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Full Version: Best program to build my xbmc library ?
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I'm just starting my xbmc adventure with my newly built htpc.
I want to copy my small dvd library which consists of about 50 dvd movies, 20 dvd concerts and only a few blu-rays.
I have an internal 2TB drive in my htpc.Maintaining the highest audio and video quality is a must for me.
I will be going through my AVR that supports all the latest audio and video via HDMI.
So to get my library onto my hd what is the best solution?
I'm not sure which type of "container" to use and weather I need some sort of compression or not...
Functioning menus would be nice but certainly not a deal breaker.
I know there are several different methods some free and some paid(I don't mind paying) and I find the terminology very confusing.
So I was hoping to get some guidance in the following areas:

1) What is a good program ?(Probably need to be fairly simple for me to operate)
2) What container should I use?
3) Do I need compression?
Personally, i use MakeMKV to rip the individual titles from the DVD down to the hard disk. MakeMKV is free while in beta.

If hard drive space isn't a concern (although with only a 2TB drive it would be for DVD), i would suggest using a program such as Handbrake (also free) to compress to H.264, as you can save a LOT of space with a very negligible amount of quality loss, especially for DVD. Some people would argue otherwise, but from my personal experience i compress to H.264 with compressed video and passthrough audio and can't see a discernable drop in quality on my 47" LED.

Blu ray i use the same method, and a _slight_ drop in quality is noticible, but by and large it's still completely acceptable. You're going to need a lot more hard drive space to keep full, uncompressed blurays around if your collection grows.
So I use makemkv first to convert it to a ".mkv" file on my hd and then handbreak to compress??
The Makemkv website seems to be "suspended" at the moment.
What is the difference between "ripping" and "converting"
That's the way i do it, yes.

"Ripping" = copying the files directly from the DVD/BD to your hard drive
"Converting" = changing/compressing the uncompressed/ripped files to another format.
Is there a progam to rip/convert my dvds and keep full menu functionality?
Yes, you could use something like "DVD Decrypter" to just rip the DVD to an ISO file and then import the ISO files into your library.