don't want to burn dvd, just want to watch on computer

[Johnaram]

I'm using MacTheripper and Dvd2onex2 and I want to simply put the dvd onto my computer as one image.

[rotuts]

use the ripper.

it then plays with mac DVD player.

try it and let us know

cheers

[Johnaram]

so your saying I can use Mac the ripper to put the movie onto one file and watch it on my computer? if so, what function do I perform after ripping it onto my harddrive?

thanks

[albloom]

To play MTR's output, launch DVD Player. Under File
select Open DVD Media (that's 4.6.5 -- earlier versions
have separate options for a disc or a file) and point it
to the movie's VIDEO_TS folder. Click Play.

[Johnaram]

Thank you for that information. It was extremely helpful. If I have put the program through DVDoneX2 does that mean that it is already compressed?. How do I make sure the DVD isn't taking up for gigabytes on my computer?

thanks

[Frobozz]

If you want the movie to take up less hard drive space you need to convert it from its MPEG 2 format to MPEG 4. I suggest using DivX. Toast 7 and Popcorn 2 will do this conversion (it takes awhile). There also is a DivX encoder sold by DivX.

[Johnaram]

Thanks

How do you use DivX to make the files into MP4?

[Johnaram]

Can a ripped movie me compressed even though it will be played on a harddrive?. Is turning it into mp4 the only way to compress it and play?. Do you have to pay for Toast 7 or Popcorn2?. How many gigs is in a DVD?.

Thanks

John

[abuso]

You can use HandBrake for free. Get it here:

http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=2

[rumplestiltskin]

Mac the Ripper, then MPEG Streamclip (also free) to transcode to H264 (MPEG4). Use the "iPod 640x480" setting and set the width/height to maintain the proper proportions. Save. Get coffee. When done, watch on Mac (or drop into iPod and plug into your TV).

The iTV (whatever Apple will call it next week at MacWorld Expo) will let you play your H264 content on your Mac to your TV.

Death to DVDs

[Johnaram]

Thanks a lot you guys.

When I'm attempting to shrink the file on handbrake, there is a meter asking "constant quality" with the pointer on %50 should I put it up to a 100? What does it mean?.
And why does it say "rip" on the button shouldn't it say "shrink" or condense?. Isn't handbrake for shrinking the file down?

[Johnaram]

I put the movie through handbrake but its still 4 gigabytes long. What did I do wrong??

[rumplestiltskin]

I put the movie through handbrake but its still 4 gigabytes long. What did I do wrong??

You did nothing wrong. It worked exactly as it should.

Please read my previous post re: MtR then MPEG Streamclip. This will rip the DVD to your HD and then, using MPEG Streamclip, you'll export to MPEG4 and save it as a highly compressed - yet high quality - video file that will play well on your Mac and, should you decide to get an iPod (or the upcoming iTV), it will play on your TV as well. A 2 hour movie should compress down to about 700MB.

[Johnaram]

MPEG streamclip isn't converting IFO or BUP files apparently..

[Johnaram]

I'm very novice sorry. When you say " it worked exactly as it should" I get confused. If it worked shouldn't the movie be compressed?. Is handbrake not a compression tool?

Thanks for answering my questions. pls remember I'm very novice thanks again.

[Johnaram]

I downloaded a movie. Is it possible to burn it onto DVD for play on a dvd player?.

I ripped a DVD and i'm wondering how to compress it so that it can play on a DVD player and not just on my computer. Does making it an MP4 make it impossible to play on a DVD player?

[tomlee59]

Sorry if I misunderstand what you are asking, but I'm confused by your confusion.

You seem to think that compression is needed to play a dvd stored on your computer. It's not. At most, you only need to "rip" the dvd. The standard tools for doing so have been mentioned (MTR being the most commonly used one). The ripped video_ts folder is directly playable on your computer.

