Play DV on Windows

Converts 4K Dolby Vision MKV files to MP4 format while preserving DV metadata and extracting subtitles. Designed for Windows users who need MP4 files for proper Dolby Vision playback in Windows Media Player.

Why This Exists

Windows Dolby Vision playback is limited. While both MKV and MP4 can contain DV metadata, Windows Media Player only properly handles DV in MP4 containers. This tool converts your MKV files to MP4 without re-encoding, preserving quality and DV metadata while making them compatible with Windows DV playback.

Additionally, it extracts embedded subtitles to external SRT files, which is often necessary for proper subtitle display in Windows Media Player.

Who This Is For

• Windows users with Dolby Vision displays (OLED TVs, monitors)
• People who download 4K DV content in MKV format
• Anyone wanting automated conversion through qBittorrent
• Users who need reliable subtitle extraction

Features

• Preserves Dolby Vision metadata during conversion
• No re-encoding (fast, lossless quality)
• Extracts English subtitles to SRT files
• Smart subtitle handling: Extracts compatible text-based subtitles, warns about incompatible PGS/image formats
• Automatic detection of 4K DV content
• qBittorrent integration for automated processing
• Handles both movies and TV show episodes
• Configurable output organization

Installation

Requirements:

• Python 3.7+
• FFmpeg with ffprobe (must be installed separately)
• qBittorrent (optional, for automation)

Quick Installation (Recommended)

pip install play-dv-on-windows
play-dv-setup

Development Installation

git clone https://github.com/anfen93/play-dv-on-windows.git
cd play-dv-on-windows
pip install -e .
play-dv-setup

Usage

Command Line Interface

After installation, you have access to these commands:

Setup and Configuration:

play-dv-setup                # Initial setup and dependency checking
play-dv-config --init        # Initialize configuration
play-dv-config --show        # Show current configuration
play-dv-config --validate    # Validate configuration

Convert files directly:

play-dv-convert movie.mkv                           # Convert single file
play-dv-convert file1.mkv file2.mkv                # Convert multiple files
play-dv-convert movie.mkv --output-dir /tmp/output  # Specify output directory
play-dv-convert movie.mkv --dry-run                 # See what would be done
play-dv-convert movie.mkv --config custom.json     # Use custom config

⚠️ Important Security Note: Before converting files, you must configure allowed source directories. The tool will reject files outside of these directories for security. See the Configuration section below for setup details.

qBittorrent automation:

1. Enable Web UI in qBittorrent
2. Configure credentials: play-dv-config --init then edit config/local.json
3. Set post-execution script: play-dv-qbt "%N" "%F" "%I"

The script automatically detects 4K Dolby Vision content by analyzing torrent names for keywords like "2160p", "4K", "DV", "DoVi", etc.

Configuration

⚠️ Required First Step: Configure Allowed Directories

For security, the tool only processes files from explicitly allowed directories. You must configure this before converting any files:

1. Initialize configuration:

   play-dv-config --init

2. Edit your config file (C:\Users\USERNAME\.play-dv-on-windows\local.json on Windows):

   # Windows
   notepad "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\.play-dv-on-windows\local.json"
   
   # Or use any editor
   code "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\.play-dv-on-windows\local.json"

3. Add your source directories:

   {
     "paths": {
       "allowed_base_dirs": [
         "C:\\torrents",
         "C:\\Downloads",
         "D:\\Media"
       ]
     }
   }

4. Validate your config:

   play-dv-config --validate

If you try to convert files from directories not in allowed_base_dirs, you'll get an error like:

ERROR - Invalid input file: File path not in allowed directory

Full Configuration Options

The tool uses a layered configuration system. Your local.json can contain:

{
  "paths": {
    "output_dir": "./converted",
    "log_dir": "./logs",
    "allowed_base_dirs": [".", "~", "/path/to/downloads"]
  },
  "processing": {
    "delete_after_success": false,
    "max_parallel_episodes": 2
  },
  "filters": {
    "require_4k": true,
    "require_dv": true
  },
  "qbittorrent": {
    "enabled": true,
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 8080,
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "your_password"
  }
}

Environment variables are also supported via .env file:

QBT_HOST=localhost
QBT_PORT=8080
QBT_USERNAME=admin
QBT_PASSWORD=your_password

How It Works

Detection: Analyzes torrent names for 4K and Dolby Vision indicators Conversion: Uses FFmpeg to remux streams without re-encoding Organization: Creates clean folder structures for media libraries Cleanup: Optionally removes source files after successful conversion

The conversion process:

1. Analyze MKV streams with ffprobe
2. Select video stream, ALL audio streams, and compatible subtitle streams
3. Extract text-based subtitles to separate SRT files (SRT, ASS, MOV_TEXT only)
4. Remux selected streams to MP4 container with Windows Media Player compatible audio conversion
5. Preserve all metadata including Dolby Vision

Audio & Subtitle Handling

Audio Processing

• Includes ALL audio streams from source (not just English)
• Automatic conversion of incompatible formats (DTS, TrueHD, PCM) to EAC3 for Windows Media Player compatibility
• Preserves compatible formats (EAC3, AC3, AAC) without re-encoding

Subtitle Processing

• Text-based subtitles (SRT, ASS, MOV_TEXT): Direct extraction to external SRT files
• Image-based subtitles (PGS, DVD): Shows warning and skips (not compatible with Windows Media Player)
• Conversion continues even if some subtitle extraction fails

Note: For PGS/image subtitle conversion, use Subtitle Edit (free software): https://www.nikse.dk/subtitleedit

Testing

python run_tests.py all      # Full test suite
python run_tests.py quick    # Quick validation
python run_tests.py convert  # Core conversion tests
python run_tests.py qbt      # qBittorrent integration tests

Project Structure

src/play_dv_on_windows/
├── convert.py          # Core MKV to MP4 conversion
├── qbt_post_process.py # qBittorrent post-execution handler
├── config_manager.py   # Configuration management
├── cli.py              # Command-line interface
└── config/             # Package configuration files

config/                 # User configuration directory
└── local.json          # User configuration overrides

tests/                  # Comprehensive test suite
docs/                   # Additional documentation

Technical Details

• Uses stream copying (-c:v copy, -c:a copy) for lossless conversion
• Preserves Dolby Vision RPU and metadata
• Supports multiple subtitle tracks
• Handles both single files and batch processing
• Thread-safe parallel processing for TV episodes
• Comprehensive error handling and logging

Troubleshooting

"File path not in allowed directory" error: Add your source directory to allowed_base_dirs in your config file. See Configuration section above.

FFmpeg not found: Install FFmpeg and ensure it's in system PATH

Conversion fails: Check logs in logs/ directory for detailed error information

qBittorrent issues: Verify Web UI is enabled and credentials are correct

No files processed: Ensure content matches 4K DV detection criteria

Config file not found: Run play-dv-config --init to create the initial configuration

Development

Setup for development:

git clone https://github.com/anfen93/play-dv-on-windows.git
cd play-dv-on-windows
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .
pip install -r requirements-test.txt
pre-commit install

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add tests for new functionality
4. Ensure all tests pass
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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A practical solution for Windows Dolby Vision compatibility issues.