# Handbrake - can it append to dvd tracks together? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 20, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050 "2011-02-20T21:48:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/1 "2011-02-20T21:48:03Z")
This is a little weird. Handbrake reports my movie as two parts. Each about 45 minutes long. Title shows the dvd menu, then 1, 45:00 2, 45:00 I encoded both 1, 2 using the Queue Sure enough, playing the first mp4 gives half the movie. the 2nd mp4 picks up right after and continues to the ending credits. Is there a way to tell handbrake to use titles 1 & 2 and create a **single** mp4? That way I shouldn’t lose any quality. I’m concerned appending the two mp4’s (outside handbrake) would require a new encoding. That’s assuming I could even find a utility that does that without messing up the time code. This dvd played weird. I noticed there were chapters 1-5 and then suddenly 1-6. Somehow the dvd does play both halves of the file. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/2 "2011-02-20T22:48:48Z")
I’m pretty sure Handbrake won’t do that, as it’s just an encoding program; as far as chapters go, Handbrake just copies the existing breaks. I think that Apple iMovie and Windows MovieMaker will both do what you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/3 "2011-02-20T23:08:57Z")
[VirtualDub](http://www.virtualdub.org/) might be able to do this without re-encoding, but it’s been a while since I’ve played with it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/4 "2011-02-21T00:18:04Z")
Oh well, I thought I’d ask about handbrake. I knew I was asking a lot for it to combine two tracks/titles into one. 😉 It’s still a great encoder. This was a really weird dvd I bought from Ebay. I’m beginning to suspect it didn’t come from a factory. But, I did pay a normal retail price of $18. It was supposed to be legit. Luckily, my media player lets me select both mp4 files when I open. There’s about a 5 second delay as the first file ends and the second file loads. That’s not too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/5 "2011-02-21T01:58:41Z")
[MKV Tools](http://www.emmgunn.com/mokgvm2dvd/mokgvmhome.html) will combine them but I’ve never used it so I can’t vouch for the quality MKV is pretty much free. It’s what I call nagwhere. It’s free but before you start a box will appear when you start each job and you can only process one job at a time. If you pay the $5.00 to buy it you can run multiple jobs and the nag box drops away Let us know if it works for you. I’d be interested in hearing ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/6 "2011-02-21T06:22:48Z")
I’ll give MKV Tools a try tomorrow. I read some of the documentation. It has a Pass through mode that avoids re-encoding. That sounds like what I need. Under Tools, they have a join option that should do the trick. I’ll report back after I get it installed and try it. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/7 "2011-02-21T07:29:51Z")
I use ConvertXtoDVD 4 for this. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/8 "2011-02-24T07:21:08Z")
Well, it turns out MKVTools is Mac Software. :smack: The info said it was for intel. I assumed that meant windows. Sure made an ass out of me. 😛 Right now, I have Yamb installed. Still trying to get the hang of joining two mp4’s. Yamb seems to do it ok. But, when I launch the movie in VLC, I get two windows opening with video at once. Not exactly what I’m after. 😉 I’ll have to research the format and figure this shit out. I’m pretty sure it’s me and not the software. When Yamb opens a mp4 it shows several items in the container. A video stream, 2 audios, a txt file - a whole bunch of crap. I’ll get it figured out eventually. I’ve been needing to read up on mkv and mp4 containers anyhow. > [@Markxxx](#): > > [MKV Tools](http://www.emmgunn.com/mokgvm2dvd/mokgvmhome.html) will combine them but I’ve never used it so I can’t vouch for the quality > > MKV is pretty much free. It’s what I call nagwhere. It’s free but before you start a box will appear when you start each job and you can only process one job at a time. If you pay the $5.00 to buy it you can run multiple jobs and the nag box drops away > > Let us know if it works for you. I’d be interested in hearing ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/9 "2011-02-24T08:29:26Z")
Have you tried VirtualDub (mentioned above)? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/10 "2011-02-24T08:30:41Z")
Also, this might not be standards-compliant and may or may not even work… but if you open a command window (Start -\> Run -\> cmd), you can manually copy two files together into one: ```auto copy /b file1.mp4+file2.mp4 combined_file.mp4 ``` ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/11 "2011-02-24T08:51:01Z")
I have VirtualDub on my old Laptop. VirtualDub is pretty old, but maybe it supports x264. I’ll look and see what formats it handles. If nothing else, maybe I can edit & join the two dvd files with virtualdub and then encode with handbrake. > [@Reply](#): > > Have you tried VirtualDub (mentioned above)? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/12 "2011-02-24T10:51:31Z")
VirtualDub should support any codec you have installed on your system. There is a mode specifically for joining files without recompressing them. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handbrake-can-it-append-to-dvd-tracks-together/572050/13 "2011-02-24T10:55:14Z")
Thanks. I’ll take a look at it. It’s been years since I used virtualdub. It gets installed with GordianKnot. I used it back around 2007. under File, there’s an append option. That sounds like what I need. 😉 Found a guide. > **[VirtualDub: Joining AVI files](https://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/virtualdub_join_avi.cfm)** > > If you have multiple AVI files that you would like to join together (like if you made a DVDRip before and ended up with two 700MB AVI files, then you might want to join them together) then this guide will show you how to do just that with VirtualDUB.