How-To: Automating DVD & Blu-Ray (Backup, Encoding & Tagging) for Mac OS X

[PaulCaden]

How do I uninstall everything and start again?

I have been playing around with trying to get this to work with the 1.0.2 version and installed 1.0.3 over the top. Now nothing happens when I insert a DVD. I would rather revert to a known state than continue to second guess what should be happening...

Thanks

 

[mac.jedi]

The Folder exists - but is empty. Just did a custom install of just the folder actions and it is still not there. The normal actions are installed in ~/Library/Automator. Is there anywhere an install log?

Hi DevNoull,

I've uploaded the workflows as a compressed ZIP archive. You can open them in Automator and do a Save As … which will automatically save them to the correct locations. Did the Services install correctly for you?

Workflows.zip

There isn't an install log that I know of, only a receipt in ~/Library/Receipts and /Library/Receipts/InstallHistory.plist

 

[DevNoull]

Thanks for the Workflows - i can open them and i assume that they now will work

I checked the receipts - there are receipts for the actions but not for the workflows. Kinda strange cause it seems i am the only with this problem.

 

[mac.jedi]

How do I uninstall everything and start again? Now nothing happens when I insert a DVD.

Hi PaulCaden,

I'm sorry you are having problems. If your issue is just with the Folder Action, I'd hold off on trying to uninstall and reinstall as that probably won't solve your problem. Sometimes the system fails to launch folder actions for whatever reason. Unfortunately, folder actions have never been entirely stable, but in Snow Leopard they seem to be much more reliable. If the folder action doesn't seem to trigger, I use the folder actions set up and toggle the actions on and off and try inserting a disc again. If it still fails, try a system restart. Most folder action issues seem to resolve themselves after a restart. I've also tried force quitting Folder Action Dispatcher, AppleScript Runner and Automator Runner in Activity Monitor. This seemed to work as well, but a restart would probably be your best bet.


There isn't and uninstaller, yet. Apple doesn't provide an easy way to do it with in the installer, so I have to create a separate app, just for the uninstaller. If you want to uninstall manually, it's pretty simple:

1. Delete the Actions from your Home/Library/Automator folder
2. Delete the Services from your Home/Library/Services folder
3. Delete the Folder Actions from your Home/Library/Workflows/Applications/Folder Actions folder

Let me know if you still can't get it working and we'll try something else.

Thanks again,

mac.jedi

 

[mac.jedi]

I checked the receipts - there are receipts for the actions but not for the workflows. Kinda strange cause it seems i am the only with this problem.

Yeah, it does seem strange, but I'm sure you are not the only one. I'll keep a look out see if anyone else has the same issue.

The Services and Folder Action, are installed to your /tmp folder before being moved to your Home Folder, which is why there is no receipt. The workflow files save your workflow settings (encode settings, folders locations, options, etc.), I need to make sure they don't exist before installing, otherwise they'll overwrite your existing files on updates and you'll have to reenter all your settings.

Let me know if you run into anything else.

Thanks again,

mac.jedi

 

[DevNoull]

okay next problem - the alert window will not come up if i enter a dvd
Checked permissions and settings of the actions / folder / workflow.

tried to deactivate the folderactions and reactivet, restarted - nothing helps ..

in the console i get:

12.11.09 17:14:23	com.apple.FolderActions.enabled[1783]	launchctl: Error unloading: com.apple.FolderActions.folders

maybe it is related.

 

[mac.jedi]

okay next problem - the alert window will not come up if i enter a dvd
Checked permissions and settings of the actions / folder / workflow.

tried to deactivate the folderactions and reactivet, restarted - nothing helps ..

in the console i get:

12.11.09 17:14:23	com.apple.FolderActions.enabled[1783]	launchctl: Error unloading: com.apple.FolderActions.folders

maybe it is related.

I'll try to do some troubleshooting on my end later today. I'm at work and don't have any discs loaded on my home system. In the meantime, let's try to see if we can get the action to run and rip. Open the "Batch Rip • Batch Rip (Service).workflow" file located in your ~/Library/Services folder. Set the workflow options following the directions in the tutorial. Save the Service when you are done configuring the setup. Insert a DVD. Select the disc's icon and right-click. Choose the Services menu item and Select the "Batch Rip • Batch Rip (Service)". The workflow should run and display any errors it encounters. Let me know what you find.

