dvds to ipod

[coday182]

Ok I downloaded mac the ripper and ripped Jackass 2 which I just bought. The folder that I ripped it to is full of these files which are .VOB, .BUP, and .IFO. I have no idea what any of those are. What program should I used to watch them? (I only did the main feature extraction). Second of all, how (what program is free?) do I convert them to mpeg-4? Thanks in advance.

 

[Eidorian]

http://handbrake.m0k.org/

Instant Handrake for quick and easy to the original iPod video resolution.

 

[840quadra]

Besides that,

This isn't a new feature or issue. Lots of posts about this subject, including an entire tutorial.

 

[savanahrose]

This worked

I just did this today as a matter of fact. I copied this from a post from Clayj. It worked beautifully for me.

Gl

Ripping DVDs to 5G iPod (iPod Video): Steps That Work!
EDIT 1/1/2006: New instructions! See below.

EDIT 10/28/2005: VERY IMPORTANT! You need to wait until Handbrake says "Done" before you do anything with the file it creates... failure to get a good "Done" will result in an MP4 file that will NOT play! So even if it says 100%, wait a while... if you wait for more than a couple of hours and it doesn't give you a "Done", kill the Handbrake process and try again. Remember: No "Done", no usable movie!

OK, I have personally used the following steps to rip a DVD into a format that is viewable on an iPod Gen5 ("Video iPod")... the resulting movie looks quite nice on the iPod's screen, but I do not yet know how it would look on an external display (i.e., a TV). If you want to watch DVD on your iPod and you don't want to wait any longer, read on. (I will update this thread as new info becomes available.)

1. Download Mac the Ripper and Handbrake. (You'll have to Google for the current location of Mac the Ripper...)
   
   NOTE: Yes, you can skip using Mac the Ripper... but I've heard of many instances where trying to use Handbrake to rip directly from a DVD does not work.
2. Insert your DVD, and kill (Force Quit if you have to) the DVD Player application if it starts.
3. Launch Mac the Ripper and wait for it to detect the DVD. Click the Mode button, and from the dropdown list, select Main Feature Extraction. Then, click Go!
   
   Extraction should take 45 minutes or so, but this will vary from DVD to DVD. Once extraction is complete, you can then quit Mac the Ripper and eject your DVD.
4. Then, launch Handbrake. In the dialog box that appears, select "DVD Folder / Image". Click Browse. Select the folder that Mac the Ripper created (this will be named "[something] Main Feature"), and click Open.
5. Once Handbrake has scanned the ripped DVD folder, you will see the main Handbrake dialog box. Here are the settings to set (use ONE of the two following sections):
   
   H.264 VIDEO (better for iPod-only playback)
   
   DESTINATION SECTION
   Codecs = AVC/H.264 Video / AAC Audio
   File = [specify any file name you like, ending in ".mp4"]
   
   VIDEO SECTION
   Encoder = x264 (Baseline profile) (this is CRITICAL! do not select "Main profile", or the video will not play on your iPod!)
   Quality = select Average Bitrate and type a value no higher than 640* in the box
   
   * Why 640, you ask? Because the MAXIMUM bitrate supported by the iPod with H.264 is 768. Since we are specifying an AVERAGE bitrate, we need to specify a lower value that will prevent spikes over 768 in the video. 640 is a nice, high value that has worked perfectly for me with over 20 movies ripped to date. 640 will give you the best quality, while ensuring that the file is actually playable on your iPod. If you enter 768, the video will almost certainly NOT play on your iPod.
   
   AUDIO SECTION
   Sample rate (Hz) = any value up to 48000 (higher value = better sound quality = bigger file)
   Bitrate (kbps) = any value up to 160 (higher value = better sound quality = bigger file)
   
   PICTURE SETTINGS
   Click Picture Settings. Using the arrow controls, drop the Width value to 320. Leave the "Keep aspect ratio" checkbox CHECKED; if you uncheck it and change the Height value manually, your video may be distorted and/or cropped. Then, click Close.
   
