Video RIPing, Storage, and Streaming.

[Paul R]

Tagging is the biggest PITA I experience with video. I do all of mine in MKV format, then had to use two programs to get the tags created/cleaned up so

that Jriver would be happy. Would likely have had an easier time for tags if I did mpeg or avi but didn't want to accept any loss of resolution.

 

You can say that again brother. I just tried for a hour to get the right information for the 1981 video of Rossini's La Cenerentola for iTunes. No soap. It does come up correct in JRiver.

[h=1][/h]Guess I will put a fresh copy of Vortexbox and give it a try this afternoon.

 

This project bids fair to be twice as much work as Ripping and tagging all our CD's, despite the fact we ave MANY more CDs than DVDs. (*sigh*)

 

I will try the Plex solution you guys are talking about as well, but right now, if I could ISO's to work in JRiver, that still looks like the best bet.

 

-Paul

[DavidL]

A very useful thread. I have also tried for some time to find a way of playing ISO files but without success.

 

My primary need has been to archive and playback about 100 operas and ballets recorded onto DVD-R from TV over the past 30 years. I also have some recordings ripped from Laser discs. The quality of video is sub-DVD in many cases but the sound (typically FM radio quality) is OK.

I have an Apple environment and looked for a solution using iTunes for playback. After some experimentation I came up with the following process. While I'm happy to live with this relatively complex and time consuming process for preserving old material, I'm not sure it's the best way to handle commercial DVDs!

1) Use the Toast program to convert the .VOB files on the DVD to 'MPEG-4 Improved' format.

2) Import and edit this video to check / modify chapter headings. (I use Final Cut Pro X)

3) Save this video in form compatible with Apple TV

4) Edit the meta data for the video using Subler software - I discovered early on that iTunes is useless for editing the meta data for video.

I playback the video using the Apple Remote app.

 

By the way is there a simple way of accessing the .VOB files on commercial DVDs?

 

David

[Audio_ELF]

I have an Apple environment and looked for a solution using iTunes for playback. After some experimentation I came up with the following process. While I'm happy to live with this relatively complex and time consuming process for preserving old material, I'm not sure it's the best way to handle commercial DVDs!

David, have you tried just using Handbrake to convert direct from the DVD-R

 

By the way is there a simple way of accessing the .VOB files on commercial DVDs?

The issue is that commercial DVDs have copy protection which you will have to get around. The easiest way is using something like MakeMKV to convert to MKV files and/or use Handbrake to convert to MP4 files. You will of course loose the DVD menus doing this.

[astrotoy]

I have quite a few bluray discs, mostly classical music, of that mostly opera. I would like to have the ability to play the discs that I could control from an ipad or computer. I read somewhere there was a device where you could play a digital copy (I think lossless) of the bluray, but it had some storage box that kept all the digitized discs, for copyright/licensing purposes - so you couldn't borrow someone's discs, digitize them, and then play them without the original. Can't remember the name of the machine. Of course the number of discs was limited to the capacity of the machine.

 

Larry

[Audio_ELF]

I read somewhere there was a device where you could play a digital copy (I think lossless) of the bluray, but it had some storage box that kept all the digitized discs, for copyright/licensing purposes - so you couldn't borrow someone's discs, digitize them, and then play them without the original. Can't remember the name of the machine. Of course the number of discs was limited to the capacity of the machine.

I think you mean Kaleidescape - Blu-ray and DVD movie servers

[Paul R]

A very useful thread. I have also tried for some time to find a way of playing ISO files but without success.

 

My primary need has been to archive and playback about 100 operas and ballets recorded onto DVD-R from TV over the past 30 years. I also have some recordings ripped from Laser discs. The quality of video is sub-DVD in many cases but the sound (typically FM radio quality) is OK.

I have an Apple environment and looked for a solution using iTunes for playback. After some experimentation I came up with the following process. While I'm happy to live with this relatively complex and time consuming process for preserving old material, I'm not sure it's the best way to handle commercial DVDs!

1) Use the Toast program to convert the .VOB files on the DVD to 'MPEG-4 Improved' format.

2) Import and edit this video to check / modify chapter headings. (I use Final Cut Pro X)

3) Save this video in form compatible with Apple TV

4) Edit the meta data for the video using Subler software - I discovered early on that iTunes is useless for editing the meta data for video.

I playback the video using the Apple Remote app.

 

By the way is there a simple way of accessing the .VOB files on commercial DVDs?