Thanks for doing this. It might help to benefit everyone if we can find a solution to your problem.

Thanks again, mac.jedi

 

[DevNoull]

No Problem - i have to thank you for this great job. And i think i got a clue what went wrong. I am using a MacPro and I moved the Users dir to a different location. I just found out that the installer "installed" the files to my users partition but not my Macintosh hd as it should be. There are the workflows too.
Seems you have to check the copy location a bit more.

Anyway: Ripping via Service worked like a charm.
Renaming did a great job too!
I am at encoding at the moment. At the beginning difficulties with not finding mp4libz tools and AtomicParsley but after fixing the problem with the wrong partition and manually installing it to Macintosh hd it works.

But i still got one question. Is it possible to change the default audio language? And is it maybe possible to include two soundtracks into the movies?

 

[mac.jedi]

No Problem - i have to thank you for this great job. And i think i got a clue what went wrong. I am using a MacPro and I moved the Users dir to a different location. I just found out that the installer "installed" the files to my users partition but not my Macintosh hd as it should be. There are the workflows too.
Seems you have to check the copy location a bit more.

Anyway: Ripping via Service worked like a charm.
Renaming did a great job too!
I am at encoding at the moment. At the beginning difficulties with not finding mp4libz tools and AtomicParsley but after fixing the problem with the wrong partition and manually installing it to Macintosh hd it works.

But i still got one question. Is it possible to change the default audio language? And is it maybe possible to include two soundtracks into the movies?

Hi DevNoull,

I'm glad you got it working. I'm interested in hearing more about your setup so I can plan for it in future releases.

For now, the default audio language cannot be changed. I need to write a subroutine to parse all different languages and there abbreviations. Unfortunately, the abbreviations are different in HandBrake, MakeMKV and MKVtoolsnix, so it will be a bit of work. You can however set a custom encode setting, but you'll need to know the audio track number for the language you want to encode. See the HB wiki for more info on custom args.

Thanks for posting back your progress!

mac.jedi

 

[DevNoull]

Mh maybe i can try and help you with the automatation - i am interested in finding out how everything works under the hood.

my setup is:
mac pro with 10.6.2 server
disk 1 - partition 1 - Mac Os
partition 2 - Users

problem was that everything that should go to /usr/ and /tmp ist not copied to / (partition 1) but to /Volumes/Users/ (partition 2) where my current active user "lives".

BTW: Folder actions are still not working ...
Edit: Folder actions started working out of nothing - Did not change anything - strange.

About the Audio: Got an TV Show here with track 1 mono english soundtrack and track 3 mono german soundtrack. If i wanna include both of these tracks and insert custom args in the workflow - do they override the default setting for your preset? do i have to insert the complete args or is it enough to just change the audio args for my needs?

 

[mac.jedi]

Mh maybe i can try and help you with the automatation - i am interested in finding out how everything works under the hood.

Building actions is pretty easy using Xcode. The Apple Developer site has some great info on this, as well as macosxautomation.com and automator.us. For the apple dev site all you need is to do is to sign up with your Apple/iTunes ID and you'll get loads of content as well as the newest version of xcode.

If you're pretty comfortable with shell scripting, you can take a look at the scripts and main.command files in the Action bundles using a text editor. The only thing that's not editable is the GUI's as they are compiled during the build.

If you're not comfortable with shell scripting, now is great time to start learning since you've got some interest and a goal in mind. That's how I got started doing this whole thing. There are a lot of great resources on the web for Mac as well as Unix/linux shell scripting. Apple has a great tutorial on shell scripting that's a resource I use all the time: http://developer.apple.com/mac/libr...shellscripting/Introduction/Introduction.html

Folder actions started working out of nothing - Did not change anything - strange.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Folder Actions. Believe it or not, they're much better than they used to be. Yesterday, I made a new action that controls a custom LaunchAgent for Batch Rip. I'm testing it now. If it proves to be more reliable, I'll probably ditch the Folder Action. The benefit to this is that you can activate and deactivate it through Services as opposed to going into the Folder Actions Setup Utility.

About the Audio: Got an TV Show here with track 1 mono english soundtrack and track 3 mono german soundtrack. If i wanna include both of these tracks and insert custom args in the workflow - do they override the default setting for your preset? do i have to insert the complete args or is it enough to just change the audio args for my needs?