   MPEG-4 VIDEO (better for TV playback, since it supports higher resolution)
   
   DESTINATION SECTION
   Codecs = MPEG-4 Video / AAC Audio
   File = [specify any file name you like, ending in ".mp4"]
   
   VIDEO SECTION
   Encoder = FFmpeg
   Quality = select Average Bitrate and type any value up to 2000 or so in the box (for iPod-only playback, a value of 1024 will do nicely... for TV playback, you might want to specify a higher value... the maximum supported by the iPod with MPEG-4 is 2500, but since we're specifying an AVERAGE bitrate, you shouldn't go higher than 2000 or so)
   
   AUDIO SECTION
   Sample rate (Hz) = any value up to 48000 (higher value = better sound quality = bigger file)
   Bitrate (kbps) = any value up to 160 (higher value = better sound quality = bigger file)
   
   PICTURE SETTINGS
   Click Picture Settings.
   
   For iPod-only playback: Using the arrow controls, drop the Width value to 320.
   
   For TV playback: Change the settings as you like, but Width times Height should not exceed 230,400.
   
   In either case, you should leave the "Keep aspect ratio" checkbox CHECKED; if you uncheck it and change the Height value manually, your video may be distorted and/or cropped. Then, click Close.
6. When you've set one of the above sets of settings, click Rip. Ripping the DVD folder into a working MP4 file will take a while... possibly as much as 3 or 4 hours, depending on the DVD and the settings you choose. Wait until Handbrake gives you a "Done." message before you quit Handbrake or do anything with the new file!

I have been able to successfully rip over 20 movies to play on my iPod using these steps, without ANY problems. The file sizes will vary from movie to movie, depending on the length of the movie and how complicated visually it is. (For example, THX 1138, which contains many stark, bland white scenes, is a smaller file than Black Hawk Down.)

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the above steps.

Enjoy!
Last edited by clayj : 09-16-2006 at 08:32 PM.

 

[j26]

I never liked the file sizes coming from Instant handbrake, so I use the regular Handbrake and when thats done, I use iSquint to format it for iPod (Format for TV, H.264, Standard quality)

 

[savanahrose]

I never liked the file sizes coming from Instant handbrake, so I use the regular Handbrake and when thats done, I use iSquint to format it for iPod (Format for TV, H.264, Standard quality)

Using handbrake and the isquint is easier than using mac the ripper and handbrake?

 

[j26]

Using handbrake and the isquint is easier than using mac the ripper and handbrake?

I had trouble getting the Handbraked videos to play, so I just ran them all through iSquint to fix them. Until a new version of Handbrake comes out that will allow me to rip directly to iPod specs - the 640x480 Baseline (Low Complexity) settings - I will keep doing this. Quicktime Pro will also do the job on a Handbraked video, but it seems to be much slower.

If I'm doing a batch of dvd's I will use MacTheRipper to rip several to a hd and then queue them in Handbrake.

PS I use them for TV playback so I don't use the 320x240 settings that were outlined above

 

[ahollywoodcraig]

I tried to rip a dvd to my 60gb ipod video by following the above tutorial and I was able to successfully add the movie to itunes, but when I go to put the movie on my ipod it says it can't be added because the video can't be played on the ipod. Am I missing something? any help as to why this is happening is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!
Craig

 

[j26]

The above tutorial doesnt really work anymore.

The Baseline profile in Handbrake doesn't work now, as the iPod now requires Baseline (Low Complexity). You can convert it in QuickTime Pro (if you have it) to iPod format (.mv4) or set the profile to Low Complexity if you export to mpeg4, but the easiest way to do it is with iSquint.

The workflow I use is;
* Rip the DVD using MacThe Ripper if I'm doing several at once, otherwise straight to step 2
* Encode using Handbrake - 2 pass encoding, H.264, Baseline, 1,000-1,500kbps (you can go higher if you want)
* Convert with iSquint - Optimise for TV, H.264, Standard quality

It takes a while but you get a 640x480 mpeg4 file that is perfect for the iPod and plays back well on a tv, it's even watchable on a 42" tv. Movies are about 400-700 mb, so you could fit loads on you iPod.

I have 35 movies on my 30G, along with 10G of music and photos. All the movies were done using this method. There are also some YouTube videos I downloaded, and iSquint is perfect for converting these.