Ripping/Encoding?

[PowerBookRelic]

Currently, I am running an old PB (which I love), but I am in the market for a MBP. Also, in the near future I will have a 32" 1080P TV, which I would like to use as a monitor. My question is regarding DVD ripping, and the optimum way to do so in order to keep the quality to a maximum for playback via my HDTV. I have tried to search, but haven't quite found the solution to my questions as most forum topics cover conversion to ATV/iTunes/iPod. What I want to do is hook the MBP to the HDTV (probably through HDMI, if this is recommended for best playback quality), and watch the DVDs through both my HDD or optical.

Since I have about 200 DVDs and would like to clear some clutter, I am curious the best way to rip them to keep the quality as high as possible. Is using MTR and keeping the _TS file optimum for this, and how do you play it? I know that these files are a bit large, so what would be the next best option? .Avi? I am not terribly concerned with putting these files in iTunes because I can Handbrake anything that I want to convert further to my touch.

I guess my post isn't as succinct as I would like it to be, basically, what software/settings to rip a DVD to HDD while keeping the best picture quality; what software to use to watch the movie, while connected to HDTV via HDMI to maintain quality; and what size are these files going to be as I am using an external 250GB, but maybe could use this as an excuse to get a 1TB.

My goal is to remove clutter, yet still have a functional DVD library.

 

[mgacam2]

I'm not aware of to many professional mac side programs but mactheripper works wonders. Simple, easy, and tons of options. Combine that with handbrake and you'll have a great DVD ripping duo.

 

[PowerBookRelic]

I'm not aware of to many professional mac side programs but mactheripper works wonders. Simple, easy, and tons of options. Combine that with handbrake and you'll have a great DVD ripping duo.

Thanks for you expedient response. Just wondering, when you rip with MTR you get the _TS folder. Is this file the highest quality available, if so, should I just keep these around. My question then becomes, what should i use to play this folder/file because I do not believe that VLC will (maybe DVD player)? Also, if I go the MTR -> HB route, what settings will make the DVD play at DVD quality because on the TV I am getting I fear that poor resolution will be quite visible.

 

[mgacam2]

Handbrake can convert it into .264 format and keep the quality the same. The TS folder is basically the highest quality and is almost exactly the same as the DVD. Handbrake can encode it and reduce the size turning it into a single file.

 

[GotPro]

For pure ripping speed I recommend using an XP utility called DVD Shrink.

Handles more discs with fewer problems than MTR... and... through XP via Fusion I can rip a single layer disc in 4-7 minutes vs 10-15 for MTR.

I do, however, recommend Handbrake in OS X once the actual disc rip is complete.

 

[PowerBookRelic]

Handbrake can convert it into .264 format and keep the quality the same. The TS folder is basically the highest quality and is almost exactly the same as the DVD. Handbrake can encode it and reduce the size turning it into a single file.

I see in HB that you can select .264 encoding, is that enough to ensure high quality? I notice that at the bottom of the screen for HB I see picture settings of source and output. At this point it looks like the screen resolution for the output is dropping down from 720x480. Note: 720X480 was the source, is that oddly low (DVD is Office Space, and this is using HB with the preset on normal.) MGACAM, when you use HB to reduce the file size, what format is best, i.e., .avi/.mkv/.mp4/.ogm, and what settings? Do you have a screen shot?

 

[mgacam2]

I tend to use mp4, mainly because it works great for importing into itunes, and the difference between mp4 and avi and such is negligible. MKV and ogm are very high quality formats to use but the difference compared to mp4 is also very small. They also require a significant amount more processing power, but i don't think thats to much of an issue for you.

 

[PowerBookRelic]

I tend to use mp4, mainly because it works great for importing into itunes, and the difference between mp4 and avi and such is negligible. MKV and ogm are very high quality formats to use but the difference compared to mp4 is also very small. They also require a significant amount more processing power, but i don't think thats to much of an issue for you.

