Posts: 4
Joined: Oct 2009
Reputation:
0
Hey folks, new to these forums and XBMC as well. I am coming to you veterans to ask for your recommendation for a program to rip my Blu-Ray and DVD library into files playable on XBMC. Let me fill you in on my setup.
My XBMC box is an Acer Aspire Revo AR3610-U9022, I am currently running XBMC in Windows to learn it, and I may switch to booting to a USB Drive.
The files will be stored on a Windows Home Server, plenty of storage so I am really not worried about compression at all. I want my XBMC to allow me to watch my library and never touch a disc.
I really want something user friendly (read: idiot proof) that will rip from the discs easily and into a file-format/structure easily read by the XBMC box. Your help in this would be greatly appreciated guys. Just a note, I don't necessarily need a free application. I would prefer to pay if it gets the job done well.
Posts: 285
Joined: Apr 2010
Reputation:
0
For DVDs I used DVDShrink or MakeMKV. Both pretty user friendly apps.
Posts: 262
Joined: May 2010
Reputation:
7
I second MakeMKV. If you need to transcode to h.264, you might also take a look at Handbrake.
HTPC 1 - Zotac ZBOX ID80U | 4GB RAM | 64GB SSD | Openelec | Confluence
HTPC 2 - Zotac ZBOX ID41U | 4GB RAM | 60GB SSD | Openelec | Confluence
Server -
unRAID Server | 3 x 2TB WD Green HDD, 1TB WD Black HDD (Cache) | Sabnzbd | CouchPotato | Sickbeard
Posts: 218
Joined: Dec 2009
Reputation:
0
Make Mkv is a great program for ripping and if you need to shrink files such as blu ray handbrake is another great tool.
Posts: 825
Joined: Oct 2009
Reputation:
7
To remove copy protection: Anydvd/anydvd hd Buy it, install, and it just works.
To rip - Anydvd will rip DVDs and BRs to isos. XBMC plays DVD isos. DVDShrink works to strip unwanted parts, IE FBI warnings, forced trailers/commercials, etc.
To rip BR - ClownBD, ToNMT will pull the movie m2ts from the disk, which XBMC will play.
To reduce the size of the rip: Handbrake. Note that reducing the file size does remove information. If you're watching on a 17" LCD the reduction won't be noticeable. If you're watching on a properly set up 1080p projector you will see a reduction in quality.
Posts: 4
Joined: Oct 2009
Reputation:
0
Yeah, I am not wanting any reduction in quality, compression does not concern me.
Thanks for all the tips, any thoughts on DVD Fab?
Posts: 825
Joined: Oct 2009
Reputation:
7
I've seen it mentioned positively but I've never used it.
Posts: 825
Joined: Oct 2009
Reputation:
7
What is the purpose of remux'g to mkv? XBMC plays m2ts fine and that's the native BR container.
Posts: 1,019
Joined: May 2010
Reputation:
18
loggio
Posting Freak
Posts: 1,019
I second that, DVDfab platinum is the bomb for windows, rips, and converts to heaps of formats, it's quick and quality is good. What's the purpose of remuxing?? For me, I have a lot of pc's in the house that access the server, as well as 2 ps3's and an xbox 360... Converting to .mkv/mp4 means these platforms van all use the files with ease. If a friend wants a movie I can just drag and drop, and they can watch it at home... No stuffing around.
There's plenty of reason to remux.