Ripping Movies From DVD To Server: Strategies?

[PeteCress]

Just got done ripping a couple hundred DVDs to .ISO files on a WHS server that's running SageTV.

Now I can watch them via an HD200 - but only by booting it to standalone mode and navigating to the Movies directory.

I can also watch them via a freebie utility called "VLC Media Player" - which was what got me started on the notion of .ISOs bc it can play a .ISO on my itty-bitty Asus 901 over WiFi smoothly.

Better than nothing.... and if navigation becomes an issue I guess I can make subdirectories like "A-B" "C-D", and break the .ISOs up into alphabetic chunks.

BUt there are still the issues of:

• Response time: that little spinning arrow drives me nuts

• Lack of the substantial convenience of being able to stop the movie and the resume sometime later right where one left off.

• Having to navigate here-and-there to watch something just because the application arbitrarily puts it in some place that better suits the application instead of the user.

The brass ring would be 100% integration into Client and PlaceShifter under the "SageTV Recordings" menu.


"SageTV Recordings" on the main menu is really "where it's at" for me - who doesn't care where something came from or how it got to the server.

What the heck are "Videos" and "Video Conversions" and "Import Directories" anyhow - except movie/video-type stuff that somebody wants to watch?

I would propose that application-centric categories make the UI needlessly confusing and diminish the quality of the user's experience.

Seems like if I could:

• Get said movies into a format that Client/Placeshifter understands (probably MPEG?)

• Copy them to Sage's "Recordings" directory

• Somehow get pointers to them into Sage's database of recordings

• Set the "Movie" bit on their database entries

I'd pretty much have what I want: quick and easy access to movies from what I consider tb the main menu ("SageTV Recordings").

One-stop shopping.


My fantasies aside, does anybody have an approach that works for them?

I'm thinking there might be a way to transcode from the .ISOs to MPG without loss of quality.

I'd even entertain the prospect of re-ripping some other way than DvdShrink/ISO if there's such a utility.

??

[Peter_h]

why not just use the "Movies" or "Videos" directory? Why are you trying to bring movies into archived tv?

[freedml]

I have a bunch of ripped DVDs (not the whole DVD, just the main movie or tv episodes) and view them fine from the Video directory.

[PLUCKYHD]

Use the video directory rename it to movies

Also rip in native vob format

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

I'd even entertain the prospect of re-ripping some other way than DvdShrink/ISO if there's such a utility.

??

Change your settings in dvd shrink to rip to vob and chunk sizes of 1gb. Sage natively supports them.

There some iso mounting tools out there but I suggest just native vob.

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by Peter_h

why not just use the "Movies" or "Videos" directory? Why are you trying to bring movies into archived tv?

Three reasons come to mind. Might be more.

1) One-stop shopping.

Where the movies come from is irrelevant to me - I just think of them them as more "SageTV Recordings."

No diff to me whether "The Emerald Forest" got ripped from a DVD or recorded OTA - it's just one more movie and I'd prefer to have it appear with all the other movies instead of having to wonder where it's hiding.

This is not a religious issue by any means. But it does make sense from the user's perspective.... at least this user's....

2) Services.

When something's in "SageTV Recordings" and I'm watching it at, say, minute 23 and then I stop it; Sage makes note that it was at minute 23 and the next time I open it up it picks up right there.

3) Response time.

Dunno enough to speculate why, but there seem tb more and longer spinning arrows when working out of directories than when working out of "SageTV Recordings"

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Change your settings in dvd shrink to rip to vob and chunk sizes of 1gb. Sage natively supports them.

Early on, I made a couple of trial runs with VOB but couldn't make it happen.

Seems like the "thing" that is opened in the case of VOB is the parent directory containing multiple VOB files - and that SageTV should automagically open up the first one, play it to the end, and then seamlessly open up the next one....and so on.

Have I got that part right?

If so, I'll go back and re-visit VOB.

[PLUCKYHD]

No vobs should just contian either the main video or the entire dvd with menu (depending on what you select in video redo) Sage will just pick up the title folder such as

c:\ironmen

which will conatin the below folders

\video_Ts
\audio_ts

you will not see the above two from the sage interface

Make sure you have it selected in dvdshrink to split the movie into 1gb chuncks

[PLUCKYHD]

2) Services.
When something's in "SageTV Recordings" and I'm watching it at, say, minute 23 and then I stop it; Sage makes note that it was at minute 23 and the next time I open it up it picks up right there.

It does this with videos as well. Mutliple ones and I don't think vob's are supported in the recorded tv shares just the video shares so that could be your problem.

[Peter_h]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

Three reasons come to mind. Might be more.

1) One-stop shopping.

Where the movies come from is irrelevant to me - I just think of them them as more "SageTV Recordings."

No diff to me whether "The Emerald Forest" got ripped from a DVD or recorded OTA - it's just one more movie and I'd prefer to have it appear with all the other movies instead of having to wonder where it's hiding.

