[animal_chin]

Ok so I want to start playing Blu-rays on my computer. What I want to do is save the Blu-ray to my computer and play it from some sort of media player (exactly like one would do with a CD/MP3 on a computer). Here are my questions:


1. What format can I save the Blu-ray to my computer's HDD (is it just iso)?

2. Can I change this format to something like say avi, or mp4?

3. Is there a format that I can save to that will be lossless and save with 5.1 surround sound?

4. Is there a format that will give me much smaller file while, having only a slight loss in quality?

5. Are there any free programs that would do this stuff for me, or just programs you have to buy?



PC specs:

i5-750 overclocked to 3.5GHz

4GB DDR3 memory

5850 ATi graphics card



Sorry for all these noob questions, but some of this stuff seems pretty hard to do. Also if this is the wrong forum, could a mod please move this thread. Thanks.



Edit: Forgot to add that I'm dual booting Win XP 32bit and Win 7 64bit, but if possible I would like to use the programs in Win 7.

 

[sxr71]



Quote:
Originally Posted by animal_chin /forum/post/18218210


Ok so I want to start playing Blu-rays on my computer. What I want to do is save the Blu-ray to my computer and play it from some sort of media player (exactly like one would do with a CD/MP3 on a computer). Here are my questions:


1. What format can I save the Blu-ray to my computer's HDD (is it just iso)?

2. Can I change this format to something like say avi, or mp4?

3. Is there a format that I can save to that will be lossless and save with 5.1 surround sound?

4. Is there a format that will give me much smaller file while, having only a slight loss in quality?

5. Are there any free programs that would do this stuff for me, or just programs you have to buy?



PC specs:

i5-750 overclocked to 3.5GHz

4GB DDR3 memory

5850 ATi graphics card



Sorry for all these noob questions, but some of this stuff seems pretty hard to do. Also if this is the wrong forum, could a mod please move this thread. Thanks.



Edit: Forgot to add that I'm dual booting Win XP 32bit and Win 7 64bit, but if possible I would like to use the programs in Win 7.

Just 3 days ago I came here with the same line of questioning. Now I have my Blu-Ray playing, Hulu/XMBC/Netflix/WMC/Boxee playing home entertainment jukebox.


This is clearly the way of the future. I'm no disc jockey and I want nothing to do with physical media anymore beyond ripping them.


This is not as hard as it seems at all. There will be some headaches but you'll get through the few stumbling blocks.


What I did from the advice given to me is:


Got DVDFab6 - for ripping to ISO.

Got PowerDVD9.

Got Daemon Tools.


Both are trial software for now. So no cost to try and to setup initially. But the long term cost is $48 (DVDFab6) + $89 (PowerDVD).


I just rip the Blu-Ray to ISO and put it on my Home Server, you can put it on your HDD.


You can use PowerDVD9 to play them back.


I have chosen not to compromise my $30-35 discs by recompressing but the options are there. In fact so many of them that my head spins. You will find people who strip the extras and preserve only the main movie and convert it to MKV. It is discussed here and elsewhere via a Google search.


To start you can do the basic rip to ISO and later you can decide to convert to MKV or other format. I suppose if you convert to MKV you will not have to spend the $89 on PowerDVD9.


I use Windows Media Center and the PowerDVD9 plug-in. Just install PowerDVD and it's installed. I also use MediaBrowser to browse and play them back. It will with proper configuration invoke DaemonTools to mount the ISO and then invoke PowerDVD9 within WMC and play the file.


The site http://www.mediasmartserver.net/category/guides/ is like the holy grail for me. Damian over there has gone the MKV route so you will find everything you need there.

 

[MikeEby]

The one piece of purchased software I would strongly recommend is AnyDVD-HD. The folks at Slysoft are really on top of things especially if you’re planning on ripping new releases. Fortunately there is a trial version available also.


My personal opinion PowerDVD 9 was the biggest waste of money this side of the pet rocks I bought in the 1970s.


Mike

 

[odditory]

Alternately to AnyDVD-HD (must have software no doubt) you can try MakeMKV for free, it will de-AACS BluRays and save as MKV without the need for AnyDVDHD. The Bluray ripping functionality of it is 30-day trial but I believe is cheaper to buy than anyDVDHD.