You'll need to do a complete command, just not the input and output paths. I've included a sample setting below using an Apple TV Preset, but changing the audio (-a) to tracks 1 & 3.

-e x264  -q 20.0 -a 1,3 -E ca_aac,ca_aac -B 320,320 -R 48,48 -D 0.0,0.0 -f mp4 -4 -X 960 --loose-anamorphic --decomb --detelecine -m -x cabac=0:ref=2:me=umh:b-adapt=2:weightb=0:trellis=0

I hope this helps! Thanks again, mac.jedi

 

[DevNoull]

hi

two things now

a) i tried the "rename and tag tv shows" service. I ended up with two files of the episode. one which is correctly named and got a nice poster and one with a random number at the end with the correct tags inside - guess there is a small bug

b)encode with custom paramaters works like a charm for me and i started with some simple bash scripting for different audio languages. some small progress is already reached. but it will take some time.

 

[mac.jedi]

hi

two things now

a) i tried the "rename and tag tv shows" service. I ended up with two files of the episode. one which is correctly named and got a nice poster and one with a random number at the end with the correct tags inside - guess there is a small bug

b)encode with custom paramaters works like a charm for me and i started with some simple bash scripting for different audio languages. some small progress is already reached. but it will take some time.

I think it's explained in the tutorial, but the default for the tagging actions is set to not overwrite existing files. If want to overwrite your existing files, check the "Replace existing file" check-box in the Action Panel.

 

[TheVanLaing5150]

I'm in the middle of the process right now but had a question;

How big are these files supposed to be? In terms of a normal movie like Star Wars: A New Hope, am I looking at like 10GB worth of a movie?

 

[DevNoull]

I think it's explained in the tutorial, but the default for the tagging actions is set to not overwrite existing files. If want to overwrite your existing files, check the "Replace existing file" check-box in the Action Panel.

but i do not think that it is normal that i get one file correctly tagged and no poster and one file with a correct poster but no tags.
i would expect one original file which stay like before - no renaming, tagging and posters
and one new file - correctly renamed with tags and poster

maybe i got one feature request for the future - put computer to sleep when encoding is done

 

[PaulCaden]

Hi PaulCaden,

<snip> Let me know if you still can't get it working and we'll try something else.

Thanks again,

mac.jedi

Hi

I have tried your suggestions, deleted and reinstalled the workflows, but still nothing happens when a DVD is inserted.

I watched Activity Monitor when the DVD was loading and neither AppleScript Runner or Automator Runner came up as running processes.

 

[mac.jedi]

I watched Activity Monitor when the DVD was loading and neither AppleScript Runner or Automator Runner came up as running processes.

Hi PaulCaden,

In Activity Monitor, is Folder Action Dispatcher running?

Also, I'm currently testing a custom LaunchAgent for Batch Rip that may help you, but before we go there, I'd like you try creating a new folder action:

1. Select File > New and select the Folder Action template from the Automator Template Chooser.
2. Type "Batch Rip" in the search bar, and drag the Batch Rip action into to your workflow.
3. Select "Other" from the "Folder Action receives files and folders added to" pop-up menu.
4. Select your main boot drive and enter the following keyboard shortcut to see the hidden directories: Cmd+Shift+Period.
5. Select the Volumes folder and Click Choose.
6. Next, follow the tutorial to set the options in the Action.
7. Then Choose File > Save, Save Folder Action as: "Batch Rip • Batch Rip.workflow"
8. Restart your computer and try inserting another DVD

There is also a Service named "Batch Rip • Batch Rip (service).workflow". This is a Service you can execute manually when you select a disc in the Finder.

I hope this helps. Thanks, mac.jedi

 

[Jasonhenley]

Superb, but iPhone conversion

Hi,

Superb guide and worked like a dream.

One thing though, I was using VisualHub which would convert AVI or MP4 files to M4V files that both iPhone and Apple TV could use, even without iTunes needing to convert the file for the iPhone first (and having two copies of the file one for ATV and another for iPhone)

Does anyone know if this can be automated, or if there are settings to reflect this.

Thanks

J

 

[mac.jedi]

Hi,

Superb guide and worked like a dream.

