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

mac.jedi · Oct 19, 2009

Batch Rip Actions for Automator
How-to Automate DVD & Blu-Ray (Backup, Encoding & Tagging) for Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks

Introduction

Backing up a DVD or Blu-Ray library can be an arduous, time consuming task. Using a GUI tool is a simple task if you do one occasionally, but a lot of us have amassed large collections that would take days, weeks, months or even years to complete.

And, if you’ve ever tried to encode an entire season of TV episodes you know how laborious a project this can be as well: Insert a DVD, rip the disc, choose your encode settings, select and add each title to the queue, process the file, add iTunes metadata; rinse and repeat for each of the discs in the season … and don't even get me started on manually doing this with Blu-ray.

The good news is that most of these tasks can be easily automated to remove the manual intervention required. Just insert a disc and it will rip automagically. When done, pop in another. If you’ve got Mac with two or three optical drives connected, fill em' up and you’ll save yourself some trips. Set a repeating encode schedule, and at midnight HandBrakeCLI will encode each track within the min/max duration you set in your workflow. You can even set it do multiple encodes if you'd like an iPad version, Android version, though you owe it to yourself to get an iPhone

, and an Apple TV 1080p version. All you need to do now is the tagging, but why should you do it? It's a computer after all … why not automate that as well! If you want to get really fancy, you can take your workflow to the next level by using folder actions or Noodlesoft's Hazel to backup your rips, add the finished files to all the iTunes Libraries on your network and stream em' to an Apple TV. Virtually anything is possible with automation.

This tutorial is broken up into components that can be used individually or together to create one, simple, automated batch workflow.

Workflow Components

Getting Started
Using Batch Rip to Automate DVD & Blu-Ray Backup
Renaming Source Files & Folders
Using Batch Encode to Automate HandBrake Encoding
Auto-tagging Movie Files with iTunes Metadata
Auto-tagging TV Show Files with iTunes Metadata
Using Hazel to manage your media

Note: This tutorial assumes you have some familiarity with Mac OS X and the ripping/encoding process. The focus of this tutorial is how to AUTOMATE your workflow. It is NOT intended to be A BEGINNERS GUIDE to DVD/BD encoding. If you are new to any of the concepts presented in this tutorial, I highly recommend engaging in some of the fantastic forum threads on the macrumors and handbrake forums to help get you started. Then, return to this tutorial after you have become comfortable with the process and have been successful doing it manually. See the section "Additional Resources" for more info.

About Batch Rip Actions for Automator

Batch Rip Actions for Automator is an application that provides Actions and Workflows to automate the rip and encode process.

These actions began as a series of scripts that made up my batch rip workflow. When I started writing this tutorial, the focus was to illustrate how to create these scripts and tie them together. However, with the introduction of Snow Leopard, it became clear to me that offering pre-compiled Automator actions and Service workflows would make this a much simpler process.

An Automator workflow consists of a sequence of discrete tasks called actions. An Automator action is a kind of functional building block. Each action performs an individual step you might currently do manually‚ such as ripping a disc, changing filenames, encoding files with HandBrake, or tagging files with iTunes metadata. Some actions like Batch Encode, go a step further and perform many operations in one process. For example, with each Blu-ray source it finds … it will create an mkv file, select the main video, audio, and subtitle tracks. Then, send them to HandBrake which will encode it to mp4, then download all the iTunes tags for your title and tag the file. Imagine doing this manually!

Batch Rip Actions for Automator follows the recommended approach of ripping the complete folder structure of your optical media to your hard drive. For DVD media, this is done with FairMount. For BD media, we use MakeMKV. MakeMKV is still in beta and doesn't fully support BD+ titles and may not work with every disc or drive. If MakeMKV doesn't work for you manually, it's not gonna work with Batch Rip Actions for Automator.

Note: MakeMKV and HandBrake do not support every type of copy-protection and may not work with every disc or drive. The rule is, if it doesn't work for you manually, it's not gonna work with Batch Rip Actions for Automator.

If you encounter a disc that MakeMKV or HandBrake can't copy, I highly recommend trying AnyDVDHD. AnyDVDHD is developed by SlySoft.com and is considered the gold standard for disc backup. The upside to AnyDVDHD is that it fully supports Blu-Ray copying and creates a true backup of the entire disc. The downside is that it is Windows only. AnyDVDHD can be used with the free, open source VirtualBox for Mac, VMware Fusion (recommended) and Parallels.

Once the disc's contents have been ripped to the hard drive, the movies or TV episodes are encoded to an iTunes compatible MP4 format and tagged with metadata iTunes, AppleTV or other devices can manage.

The actions provided in this bundle include:

Batch Rip
This action copies video DVD and BD discs to a chosen folder correctly named for automatic tagging.

Batch Encode
This action encodes DVD/BD content to m4v/mkv and tags them with iTunes metadata. This action receives input from the Finder, other actions, or batch folders specified in the action panel. Input types: DVD-ROM, BD-ROM, VIDEO_TS, BDMV, m2ts, mkv, mp4, m4v, avi, mpg, and mov. Other options include: Growl notification, multiple encodes, and custom HandBrake settings.

Add TV Tags
This action searches thetvdb.com database and adds iTunes metadata for the specified TV episode mp4/m4v files. Other options include: renaming, removing tags and optimizing.

Add Movie Tags
This action searches themoviedb.org and tagchimp.com databases and adds iTunes metadata for the specified mp4/m4v files. Other options include: renaming files and folders, removing tags, optimizing, and managing chapter information.

Add Movie Poster
This action will add cover art to selected files.

Add Genre to Movie File
This action tags mp4 files with a selected iTunes genre.

Tag Inspector
This action displays the iTunes metadata for the input file.

Get Source Info from HandBrake
This action scans each source with HandBrakeCLI and saves the info to a text file.

Rename TV Items
This action searches thetvdb.com for shows matching the query and renames items to the selected search result and user specified series, season and episode or disc number.

This tutorial will focus on how to use these actions and their related Automator workflows. But before we get started, we need to install our applications and set up our batch folders.

Getting Started

To complete this tutorial you will need to download and install the following:
Batch Rip Actions for Automator v1.1.1

Installing Batch Rip Actions for Automator

Download the Batch Rip Actions for Automator installer.
Open the dmg file and Drag the app to your Applications folder.
Navigate to your Applications folder.
Double-click the icon to Launch the app.
Follow the installation instructions to install the related workflow files and create your Batch Rip folders.

What you need to get started
Batch Rip Actions for Automator requires the following applications be installed in your Applications Folder. For convenience, I've provided links to these applications via the Download menu in the menu bar.

MANDATORY
FairMount v1.1
FairMount is a free tool that allows decryption of DVD content on the fly for a convenient access. FairMount does not perform the actual decryption, it simply forwards the data to libdvdcss which is used for decryption - thus, libdvdcss must be installed for FairMount to work.
Note: Fairmount is included in the application bundle.

HandBrakeCLI v0.9.9
HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 converter, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows. The Command Line Interface version of HandBrake is a lot faster and more flexible than the MacGui. Using scripting you can automate HandBrakeCLI to encode your files as a background process using the same parameters you'd set in the GUI. Install in /Applications.
Note: DVD disc input is only supported if libdvdcss is installed.

libdvdcss v1.2.12
libdvdcss is a simple library designed for accessing DVDs like a block device without having to bother about the decryption. libdvdcss must be installed for Fairmount & HandBrake to work with encrypted DVDs. Run the installer and libdvdcss will be installed in your /usr/lib directory.

FOR BLU-RAY/HD ENCODING, YOU'LL NEED THE FOLLOWING:
MakeMKV v1.6.12
MakeMKV is the only mac native app for ripping Blu-ray discs. However, at this time it may not work with every disc or drive. It converts DVDs and BDs into a set of MKV files. MakeMKV has a GUI and a command-line (makemkvcon) interface that's located in the application's bundle. Install in /Applications.

About Growl Support

Growl v1.3
Growl is a notification system for Mac OS X: it allows applications and scripts that support Growl to send you notifications.

Batch Rip and Batch Encode both contain Growl support. The GrowlNotify command-line tool is needed by these actions to notify the Growl application. GrowlNotify is available from the growl website's general downloads page: Growl's download page.

Download and install Growl from the Mac App Store.
Download GrowlNotify
Double-click the GrowlNotify.pkg to install GrowlNotify.
Enter your administrator password and growlNotify will then be installed in a hidden directory used for command line tools: /usr/local/bin
To activate notification by email or speech, navigate to the Growl Preferences and click enable in the GrowlNotify application notification settings.

Managing Your Batch Rip Files and Folders

A well planned folder structure will make your workflow much easier to manage. Most of these workflows rely on consistent paths to the source and destination folders, as well as the paths to the actions and applications themselves. For most users, your files should be processed on your local hard disk. External drives can be used, but in some cases they may slow down the speed of your encoding.

For this tutorial, we'll use your ~/Movies folder as the container for your workflow files and folders. Keeping your workflow under this one directory will make this process much easier. You can then have Hazel or Automator move the finished rips and encoded files to another drive or remote volume after they are done.

IMPORTANT: These workflows rely on one important piece of information that needs to be set for each disc, Video Kind. Video Kind is a variable we use in the actions to identify whether a disc contains a Movie or TV Show. The easiest way I've found to do this is to simply rip TV Shows to one folder and Movies to another. A script can then determine a disc's "kind" based on its location. The Batch Rip action allows you to set the video kind for each disc inserted. Also included are two Services located in your Services folder that will add the “video kind” as a Spotlight comment to selected files or folders.

With the video kind set, the Batch Encode action will know whether to encode every episode for TV Shows or only the main feature for Movies. You can also set unique min/max durations for each video kind. Video kind also helps for auto-tagging. Auto-tagging during the encoding process only works reliably for movies. TV Shows need to be done as a separate process after the files have been encoded to ensure that all the episodes have been verified, and sorted in order.

Creating Your Batch Folders
If you chose to have the installer create your Batch Folders during the workflow installation process, they will be located in your ~/Movies directory. If not, follow the steps below to create your Batch Folders:

Navigate to your ~/Movies folder.
Create two folders and rename them Batch Rip TV and Batch Rip Movies. These folders will be used as the destination folders for your ripped files when copied from DVDs and BDs using the Batch Rip action. These folders will also be the source folders for the Batch Encode action.
Create another folder named Batch Encode. This folder will be the destination folder for your final encoded m4v/mkv files when using the Batch Encode action.

Using the Workflow Editor
Batch Rip Actions for Automator includes a series of Automator "Service" workflow files pre-built to work with the actions.

The Actions contained in a workflow can have fields, pop-up menus, checkboxes, and other user-interface elements for configuring the action. Batch Rip Actions for Automator features a Workflow Editor to help you quickly edit and save your workflow options.

To edit a workflow:

Choose a workflow from the source list on the left side of the Workflow Editor.
The workflow will open in the layout view on the right side of the window.
Configure the action as desired.
To save your changes, Open the File menu and Choose Save.

Using Batch Rip Service Workflows
A Service is a special type of Automator workflow that can be used from another application or the Finder via contextual menus throughout the OS. Some services require input such as movie files. These types of services can be context sensitive, and only appear in the correct application or if the correct type of input is selected.

In this tutorial, there are two ways we run Services:

Open the application menu (to the right of the Apple menu), choose Services, and then choose the service you want to use.
Open a contextual menu by Control-clicking on an item (or a group of items), choose Services, and then choose the service you want to use.