Ultimately you get what you pay for and though seemingly steep at $89, Slysoft really stays on top of things with the frequent updates in AnyDVDHD.

 

[animal_chin]

Thanks for the help guys, but I've come to realize that after everything is bought and set up the ~$300 that would take me to do this is too much for an unemployed college student. BUT I would still like to do this with DVDs. I've been experimenting with some DVDs, but have not gotten it to work as I would like. I have ripped an ISO to my computer using DVDDecryptor. The ISO works as I can play it with Daemon Tools. I've tried doing it this way , but at step 6 I don't get the Daemon Tools icon on my Windows Media Center screen. I then tried using the My Movies plugin (I think this one looks alot better), but I get to a screen were it lists my ISOs and I click to play one. The ISO is loaded in the SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive, but it doesn't play it just shows me the little loading icon. The autoplay feature for DVDs is set to Windows Media Center. I'm going to try to uninstall all the programs and reinstall them when I get home tonight and see if that doesn't clear some stuff up.

 

[hirent]



Quote:
Originally Posted by animal_chin /forum/post/18230431


I have ripped an ISO to my computer using DVDDecryptor. The ISO works as I can play it with Daemon Tools. The ISO is loaded in the SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive, but it doesn't play it just shows me the little loading icon.

FYI: Why ISOs are used....

Windows Media Center has native support for DVDs i.e. it plays DVDs from the hard drive if they are backed up as they are in folder format.

PowerDVD also plays DVDs from folder format. However, in an effort to curb BD ripping/backups, PDVD (& others) disabled this feature in their BD players.

So the workaround is to create an ISO file of the ripped BD folder and mount it in a virtual optical drive. This tricks the OS into seeing it as an actual optical disc and thus PDVD will play it.


My advice would be to stick with folders for DVDs, its built-in and easier.

 

[animal_chin]



Quote:
Originally Posted by hirent /forum/post/18230555


My advice would be to stick with folders for DVDs, its built-in and easier.

Will folders get me all screens were I can select what chapters extra features I want to see? Can I burn folders to a DVD encase my original DVD copy gets ruined/lost?

 

[hirent]



Quote:
Originally Posted by animal_chin /forum/post/18230593


Will folders get me all screens were I can select what chapters extra features I want to see? Can I burn folders to a DVD encase my original DVD copy gets ruined/lost?

Yes and Yes.


A folder is an exact copy of your DVD; an ISO is like a zip file/container which holds the folders inside it. Whether you backup as folder structure or ISO structure everything remains the same.

As I mentioned above, the only reason to use an ISO is to have a workaround. When you mount an ISO, you can open the virtual drive and you will see the folders inside.

People also prefer ISO since it creates only one single file.

But then you have to go through extra steps to mount it before playing it.

It takes only a few seconds but my personal preference is to stick with folders and keep it simple.


You might want to try it and see what you prefer.


Here's how a collection would be set up:

D:\\

|DVDs

|Movie Name 1

AUDIO_TS & VIDEO_TS

|Movie Name 2

AUDIO_TS & VIDEO_TS

|....

 

[animal_chin]



Quote:
Originally Posted by hirent /forum/post/18230663


Yes and Yes.


A folder is an exact copy of your DVD; an ISO is like a zip file/container which holds the folders inside it. Whether you backup as folder structure or ISO structure everything remains the same.

As I mentioned above, the only reason to use an ISO is to have a workaround. When you mount an ISO, you can open the virtual drive and you will see the folders inside.

People also prefer ISO since it creates only one single file.

But then you have to go through extra steps to mount it before playing it.

It takes only a few seconds but my personal preference is to stick with folders and keep it simple.


You might want to try it and see what you prefer.


Here's how a collection would be set up:

D:\\

|DVDs

|Movie Name 1

AUDIO_TS & VIDEO_TS

|Movie Name 2

AUDIO_TS & VIDEO_TS

|....

Thanks for the info. I'll give it a try tonight when I get home.