 

David

 

If the DVDs are not copy protected, you can use Handbrake to RIP them to a format compatible with iTunes. if they are copy protected, you also need to install VLC on the same machine, and then Handbrake will be able to do the job.

 

For tagging them, I like Identify - an app from the App Store. It's a little frustrating to use, but does a pretty good job of tagging video. It would seem you often have to look up the video you want in a database, then enter the database key in Identify, but it does a bang up job from there.

 

From there it works pretty well directly in iTunes or better yet, fed to an Apple TV. For TV Seasons, you can tag them so they show up correctly, or you can RIP to one file and tag the chapters with appropriate names. A little clumsy, but it works nicely. I can't detect any degredation when streaming. I do run the video through an AVR that does video very well.

 

Oh yes, if the disc is not copy protected, you can simply use the MacOS, Linux, or Unix "dd" command to rip the disc to an ISO files. That's fairly fast, about 5mins per disc. Handbrake takes about 30 minutes to RIP an average DVD and transcode to an iTunes compatible format.

 

-Paul

[Paul R]

Hah- just a quick update.

 

Transcoded with Handbrake, ripped to mp4 format for compatibility with the Apple TV. Perhaps I got a setting wrong (Applet TV3) because the video output when played over the ATV is poor, with much jittering and jerky motion, shimmering around bright or contrasting colors, etc. Unsuitable. And subtitles are not available in a normal way from the ATV. Drat.

 

Added PlexServer and pointed at the same files, got various results. First, PlexServer still does not recognize VOB files with Video_TS folders, so it has to be transcoded to work. I tested initially with the same mp4 files I used with the ATV. PlexServer immediately recognized them and all their tagging information.

 

Playing them back was a bit more troublesome. On my MBP laptop the playback with the Plex Home Theater Client was excellent. Have not yet tried it hooked up to a big screen television, but I expect it will look good. Have not figured out how to control it without using a second Apple remote control though, as there is a big conflict using the same remote control with a computer and the ATV.

 

On the iPads, the playback with the Plex client was gorgeous, and relatively easily controlled. Still had to select subtitles *before* beginning playback, but that is a minor inconvenience. And probably something that can be solved in the transcoding step.

 

We have a Roku-3 attached in the living room, and it seems to be able to play all the files just nicely, save again for being able to turn on and turn off subtititles. Getting those subtitles on? That ain't so easy. The standard way to turn on subtitles on the Roku (* Key) does not work. Some of the video is shaky as well, though this could well be due to the RIPing process or some transcoding happening I didn't mean to ask for. Will check on this.

 

Tried playback from our BRP (Sony BDS6200), and amazingly, this provided the absolute best picture quality. But no images on the file names, so browsing was a pain in the but. The normal way to turn on subtitles (the subtitle key!) again did not work, but hitting the options key and enabling subtitles did. Useable, but not very elegant at all.

 

That's as far as I got, next plan is to re-transcode a couple dozen of the VOB disks to MKV format, and see if that is an improvement. Would you guys mind if I posted the Handbrake settings I am using? I expect that most of the issues with subtitles are involved with that. And I understand MKV is full quality? Otherwise, can Plex work with a ISO or straight MP2 file?

 

Thanks

-Paul

[gnan]

 

Added PlexServer and pointed at the same files, got various results. First, PlexServer still does not recognize VOB files with Video_TS folders, so it has to be transcoded to work. I tested initially with the same mp4 files I used with the ATV. PlexServer immediately recognized them and all their tagging information.

 

If you have disc image files like vob's, iso's etc IMO you should re-mux to another container so that you retain full quality (remux is usually fairly fast process). Plex doesn't support these formats by design, see here

 

On the iPads, the playback with the Plex client was gorgeous, and relatively easily controlled. Still had to select subtitles *before* beginning playback, but that is a minor inconvenience. And probably something that can be solved in the transcoding step.

 

We have a Roku-3 attached in the living room, and it seems to be able to play all the files just nicely, save again for being able to turn on and turn off subtititles. Getting those subtitles on? That ain't so easy. The standard way to turn on subtitles on the Roku (* Key) does not work. Some of the video is shaky as well, though this could well be due to the RIPing process or some transcoding happening I didn't mean to ask for. Will check on this.

 

I don't have a Roku so can't offer any advice on this sorry. Subtitles can be enabled by default if you want them to. On the server, go Settings>Server>Languages>Adjust sub title mode. Enable the opensubtitles agent on the server if you have some videos without subs. Are you using DLNA or the Plex app for Roku?