One thing though, I was using VisualHub which would convert AVI or MP4 files to M4V files that both iPhone and Apple TV could use, even without iTunes needing to convert the file for the iPhone first (and having two copies of the file one for ATV and another for iPhone)

Does anyone know if this can be automated, or if there are settings to reflect this.

Thanks

J

Hi Jasonhenley,

Thanks for your post! The default setting for DVD uses a modified version of HandBrake's "Universal" preset that creates one file that should work on all Apple devices. If space is a consideration, creating a smaller iPhone only file is also possible if you create another, separate Service workflow using a custom iPhone encode setting. You can also setup an iCal alarm to execute both Services, though I haven't tested creating two files from the same source, at the same time. It would probably work using folder input, but not optical input.

I hope this helps. Thanks, mac.jedi

 

[TheVanLaing5150]

Mac.Jedi...

Thank for the great guide and automated way of encoding...

I'm having two problems;
1) I believe I'm following your guide correctly but when I think I've encoded at 720p, the HD-SD logo doesn't show up in iTunes
2) My TV shows are showing up in the movies section.

Thank you for all your help...

William

 

[mac.jedi]

Mac.Jedi...

Thank for the great guide and automated way of encoding...

I'm having two problems;
1) I believe I'm following your guide correctly but when I think I've encoded at 720p, the HD-SD logo doesn't show up in iTunes
2) My TV shows are showing up in the movies section.

Thank you for all your help...

William

Hi William,

It sounds like your files aren't being tagged.

First, check the resolution of your file by doing a get info. If it's over ?x720 you can be sure you've got an HD file. Note that your source must be over 720p in pixel height in order for it to encode in HD.

If your HD file checks out, then try using the "Add Movie Tags" or "Add TV Tags" Service to add the tags.

As for your TV Shows showing up as movies, are you using the "Add TV Tags" Service before adding to iTunes? TV shows need to be tagged after they are encoded. Movies can be tagged during the encode process by checking the "Add iTunes Tags" check-box.

I hope this helps. Thanks, mac.jedi

 

[PaulCaden]

Hi PaulCaden,

In Activity Monitor, is Folder Action Dispatcher running?

Also, I'm currently testing a custom LaunchAgent for Batch Rip that may help you, but before we go there, I'd like you try creating a new folder action:

1. Select File > New and select the Folder Action template from the Automator Template Chooser.
2. Type "Batch Rip" in the search bar, and drag the Batch Rip action into to your workflow.
3. Select "Other" from the "Folder Action receives files and folders added to" pop-up menu.
4. Select your main boot drive and enter the following keyboard shortcut to see the hidden directories: Cmd+Shift+Period.
5. Select the Volumes folder and Click Choose.
6. Next, follow the tutorial to set the options in the Action.
7. Then Choose File > Save, Save Folder Action as: "Batch Rip • Batch Rip.workflow"
8. Restart your computer and try inserting another DVD

There is also a Service named "Batch Rip • Batch Rip (service).workflow". This is a Service you can execute manually when you select a disc in the Finder.

I hope this helps. Thanks, mac.jedi

Still nothing happens. Is there an activity log I can post?

I notice on the tutorial, when I set up GrowlNotify, I get an extra folder created under /usr/local called 'man'. This folder contains another folder, 'man1', which contains the file growlnotify.1. Not sure if this is correct?

Edit: Just run the manual workflow and get this in terminal:

Last login: Tue Nov 17 10:31:16 on ttys000
Gandalf:~ Paul$ /Users/Paul/Library/Automator/Batch\ Rip.action/Contents/Resources/batchRip.sh ; exit;

ERROR: FairMount.app command tool is not setup to execute
ERROR: attempting to use tool at /Applications/FairMount/FairMount.app

ERROR: FairMount.app command tool could not be found
ERROR: FairMount.app can be installed in ./ /usr/local/bin/ /usr/bin/ ~/ or /Applications/

logout

[Process completed]

I am using VLC 1.0.3 and Fairmount 1.0.5 (tried the 'normal' and the 64 bit versions).

 

[mac.jedi]

Still nothing happens. Is there an activity log I can post?

Hi PaulCaden,

I'm sorry you are still having trouble. First, make sure you are running Mac OS X v10.6. Regarding the activity log, are you still talking about Folder Actions? Folder Actions are built in to the OS and the Batch Rip workflow is only a file that is launched when the system sees a change in the directory you tell it to watch, in this case /Volumes. Since this seems to be more of a problem with OS X, the best I can do for you at this point, is try to attach a basic folder action to a folder to see if Launchd and Folder Action Dispatch are working at all. Are you still up to giving it a try?