Tutorial continues below…

mac.jedi · Oct 19, 2009

How-To: Continued

Using Batch Rip to Automate DVD/BD Ripping

Batch Rip uses several technologies to automate the ripping process. For DVDs, FairMount and libdvdcss (installed separately) are used to decrypt the DVDs on your system. A subroutine within the Action will then copy the entire DVD to your hard drive. Also, if your have more than one DVD drive, this Action will allow multiple DVDs to copy at the same time. The Action also includes Growl notification support, option to search for show/movie titles for the copy, and an option to eject the discs when finished.

For Blu-Ray, the process is essentially the same, except we use MakeMKV which extracts each title that's between the min/max duration you set in the action. The action also includes an option to do a full BD backup. BD discs are processed sequentially.

Using the Batch Rip Services
There are two Automator Services that can be used with the Batch Rip action.

Batch Rip Batch Rip.workflow
This service receives no input and will act on all mounted video discs. If a BD-ROM or DVD-ROM is mounted, this Service displays a prompt that will cancel after 30 seconds, if no action is received from the user. The prompt will ask if you'd like to copy the disc. Choosing Movie or TV Show will set the video kind for that disc; and repeat for each disc mounted. The action will then copy each disc to your Batch Rip TV or Batch Rip Movies folder. There is also an option to search and select the correct "title" for your source disc which will help for auto-tagging later. You can also set the action to run automatically which disables the dialogs and uses the default video kind set in the action panel.

To use it: Open the application menu (to the right of the Apple menu), choose Services > "Batch Rip Batch Rip".

Batch Rip Batch Rip (Finder).workflow
This Service will act only on items passed as input via the Finder, another Action, or a script.

To use it via the Finder: Select the discs you'd like to copy and run the service. Only the selected items will be processed.

To use it via another script: Pipe the input folders as a list with each source on its own line. Here's an example:

Code:

echo -e "/Volumes/IRON_MAN_D1\n/Volumes/DVD_VIDEO" | automator -i - "/Users/username/Library/Services/Batch Rip  Batch Rip (Finder).workflow"

Customizing your Batch Rip Workflow

In the Workflow Editor, Select the "Batch Rip Batch Rip" workflow.
Set the options in the action panel.
Run Automatically (disables dialog boxes and runs without user intervention). Not recommended for new users.
BD-ROM & DVD-ROM check-boxes (the workflow will act only on the disc types selected).
Default video kind (when Run Automatically is set, this selection will copy all discs to either Batch Rip Movies or TV Folder).
Skip Duplicates prevents copying a disc if it already exists. If unchecked, it will copy the disc and append a number to the name of the new copy (useful in situations where a series of discs have the same name).
Search for show/movie titles will add an additional prompt to search themoviedb/thetvdb for the correct title and release year. Your copy will be named with the selected search result. This is useful for auto-tagging with the Batch Encode action.
The path to the Fairmount application include in the app bundle is already set. Note: libdvdcss is required in order for Fairmount to run.
Set the time in seconds for the action to skip processing a disc if Fairmount fails to remount it as a disk image (default is 120 secs).
Set the path to the MakeMKV application.
Set your output directories (see section on Folder Setup for more info).
Set the minimum and maximum duration for TV and Movies sources (MakeMKV will only extract tracks between these min/max durations).
Choose additional options: Enable Growl, Eject disc when done, Use MakeMKV for DVD (instead of Fairmount), Full BD Backup.
To save your changes, Open the File menu and Choose Save.

Using Batch Rip Dispatcher
Batch Rip Dispatcher is a LaunchAgent that monitors your /Volumes directory for BD-ROM or DVD-ROM discs. It will automatically activate the "Batch Rip Batch Rip (Finder).workflow" when a disc is detected. To control Batch Rip Dispatcher, Click the status display in the Workflow Editor toolbar to turn it On or Off.

When activated (Green), Batch Rip Dispatcher will start watching for discs. It will then launch "Batch Rip Batch Rip.workflow" whenever a BD-ROM or DVD-ROM is mounted.
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When disabled (Clear), Batch Rip Dispatcher will deactivate and no action will be taken when a disc is inserted.
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You can enable or disable Batch Rip Dispatcher at any time by clicking the status display in the Workflow Editor toolbar.

Testing your Batch Rip Workflow

Make sure Batch Rip Dispatcher's status indicator is Green, indicating that it's enabled.
Insert a BD or DVD. Wait for the disc to mount.
If you have more than one optical drive, a prompt will appear asking if you'd like to Continue. Click Continue when all discs are mounted.
Next, a dialog box to appear asking if youd like to copy the disc. Choose either TV Show (if the disc contains TV shows) or Movies (if disc contains movies). Choosing Ignore will ignore the disc and cancel the action. Note: no dialog will appear if you have set the action to "Run automatically".
If "Search for Show/Movie Titles" is enabled, you'll get additional prompts to name each disc.

IMPORTANT: If DVD Player.app is set to launch when a Video DVD is mounted, set "Video DVD" to "Ignore" in the CD & DVDs Preference Pane.
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The action will launch Terminal and display the basic setup info. If you have any errors they will be presented here, such as missing apps or incorrect paths. It will also display the options you set in the action.
The action will copy each disc to the selected TV or Movie output folder.
For DVDs, FairMount will launch automatically, then you'll see a graphic of cream cheese being spread on a bagel.
The DVD will unmount and re-mount as a disk image.
After a short delay, the DVD will start copying.
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FairMount will display the progress as well as any bad sectors it encounters.

Note: Some DVD's may contain copy protection measures that will result in bad sectors and a failed rip using FairMount. For these situations, it may be necessary to rip the DVD with other software such as DVD2One where you can adjust the settings manually.
For BDs, makemkvcon will extract the titles in the background, but the Terminal window will display the progress.
If you've set up growl support, you will be notified by display, speech or email when completed.
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A Few Words on Source Folder and File Naming
Many applications use the file or folder name to get content info and cover art from sites like tagchimp.com, themoviedb.org and thetvdb.com. It is considered good practice to rename your files and folders, BEFORE encoding your final files. Your source files will then be named correctly making them easier to manage later. In addition, your output files will also be named correctly, allowing for a script or application to associate the correct metadata for your content.

For TV Show sources the naming convention is: <Show Name - S#D#> or Veronica Mars - S1D1. The "D#" represents the disc number. If your using MakeMKV (which creates separate files for each episode), it will add -1, -2, etc. to the end of the filename. Example: Veronica Mars - S1D1-1.mkv. More information on tagging and renaming your final TV show files will be discussed in later chapter.

For movies the naming convention is: <Movie Name (year)>. Example: X-Men Origins - Wolverine (2009). Note that titles that contain a colon [:] are replaced with a space and a dash [ -], as filenames cannot contain this character.

To make this process easier and more reliable, I've provided Automator Services that will search themoviedb.org or thetvdb.com for the correct Movie or Show Title, and automatically rename your file or folder. Just select the files or folders you want to rename and run the Service. A dialog box will appear, enter the title to search. Select the name and year that matches your content and the Service will then rename your item. The Service will loop through each item incrementally. This process has also been added as an option to Batch Rip.action which will prompt a search before copying the discs.

Additionally, there are Rename & Tag Services provided for both TV and Movies; that will rename and tag selected items with iTunes metadata.

Note: themoviedb.org and thetvdb.com are free online services. Periodic outages are not uncommon. If data is not returned, the service may be down.

Using the "Rename Movie Items" and "Rename TV Items" services

Select a movie file or folder, choose Services, and then choose > "Batch Rip Rename Movie Items" - or - "Batch Rip Rename TV Items"
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A dialog box will appear listing the active item. Enter the title in the search field for this item and Choose OK.
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The action will search the database and return a list of possible matches. Choose the title and year that matches your file or folder.
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Choose OK, and the action will rename your item to the selection. The action will repeat for each selected item.
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Tutorial continues below

mac.jedi · Oct 19, 2009

How-To: Continued

Using Batch Encode to Automate HandBrake Encoding

This Automator Action incorporates many of the tasks commonly used for processing files and includes growl support. The input sources can be files or folders located in your "Batch Rip TV" and "Batch Rip Movies" folders, or optical discs mounted on your system.

If the input source resides in your Batch Rip TV folder or its Spotlight comment is set to "TV Show" the script will select each track that's between the min/max duration set in the script. If the input source resides in your Batch Rip Movies folder, or its Spotlight comment is set to "Movie", only one track is selected, provided it's between the min/max duration you set in the script for movies. The encode script will then encode and output the selected titles to your Batch Encode folder.

The input types supported: Blu-Ray Disc, BDMV, DVD-VIDEO Disc, VIDEO_TS, avi, mp4, m4v, mkv, m2ts, mov and mpg.

The output types supported: m4v (mp4) and mkv.

Encode Targets: The action will output up to four encoded files for each source. Each encode target will be processed using its selected preset.

Presets: Different encode settings can be selected for each encode target. All preset encode settings are based on HandBrake's presets for compatibility with Apple devices.

Custom Presets: You can create up to four custom presets using standard HandBrakeCLI arguments. A custom preset can be selected for each encode target.

Audio Selection: Batch Encode will set the default audio track using the option selected in the workflow. "Default Audio" sets the default audio track to the source's "default" audio track. If set to "Native Language", Batch Encode will select an audio track (if available) that matches the native language preference set in the workflow. If an audio track is not available in your native language, it will try to find one that matches the alternate language preference set in the workflow. If neither are available, it will fallback to the title's default audio track.

Additional Audio Tracks: Batch Encode will include additional audio tracks if selected in the workflow. Options include: all Native Language tracks, all Alternate Language tracks, all Native & Alternate language tracks, and All Tracks (regardless of language). There is also an option to mixdown these additional tracks to 2-channel DPL2 for a smaller file size. If disabled, any selected multi-channel tracks will be passed-through as AC3.

Subtitle Selection: There are two basic options for subtitles, Burn-In and Pass-Thru. Burned in subtitles are written on top of the image permanently. Pass-thru subtitles will appear as separate selectable tracks in your output file. With the correct playback software, you’ll be able to enable / disable these subtitles as required. The Burn-In "Auto Detect" option will burn in forced-only subtitles (if available) in your native language; or all subtitles, if the default audio track language is not in the native language set in the action. Burn-In "Native Language" will burn in subtitles in your native language (if available) regardless of the default audio track language. The Pass-Thru option will pass-thru "text-based" subtitle tracks that match the language preference set in the action. Due to mp4 file limititations and HandBrake capabilities, picture-based subtitles cannot be passed-through. They can however be burned-in, but only 1 track can be burned-in to the video. See the HandBrake wiki for more info.

Multi-Channel Audio: The Batch Encode action includes a sub-routine that will set the audio output settings differently depending on the audio source and encoding preset selected. If an HB preset has multi-channel capability, the sub-routine will favor multi-channel audio (DTS or AC-3) over 2-channel tracks. If the audio codec is DTS, HandBrake will convert DTS to AC-3 since DTS pass-thru is not an option for most devices. All multi-channel tracks will also include a secondary stereo aac track for compatability. Presets that do not natively support multi-channel include: iPod, iPad, iPhone and Android devices.

iTunes Tagging: Once a m4v file is encoded, movies are then optionally embedded with iTunes XML style metadata, cover art and chapter names via theMovieDB.org and tagchimp.com API's. If a 720p or higher m4v file is encoded, the HD flag is set to allow the HD or HD/SD logo to appear in iTunes and the AppleTV. If an HD and SD m4v is created from the same source, they will both be set with the same cnid number. Having the same cnid number will allow the SD and HD versions to show up as one entry in iTunes.