This is not a religious issue by any means. But it does make sense from the user's perspective.... at least this user's....

2) Services.

When something's in "SageTV Recordings" and I'm watching it at, say, minute 23 and then I stop it; Sage makes note that it was at minute 23 and the next time I open it up it picks up right there.

3) Response time.

Dunno enough to speculate why, but there seem tb more and longer spinning arrows when working out of directories than when working out of "SageTV Recordings"

2.) Sage does the same thing in the "Movies directory". If I pause or stop, when I come back to the movie, it will ask me if I would like to resume playback.

3.) That sounds like there might be a problem with your setup, I have not experienced this at all.

To me, you are making it harder for yourself. However, what you would need to do is to create a .properties file for each movie. You would then need to create a .xml file with all of the properties in it and then import that xml using Nielms web interface.

Batch Metadata tools will scrap all of the stuff you need for your movies close to automaticlly.

You can also give meidascraper a try as this will automatically create a .xml file and can also be set to import automatically via the web interface.

That being said, I would highly suggest backing up your wiz.bin first and doing one file manually to make sure it does not break anything.

While, I don't see the need, i can appreciate someone that wants things customized a certain way. So if it does work, please report back. I'm interested to see what happens.

-Peter

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by Peter_h

2.) To me, you are making it harder for yourself. However, what you would need to do is to create a .properties file for each movie. You would then need to create a .xml file with all of the properties in it and then import that xml using Nielms web interface.

Sounds like I'm trying to fool Mother Nature - and that doesn't have any appeal at all.

Now I'm ripping a few to .VOB using the recommended 1 gig chunks.

They play ok when I open the directory with VLC Media player and I'm able to "Import" them into SageTV so that the name of the directory that contains the two subdirs and the .VOB files shows up under the DVD view of Main Menu | Media Center | Videos | DVDs

When I doubleclick on a folder name, I get the expected "Options for DVD...".

BUt when I click "Watch Now", Sage throws an error dialog (see attachment)

[Peter_h]

I thought you were trying to get this working in extender mode?

I don't have much experience with Theatre mode as I don't use it.

[wado1971]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

The brass ring would be 100% integration into Client and PlaceShifter under the "SageTV Recordings" menu.
"SageTV Recordings" on the main menu is really "where it's at" for me - who doesn't care where something came from or how it got to the server.

It is possible to configure the 'Videos' menu to list everything you want. When in the 'Videos' menu simply go to the folder tab on top, then bring up the 'Options' dialog & set 'Folder Display Style' to 'Combined'. You will then need to add your SageTV recording directory into the Media Center Import Directories (or maybe this in done automatically with a refresh?). It's not ideal but will put everything into one central location.

Edit: This assumes you have your DVD's in a vob structure. Then of course you can use the DynamicMenu import to add a direct link to this menu onto the main menu called "whatyouwant".

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

Sounds like I'm trying to fool Mother Nature - and that doesn't have any appeal at all.

Now I'm ripping a few to .VOB using the recommended 1 gig chunks.

They play ok when I open the directory with VLC Media player and I'm able to "Import" them into SageTV so that the name of the directory that contains the two subdirs and the .VOB files shows up under the DVD view of Main Menu | Media Center | Videos | DVDs

When I doubleclick on a folder name, I get the expected "Options for DVD...".

BUt when I click "Watch Now", Sage throws an error dialog (see attachment)

The screenshot you showed looks like you are using Placeshifter. Ripped VOBs don't work on Placeshifter, but they should work fine on the HD200 with the steps you used.

--John

[gplasky]

That is correct. Placeshifter does not play DVDs. Ripped or disc. As stated in the manual.

Gerry

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by gplasky

That is correct. Placeshifter does not play DVDs. Ripped or disc. As stated in the manual.

Sounds to me, then, like I should stick with .ISOs.

[stanger89]

Placeshifter doesn't play ISOs either.

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Placeshifter doesn't play ISOs either.

Right, but now we're back to HD200 native mode for both .ISO and .VOB.

And I'm already ripped to .ISO....

[gplasky]

The most common format to play and what the manual recommends is .VOB. Reason being is that the PC client and the HD Extenders (including the MVP) can handle VOBs. natively. Even though the HD Extenders can handle .ISO the PC Clients and the MVP cannot without a plugin. The safest best all around and the one that supports all the features (just movie or full rip, DVD menus, etc.) would be the .VOB format.

Gerry

[PeteCress]

[quote=gplasky;349189]the MVP cannot/quote]

- Most Valuable Player?

- Microsoft Vice-President?

Yeah, I'm being a wise guy.... but really, I did search around a little within the forums. Lots of references to "MVP", but I couldn't find a difinition.

Got tb one of these, right?

- SageTV 6.5

- HD200

- "Client"

- PlaceShifter