I notice on the tutorial, when I set up GrowlNotify, I get an extra folder created under /usr/local called 'man'. This folder contains another folder, 'man1', which contains the file growlnotify.1. Not sure if this is correct?

This is the normal install location for growlnotify's cli manual. I've never looked at it, but you should be able to read it by typing the following in terminal: man growlnotify

    ERROR: FairMount.app command tool could not be found
    ERROR: FairMount.app can be installed in ./ /usr/local/bin/ /usr/bin/ ~/ or /Applications/

It looks like the Action can't find FairMount. Where do you have it installed? The FairMount installation should contain a folder which contains both versions (32 & 64 bit). This folder should be installed in your /Applications folder. VLC is a stand-alone application which should be installed in your /Applications folder. Note that VLC needs to be named: VLC and not be enclosed in any other folder. FairMount expects VLC in this location. You might want to try opening FairMount to see if it sees VLC, it should tell you if it's not, or if it's seeing an incompatible bit-version. Also, the last time I checked, there wasn't a 64-bit version of VLC 1.0.3, only 1.0.2, but this may have changed. It may be best just to go with the 32-bit versions until you get it working.

Next, open the workflow in Automator and in the Action setup panel, you need to target the correct version of FairMount (depending on the version of VLC), not the folder, in the pull-down menu. Once all your other settings have been made, Choose Save As… and save your workflow. Then try running the workflow again.

Once you get it running we'll see about the folder action. Also, is there anything special about your setup? Please let me know what system and hardware you are running, if I've got a similar system, I may to offer more insight to your problem.

Thanks again for posting, mac.jedi.

 

[PaulCaden]

First, make sure you are running Mac OS X v10.6.

Absolutely - version 10.6.2

Regarding the activity log, are you still talking about Folder Actions?

I was wondering if you had built in a logging function to any of the scripting to capture actions as they are executed.

Since this seems to be more of a problem with OS X, the best I can do for you at this point, is try to attach a basic folder action to a folder to see if Launchd and Folder Action Dispatch are working at all. Are you still up to giving it a try?

I'll give it a try, sure. Launchd and FAD are both running...

It looks like the Action can't find FairMount. Where do you have it installed?

It's a standard installation. I have it in the /Applications folder

VLC is a stand-alone application which should be installed in your /Applications folder. Note that VLC needs to be named: VLC and not be enclosed in any other folder. FairMount expects VLC in this location. You might want to try opening FairMount to see if it sees VLC

It does.

Next, open the workflow in Automator and in the Action setup panel, you need to target the correct version of FairMount (depending on the version of VLC), not the folder, in the pull-down menu. Once all your other settings have been made, Choose Save As… and save your workflow. Then try running the workflow again.

Still nothing!

Also, is there anything special about your setup? Please let me know what system and hardware you are running

Nothing exotic. I have a 2 x 2.66 Ghz Dual Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro with 8 Gb RAM.

Bit of a head scratcher this one I think!

 

[PaulCaden]

Ok. Some progress...

I re-ran the Batch Rip (Service) workflow manually, and spotted in the terminal window output that it was looking for Fairmount inside a folder in /Applications. I edited the script to point to the correct location of Fairmount and this is the result:

Last login: Tue Nov 17 17:34:36 on ttys000
Gandalf:~ Paul$ /Users/Paul/Library/Automator/Batch\ Rip.action/Contents/Resources/batchRip.sh ; exit;

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
batchRip.sh v1.0.1

Start: Tue 17 Nov 2009 17:36:47 GMT
TV Show Output directory: /Users/Paul/Movies/Batch Rip TV
Movie Output directory: /Users/Paul/Movies/Batch Rip Movies
Use only MakeMKV: No
Encode HD Sources: No
Growl me when complete: Yes
Eject discs when complete: No
Preferred Audio Language: English

WILL COPY THE FOLLOWING DISCS:
DEJA_VU_GBR

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

*Scanning DVD-ROM: DEJA_VU_GBR
Copying /Volumes/DEJA_VU_GBR /VIDEO_TS

I guess this proves the workflow is working, but still stuck on why it doesn't fire up automatically as a Folder Action