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want to rip all my dvd's to watch on AT4

caligurl

caligurl

macrumors 68040
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Jun 8, 2009
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Can someone give me the "idiot's guide" to ripping my dvd's so that I can stream them all from my computer/external harddrive and watch them on AT4 rather than having to dig out the disc and play it.

I've tried handbrake a few time in the past, but it's never worked for me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong that I can't get it to work.
 
Look at iVI or iFlicks. They are similar programs, very easy to use. I've used iVI for years.
 
1. Download and install HandBrake
2. With HandBrake open, load the DVD onto your Mac's drive
3. In "source", the recently inserted DVD should be already selected (if not, select it)
4. Select the AppleTV2 or AppleTV3 preset (in the extreme right of the HB window)
5. Select a destination to save the ripped movie to.
6. Click on "start"
7. Unload the DVD, load a new one and repeat numbers 3 to 6


Note that you said DVDs. So this is a miniguide to rip DVDs. If you are trying to rip BluRays, that's a whole other story and the fact that you are confusing DVDs with BRs speak loudly about why you are not able to succeed. It is indeed a bag of hurt, and I recommend you to read this painstakingly through guide from Jason Snell: https://sixcolors.com/post/2015/01/how-i-rip-dvds-and-blu-rays/
 
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cdcastillo said:
1. Download and install HandBrake
2. With HandBrake open, load the DVD onto your Mac's drive
3. In "source", the recently inserted DVD should be already selected (if not, select it)
4. Select the AppleTV2 or AppleTV3 preset (in the extreme right of the HB window)
5. Select a destination to save the ripped movie to.
6. Click on "start"
7. Unload the DVD, load a new one and repeat numbers 3 to 6


Note that you said DVDs. So this is a miniguide to rip DVDs. If you are trying to rip BluRays, that's a whole other story and the fact that you are confusing DVDs with BRs speak loudly about why you are not able to succeed. It is indeed a bag of hurt, and I recommend you to read this painstakingly through guide from Jason Snell: https://sixcolors.com/post/2015/01/how-i-rip-dvds-and-blu-rays/
Click to expand...


DVDs.... not BluRays. It seems like every time I've tried to rip one in the past it comes out pixelated.
 
OK..... so I downloaded Makemkv and it works! WOOT!!! I don't see anyplace to change settings??? So I just put it in, let it do it's thing and get the mov file?

Then when I get to Handbrake... I just choose Apple TV 3 (since there is no ATV4 device preset?

Do i change any settings? or just use the presets for AT3? I want good quality videos, but we aren't videophiles. I'd like good sound, too (5.1 vs surround) so as to utilize the abilities of our sound system.

thanx!
 
There are a few settings changes available under MakeMKV Preferences. The only ones I have ever changed are the destination for the output file and the Minimum Title Length. Setting the minimum title length can be very helpful to filter out a lot of unwanted tracks (extras, commentary, and just plain junk put in my the studios to make things hard to copy, etc). If you are interested in copying the main movie only, I would recommend setting this to something like 300 seconds or so. After MakeMKV scans your disc you will have options for what video, audio, subtitle tracks to keep using the check boxes in the scan screen.

As for Handbrake, the aTV3 setting is optimal. Was developed to give highest quality output balanced against transcoding time. I have found it to have more than enough quality for all of my transcodes (over 200).
 
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After a lot of trial and error, I ended up getting a Synology 4-bay NAS. I ripped all of my movies using MakeMKV and moved them onto the Synology. I do a straight rip with no transcoding. I use a combination of Plex and Kodi to view the movies. The Plex app on Apple TV 4 is really great!
 
caligurl said:
OK..... so I downloaded Makemkv and it works! WOOT!!! I don't see anyplace to change settings??? So I just put it in, let it do it's thing and get the mov file?

Then when I get to Handbrake... I just choose Apple TV 3 (since there is no ATV4 device preset?

Do i change any settings? or just use the presets for AT3? I want good quality videos, but we aren't videophiles. I'd like good sound, too (5.1 vs surround) so as to utilize the abilities of our sound system.

thanx!
Click to expand...

Use plex. It's super easy to setup and it makes your movies available on any device, phone, tablet and several smart tv's. Both inside and outside the home.
 
So if I use plex i don't need the handbrake step? i just leave them as mkv files?
 
Not a fan of handbrake, the rips are overly big and the ripping part just takes too long.
I've been using Leawo BR ripper. Drop them into iTunes and use that to the ATVs.
 
AFEPPL said:
Not a fan of handbrake, the rips are overly big and the ripping part just takes too long.
I've been using Leawo BR ripper. Drop them into iTunes and use that to the ATVs.
Click to expand...