Other Options: There are "Override" settings in the script to allow you to ignore the optical drive and set the video kind for optical sources.

Batch Encode Services
There are two Automator Services provided to use with Batch Encode.

Batch Rip • Batch Encode.workflow
This service receives no input and will act on all files or folders located in your "Batch Rip TV" and "Batch Rip Movies" folders, or optical discs mounted on your system (if Ignore Optical is not selected).

To use it: Open the application menu (to the right of the Apple menu), choose Services > "Batch Rip • Batch Encode".

Batch Rip • Batch Encode (Finder).workflow
This Service will act only on items passed as input via the Finder, another Action, or a script.

To use it via the Finder: Select the files, folders or discs you'd like to encode and run the service. Only the selected items will be processed.

To use it via another script: Pipe the input files or folders as a list with each source on its own line. Here's an example:

Code:

echo -e "/Users/username/Movies/Batch Rip Movies/Toy Story (1995)\n/Users/username/Movies/Batch Rip TV/The Office (US) - S1D1" | automator -i - "/Users/username/Library/Services/Batch Rip • Batch Encode (Finder).workflow"

Customizing your Batch Encode Workflow

In the Workflow Editor, Select the "Batch Rip • Batch Encode" workflow.
Set the options in the action panel.
Select "Other…" from the HandBrakeCLI pull-down menus. Navigate and Select the HandBrakeCLI application. Click Choose.
Select "Other…" from the MakeMKV pull-down menus. Navigate and Select the MakeMKV application. Click Choose.
Select your Batch Rip TV and Batch Rip Movies folders from the Source pull-down menus
Set the minimum and maximum duration for TV and Movies sources (HandBrake will only encode tracks between these min/max durations).
Select your Batch Encode folder from the output pull-down menu.
Select your Default video kind from the pull-down menu (the source will be encoded based on this selection if there is no Spotlight comment or the source is located somewhere other than your Batch Rip TV or Batch Rip Movies folder (like an optical drive).
Enter your Native Language as a 3-character ISO-639-2 code. This setting will be used to select the audio and subtitle tracks based on your language preference.
Enter your Alternate Language as a 3-character ISO-639-2 code. This setting will be used to select the audio and subtitle tracks based on your secondary language preference. (optional)
Choose Default Audio Preference:
- Default Audio: sets the default audio track to the source's "default" audio track. Useful for films where the main audio differs from your native language. Like if the main audio is Japanese and you want English subtitles.
- Native Language: selects an audio track (if available) that matches the native language preference set in the workflow. If an audio track is not available in your native language, it will try to find one that matches the alternate language preference set in the workflow. If neither are available, it will fallback to the title's default audio track.
Choose Additional Audio Tracks:
Batch Encode will include additional audio tracks if selected.
- Native Language: Selects all audio tracks in your native language.
- Alternate Language: Selects all audio tracks in your alternate language.
- Native & Alternate: Selects all audio tracks in your native and alternate language.
- All Tracks: Selects all audio tracks audio available regardless of language.
- Mixdown: Will mixdown additional tracks to 2-channel DPL2 for a smaller file size. If disabled, any selected multi-channel tracks will be passed-through as AC3.
Choose Burn-in Subtitle Track Option:
The Burn-in option will burn-in subtitle tracks that match the language preference set in the action. Burned in subtitles are written on top of the image permanently.
- None: Will not burn any subtitle track.
- Auto Detect: Burns in forced-only subtitles (if available) in your native language for short foreign language segments. Additionally, if the default audio track language is different from your native language, will burn in subtitles in your native language (if available).
- Forced Only (Native): Burns in forced-only subtitles (if available) in your native language.
- Native Language: Burns in subtitles in your native language (if available) regardless of the default audio track language.
Note: Only 1 subtitle track can be burned-in to the video. Additonal text-based subtitles can be passed-through. See the HandBrake wiki for more info.
Choose Pass-thru Subtitle Tracks:
The Pass-Thru option will pass-thru "text-based" subtitle tracks that match the language preference set in the action.
- Native Language: Selects all audio tracks in your native language.
- Alternate Language: Selects all audio tracks in your alternate language.
- Native & Alternate: Selects all audio tracks in your native and alternate language.
- All Tracks: Selects all audio tracks audio available regardless of language.
Note: Due to mp4 file limititations and HandBrake capabilities, picture-based subtitles cannot be passed-through. They can however be burned-in, but only 1 track can be burned-in to the video. See the HandBrake wiki for more info.
Choose additional options:
- Run in the background (if enabled, the service will run as a background process with no Terminal output).
- Verbose logging (if enabled, will display a verbose activity log for each encode).
- Add iTunes tags (if enabled, will automatically add iTunes style metadata, cover art and chapter titles to Movie files, TV Shows need to be done as a separate process).
- Growl when done (if enabled, will send a notification via Growl, see the Growl section in this tutorial for more info).
- Encode Targets:
  - Encode 1: This item is on by default, will output a file using the selected preset. Use for your main encoded file.
  - Encode 2: If enabled, will output a second file using the selected preset. Use for your secondary encode.
  - Encode 3: If enabled, will output a third file using the selected preset.
  - Encode 4: If enabled, will output a fourth file using the selected preset.
- Presets:
  - Choose a device or custom preset for each Encode Target enabled. For device presets, Handbrake will use it's built-in settings to encode a compatible m4v file based on the capabilities of the chosen device.
  - Note: Encode 1 includes a unique preset called MakeMKV that will create an MKV file from optical and folder sources using MakeMKV. The resulting MKV file will be used as the source for Encode Targets 2-4. Useful if you'd like an uncompressed MKV file that includes all audio and subtitle tracks.
- Custom Presets:
  - Enter custom encode settings for each Encode Target (Not recommended for new users).
  - To enable a custom preset: Select a custom preset for your encode target.
  - To enter a custom preset: Select a custom preset tab and enter your HandBrakeCLI arguments in the text field.
  - Batch Encode allows the use of two variables to auto-select the audio and subtitle settings:
    - To allow Batch Encode to auto select the audio settings use: \$audioSearch
    - To allow Batch Encode to auto select the subtitle settings use: \$subtitleSearch
    - Example:
      Code:
      
      -e x264 -q 21.0 \$audioSearch -f mp4 -X 480 \$subtitleSearch -m -x b-adapt=2:rc-lookahead=50
  - See the HandBrakeCLI wiki for more info on setting your arguments.
- To check for existing files in an existing movie library, Check the Move existing files check-box.
  - Select your movie library folder from the pull-down menu.
  - Select your retired folder from the retired folder pull-down menu. Existing movies with the same title will be moved to this folder.
Choose Save from the File menu, to save your changes.
You can also set up a keyboard shortcut to execute your workflow by selecting the Application Menu > Services > Services Preferences.

Testing your Batch Encode Workflow

Choose Application Menu > Services > "Batch Rip • Batch Encode" to run the service.
Terminal will launch and display some basic setup info. If you have any errors they will be presented here, such as missing apps or incorrect paths. It will also display the options you set in the action.
-

-
Terminal will display a list of the input sources found and detail the progress of each item/process.
-

-
Note: If “Run in background” is selected in the action, Terminal will not launch, the action will “run in background”.
-
If you've set up growl support, you will be notified by display, speech or email when completed.
-

-

Setting Batch Encode to Run Automatically

In the Workflow Editor toolbar, click the timer icon to open event panel.
-

.
Set the time you'd like your encodes to begin (ex. 12:00AM)
Click "Click to activate", to create the schedule.
- When activated (Green), the Batch Encode service will execute daily at the time specified.

You can enable or disable this service at any time by clicking the status display in the event panel..
To deactivate, click the timer icon to open event panel and Click "Click to deactivate"
- When disabled (Clear), the schedule will be removed.
To change the time, deactivate and repeat the steps above to create a new Batch Encode schedule.

Tutorial continues below…

mac.jedi · Oct 19, 2009

How-To: Continued

How to Automate Movie File Tagging with iTunes Style Metadata

There are three services provided to add iTunes metadata and cover art using the Add Movie Tags Action:

Batch Rip • Add Movie Tags (Search).workflow
Batch Rip • Add Movie Tags (Filename).workflow
Batch Rip • Rename & Tag Movie Items.workflow

These workflows all use the Add Movie Tags Action and operate differently on the settings used in the Service workflows. The workflows are designed to tag movie files that have already been encoded (the Batch Encode workflow has an option to tag files as they are processed). To use, just select the files you want to tag and run a service. The workflows will then tag each file with metadata from themoviedb.org.

Using Batch Rip • Add Movie Tags (Search)
This service will display a list of possible matches from themoviedb.org database based on your search criteria. The service will then tag the file with metadata for the title selected.

Select the files you want to tag.
Right-Click and Select the "Batch Rip • Add Movie Tags (Search)" Service.
A dialog box will appear listing the active item. Enter the movie name in the search field for this item and Choose OK.
-

-
The action will search the themoviedb.org database and return a list of possible matches. Choose the movie title and year that matches your file.
-

-
Choose OK, and the action will tag the file with metadata for the selected title. The action will repeat for each selected movie file.

Note: themoviedb.org is a free online service. Periodic outages are not uncommon. If data is not returned, the service may be down.

Using Batch Rip • Add Movie Tags (Filename)
This service will tag each file based on its filename with metadata from themoviedb.org database.

IMPORTANT: Your input files must be named properly with the following naming convention: Movie Name (year).m4v ( example: X-Men Origins - Wolverine (2009).m4v ). Titles that contain a colon [:] are replaced with a space and a dash [ -], as filenames cannot contain this character (see the section on file and folder renaming for more information). There is also a Rename & Tag Movie Items Service included in the Services menu if you also need to rename and tag your finished files.

Visually check to verify that all the files have been named properly (ex. X-Men Origins - Wolverine (2009).m4v).
Select the files you want to tag.
Right-Click and Select the "Batch Rip • Add Movie Tags (Filename)" Service.
-

-
Each file will then be tagged with the cover art and iTunes metadata for the movie.
-

-

Using Batch Rip • Rename & Tag Movie Items
This service works like Add Movie Tags (Search) but will rename the file after tagging. See the section on Using the Add Movie Tags (Search) Service for more information.

Changing options for Add Movie Tags Services
Each Service is designed to perform a certain function, however there are options available in the Add Movie Tags Action panel that you may want to tailor to fit your needs.

In the Workflow Editor, Select a "Batch Rip • Add Movie Tags" workflow.
Choose action options:
- Disable dialog and search using filename (if checked will auto-tag using the filename for the search criteria).
- Add tags (if enabled, will tag selected files)
- Backup original file (if enabled, will make a backup copy of the input file before tagging)
- Remove existing tags (if enabled, will remove existing tags if present)
- Optimize file after tagging (interleaves audio and video, and restores QuickTime's "fast-start" ability, takes longer to tag)
- Rename file with title & year (if enabled, will rename the tagged file)
Choose Save from the File menu, to save your changes.

How to Automate TV Show File Tagging with iTunes Style Metadata

There are three services provided to add iTunes metadata and cover art using the Add TV Tags Action:

Batch Rip • Add TV Tags (Search).workflow
Batch Rip • Add TV Tags (Filename).workflow
Batch Rip • Rename & Tag TV Items.workflow

These workflows all use the Add TV Tags Action and operate differently on the settings used in the Service workflows. To use, just select the files you want to tag and run a service. The workflows will then tag each file with metadata from thetvdb.com database.

Using Batch Rip • Add TV Tags (Search)
This service will display a list of possible matches from thetvdb.com database based on your search criteria, then tag the files with the cover art and iTunes metadata for the show, season and episode.