For me, putting the files into iTunes is not a priority. If there is anything that I want to watch on my iPod I do not mind converting it after the fact. Therefore, what file format is the highest quality then, and at what settings (MTR or HB). I know this seems redundant, it is just if I am getting a 1080P TV, and using my MBP to play my DVDs, I want the quality to be the highest, otherwise I guess I will just hook up my DVD player (but, alas, I would rather have all my DVDs in a crate in the basement instead of taking up room in my bedroom ).
I have tried to read up on the DVD ripping on OS X and cannot seem to find a response directed to my ues, that is, using a MBP hooked up to a HDTV directly through HDMI. I am assuming that if I rip the DVD, in the highest quality, then I can just boot up VLC or Quicktime and watch it, and it will look the same as having a DVD player attached to my HDTV. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[mgacam2]

By experience, I'm going to say that mkv is the highest quality format, and stick to HB unless your ripping DRM content then sometimes MTR is what you use, but make sure to rip the ENTIRE disk if using MTR or you'll have issues.

 

[GotPro]

OKAY... first of all...

You do realize that what you are trying to do is impossible.

To have the absolute HIGHEST QUALITY... you need to rip only... which will take up between 6-9 gigabytes PER MOVIE.

That means you can have space for no more than 10-20 movies while FILLING UP your laptop hard drive.

USING ANY TYPE OF COMPRESSION on a 1080p type display will be VERY EVIDENT.

 

[orpheus1120]

^ +1 what he said.

 

[cohibadad]

When you rip the DVD the resulting folder is identical to the DVD with just the copy protection stripped away. There is no quality difference because it is the same files/folders/etc (unless you use a program like DVD2One and compact it from like a DL disk to single layer then there is quality loss). If you want to play these anytime you just point DVD player to the folder and all the menus, etc are as if you have a DVD in (assuming you chose a full disk extraction in MTR). If you just want the movie you can rip the Main Feature and save a lot of space. The best encoding option IMO is H264 if you want to compact it a bit more and have it stream-able to TV or the likes. The resulting quality is excellent but whenever you re-encode you always lose a certain amount of video information/quality

 

[PowerBookRelic]

OKAY... first of all...

You do realize that what you are trying to do is impossible.

To have the absolute HIGHEST QUALITY... you need to rip only... which will take up between 6-9 gigabytes PER MOVIE.

That means you can have space for no more than 10-20 movies while FILLING UP your laptop hard drive.

USING ANY TYPE OF COMPRESSION on a 1080p type display will be VERY EVIDENT.

Thanks, I think this is what I am going to do- thank god TB media has dropped so much as of recent.
Just out of curiosity, COLIBADAD, when you say encode using H.264, I am assuming you mean codec. As for the other settings, what seems to be optimum? I guess if I were to code(using HB) it I would use .mp4, but, regardless of iTunes, would .avi be better? Also, I assume that I should leave the FPS as "same as source" as I feel that making it higher than source is nonsensical, but under picture settings, should I make sure that the source and the output are the same?? E.g., when I put my DVD in HB the source said 720X480, but the output was much lower, should I manually move it up to 720X480 to match the source. Also, for quality, should I leave kbps at "avg 1500", or change that? I also am assuming that I should use 2-pass encoding for higher quality? I feel somewhat computer literate, but this video stuff is hella confusing

 

[xpovos]

You may be pickier than I am, I don't know, but I rip and encode to .mp4 (non-h.264) at average bitrate of 2200kbps and play these from my Mac mini via HDMI to my HDTV. My TV is only 1080i, not sure what kind of differences could or couldn't be seen with my files on a 1080p, but I'm pretty satisfied with the results. Most of the time, I can't see much difference between this and a standard-def DVD playing on the same TV. YMMV, who knows. These settings, for me, represent a good compromise between quality and space (~400 DVDs in my collection) and carry the added benefit of making the movies playable on an iPod or AppleTV as well.

 

[cohibadad]

Just out of curiosity, why would you choose not to use H264? Encoding time? H264 is the most efficient codec for quality that I've ever seen. As far as optimal settings, that's hard to say. Depends on the device it is played on firstly. Each has their own opinion, but for TV I use TV presets and get excellent results. There is another recent thread with more on how to optimally encode for multiple devices. Handbrake forum is an excellent source for info on users pushing the software/hardware to the limits.