The encodes are as big as you make them. You can adjust the settings to get it the way you want. I create my own handbrake profiles by making encodes of several different movies and doing frame by frame comparisons to the original. I'll adjust settings to get the smallest file size possible while at the same time ensuring my encodes are identical to the original. Once I have the settings I save a profile and use that. Now all my rips are rather small H.265 files.
 
Profile for profile i find HB rips are overly large so I'm no longer using it - plus the speed issue. The only advantage HB has is if you want multiple audio tracks, which i don't. But each to their own, i say try things and see what works for you.
 
Ripping takes as long as it takes no matter what software you use. That's just copying the data off the disk. I think what you're referring to as taking too long is the encoding portion of it. And that's entirely dependent on your processor and your settings. The other app you're using isn't faster, it's that its settings are different. You can achieve the exact same thing in handbrake. Profiles are just various settings that are saved. You can't compare a profile in one program to the profile in another. They aren't the same thing.
I don't use multiple audio tracks. But I do take forced subs and burn them in the image. And I don't rip with handbrake. I rip with makemkv. I use handbrake solely for the encoding.
 
You're correct its the encoding, but I've moved ripping away from the mac now (as its just too slow) to windows and on windows you can utilise the power of the GPU too (CUDA) and you get massive differences in ripping speeds. Handbrake might take 3hours, where as the same rip on the same film will take 35-40mins with Leawo at the same quality.

This is why i dumped the mini and hand break. (plus iTunes was more stable on W10 than OS X!!!!)
 
AFEPPL said:
Handbrake might take 3hours, where as the same rip on the same film will take 35-40mins with Leawo at the same quality.
Click to expand...

That's because the settings are different. There's way more to it than just picking 1080p. Or MP4. Other apps don't let you dive into the settings like handbrake does.
I was using ripbot for my encodes but could only adjust a few basic settings. Out of the box it's faster than handbrake. But I could adjust handbrake settings even further and make it faster with better quality too.

If a DVD in handbrake is taking 3 hours something is seriously wrong with your settings. I can drop a 40gb bluray in there and get a h.265 file in far less time. Of course I can tweak the settings and make it take 12 hours and end up with a file larger than the original.
FYI, cuda does nothing for ripping. Only encoding. You can enable DXVA for h.264 in handbrake. Handbrake is just a GUI for x264. Anything that encodes x264 will do so at the same speed with the same settings.

So again, Leawo isn't any faster. It's just it's default settings are different than those in handbrake and you don't have access to all the settings in Leawo that handbrake offers. Until you can see those hidden default settings in Leawo you can't adjust handbrake to match and then do a direct comparison. If you could the speed would be exactly the same.
I've been ripping and encoding for many years. Back when the first DVD burners came out and were expensive as hell.
 
HB doesn't really have a lot of setting, codec is H.264, FPS i always leave same as source. Preset for optimise i leave as default and RF makes no difference.
On Leawo i have pretty much the same options, codec, res, bit rate, frame rate and aspect ratio for video and matched setting for Audio. YMMV, but Leawo with pretty much identical setting is quicker at encoding and simpler to use and handles decryption.

I also tried using subler to look at the setting, but the detail provided is not extensive either.
 
You can also adjust x264 preset(big effect on speed), x264 tune, h.264 profile, h.264 level. Framerate has peak or constant. RF makes a massive difference. That's one of the bigger settings for adjusting quality.

And several options under filters and picture.

I imagine Leawo doesn't let you access those settings and that's where the speed difference is coming from. They are both using x264. Speed is the same. It's all the settings that makes the difference.
I bet Leawo is easier to use as there's less to adjust. Less to get overwhelmed by.

How does Leawo handle forced subs? You'll want to burn the subs in the image. Separate sub files can have issues on various players. Simpler this way.
 
RF depends on other setting, this is a good example.
https://mattgadient.com/2013/06/20/comparing-x264-rf-settings-in-handbrake-examples/
Forced sub, i don't recall id have to go and find a movie from the collection and look

Still comes back to the same for me, HB, no thanks. I just cant be bothered to decrypt it and then mess about with it. Leawo is much quicker and easier and thats all i need to get BR quality rips onto my NAS drive and into iTunes.
 
You can't get BR quality with Leawo as it doesn't rip bluray. But I also don't rip with handbrake. It's for encoding only for me. And then of course making BR rips for itunes you lose the HD audio. But this is about DVD's.
RF does depend on setting. But it's also your number 1 setting for quality and speed.
 
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Strange - I've ripped over 300 Blurays with Leawo... ;)
Its a single rip and encoding tool.
 
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