Select the files you want to tag.
Right-Click and Select the "Batch Rip • Add TV Tags (Search)" Service.
Enter the show title in the search field for this item and Choose OK.
The action will search the thetvdb.com database and return a list of possible matches. Choose the series title and date first-aired that matches your file and Click OK.
Enter the Season and Episode Number for the file.
Choose OK, and the action will tag the file with metadata for the selected episode. The action will repeat for each selected episode file.

Using Batch Rip • Add TV Tags (Filename)
This service will tag each file based on its filename with metadata from thetvdb.com database.

IMPORTANT: Your input files must be named properly with the following naming convention: <Show Name - S##E##> (ex. Veronica Mars - S01E02.m4v). The "S##" signifies the season number and the "E##" represents the episode number. There is also a Rename & Tag TV Items Service included in the Services menu if you also need to rename and tag your finished files.

Visually check to verify that all the files have been named properly (ex. Veronica Mars - S01E02.m4v).
Select the files you want to tag.
Right-Click and Select the "Batch Rip • Add TV Tags (Filename)" Service.
Each file will then be tagged with the cover art and iTunes metadata for the show, season and episode.

Rename & Tag TV Items Service
This service works like Add TV Tags (Search) but will rename the file before tagging. See the section on Using the Add TV Tags (Search) Service for more information. The files will be renamed with the following naming convention: <Show Name - S##E##> (ex. Veronica Mars - S01E02.m4v). If multiple files are selected, the service will rename each file with the same show title and season number. The episode number will be assigned sequentially, starting with the episode number you specify when prompted.

IMPORTANT: If you are batch renaming files, they must be pruned and in episodic order BEFORE running this service: I recommend appending each file name with a number. This number does not have to represent the episode number, just a number to keep them in numerical order.

If your are using the Batch Encode Action to encode your TV files, the action will automatically include the title number at the end of the name (example: Veronica Mars - S1D1-1). The files will most likely already be in order with the disc number and title number, but this isn't always the case. You should always verify that all the episodes are present, any extras that may have been encoded are removed, and the files are in the correct order before running this service. Visit thetvdb.com to check your show and season to verify the number of episodes and check your files.

Note, that some discs may present two-part episodes as one title. In this case, these files should be processed in sets (example: if the season starts with a two-parter, process episode …E01. Process your next set with your number sequence starting at …E03, skipping …E02).

IMPORTANT: Thetvdb.com database has different options for episode ordering, Date Aired and DVD Order. Be sure to check the website to verify the correct order for your files. In most cases it will be DVD. However, some blu-ray discs have been released with a different sort order than the DVD versions. So, it’s good practice to check before renaming or tagging your files and select the appropriate "Sort Order" option in your workflow.

Using the Rename & Tag TV Items Service

Visually check to make sure all the episodes have been encoded properly and in the right order.
Select the sequence of files you want to rename and tag.
-

-
Select the "Batch Rip • Rename & Tag TV Items" Service.
-

-
A dialog box will appear listing the first item. Enter the Show Title in the search field and Choose OK.
-

-
The action will search the thetvdb.com database and return a list of possible matches. Choose the Show Title that matches your files.
-

-
Enter the Season number and episode start number in the text field and Choose OK.
-

Note: Some seasons may start at an episode number other than 1 (0 for Pilots). If you're unsure, visit thetvdb.com to verify the episodes for your show and season.
-
The files will then be renamed in sequential order and tagged based on their new file name.
-

-
Note: thetvdb.com is a free online service. Periodic outages are not uncommon. If data is not returned, the service may be down.

Customizing your Add TV Tags Services
Each Service is designed to perform a certain function, however there are options available in the Add TV Tags Action panel that you may want to tailor to fit your needs.
-

In the Workflow Editor, Select a "Batch Rip • Add TV Tags" workflow.
Choose action options:
- Disable dialog and search using filename (if checked will auto-tag using the filename for the search criteria).
  IMPORTANT: Choosing this option requires the files be named with the following naming convention: <Show Name - S##E##> (ex. Veronica Mars - S01E02). The "S##" signifies the season number and the "E##" represents the episode number.
- Add TV Tags (if enabled, will tag selected files)
- Backup original file (if enabled, will make a backup copy of the input file before tagging)
- Remove Existing Tags (if enabled, will remove existing tags if present)
- Optimize file after tagging (interleaves audio and video, and restores QuickTime's "fast-start" ability, takes longer to tag)
- Rename file (if enabled, will rename the tagged file to: Show Name - S##E##)
- Sort Order: DVD or Date Aired (will add episode data based on the selected sort order. Check the thetvdb.com database to determine whether your files are ordered by Date Aired or DVD)
Choose Save from the File menu, to save your changes.

Managing your Media with Hazel

Moving files around can be a chore, especially if you have an elaborate Mac media setup. Rather than going into each step in detail, I'll just touch on a few concepts that might peak some interest in how automation can help manage files on a multi-Mac setup.

The Batch Rip and Batch Encode workflow provide a few elements that will allow you to easily automate and organize your media. The key components are "Finder Label Index" (File/Folder Color) and "Spotlight Comments" (Finder Comments).

Spotlight Comments used in Batch Rip Actions for Automator:

The Batch Rip action will set the output files/folders Spotlight comment to the video kind set in the action.
The Batch Encode action will take the source file's Spotlight comment and use it as the video kind, as well as derive it from the source file's location if the Batch Rip action was not used.
After a source has been encoded, the Batch Encode action will set the Spotlight comment of the resulting output file to the source's video kind.

Finder Labels used in Batch Rip Actions for Automator:

Batch Rip
1. Changes the Finder Color Labels of the disc folders to Yellow if copied successfully.
2. Red if the Action encounters an error. Useful for Hazel or other scripting apps.
Batch Encode
1. Source folders change to Green while processing; Red if the Action encounters an error; Gray if it's done.
2. Output files (m4v or mkv) change to Green if they're done, and Red if the action sees an error with the file.
3. Output files (m4v) change to Orange if:
  - Tmdb couldn't find any metadata for the movie (also changes the source folder to orange)
  - Cover art failed integrity test (also changes the source folder to orange)
  - Tagchimp couldn't find chapter names

We can use these elements to automate the file management process with a series of Folder Actions or with Noodlesoft's Hazel application.

Hazel http://www.noodlesoft.com is a preference pane that allows you to set up Rules based on a file's Spotlight data and specify actions to take when an item matches the Rules. This is similar to the way Smart Playlists function in iTunes and Smart Albums in iPhoto.

For example: If a file or folder located in our "Batch Rip TV" or "Batch Rip Movies" has a gray Label color we can assume it has already been encoded since the Batch Encode Script will change its color to gray after it has been encoded. We can set a rule in Hazel that will move any file/folder that's gray to a "Backup" drive. One nice thing about Hazel is that it will move the source file to the target location, not just copy it. It has some intelligence and safeguards built in to know if a file has been moved successfully and then deletes the source file, freeing up more space on our Batch Rip volume.

We can also have Hazel monitor our Batch Encode folder for files that have the extension ".m4v", have a Spotlight comment set to Movie, and have a "Finder Label" that is green. If a file has a green label, we can assume it has already been tagged with metadata so it should be considered a finished file. If all these criteria match, we can have Hazel then automatically move the file to our Movie library folder, then add the file to our local iTunes library, then change its color label to purple. You can even set up Hazel on a remote Mac to monitor the Movie folder via file sharing and add and movie file that's color label is purple and add it to its iTunes libraries as well, then change its color. You can repeat this with every Mac on your network to easily sync every added file. You can also duplicate this workflow for TV Shows as well keeping the files in separate folders and automatically creating subfolders based on the show name and season.

In addition to m4v files, we can have a similar Rule for our Batch Encode folder that looks for ".mkv" files with a Spotlight Comment of Movies or TV Shows and move them to a Plex depository on a local or network drive.

Hazel also allows for scripts to run when an item matches our rules. For example, with the "Move existing file to retired folder" option in the Batch Encode action enabled, you can have Hazel run an AppleScript that will remove the existing movie or TV show from iTunes when its file is added to the retired folder set in the action, helping to prevent duplicates in your library.

Hazel is a do-it-as-it-happens approach. The disc rips, the file encodes, the file is tagged, the source is backed up, the 1080p mkv is sent to a Plex folder, the m4v file is moved to my library, the file is then added to all my iTunes libraries and is sync'd to my Apple TV's. Simple and done.

The point is with a few triggers, you can easily automate the process of moving, organizing and syncing your media. I prefer Hazel for it's versatility and ease of use, but a lot of what Hazel provides can also be done with Folder Actions … but with a lot more work.

Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you've made it to the end, kudos to you. This process has been a great learning experience for me and hope it is for you as well. The elements of this workflow really demonstrate the power Mac OS X has with Unix, AppleScript, Automator and a brilliant developer community. Though this tutorial is a bit more involved than I had anticipated, I can attest that once you've got it going, you will spend less time managing your content and more time enjoying it. If you’d like to dig a little deeper, there are additional resources listed below. Happy Encoding!

Additional Resources:
Batch Rip Help: In the app under the Help menu or via Mac's Help Center.
How To: Rip, Encode and Combine Using Fairmount & DTOX
Native Blu-ray ripping for OS X
Blu-Ray to Apple TV
Advanced Bluray/HDDVD Workflow & Features
Subler

Older automation thread
How-To: Automate DVD Backup w/ FairMount & HandBrake

mac.jedi · Oct 19, 2009

Release Notes

ANNOUNCEMENT: BATCH RIP ACTIONS UPDATED

Update 2013-12-01

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.1.1

RECOMMENDED: Before upgrading, it is recommended that you uninstall and remove any previous versions.

IMPORTANT: This update includes new Service workflows. You will need to install the new workflows in order to complete the update.

1.1.1 build 280

Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator
New Batch Encode Event Scheduler! Replaces the iCal event scheduler. Easily setup a daily schedule to automatically run Batch Encode at the time you set
Movie tagging has been updated to support The Movie Database APIv3!
New Help via the Help menu and Mac's Help Center
Sadly, Fairmount is no longer supported by the developers. A working binary is now included in the application bundle.
libdvdcss library is now mandatory, replaces the need for VLC. A download link is provided in the download menu.
Updated to support Mac OS X Notification Center. Growl is still supported, but may not support all new features.
Other things that I've already forgotten about

Batch Encode (Updated)

