Best format to convert DVDS

[Dreameriz]

ok i know it has been talked about before i just want to know what every one thinks is the best way to convert what out put not program but what best output like avi,mpeg,h.264.ect
which one is best for size but not lossing quilty of video or sound?

[stanger89]

Leave them in their native folder structure

[sandor]

i use handbrake:

http://handbrake.fr/?article=download

and convert to an *.mkv container with AC3 passthrough and 2-pass 2500 kbps h.264.

i cannot tell the difference btwn this and the original, and it is about 1/2 to 1/3 the disk space.

[sandor]

the main reason i get rid of DVDs in VIDEO_TS folders is because i hate the menus and intros and ads and such.

Prior, i had simply used MPEG Streamclip http://www.squared5.com/ to convert the VOB's to a "regular" single mpeg file, but the 2-pass h.264 with the newer version of x264 in the latest version of handbrake looks so good that i decided to encode all my movies...

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by sandor

the main reason i get rid of DVDs in VIDEO_TS folders is because i hate the menus and intros and ads and such.

DVD Shrink will quite easilly do that with no quality loss, no loss of chapters, and with no increase in ripping time.

[sandor]

Originally Posted by stanger89

DVD Shrink will quite easilly do that with no quality loss, no loss of chapters, and with no increase in ripping time.

good to know. is there any benefit to keeping the folder structure?

[stanger89]

You keep chapters and whatever other DVD functionality you want.
It works, unlike converting to mpg which has a tendancy to break things.
Much, much faster than transcoding.
No quality loss whatsoever.

[btrcp2000]

Hope I'm not hijacking here, but what about DVDs that you want to be able to view through Placeshifter? We have a kitchen computer with PS on it, but the dvds give me fits. client is just plain slow and resource-hogging, and in the kitchen sage is mainly used for the kids while they eat breakfast, so i don't care about quality.

how would one rip a dvd to be viewed on PS?

[Dreameriz]

ok thanks for the suggestion i use dvd shrink right now i just wanted to know if their was anything that was better or made it a single file without lossing anything. O one other thing is DVDFAB better then dvd shrink i dont mind paying or would i just be wasting my time and money ?

[bastafidli]

DVDFab is pretty awesome and I would it more reliable and performing better than DVD SHrink.

[stanger89]

What's it do better? Does it still burry your rip in automatically generated folders? Does the free version strip out just the main movie? (always on the lookout for a better tool)

[bastafidli]

it is able to backup discs I wasn't able to backup with other tools.

[stanger89]

Ah, well I've got AnyDVD running in the background, so that's not a problem...

[lobosrul]

DVD Shrink is essentially abandon-ware (last revision is now 4 years old). There are many newer DVD's out there that it will not be able to rip. That said its my favorite software for ripping DVDs. You just need AnyDVD running in the background for it to work on newer DVDs.

For permanent archival, x264 in an mkv container is unrivaled. I can compress the DVD down around 3-4x with no loss in quality.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by lobosrul

DVD Shrink is essentially abandon-ware (last revision is now 4 years old). There are many newer DVD's out there that it will not be able to rip. That said its my favorite software for ripping DVDs. You just need AnyDVD running in the background for it to work on newer DVDs.

Yup, it's the perfect recipe IMO.

For permanent archival, x264 in an mkv container is unrivaled. I can compress the DVD down around 3-4x with no loss in quality.

I know I kind of harp on this, but that's far from an fact. I've never been able to get even 50% reduction with (to me) acceptable quality loss (none apparent).

IMO, when you can store 260 DVDs for $130 on one drive, spending the time tweaking an encode to get transparent just isn't worth it.

[lobosrul]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Yup, it's the perfect recipe IMO.



I know I kind of harp on this, but that's far from an fact. I've never been able to get even 50% reduction with (to me) acceptable quality loss (none apparent).

IMO, when you can store 260 DVDs for $130 on one drive, spending the time tweaking an encode to get transparent just isn't worth it.

Its certainly subjective and variable on how much compression you can do while keeping the encode transparent from the source. But I belive I have rather sharp eyes. What tool are you using to compress? X264 has made some HUGE advances in the last 6 months or so. I wonder if there's any short un-copyrighted DVD out there I could encode as an example?

800-900 is better than 260

[sandor]

what front end are you using with x264?

stanger, i fully agreed with you in terms of untouched mpeg v. h.264 until the most recent iterations of x264 (as included in the most latest handbrake beta) it is great.

2500 kbps meets the quality of a 9000 kbps DVD encode without a problem.

[paulbeers]

I am throwing out DVDFAB HD for straight rips from the DVD without encryption and yes you can rip out just the main movie and they are constantly updating so just when you can't get a DVD to work, you just gotta get the latest version and TADA! I have 200 DVD's in my library that I have ripped with it and all play back perfectly.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by lobosrul

Its certainly subjective and variable on how much compression you can do while keeping the encode transparent from the source. But I belive I have rather sharp eyes.

I think it's probably got more to do with display than anything. I sit about 11' from an almost 10' wide 2.35:1 1080p display, so there's not much forgiveness there.

What tool are you using to compress? X264 has made some HUGE advances in the last 6 months or so. I wonder if there's any short un-copyrighted DVD out there I could encode as an example?

Last time I tried, I think it was megui+x264

800-900 is better than 260

True, but what's the cost of those 800-900 in hours

Originally Posted by sandor

2500 kbps meets the quality of a 9000 kbps DVD encode without a problem.

The thing is, while 8Mbps is the peak bitrate for a DVD, most of the time it's much lower than that, more like 3-4Mbps tops.

[sandor]

Stats from 10 Hollywood titles:

avg 6.6 max 8.0
avg 5.5 max 8.0
avg 5.9 max 7.5
avg 6.7 max 8.0
avg 5.9 max 7.0
avg 5.4 max 7.4
avg 5.7 max 7.5
avg 6.3 max 8.0
avg 5.7 max 8.0
avg 5.7 max 8.0


Yes, VBR is used, but i use VBR with x264 as well. My recent x264 encodes have been an average of 1/2 to 1/3 the size with no perceptible quality loss. As for the time it takes, i can queue as many encodes as i want in Handbrake, so that is inconsequential.

Disk space is cheap, and i still have quite a bit of my (now) 6 TB free, but i simply enjoy seeing what the modern encoders can do compared to Mpeg-2. there is a reason that Blu ray encodes have moved on beyond the basic Mpeg-2 encodes of the first commercial disks - everything hollywood does now is one of the advanced CODECs, and with good reason.