_item to the_item as alias
try
tell application "Finder"
set sost to (container of the_item) as string
end tell
set pos_filepath to POSIX path of sost
end try
set this_filepath to (the_item as string)
if last character of this_filepath is ":" then
tell me to set it_is_a_folder to true
else
set it_is_a_folder to false
end if
set thesourcename to (name of (info for the_item))
set namepart to (name extension of (info for the_item))
set the_source_file to POSIX path of this_filepath
set newname to replace_chars(thesourcename, namepart, "m4v")
set autocrop to (do shell script "/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg -i" & space & (quoted form of the_source_file) & space & "-t 44 -vf cropdetect -f null - 2>&1 | awk '/crop/ { print $NF }' | tail -1")
try
set theshellscript to the theshellscript & "/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg" & space & "-i" & space & (quoted form of the_source_file) & space & "-pix_fmt yuv420p -c:v libx264 -preset slow -tune film -vf \"" & autocrop & "\" -c:a ac3 -ac 6 -ab 640k -crf 18 -x264opts keyint=40:bitrate=2400:qpmin=8:qpmax=28:qpstep=4" & space & (quoted form of (pos_filepath & newname)) & ";/bin/echo '
==========================
" & newname & space & "FINISHED!" & "
==========================
';"
on error onerr
activate
display dialog onerr
end try
end repeat
set theshellscript to theshellscript & "mv" & space & (quoted form of tmpfile) & space & (quoted form of (POSIX path of (path to trash)))
do shell script "echo " & quoted form of theshellscript & " > " & tmpfile
repeat
try
do shell script "chmod +x " & tmpfile
do shell script "open -a Terminal.app" & space & tmpfile
exit repeat
on error
delay 1
end try
end repeat
end video_convert
on replace_chars(this_text, _bad, _good)
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to the _bad
set the item_list to every text item of this_text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to the _good as string
set this_text to the item_list as string
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
return this_text
end replace_chars
on run
set the_items to ((choose folder) as list)
video_convert(the_items)
end run
--end AppleScript--