VLC is no longer supported by HandBrake for decryption, libdvdcss library is now manditory. Link provided in the download menu.
Added support to burn-in blu-ray PGS subtitles via HandBrakeCLI. BDSub2Sup has been deprecated in this version.
MKVtoolnix chapter, sub and audio extract/muxing has been deprecated in this version. HandBrake and MakeMKV have got it handled.
Encode 1 now includes a unique preset called MakeMKV that will create an MKV file from optical and folder sources using MakeMKV. The resulting MKV file will be used as the source for Encode Targets 2-4. Useful if you'd like an uncompressed MKV file that includes all audio and subtitle tracks.
Added Alternate Language option. Useful for those who desire more language options. Also used as a fallback when Native Language is not available.
Added! Default Audio Track Selection:
- Default Audio: sets the default audio track to the source's "default" audio track. Useful for films where the main audio differs from your native language. Like if the main audio is Japanese and you want English subtitles.
- Native Language: selects an audio track (if available) that matches the native language preference set in the workflow. If an audio track is not available in your native language, it will try to find one that matches the alternate language preference set in the workflow. If neither are available, it will fallback to the title's default audio track.
Added! Additional Audio Track Selection:
Batch Encode will now include additional audio tracks if selected.
- Native Language: Selects all audio tracks in your native language.
- Alternate Language: Selects all audio tracks in your alternate language.
- Native & Alternate: Selects all audio tracks in your native and alternate language.
- All Tracks: Selects all audio tracks audio available regardless of language.
- Mixdown: Will mixdown additional tracks to 2-channel DPL2 for a smaller file size. If disabled, any selected multi-channel tracks will be passed-through as AC3.
Added! Burn-in Subtitle Track Selection:
The Burn-in option will burn-in subtitle tracks that match the language preference set in the action. Burned in subtitles are written on top of the image permanently.
- None: Will not burn any subtitle track.
- Auto Detect: Burns in forced-only subtitles (if available) in your native language for short foreign language segments. Additionally, if the default audio track language is different from your native language, will burn in subtitles in your native language (if available).
- Forced Only (Native): Burns in forced-only subtitles (if available) in your native language.
- Native Language: Burns in subtitles in your native language (if available) regardless of the default audio track language.
Note: Only 1 subtitle track can be burned-in to the video. Additonal text-based subtitles can be passed-through. See the HandBrake wiki for more info.
Added! Pass-thru Subtitle Track Selection:
The Pass-Thru option will pass-thru "text-based" subtitle tracks that match the language preference set in the action.
- Native Language: Selects all audio tracks in your native language.
- Alternate Language: Selects all audio tracks in your alternate language.
- Native & Alternate: Selects all audio tracks in your native and alternate language.
- All Tracks: Selects all audio tracks audio available regardless of language.
Note: Due to mp4 file limititations and HandBrake capabilities, picture-based subtitles cannot be passed-through. They can however be burned-in, but only 1 track can be burned-in to the video. See the HandBrake wiki for more info.
Updated Encode targets and presets.
Updated to support Mac OS X Notification Center.

Batch Rip (Updated)

Sadly, Fairmount is no longer supported by the developers. A working binary is now included in the application bundle.
libdvdcss library is now manditory, replaces the need for VLC. A download link is provided in the download menu.
Updated to support Mac OS X Notification Center.

Add Movie Tags (Updated)

Updated to support The Movie Database APIv3.
Updated to support Mac OS X Notification Center.

Add Movie Poster (Updated)

Updated to support The Movie Database APIv3.
Updated to support Mac OS X Notification Center.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Update 2011-11-13

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.9

IMPORTANT: Even if you've been testing this, you must re-install the Service workflows.

NOTE: The tutorial has been updated as well for v1.0.9. Additional help is available via the Help menu in the app.

1.0.9 build 254

Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator
No more Action installer! Just drag Batch Rip Actions for Automator.app to /Applications
Actions are now located within Batch Rip Actions for Automator.app
Opening the app will update Launch Services and automatically add the actions to the Automator library
On first run, a new install/upgrade option will notify you if it needs to update the Actions and workflows
Batch Rip Actions for Automator Sparkles! Added support for the Sparkle framework which will automatically alert you of future product upgrades; and quickly get your installation up-to-date
New Workflow Editor! Quickly and easily setup, update and save your Batch Rip workflows all in one interface
Batch Rip Dispatcher is now part of the app UI. Just click on the status icon or text in toolbar to toggle it on or off. The Batch Rip Dispatcher action & workflow have been deprecated
New Action Editor! View and edit the Batch Rip Action script files... if you're daring enough
New Batch Encode for iCal! Easily setup a repeating iCal alarm to automatically run Batch Encode at the time and interval you set
Tagging is now performed by SublerCLI!
mp4v2, SublerCLI and AtomicParsley are now included in the app bundle
Added an "indeterminate progress indicator" for the tagging actions (the spin-thingy in the menu bar). Note: this doesn't control workflow, just shows that it's running
Rename Movie Items.action has been deprecated. Functionality moved to Add Movie Tags.action
Rename and Tagging actions now return the output files as a list for chaining actions
New Help via the Help menu and Mac's Help Center
The Batch Rip (Finder) & Batch Encode (Finder) workflows use their "non-Finder" workflow's settings. No more having to set options in both versions.
Other things that I've already forgotten about

Note: Sadly, but with no remorse, Snow Leopard is no longer supported in v1.0.9. There's very little reason not to upgrade to Lion at this point, so I'm just gonna focus on Lion.

Add TV Tags.action

New option: Search tvdb and tag specific episode files
Improved performance, search and handling of non ASCII characters.
New option: Backup original before tagging
New option: Optimize file after tagging

Rename TV Items.action

Now renames source folders or files using the tvdb API
Batch renaming tv show files made easy. Search tvdb for the show, enter season and episode number to start and it renames all the files: Show Name - S##E##.m4v

Add Movie Tags.action

Renames files or folders
Improved performance, search and handling of non ASCII characters.
New option: Backup original before tagging
New option: Optimize file after tagging

Batch Encode.action

Features tagging updates made in Add TV Tags.action
Fixed an issue where the min-time was being overridden by the GUI's preferences.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Update 2011-08-09

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.8

Everything

Improved compatiblity with Mac OS X Lion 10.7
Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator
Actions have moved to the local Library folder: /Library/Automator
Services have been updated for Automator 2.2
And perhaps some other stuff I've forgotten about

Note: You will need to reset your options in the Batch Rip and Batch Encode workflows. They are located in ~/Library/Services.

Tip: To open a Workflow in Automator, Choose Open (Command-O). Select > Service from the Type pop-up button which will take you to ~/Library/Services. Select the Workflow you'd like to edit and Choose > Open.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Update 2011-07-31

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.7

Everything

Compatible with Mac OS X Lion 10.7
Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator

Batch Rip.action - UPDATED

Improved compatibility with MakeMKV v1.6.12 and Mkvtoolnix v4.9.1.

Batch Encode.action - UPDATED

Improved compatibility with MakeMKV v1.6.12 and Mkvtoolnix v4.9.1.

mac.jedi · Oct 20, 2009

Update 2010-12-20

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.6

Everything

Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator.

Batch Rip.action - UPDATED

Improved compatibility with MakeMKV.
Removed the built-in delay for multiple optical drives. This functionality has been moved to Batch Rip Dispatcher.
Added a timeout setting which allows the Action to skip a disc if Fairmount has trouble reading its content.
Updated the Sanity Check feature to provide additional feedback if setup isn't configured properly … with any luck you won't even see it.
EXPERIMENTAL: Added support for MakeMKV's full BD backup feature which copies the entire Blu-ray disc structure. May not work with certain discs or drives.
Changes the Finder Color Labels of the disc folders to Yellow if copied successfully; Red if the Action encounters an error. Useful for Hazel or other scripting apps.
Added "Search for Title" feature which allows for searching themoviedb.org or thetvdb.com for the correct titles of your source discs. Copies will be named with the titles selected. Useful for automatically adding iTunes tags later.

Batch Encode.action - UPDATED

THIS UPDATE REQUIRES THE LATEST NIGHTLY BUILD OF HANDBRAKECLI

Added secondary encode option for DVD/SD sources. Two encode types are now available for both HD and SD sources.
Added support for HandBrake's Device Presets. Encode settings can now be selected for compatibility with Apple devices.
Added support for direct "input" to encode the given source(s). You can use the Service "Batch Rip • Batch Encode (Finder)" to pass sources to this action. You can also select items in the Finder and run the Service on the selected items. See the Batch Encode (Finder) Service below for more info.
Updated the Sanity Check feature to provide additional feedback if setup isn't configured properly … with any luck you won't even see it.
Added additional feedback on title duration. Provides a list of titles/durations if scan failed to find a title within the min/max duration set in the Action.
Added a notification if the Action failed to scan the source for title info.
Changed the way cnID numbers are allocated. cnID's are now generated by a random number calculation, rather than sequentially.
Added option to keep MakeMKV temp files. These files contain all the original audio and subtitle tracks. Warning: You could run outta disk space pretty fast.
Added additional support for Finder Color Labels. Source folders change to Green while processing; Red if the Action encounters an error; Gray if it's done. Output files (m4v or mkv) change to Green if they're done, and Red if the action sees an error with the file. Useful for Hazel or other scripting apps.
Updated the Verbose mode to provide additional information during processing.
Added Content Ratings, Long Description and Chapter Title support to the Add iTunes Tags feature.
Changed the way MakeMKV accesses optical drives while processing.
Added a "File Integrity Test" to verify that MKV and MP4 output files are valid. Provides notification if files fail verification.
Added a test to check available disk space on destination volume. Provides notification if drive has less capacity than the source. The action will skip sources that exceed capacity.

Batch Rip Dispatcher - UPDATED

Changed the way Batch Rip Dispatcher sends source input to the Batch Rip Action.
Added a dialog visible when multiple optical drives are present. Prompts the user to launch while waiting for additional discs to mount. This feature can be disabled by using the auto-run option in the Batch Rip Service.
Improved the Reset and Enable functions. Reset now clears all existing discs from its record. Clicking Enable now immediately scans for mounted discs and sends them as input to Batch Rip.

Add Movie Tags - UPDATED

Added feature to preserve/set the cnid tag of the movie files.
Added support for adding Chapter Titles from tagchimp.
Original files are now moved to the Trash, rather than kept in its original location as a duplicate. Note: The "Replace existing file" option remains unchanged.

Add TV Tags - UPDATED

Added feature to preserve/set the cnid tag of the movie files.
Original files are now moved to the Trash, rather than kept in its original location as a duplicate. Note: The "Replace existing file" option remains unchanged.

Rename TV Source Folders - NEW ACTION

This action searches thetvdb.com for shows matching the query and renames items to the selected search result and user specified season and disc number.

NEW SERVICES

Batch Rip • Add Chapter Names (Custom)

This service has two functions: 1) Will export an editable chapter text file with timecodes and title placeholders from the selected file. 2) When run again, will import and add chapter titles from a text file named "thefilename.chapters.txt" located in the same directory as the movie file.

Batch Rip • Add Chapter Names (Filename)

This service will search tagChimp for chapter titles matching the movie file's filename and add them to the file.

Batch Rip • Add Chapter Names (Search)

This service will search tagChimp for titles matching a search query and return matching titles. If chapters are found for the selected title, they will be added to the movie file.

Batch Rip • Add cnID to Selected (Same).workflow

This service add the same cnID number to selected movie files. Useful for SD/HD encodes.

Batch Rip • Add cnID to Selected (Unique).workflow

This service add a unique cnID number to each selected movie files.

Batch Rip • Add HD Flag.workflow

This service enables the HD flag in iTunes for HD encoded movie files.

Batch Rip • Rename TV Source Folders.workflow

This service searches thetvdb.com for shows matching the query and renames the selected items to the search results and user specified season and disc numbers.

Batch Rip • Rename & Add Custom Title Tag.workflow

This service allows you to enter a custom title for your movie file. The service will rename the file and add the title as iTunes metadata to the file.

