Ripping DVDs to MPEG files

[furrod]

I've been Googling but I'm still unclear if and how this can be done, so I'm hoping that someone might have a little experience with it.

I would like to edit short segments from various movies on DVD, put them together (one after the other) and store it on my hard drive in a MPEG file (or any other file format that PowerPoint would recognize as a movie or video file).

I'd also like to do it with freeware. So far I've not been able to find a free utility that does this.

Any help would be welcome.

[El Greco]

VirtualdubMOD (http://www.videohelp.com/tools/VirtualdubMOD) is one among many that will do it. There's also a list of relevant guides on that page. Eg, check this guide (http://www.bobsomers.com/articles/dvd-xvid-ac3/).

ETA: Check also this page of tools (http://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/dvd-to-avi-divx-xvid) as well as other tool categories.

[Reality Believer]

Does Virtualdub do decrypting as well? If not, DVD Decrypter or similar will be needed first rip the files from the DVD to your computer.

Once you have that, then the VOB files are the ones that can be converted and edited.

Here is another good source. http://www.doom9.org/

[Skeptical Greg]

I used a program called VOB to MPG ,
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/VOB2MPG

but the bigger the file, the more the audio is out of sync ...

Has anyone had this problem with other applications like virtualdub ?

[NeilC]

I've used DVDx with success before. It's free.
Super will convert VOB files

I've heard people saying DVD Santa is simple to use but I think it costs money.

[CFLarsen]

I used a program called VOB to MPG ,
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/VOB2MPG

but the bigger the file, the more the audio is out of sink ...

Has anyone had this problem with other applications like virtualdub ?

Yep.

[Skeptical Greg]

I've used DVDx with success before. It's free.
Looks like it ought to work, but is not free like they claim ..

When you try to download, they claim " too many connections to the server "
and offer you a VIP pass for $19.99 ..


I might be worth twenty bucks, but I don't like being scammed ..

[coalesce]

My method using my Mac: I have a DVD/VHS player plugged into a video converter via RCA cables for the audio and S-video cable for the DVD video signal. The video converter is plugged into my Mac via a Firewire. I import the signal into iMovie and then edit it from there. Since the DVD is playing normally, there's no encoding issues. From iMovie, I can either export it to iDVD or to Quicktime Pro to convert it to a video for iPod.

I have also experienced problems with converted iPod videos 25 minutes or longer. My solution was to break up the files to under 25 minutes, so, for instance, when I converted the Beavis and Butt-head movie, I broke it into four separate files. That way, the audio stays in sync and I don't have to have one huge file on my iPod. I can pick and choose which of the four I want to see, saving hard drive space for other files.

The only problem with this method is that it has to be imported in real time. I imagine with other programs such as DVDx or Handbrake, it may not take as long.

Michael

[NeilC]

Looks like it ought to work, but is not free like they claim ..

When you try to download, they claim " too many connections to the server "
and offer you a VIP pass for $19.99 ..

I might be worth twenty bucks, but I don't like being scammed ..

That's sneaky. You should be able to download it from other download sites OK. Since it's freeware you could use bittorrent to get it legally. But I would say it is not worth $20 to be honest - there are some issues with it that can be annoying. I wouldn't pay for it myself.

Anyway since then I've used another app which is free and ultra simple to use: SimpleDivx

You just have to rip the DVD to a folder using DVD Decrypter (free too) and point SimpleDivX at the folder and tell it to automatically find the main movie. It works out the aspect ratio, resolution for you. You can set the video and audio quality and choose a codec - Xvid seems to give the best results so far. The defaults work fine but if you like you can either set a size target or a bitrate target.

There is a guide here: http://www.dvd-guides.com/content/view/49/59/

[mrich]

I've had great luck with a free program (Mac, Linux and Windows) called Handbrake. I use it to rip DVD's (the ones we own, of course) down to my iPhone.

Fine it online at: handbrake dot fr

[NeilC]

I checked out Handbrake. Looks good. Seems you need to know a little bit more about bitrates etc than SimpleDivx but has the benefit of H.264 encoding and anamorphic coding. Anamorphic, in theory, should be great for some movies allowing one to get better use of widescreen screen-space but I couldn't work out if it actually did anything on the tests I did.

It's quick too.

[BenBurch]

On the Mac you want MacTheRipper. Works well.

[mrich]

Mac the Ripper is another fine program that I've used. Thanks for mentioning that.

Handbrake has gotten a lot easier to use -- the latest version has a panel of presets that make configuring it much simpler. Depending on the target for the DVD I'm ripping (iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Normal, TV, etc..) I just click that and off it goes.

[logical muse]

k9copy (http://k9copy.sourceforge.net/) is very very easy to use. Runs under linux.

Oh, and free, of course.

[BenBurch]

k9copy (http://k9copy.sourceforge.net/) is very very easy to use. Runs under linux.

Oh, and free, of course.

Hmmm.... I'll eventually see if that can port into fink on OSX/Darwin...

BTW, http://www.finkproject.org/ is somewhere all MacOS X people should look for a LOT of ported Linux/Unix/BSD software!

[BenBurch]

BTW, fink already has this;

dvdrip-perl-586 0.98.4-1 GUI DVD ripper and transcoder
dvdrip-perl-588 0.98.4-1 GUI DVD ripper and transcoder

I will install that and give them a try.

-Ben

[Ottis]

I can't post links yet, so...
I use "DVD Shrink" (DON'T pay for it, it's freeware.) (http:slash slash dub dub dub .esnips.com/doc/94d1e209-484d-40a7-9a86-5669621bd9c3) to edit and combine clips, and "Super" (http:slash slash dub dub dub.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html) to encode for my portables.
Replace the slashes and dubs........

[NeilC]

Unless DVDShrink changed since I last used it, it doesn't encode DVDs to MPEGs but merely compresses or reauthors DVDs to fit a smaller capacity.

[blutoski]

Mac the Ripper is another fine program that I've used. Thanks for mentioning that.

I use it to duplicate video DVDs, but it doesn't convert the content to editable formats.



Handbrake has gotten a lot easier to use -- the latest version has a panel of presets that make configuring it much simpler. Depending on the target for the DVD I'm ripping (iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Normal, TV, etc..) I just click that and off it goes.

The only complaint I have with Handbrake is that its mpg results are noticeably darker than the original. They blame QuickTime.

[Ottis]

Unless DVDShrink changed since I last used it, it doesn't encode DVDs to MPEGs but merely compresses or reauthors DVDs to fit a smaller capacity.

It converts to compressed .vob files that can be burned to a blank DVD using NERO or a similar burning software.. use SUPER to convert the vob files to MPEG or AVI ect..

[BenBurch]

I use it to duplicate video DVDs, but it doesn't convert the content to editable formats.

Well, yes an no. Then I use VLC to do the transcoding of the VOB files.