Best format to convert DVDS

[chrishallowell]

So, what products rip video straight from the DVD unmodified?

DVD Decrypter, AnyDVD, or DVDFAB HD.
I use DVDFab HD to rip just the main movie to my hard drive in a VIDEO_TS folder. SageTV can play this VIDEO_TS folder. This is the same exact quality as if you just played the DVD in a normal DVD player.

As far as scaling goes... Assuming you have an HD200, you can change the output resolution by hitting the video button on the remote. Your TV should also have a resolution option(Mine has either 1080i or 540p). You have to switch between these settings to see if the HD200 or the TV has better scaling properties.

I use Handbrake to take the VIDEO_TS folder and convert it to 1 mkv file that is smaller(Loss of quality). I get between 50% and 75% reduction in size with little to no perceivable quality loss to me.

Advanced upscaling (Need a powerful PC and a lot of time to read/learn/setup/test): If you are interested in upscaling check this out http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.ph...=upscaling+DVD
So the idea is you would run your DVD through an avisynth script to produce a single mpg file that sageTV would play. The mpg would be 1920x1080 in resolution. (I'm not saying you should or shouldn't upscale, just letting you know there are ways of trying to upscale video for playback with SageTV)

[craigap]

Originally Posted by chrishallowell

DVD Decrypter, AnyDVD, or DVDFAB HD.

Could you add DVDshrink to this list if you turn off the compression part of it by switching to DVD-9 or choosing "No compression" under the compression tab? That's what I've always been doing and thought I was getting an exact copy of the DVD without any loss in quality.

[heffneil]

I tried DVDFab and it ripped a dvd just fine into the VOB files. How do I tell it to make it a MPG? THe reason I ask - and forgive my ignorance is that I can't seem to find it in my Sage Library as the VOBS?

Thanks,

Neil

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by heffneil

I tried DVDFab and it ripped a dvd just fine into the VOB files. How do I tell it to make it a MPG? THe reason I ask - and forgive my ignorance is that I can't seem to find it in my Sage Library as the VOBS?

Thanks,

Neil

First did you do an import refresh in the setup menu?

Second, there should be a DVD tab in the Media Center > Videos menu. If you click on the DVD Tab, that should bring up all of the DVD's you have loaded IF you kept them in the video folders format that DVDFAB ripped it. Meaning it should have a layout like this:

BATMAN > AUDIO_TS
BATMAN > VIDEO_TS > VIDEO_TS.IFO
BATMAN > VIDEO_TS > VIDEO_1.VOB
BATMAN > VIDEO_TS > VIDEO_2.VOB

If you point Sage to the Batman directory (or to the directory that holds the Batman directory), then Sage should import the video into the DVD tab int he Videos menu of the Media Center Menu....

EDIT: I should mention if you follow the above, you don't need to convert the VOB's to MPG.

[heffneil]

No DVD listed for the ripped content and I did refresh my library. It did find the DVD on my client laptop.

Neil

[chrishallowell]

I tried DVDFab and it ripped a dvd just fine into the VOB files. How do I tell it to make it a MPG? THe reason I ask - and forgive my ignorance is that I can't seem to find it in my Sage Library as the VOBS?

First you need to combine the movie's VOBs together using VOBMerger(Freeware). Then just change the extention from vob to mpg.

[stanger89]

DVDs show up in the DVD and Folder views in the video library, but not the "Videos" list.