Batch Rip • Batch Encode (Finder).workflow

This service will encode the selected source files with the Batch Encode action. Accepts input from Hazel or other scripts. You can also select items in the Finder and run the Service on the selected items.
To run the workflow from Terminal or from a script you'll need to use the following commands to input files to the "automator" command line tool. Here's an example of how to process a single source:
Code:
```
automator -i "/Users/username/Movies/The Office (US) - S1D1" "/Users/username/Library/Services/Batch Rip • Batch Encode (Finder).workflow"
```
To input multiple files, you'll need to pipe the input files as a list with each source on its own line. Here's an example:
Code:
```
echo -e "/Users/username/Movies/The Office (US) - S1D1\n/Users/username/Movies/The Office (US) - S1D2" | automator -i - "/Users/username/Library/Services/Batch Rip • Batch Encode (Finder).workflow"
```
The important thing to note is that the sources are quoted in one string. The echo command is given the option "-e" and between each source path is the command "\n", which is a newline character. The automator tool's input command "-i" is given the " - " as input, which means it will use the standard input piped into it as input to the workflow.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Update 2010-11-23

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.5

Everything

Mkvtoolnix is no longer included in the package. You'll need to install Mkvtoolnix.app to your Applications folder. You can download version 4.4.0 from: http://jonthn.free.fr/MKVtoolnix/

Batch Rip.action - UPDATED

• Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip … in other words, I forgot to write them all down.
• Updated Action UI to include a selectable path to MakeMKV
• Fixed compatibility issues with later releases of MakeMKV
• Added DiscIdent functionality to auto-name DVD titles

Batch Encode.action - UPDATED

Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Encode … in other words, I forgot to write them all down.
Fixed compatibility issues with later releases of MakeMKV
Fixed issues with Custom Encode Args
Updated default encode settings for latest Apple devices
Added support for setting a Native Language preference. Used for audio and subtitle tracks.
Added subtitle support. Default encode settings will now burn in forced subtitles in your native language; or all subtitles if the main audio language is not your native language.
Added a 'Use Default Audio' option. If selected, will use the sources main audio language. Useful if the majority of your discs are in your native language. If the main audio language is not your native language, the action will automatically burn-in subtitles in your native language if available.
Added support for BDSup2Sub. Automatically finds forced PGS subs, converts them to VOBSUB and remuxes the files for input to HandBrakeCLI. You'll need to install BDSup2Sub.jar to your Applications folder. You can download the latest version from: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=145277&bdsup2sub+mac
Updated Action UI to include a selectable path to MakeMKV, Mkvtoolnix and BDSup2Sub.jar
Added support for additional input file types including avi, mp4, m4v, mov, mpg.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Update 2009-12-02

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.4

Everything

Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator. In other words, I fixed a lot of stuff, but forgot write them all down.
Updated installer package, should provide greater compatibility for those with unique system configurations.
Batch Rip • Batch Rip (Folder Action).workflow has been replaced by the new Batch Rip Dispatcher LaunchAgent.
Tutorial has been updated to reflect the changes of v1.0.4.

Batch Rip Dispatcher.action - NEW ACTION

This action controls the Batch Rip Dispatcher LaunchAgent which acts like a folder action to automatically launch Batch Rip when a disc is inserted.
IMPORTANT: The Batch Rip Folder Action is no longer supported. You need to Enable Batch Rip Dispatcher by running the Service after it is installed.

Tag Inspector.action - NEW ACTION

This action displays all the iTunes metadata present in the input file.

Get Source Info from HandBrake.action - NEW ACTION

This action scans each source with HandBrakeCLI and saves the info to a text file.

Batch Rip.action - UPDATED

Updated to version 1.0.4
Added support for Batch Rip Dispatcher
Changed the way variables are passed to the shell
Added an option to skip discs that already exist in the output folder or append the name of new copy.
Added an option to save Terminal output to ~/Library/Logs.

Batch Encode.action - UPDATED

Updated to version 1.0.4
Improved compatibility with HandBrake v0.9.4.
Fixed min/max title selection for Movies, where movies were returning more than one title.
Changed the way variables are passed to the shell, improves stability when running multiple instances
Added ISO8859-1 character substitution in meta-tag info.
The HandBrakeCLI title scan is now saved as a text file to the source directory.
Added an option to display a verbose activity log for HandBrake.
Terminal output from last session is now saved in ~/Library/Logs.

Add Movie Tags.action - UPDATED

Added support for Search & Tag. If enabled, will display a search field and return a list of matches instead of using filename.
Added ISO8859-1 character substitution in meta-tag info.
General improvements in returning titles, handling metadata and processing cover art.
Added option to remove all tags from the input file when the "Add tags" option is off.

Add TV Tags.action - UPDATED

Added ISO8859-1 character substitution in meta-tag info.
General improvements in returning episode info, handling metadata and processing cover art.
Added option to remove all tags from the input file when the "Add tags" option is off.

Rename Movie Items.action - UPDATED

Added underscore replacement when using file/folder name as search criteria.
Added ISO8859-1 character substitution.
General improvements in returning matching titles.

Add Movie Poster.action - UPDATED

Added underscore replacement when using file name as search criteria.
Added ISO8859-1 character substitution.
General improvements in returning matching titles.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Update 2009-11-10

Release Notes
1.0.3

In Apple speak, v1.0.3 provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator

Added workflows to install package. Now installs Services to ~/Library/Services, and Folder Actions to ~/Library/Workflows/Applications/Folder Actions
Shared components are now installed in /usr/local/bin
Fixes an issue that might cause tagging actions to stall when adding cover art
Includes general reliability and speed improvements for Add TV Tags, Add Movie Tags, Add Movie Poster, Batch Encode and Batch Rip

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Update 2009-10-27
1.0.2

Everything

Requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later
Updated installer package, should correct permissions issues some users were experiencing

Add Genre to Movie File.action - NEW ACTION

This action tags mp4 files with a selected iTunes genre

Add Movie Poster.action - NEW ACTION

This action will add cover art to selected files. There are three options:

Disable dialogs and use clipboard: Will download an image from a URL in the clipboard. The downloaded image will be added as cover art to the mp4/m4v file.
Search themoviedb.org: Will search themoviedb.org and display movie posters matching a search term in Safari. Right-click and choose Copy Link to select a image. In the dialog box Choose OK. The selected image will then be downloaded and added as cover art to the mp4/m4v file.
Choose from file: Will display a choose file window. The selected image will then be added as cover art to the mp4/m4v file.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Batch Rip.action - UPDATED

Updated to version 1.0.1
Note: FairMount has a new 64-Bit version and has been updated to 1.0.5.
Added pop-up menu to set the path to FairMount …*since FairMount now has a 64-bit version and has changed its folder structure.
Changed how the Action logs mounted discs
- Folder Action log is cleared when Batch Rip start processing
- When an active Batch Rip disc item remounts after finishing a process, no dialogs will appear
Changed the way Batch Rip handles discs with the same name
- If Batch Rip is set to run automatically, Batch Rip will skip discs if an item with the same name appears in the output directory
- If Batch Rip is NOT set to run automatically, Batch Rip will copy the disc and append the filename of the new copy with the current process ID number (PID)
FairMount will now quit after DVDs have been copied
Fixed the error some users were experiencing with MakeMKV returning "No titles longer than" for DVD-ROM sources
Sets the Spotlight comment for all output items to the selected video kind

Batch Encode.action - UPDATED

Updated to version 1.0.1
Changed the egrep syntax for line 786, to fix the "echo: line 786" error message
Updated the subroutine for tsMuxeR, but doesn't matter since tsMuxeR is still not compatible with Snow Leopard

Add Movie Tags.action - UPDATED

Added new tags:
- HD-Flag: for file resolutions over 1280x720
- Title: will add the filename as the title
- Video Type (stik): Movie (9-Short Movie)
Added add chapters from file (mp4chaps)
- Chapter file must be named: filename.chapters.txt (filename must be exactly the same as the movie file)
Added cover art resizing. Will now resize images to a maximum of 600x600 pixels as recommended by iTunes. Also allows Finder to update icon more effectively and reduces file size a bit.

Add TV Tags.action - UPDATED

Added HD-Flag: for file resolutions over 1280x720
Added add chapters from file (mp4chaps)
- Chapter file must be named: filename.chapters.txt (filename must be exactly the same as the movie file)
Added cover art resizing. Will now resize images to a maximum of 600x600 pixels as recommended by iTunes. Also allows Finder to update icon more effectively and reduces file size a bit

jim.arrows · Oct 20, 2009

This is awesome

Wow... I don't know if I will ever use any of this, but THANKS for taking the time to put all of it together. This is just an incredibly nice thing to share with the community.

Cheers,
Jim

TuckBodi · Oct 20, 2009

This is super cool. Thanks for putting this together and I'll be giving this a try.

One question though, concerning the Handbrake CLI part. In the past when using it, I found it was not able to process the audio selections correctly of some movies of mine which did not have the AC3 track set as default (I have seen a number of older movies this way). If it didn't have the surround sound set as default it would just process the 2-channel track and that is it. I bailed on the CLI for this reason. Have you figured a way around this?

Thanks again for your hard work on this!

mynamesreallong · Oct 20, 2009

Subbed! thx for this writeup

mac.jedi · Oct 20, 2009

TuckBodi said:
This is super cool. Thanks for putting this together and I'll be giving this a try.

One question though, concerning the Handbrake CLI part. In the past when using it, I found it was not able to process the audio selections correctly of some movies of mine which did not have the AC3 track set as default (I have seen a number of older movies this way). If it didn't have the surround sound set as default it would just process the 2-channel track and that is it. I bailed on the CLI for this reason. Have you figured a way around this?

Thanks again for your hard work on this!

Hi TuckBodi,

Yes, this was common for older DVDs where the default audio track was usually Dolby Pro-logic. The good news here is that there's a sub-routine in the Action that scans the source with HandBrake to get the audio info languages, audio formats, and track numbers. As described in the tutorial:

Note: The default encode settings include a sub-routine that will set the audio output settings differently depending on the audio source. The sub-routine favors DTS pass-thru for 1080p mkv, and AC-3 pass-thru for m4v. If AC-3 is not available, it will down-convert DTS to AAC for m4v files (since DTS is not an option in m4v files). The 720p Apple TV default will not include a secondary stereo aac track if 5.1 pass-thru is available.

So, basically if a source contains AC-3, then it will automatically select it as the audio track even if it's not the default (track 1) audio track.

The audio parsing function is only available if you use default encode settings, no overrides.

williamsonajm · Oct 21, 2009

Broken Pipes

Hey

Great tutorial. Slight problem over here I donno if anyone can help with? When I run the Batch Encode script, I get the following error:

Code:

PROCESSING: SGA_S3_D3 

*Scanning Folder: 'SGA_S3_D3'
  Will encode the following tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4 

/Users/adam/Library/Automator/Batch Encode.action/Contents/Resources/batchEncode.sh: line 786: echo: write error: Broken pipe

*Creating SGA_S3_D3-1.m4v
Using AC3/DVD-toolArgs: -e x264  -q 20.0 -a 1,1 -E ca_acc,ac3 -B 160,160 -6 dpl2,auto -R 48,Auto -D 0.0,0.0 -f mp4 -4 -X 960 --loose-anamorphic -m -x cabac=0:ref=2:me=umh:b-adapt=2:weightb=0:trellis=0


  Script could not complete because SGA_S3_D3-1.m4v does NOT exist
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Any idea how to fix this on my end as at the moment it doesn't run

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:

Hi williamsonajm,

Sorry you ran into trouble. It looks like the script is having a problem reading the audio info from the HandBrake scan. Could you post full scan data so I can see what problem is? You can use the code below in Terminal to get the scan data, just replace the path to HandBrakeCLI and the input path (after "-i ") to the path to the VIDEO_TS folder. You can also drag your VIDEO_TS folder to the Terminal to insert the path.

Let me know. Thanks!