 

Tried playback from our BRP (Sony BDS6200), and amazingly, this provided the absolute best picture quality. But no images on the file names, so browsing was a pain in the but.

 

That's as far as I got, next plan is to re-transcode a couple dozen of the VOB disks to MKV format, and see if that is an improvement. Would you guys mind if I posted the Handbrake settings I am using? I expect that most of the issues with subtitles are involved with that. And I understand MKV is full quality? Otherwise, can Plex work with a ISO or straight MP2 file?

 

Check the Plex forums for DLNA config for your BRP as there may be a profile there that solves your problems.

 

I would remux your disk images to mkv or some other container depending on your requirements.

[Paul R]

If you have disc image files like vob's, iso's etc IMO you should re-mux to another container so that you retain full quality (remux is usually fairly fast process). Plex doesn't support these formats by design, see here

 

I am not entirely clear on the difference between remux and transcode when it comes to these wild west video files, thanks for the tips!

 

I tried MKV, but either I did something wrong or nothing I have here really likes it. The display when playing it back, even on the Plex Home Theater Client, was awful. Some kind of blocky pixelation, and shapes "shimmered" and sparkled. Very ear searing... m4v (I think) doesn't do that.

 

I would really like to use some kind of container that keeps the entire disc together, since even though it would add "another layer of menus!" into the mix, at least all the extras and choices would be there, and I would not have to figure out how to RIP television shows in order to get a way to navigate episodes.

 

Recommendations quite welcome - just remember they have to sink through 10cm of solid concrete. (i.e. my head...)

 

Yours,

-Paul

 

 

 

I don't have a Roku so can't offer any advice on this sorry. Subtitles can be enabled by default if you want them to. On the server, go Settings>Server>Languages>Adjust sub title mode. Enable the opensubtitles agent on the server if you have some videos without subs. Are you using DLNA or the Plex app for Roku?

 

 

 

Check the Plex forums for DLNA config for your BRP as there may be a profile there that solves your problems.

 

I would remux your disk images to mkv or some other container depending on your requirements.

[Audio_ELF]

I am not entirely clear on the difference between remux and transcode when it comes to these wild west video files, thanks for the tips!

Remus would be the equivalent of creating a DoP file from DSD vs transcoding to PCM.

 

I tried MKV, but either I did something wrong or nothing I have here really likes it. The display when playing it back, even on the Plex Home Theater Client, was awful. Some kind of blocky pixelation, and shapes "shimmered" and sparkled. Very ear searing... m4v (I think) doesn't do that.

MKV should be identical quality to the DVD original (given that different players do have different quality same as different DACs)

 

Eloise

[number8]

I use AnyDVD / Handbrake to rip DVD and BR. AnyDVD removes the copy protection. MKV is definitely the best choice. Video codec is H264 Intel QSV. This extension speeds up the rip process by a factor to 3 to 5. It is available in recent PC's.

if the quality of the result is very bad, it is most probably because the copy protection has not been removed.

[Jumbosausage]

I use FreeNAS and the plugins available there. It all works in the back ground and automatically downloads TV Shows and Movies that I add to my watchlist on IMDB. It uses the following programs:

 

Sickbeard and SABnzdb for TV Shows

 

Sick Beard - Internet PVR for your TV Shows

 

SABnzbd.org : Home of SABnzbd+, the Full-Auto Newsreader

 

Couchpotato and Transmission for Movies

 

https://couchpota.to/

 

Transmission

 

Plex media server then automatically scans the download folders as new programs/movies are added. Basically whenever a new episode of your favourite show has aired it will automatically be available on Plex. It's without doubt the ultimate solution.

[Paul R]

That Sickbeard stuff looks pretty cool, but it also is a tad bit offsetting to name it SickBeard... (grin)

 

Also, I am not totally sure it is legal to use.

 

-Paul

 

 

I use FreeNAS and the plugins available there. It all works in the back ground and automatically downloads TV Shows and Movies that I add to my watchlist on IMDB. It uses the following programs:

 

Sickbeard and SABnzdb for TV Shows

 

Sick Beard - Internet PVR for your TV Shows

 

SABnzbd.org : Home of SABnzbd+, the Full-Auto Newsreader

 

Couchpotato and Transmission for Movies

 

https://couchpota.to/

 

Transmission

 

Plex media server then automatically scans the download folders as new programs/movies are added. Basically whenever a new episode of your favourite show has aired it will automatically be available on Plex. It's without doubt the ultimate solution.