 

[animal_chin]

OK I got the ts_files. I can play them in Media Center. I can not seem to load them into My Movies. I don't care which one I use. The thing is I can't seem to edit the synopsis/cover art in Media Center. This is one of the most frustrating things I've come across. I've been searching the internet for the past couple of hours and am ready to give up on this. Also there are movies that I don't want in Media Center that for some reason it thinks I do want. I am really frustrated right now.

 

[kegobeer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by animal_chin /forum/post/18231992


OK I got the ts_files. I can play them in Media Center. I can not seem to load them into My Movies. I don't care which one I use. The thing is I can't seem to edit the synopsis/cover art in Media Center. This is one of the most frustrating things I've come across. I've been searching the internet for the past couple of hours and am ready to give up on this. Also there are movies that I don't want in Media Center that for some reason it thinks I do want. I am really frustrated right now.

Here's what I'd do. Install MediaBrowser and add your DVD directory to the media collection. Next, make sure you have your folder structure like this:


DVDs

- Batman Begins

-- video_ts

- Iron Man

-- video_ts

- Superman Returns

-- video_ts


Now, install MetaBrowser and configure it so it will look in the DVDs directory. Scan the directory and add your metadata.


Finally, fire up Media Center, go to MediaBrowser, and enjoy your movies.

 

[animal_chin]



Quote:
Originally Posted by kegobeer /forum/post/18232282


Here's what I'd do. Install MediaBrowser and add your DVD directory to the media collection. Next, make sure you have your folder structure like this:


DVDs

- Batman Begins

-- video_ts

- Iron Man

-- video_ts

- Superman Returns

-- video_ts


Now, install MetaBrowser and configure it so it will look in the DVDs directory. Scan the directory and add your metadata.


Finally, fire up Media Center, go to MediaBrowser, and enjoy your movies.

For two disc films do I go


DVDs

-Monty Pythons Meaning of life

--video_ts

--video_ts


??


i.e. do both discs have separate folders or do I put all the ts files in one folder?

 

[Andrew Hornfeck]

MediaPortal is a free front end and you configure it to use Daemon tools to auto-load the .iso files when you select a title to be played. I mention this as it saves you the step of loading Daemon before you can play it. I started using MP a few years back - I have a basic load, not using any of the advanced plug-ins, just SchedulesDirect to provide the TV schedules for MyTV to work like a PVR! Oh, and I've not gone up to BD yet, just DVD .iso 'files' for me. Oh, and a bunch of .mkv files as well for archiving the movies... I use Handbrake for those.

 

[kegobeer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by animal_chin /forum/post/18232337


For two disc films do I go


DVDs

-Monty Pythons Meaning of life

--video_ts

--video_ts


??


i.e. do both discs have separate folders or do I put all the ts files in one folder?

You should probably do this:


- MP MoL Disc 1

-- video_ts


- MP MoL Disc 2

-- video_ts

 

[Heli Pilot]

The absolute easiest way is to use AnyDVD HD to rip to an iso, which is an exact image of the disc, and mount in a virtual drive, I use Slysofts, and then play in something like TotalMedia Theater. This however takes an enormous amount of space at 15+GB for a small disc, upwards of 40ishGB for a full feature release. Before I collected TB drives I would rip the discs with AnyDVD HD, strip out what I wanted with TSMuxer, and re-encode with MeGUI/Avisynth, and then remux with MKVMerge. This would typically yield about a 8-12GB file that had only the audio, video, and subtitles I wanted to keep, at whatever quality level I wanted. This is an involved and fairly complicated process, but gave you absolute control over every single setting in the encode, which if you know what you are doing is a very good thing. There are numerous tools that will do most of this work for you, and nowadays they have gotten pretty darn good, and are fairly intuitive with good results. Ripbot, MakeMKV, and HandBrake are the three that I am familiar with.


Animal_chin, is your name a reference to the old Powell Peralta video?

 

[animal_chin]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Heli Pilot /forum/post/18239037


Animal_chin, is your name a reference to the old Powell Peralta video?

Yep.

I think I got this all figured out. I rip the files to my hard drive with DVDFab6. I get all the meta data with My Movies Collection Management. I then watch them with Media Browser.