Code:

/Applications/HandBrakeCLI -i /Path/to/SGA_S3_D3/VIDEO_TS -t0

williamsonajm · Oct 21, 2009

Donno if this is what you wanted, but here goes:

Code:

Last login: Wed Oct 21 14:58:33 on ttys000
MacBook:~ adam$ /Applications/HandBrakeCLI -i /Users/Shared/Batch\ Rip\ TV/Stargate\ Atlantis\ -\ S03D01 -t0
HandBrake 0.9.3 (2008112300) - http://handbrake.fr/
2 CPUs detected
Opening /Users/Shared/Batch Rip TV/Stargate Atlantis - S03D01...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 1 of 15...
Scanning title 2 of 15...
Scanning title 2 of 15...
Scanning title 2 of 15...
Scanning title 2 of 15...
Scanning title 3 of 15...
Scanning title 3 of 15...
Scanning title 3 of 15...
Scanning title 3 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 4 of 15...
Scanning title 5 of 15...
Scanning title 5 of 15...
Scanning title 5 of 15...
Scanning title 6 of 15...
Scanning title 6 of 15...
Scanning title 6 of 15...
Scanning title 6 of 15...
Scanning title 6 of 15...
Scanning title 7 of 15...
Scanning title 7 of 15...
Scanning title 7 of 15...
Scanning title 7 of 15...
Scanning title 10 of 15...
Scanning title 10 of 15...
Scanning title 10 of 15...
Scanning title 10 of 15...
Scanning title 11 of 15...
Scanning title 11 of 15...
Scanning title 11 of 15...
Scanning title 11 of 15...
Scanning title 12 of 15...
Scanning title 12 of 15...
Scanning title 12 of 15...
Scanning title 12 of 15...
+ title 1:
  + vts 1, ttn 1, cells 0->12 (710565 blocks)
  + duration: 00:41:42
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.78, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 2/2/0/0
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 82333 blocks, duration 00:04:48
    + 2: cells 1->1, 33146 blocks, duration 00:02:10
    + 3: cells 2->2, 46856 blocks, duration 00:02:34
    + 4: cells 3->3, 52946 blocks, duration 00:02:57
    + 5: cells 4->4, 56137 blocks, duration 00:03:26
    + 6: cells 5->5, 87176 blocks, duration 00:05:02
    + 7: cells 6->6, 54277 blocks, duration 00:03:20
    + 8: cells 7->7, 29282 blocks, duration 00:01:38
    + 9: cells 8->8, 87487 blocks, duration 00:05:02
    + 10: cells 9->9, 40556 blocks, duration 00:02:17
    + 11: cells 10->10, 81283 blocks, duration 00:05:02
    + 12: cells 11->11, 59080 blocks, duration 00:03:24
    + 13: cells 12->12, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (5.1 ch), 48000Hz, 384000bps
    + 2, English (AC3) (Director's Commentary 1) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
    + 1, English (iso639-2: eng)
    + 2, English (Director's Commentary) (iso639-2: eng)
+ title 2:
  + vts 1, ttn 2, cells 0->12 (726016 blocks)
  + duration: 00:41:49
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.78, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 2/2/0/0
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 73959 blocks, duration 00:04:00
    + 2: cells 1->1, 35491 blocks, duration 00:02:09
    + 3: cells 2->2, 45513 blocks, duration 00:02:46
    + 4: cells 3->3, 122357 blocks, duration 00:07:11
    + 5: cells 4->4, 73551 blocks, duration 00:04:06
    + 6: cells 5->5, 58955 blocks, duration 00:03:11
    + 7: cells 6->6, 64757 blocks, duration 00:03:38
    + 8: cells 7->7, 67597 blocks, duration 00:04:15
    + 9: cells 8->8, 56122 blocks, duration 00:02:56
    + 10: cells 9->9, 54732 blocks, duration 00:02:49
    + 11: cells 10->10, 22799 blocks, duration 00:01:17
    + 12: cells 11->11, 50177 blocks, duration 00:03:29
    + 13: cells 12->12, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (5.1 ch), 48000Hz, 384000bps
    + 2, English (AC3) (Director's Commentary 1) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
    + 1, English (iso639-2: eng)
    + 2, English (Director's Commentary) (iso639-2: eng)
+ title 3:
  + vts 1, ttn 3, cells 0->13 (719752 blocks)
  + duration: 00:41:48
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.78, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 4/4/0/0
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 78003 blocks, duration 00:04:21
    + 2: cells 1->1, 46821 blocks, duration 00:02:51
    + 3: cells 2->2, 39549 blocks, duration 00:02:16
    + 4: cells 3->3, 38634 blocks, duration 00:02:06
    + 5: cells 4->4, 55070 blocks, duration 00:03:13
    + 6: cells 5->6, 93182 blocks, duration 00:05:24
    + 7: cells 7->7, 66939 blocks, duration 00:04:00
    + 8: cells 8->8, 87339 blocks, duration 00:04:59
    + 9: cells 9->9, 78288 blocks, duration 00:04:40
    + 10: cells 10->10, 57838 blocks, duration 00:03:18
    + 11: cells 11->11, 36914 blocks, duration 00:02:06
    + 12: cells 12->12, 41169 blocks, duration 00:02:34
    + 13: cells 13->13, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (5.1 ch), 48000Hz, 384000bps
    + 2, English (AC3) (Director's Commentary 1) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
    + 1, English (iso639-2: eng)
    + 2, English (Director's Commentary) (iso639-2: eng)
+ title 4:
  + vts 1, ttn 4, cells 0->12 (716150 blocks)
  + duration: 00:41:49
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.78, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 4/4/0/0
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 81871 blocks, duration 00:04:15
    + 2: cells 1->1, 50055 blocks, duration 00:03:07
    + 3: cells 2->2, 57820 blocks, duration 00:03:44
    + 4: cells 3->3, 36506 blocks, duration 00:01:58
    + 5: cells 4->4, 95421 blocks, duration 00:05:28
    + 6: cells 5->5, 58775 blocks, duration 00:03:37
    + 7: cells 6->6, 63285 blocks, duration 00:03:30
    + 8: cells 7->7, 42308 blocks, duration 00:02:29
    + 9: cells 8->8, 71736 blocks, duration 00:04:01
    + 10: cells 9->9, 41115 blocks, duration 00:02:39
    + 11: cells 10->10, 43402 blocks, duration 00:02:29
    + 12: cells 11->11, 73850 blocks, duration 00:04:31
    + 13: cells 12->12, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (5.1 ch), 48000Hz, 384000bps
    + 2, English (AC3) (Director's Commentary 1) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
    + 1, English (iso639-2: eng)
    + 2, English (Director's Commentary) (iso639-2: eng)
+ title 5:
  + vts 1, ttn 5, cells 0->49 (2872465 blocks)
  + duration: 02:47:06
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.78, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 4/4/0/0
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 82333 blocks, duration 00:04:48
    + 2: cells 1->1, 33146 blocks, duration 00:02:10
    + 3: cells 2->2, 46856 blocks, duration 00:02:34
    + 4: cells 3->3, 52946 blocks, duration 00:02:58
    + 5: cells 4->4, 56137 blocks, duration 00:03:27
    + 6: cells 5->5, 87176 blocks, duration 00:05:03
    + 7: cells 6->6, 54277 blocks, duration 00:03:20
    + 8: cells 7->7, 29282 blocks, duration 00:01:38
    + 9: cells 8->8, 87487 blocks, duration 00:05:02
    + 10: cells 9->9, 40556 blocks, duration 00:02:17
    + 11: cells 10->10, 81283 blocks, duration 00:05:02
    + 12: cells 11->11, 59080 blocks, duration 00:03:24
    + 13: cells 12->12, 73959 blocks, duration 00:04:00
    + 14: cells 13->13, 35491 blocks, duration 00:02:09
    + 15: cells 14->14, 45513 blocks, duration 00:02:46
    + 16: cells 15->15, 122357 blocks, duration 00:07:11
    + 17: cells 16->16, 73551 blocks, duration 00:04:06
    + 18: cells 17->17, 58955 blocks, duration 00:03:11
    + 19: cells 18->18, 64757 blocks, duration 00:03:38
    + 20: cells 19->19, 67597 blocks, duration 00:04:15
    + 21: cells 20->20, 56122 blocks, duration 00:02:56
    + 22: cells 21->21, 54732 blocks, duration 00:02:49
    + 23: cells 22->22, 22799 blocks, duration 00:01:17
    + 24: cells 23->23, 50177 blocks, duration 00:03:29
    + 25: cells 24->24, 78003 blocks, duration 00:04:21
    + 26: cells 25->25, 46821 blocks, duration 00:02:51
    + 27: cells 26->26, 39549 blocks, duration 00:02:16
    + 28: cells 27->27, 38634 blocks, duration 00:02:06
    + 29: cells 28->28, 55070 blocks, duration 00:03:13
    + 30: cells 29->30, 93182 blocks, duration 00:05:24
    + 31: cells 31->31, 66939 blocks, duration 00:04:00
    + 32: cells 32->32, 87339 blocks, duration 00:04:59
    + 33: cells 33->33, 78288 blocks, duration 00:04:40
    + 34: cells 34->34, 57838 blocks, duration 00:03:18
    + 35: cells 35->35, 36914 blocks, duration 00:02:06
    + 36: cells 36->36, 41169 blocks, duration 00:02:34
    + 37: cells 37->37, 81871 blocks, duration 00:04:16
    + 38: cells 38->38, 50055 blocks, duration 00:03:07
    + 39: cells 39->39, 57820 blocks, duration 00:03:44
    + 40: cells 40->40, 36506 blocks, duration 00:01:59
    + 41: cells 41->41, 95421 blocks, duration 00:05:28
    + 42: cells 42->42, 58775 blocks, duration 00:03:37
    + 43: cells 43->43, 63285 blocks, duration 00:03:30
    + 44: cells 44->44, 42308 blocks, duration 00:02:29
    + 45: cells 45->45, 71736 blocks, duration 00:04:01
    + 46: cells 46->46, 41115 blocks, duration 00:02:39
    + 47: cells 47->47, 43402 blocks, duration 00:02:29
    + 48: cells 48->48, 73850 blocks, duration 00:04:31
    + 49: cells 49->49, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (5.1 ch), 48000Hz, 384000bps
    + 2, English (AC3) (Director's Commentary 1) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
    + 1, English (iso639-2: eng)
    + 2, English (Director's Commentary) (iso639-2: eng)
+ title 6:
  + vts 2, ttn 1, cells 0->1 (237473 blocks)
  + duration: 00:15:37
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.33, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 4/4/0/0
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 237467 blocks, duration 00:15:36
    + 2: cells 1->1, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
    + 1, English (iso639-2: eng)
  + combing detected, may be interlaced or telecined
+ title 7:
  + vts 2, ttn 2, cells 0->1 (272807 blocks)
  + duration: 00:17:56
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.33, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 64/34/0/20
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 272801 blocks, duration 00:17:55
    + 2: cells 1->1, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
    + 1, English (iso639-2: eng)
+ title 10:
  + vts 4, ttn 1, cells 0->1 (11827 blocks)
  + duration: 00:00:47
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.33, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 72/72/0/0
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 11821 blocks, duration 00:00:46
    + 2: cells 1->1, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 96000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
+ title 11:
  + vts 5, ttn 1, cells 0->1 (10424 blocks)
  + duration: 00:00:28
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.78, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 0/0/10/8
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 10418 blocks, duration 00:00:27
    + 2: cells 1->1, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (5.1 ch), 48000Hz, 448000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
+ title 12:
  + vts 6, ttn 1, cells 0->1 (4074 blocks)
  + duration: 00:00:13
  + size: 720x576, aspect: 1.78, 25.000 fps
  + autocrop: 2/4/6/12
  + chapters:
    + 1: cells 0->0, 4068 blocks, duration 00:00:12
    + 2: cells 1->1, 6 blocks, duration 00:00:01
  + audio tracks:
    + 1, English (AC3) (2.0 ch), 48000Hz, 192000bps
  + subtitle tracks:
  + combing detected, may be interlaced or telecined
HandBrake has exited.

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:
Donno if this is what you wanted, but here goes:

That was good. I ran the part of the script that failed, and I didn't see a problem, but I did notice a couple of things:

It looks like you're using HandBrake 0.9.3 (2008112300). Please download the latest svn: http://handbrake.fr/snapshot.php. Download both the GUI and the CLI.
The scan data was for different source (Stargate Atlantis - S03D01) than the one in your error post (SGA_S3_D3). Did you have the same issue with Stargate Atlantis - S03D01?

After updating HandBrake, try the Action again. If it fails, try encoding the first chapter of the first title with the GUI and send me your Activity Log from the GUI.

You should also try a different source folder, as some rips may just be bork'd.

BTW what OS and Mac are you using?

I appreciate you taking the time to do this. If we find something I can fix, I'm sure it will help others tremendously.

Thanks,

mac.jedi

williamsonajm · Oct 21, 2009

Just updated my Handbrake, and it now complains that there are no tracks longer than the minimum time...

Code:

PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S03D01 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S03D01'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting[/QUOTE]

As for the scan source being different, it's a consistent problem with any of the rips I've done, so i get the same error no matter what disc it's been ripped from...

I'm using 10.6.1 as the OS, and I'm running a 13" MacBook Pro (current release). 

By the way, as an unrelated issue... It would be better is Fairmount was told to quit after importing a disc... At the moment, after it finishes ripping a DVD to the drive it remains open. If you then insert another DVD Fairmount grabs the disc, but then does nothing with it. To solve this I have to manually quit Fairmount before inserting a new DVD... Unrelated to my other issue, just though I'd point it out :-)

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:
Just updated my Handbrake, and it now complains that there are no tracks longer than the minimum time...

Please post the entire Terminal log so I can replicate your settings. Also post another HB scan of source folder. I don't have your exact disc, but I do have Season 5 and it seems to be encoding fine:

Code:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
batchEncode.sh v1.0

  Start: Wed Oct 21 09:45:11 PDT 2009
  Input directory 1: /Volumes/SpeedDisk/Batch Rip TV
  Input directory 2: /Volumes/SpeedDisk/Batch Rip Movies
  Output directory: /Volumes/SpeedDisk/Batch Encode
  Use optical Drive: No
  Encode HD Sources: No
  Auto-add movie tags: Yes
  Retire Existing File: Yes
  Growl me when complete: Yes
  Use tsMuxer: No
  Encode TV Shows between: 20-120 mins
  Encode Movies between: 80-180 mins
  Preferred Audio Language: English
  Will Encode: SD/DVD

  WILL PROCESS THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS:
  Stargate Atlantis S5D3

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis S5D3 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis S5D3'
  Will encode the following tracks: 3, 4, 5, 6 


*Creating Stargate Atlantis S5D3-3.m4v
Using AC3/DVD-toolArgs: -e x264  -q 20.0 -a 1,1 -E ca_acc,ac3 -B 160,160 -6 dpl2,auto -R 48,Auto -D 0.0,0.0 -f mp4 -4 -X 960 --loose-anamorphic -m -x cabac=0:ref=2:me=umh:b-adapt=2:weightb=0:trellis=0

Encoding: task 1 of 1, 22.52 % (65.70 fps, avg 67.18 fps, ETA 00h12m03s)

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:
By the way, as an unrelated issue... It would be better is Fairmount was told to quit after importing a disc... At the moment, after it finishes ripping a DVD to the drive it remains open. If you then insert another DVD Fairmount grabs the disc, but then does nothing with it. To solve this I have to manually quit Fairmount before inserting a new DVD... Unrelated to my other issue, just though I'd point it out

Yeah, I forgot to mention that in the tutorial. At the last minute, I had to deactivate the part of the Action that quits FairMount until I get a chance to test better ways of doing it. The problem is when copying multiple discs at a time, FairMount would quit while another disc was still copying. It not a hard fix, but something that might effect something else, so I need some time to test it. Should be done in a week or so.

williamsonajm · Oct 21, 2009

Right...

I'm not getting an error when I do the Terminal task you asked me to do a while ago...

Code:

Last login: Wed Oct 21 17:57:25 on ttys000
MacBook:~ adam$ /Applications/HandBrakeCLI -i /Users/Shared/Batch\ Rip\ TV/Stargate\ Atlantis\ -\ S01D04 -t0
-bash: /Applications/HandBrakeCLI: Bad CPU type in executable

However, the Batch Encoding results are below...

Code:

Last login: Wed Oct 21 17:01:58 on ttys001
/Users/adam/Library/Automator/Batch\ Encode.action/Contents/Resources/batchEncode.sh ; exit;
MacBook:~ adam$ /Users/adam/Library/Automator/Batch\ Encode.action/Contents/Resources/batchEncode.sh ; exit;

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
batchEncode.sh v1.0

  Start: Wed 21 Oct 2009 17:57:26 BST
  Input directory 1: /Users/Shared/Batch Rip Movies
  Input directory 2: /Users/Shared/Batch Rip TV
  Output directory: /Users/Shared/Batch Encode
  Use optical Drive: No
  Encode HD Sources: No
  Auto-add movie tags: Yes
  Retire Existing File: No
  Growl me when complete: No
  Use tsMuxer: No
  Encode TV Shows between: 20-130 mins
  Encode Movies between: 80-180 mins
  Preferred Audio Language: English
  Will Encode: SD/DVD, SD

  WILL PROCESS THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS:
  EU_104027
  Stargate Atlantis - S01D04
  Stargate Atlantis - S01D05
  Stargate Atlantis - S03D01
  Stargate Atlantis - S03D02
  Stargate Atlantis - S03D03
  Stargate Atlantis - S03D04
  Stargate Atlantis - S03D05
  Stargate Atlantis - S04D02
  Stargate Atlantis - S04D03
  Stargate Atlantis - S04D04

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: EU_104027 

*Scanning Folder: 'EU_104027'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: EU_104027
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S01D04 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S01D04'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S01D04
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S01D05 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S01D05'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S01D05
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S03D01 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S03D01'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S03D01
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S03D02 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S03D02'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S03D02
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S03D03 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S03D03'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S03D03
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S03D04 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S03D04'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S03D04
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S03D05 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S03D05'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S03D05
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S04D02 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S04D02'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S04D02
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S04D03 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S04D03'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S04D03
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PROCESSING: Stargate Atlantis - S04D04 

*Scanning Folder: 'Stargate Atlantis - S04D04'
  No tracks on this DVD are longer then the minimum track time setting


PROCESSING COMPLETE: Stargate Atlantis - S04D04
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
  End: Wed 21 Oct 2009 17:57:35 BST
logout

[Process completed]

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:
Code:

-bash: /Applications/HandBrakeCLI: Bad CPU type in executable

I think this version of the CLI might not work on your system. Which version did you install, 32-Bit or 64-Bit?

You can try re-installing it. Also try, the other "bit" version.

Again thanks for doing this you are a Trooper!

williamsonajm · Oct 21, 2009

Huzzah!

Ok, that was entirely me being an idiot. Tee hee. The computer I'm using *here* is the current MBP, 64bit. However, I'm running the batch automator encoding bit on my networked media server, my old white MB 32 bit. I copied the 64bit version of Handbrake I have on my MBP over the network to the white MB which can't run it (!) Argh. I'm an imbecile! hehe. It's working now.

Anyway, love the automator process. Thanks for all your work on it. I would suggest two additions to make it even better. The first (as I said earlier) is to fix the Fairmount thing where you have to manually quit it in between rips. The second is to allow you to rename the folder the dvd is ripped into as several of my tv series dvds all have the same name (i.e. my DS9 dvds all tend to be called EN_10427, so it would be nice to be able to rename these on import).

Thanks though! :-D

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:
Huzzah!
The second is to allow you to rename the folder the dvd is ripped into as several of my tv series dvds all have the same name (i.e. my DS9 dvds all tend to be called EN_10427, so it would be nice to be able to rename these on import).
Thanks though! :-D

Great! I'm glad you worked it out!

In regards to folder naming, I used to have a subroutine that would automatically append the process ID of the script to the output folder if one existed with the same name. I don't remember why I took it out, but I'll add it back in the next release. The truth is I do so few DVDs now that I've forgotten the days when everything was named "DVD_VIDEO"

williamsonajm · Oct 21, 2009

Argh. Last time I have a problem, I promise! I am getting the following error when the batch rip starts (after I have told it is it a tv/movie):

Code:

Last login: Wed Oct 21 20:19:05 on ttys000
/Users/appletv/Library/Automator/Batch\ Rip.action/Contents/Resources/batchRip.sh ; exit;
MacBook:~ appletv$ /Users/appletv/Library/Automator/Batch\ Rip.action/Contents/Resources/batchRip.sh ; exit;

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Initializing Batch Rip
cat: /tmp/batchRip/currentItems.txt: No such file or directory

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
batchRip.sh v1.0

  Start: Wed 21 Oct 2009 20:21:11 BST
  Output directory: /Volumes
  Use only MakeMKV: No
  Encode HD Sources: Yes
  Growl me when complete: No
  Eject discs when complete: No
  Preferred Audio Language: English

  ERROR: No discs found
  Check optical drive, discs and settings
logout

Now what have I done to it? lol

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:

First, eject all optical discs and try a system restart to clear anything in your /tmp folder. Then, try inserting a disc again.

Also, I noticed your output directory is set to /Volumes. You need to choose an actual folder for your output. You should probably check this before you restart.

I hope this helps. Let me know.

NEBaghead · Oct 21, 2009

williamsonajm said:

Argh. Last time I have a problem, I promise! I am getting the following error when the batch rip starts (after I have told it is it a tv/movie):

Code:

Last login: Wed Oct 21 20:19:05 on ttys000
/Users/appletv/Library/Automator/Batch\ Rip.action/Contents/Resources/batchRip.sh ; exit;
MacBook:~ appletv$ /Users/appletv/Library/Automator/Batch\ Rip.action/Contents/Resources/batchRip.sh ; exit;

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Initializing Batch Rip…
cat: /tmp/batchRip/currentItems.txt: No such file or directory

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
batchRip.sh v1.0

  Start: Wed 21 Oct 2009 20:21:11 BST
  Output directory: /Volumes
  Use only MakeMKV: No
  Encode HD Sources: Yes
  Growl me when complete: No
  Eject discs when complete: No
  Preferred Audio Language: English

  ERROR: No discs found
  Check optical drive, discs and settings
logout

Now what have I done to it? lol

I'm getting the same error. I've updated the workflow with my settings for target folders but it doesn't seem to update. If I navigate to the workflow folder in my Library, it loads with my settings in place.

UPDATE: I figured out the problem. I didn't have permission to read/write in the Automator Folder under my ~/Library . I changed permissions to the folder and all items under it. Works like a charm now.

mac.jedi · Oct 21, 2009

NEBaghead said:
UPDATE: I figured out the problem. I didn't have permission to read/write in the Automator Folder under my ~/Library . I changed permissions to the folder and all items under it. Works like a charm now.

That's strange. You should have already had read/write access since you're logged in with that account. Did you ever change your user/login name on this account? Sometimes that will cause some of your permissions to get screwed up. If anyone else is reading this: don't ever do that, create a new account.

So you got it working okay?

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

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