Compression is an entirely separate operation, performed only if you want the files to take up less space, and if you are willing to accept the degradation that inevitably results. DVD2one is a specialized tool that does this, while preserving the dvd file structure. It's designed to squeeze files to fit on a single, standard disc (DVD-R or DVD+R). That works out to a bit over 4GB. If you want to squeeze to still smaller sizes, you have to override the default target size. I've never done this, actually, so I don't know if dvd2one allows arbitrary target sizes.

You also have the option of "transcoding" while compressing. Newer codecs, such as XviD/DivX or h.264, can achieve high quality at much lower bitrates. Converting your dvd into these formats can preserve good quality while reducing filesizes signifcantly (like the mp4 example mentioned by rumplestiltskin). Transcoding converts the dvd into a non-dvd thing, but if you only want to watch movies on your computer, that's a non-issue.

If you want to go the other direction, and burn a dvd from a file on your computer, you need to do several things. Read the many articles, how-to guides, etc. on this site to learn the details. A short, and *very* incomplete, answer is:

1) The video has to be in MPEG2 (MPEG1 is also ok, actually). This is necessary, but not sufficient (there are constraints on resolution, frame rate, aspect ratio...). ffmpegx can convert from many formats into a dvd-compliant one.

2) The audio can't be in MP3 (MP2, AC3 and others are ok, again, subject to certain constraints). If it is in mp3, use something like ffmpegx to convert into one of the dvd-supported formats.

3) The movie must be "authored" properly (i.e., the correct file structure needs to be generated). ffmpegx can do this, among other tools.

4) Then you're ready to burn.
[Some burning tools handle step 3 for you automatically]

I've left out lots of details, but hopefully this skeleton of an outline will help get you started. I highly recommend reading the many articles people have painstakingly written and posted on this site. There's an enormous amount of accumulated wisdom from which to learn here.

[wbambic]

Greetings. New to mac and videohelp. i successfully put a movie on hd using MTR, and was able to watch using albloom's great advice. i have not tryed burning yet, as i have not yet bought toast. i have movies that i backed up using my pc that will not play on the mac, even when trying albloom's advice. they are various types of dvd+r, primarily staples brand dvd+r dl. they all work on my home dvd player. any advice for watching the dvd's i backed up using my pc?

[rumplestiltskin]

Greetings. New to mac and videohelp. i successfully put a movie on hd using MTR, and was able to watch using albloom's great advice. i have not tryed burning yet, as i have not yet bought toast. i have movies that i backed up using my pc that will not play on the mac, even when trying albloom's advice. they are various types of dvd+r, primarily staples brand dvd+r dl. they all work on my home dvd player. any advice for watching the dvd's i backed up using my pc?

If the DVDs will mount on the Mac's Desktop, check whether you can see the VIDEO_TS folder that should be contained therein. If so, use DVD Player and select that VIDEO_TS folder within DVD Player as the source. If it plays properly, then you have the proper structure in that folder. Next step is to copy that VIDEO_TS folder to a folder on your hard drive. Name that folder something like "MY_MOVIE". Download "Burnz" (search on macupdate.com for it), set it for UDF, drag the folder named "MY_MOVIE" onto the Burnz icon, and get a cup of coffee. When done, watch the disc in your set-top DVD player.

[albloom]

Wbambic, it shouldn't matter what machine or OS created a
movie DVD. If it plays on your consumer recorder, the Mac
should recognize it. Well, maybe not the single-layer DVD+R
discs. They can be problematic. The +R DLs are standard. Do
you have the CD/DVD prefpane set to launch DVD PLayer when
a video DVD is inserted? Probably, but I had to ask.

For a +R SL, I will invariably copy its VIDEO_TS folder on my
HD (called MOVIE_NAME -- insert your own movie name) and
burn to a DVD-R via Toast 7 (et seq). Or just use Toast's "disc
copy." No need to rip with MTR. It isn't copy protected. I just
think the +R SLs aren't worth the hassle.

The next thought is how you burned those movies on the PC.
A UDF format disc needs to be "finalized" for any Mac (and
most consumer players) to even recognize it.

[wbambic]

Thanks for the responses. I'll try to explain where i'm at now.

When I insert the dvd's made from my pc (i tried dvd+r, dvd-r, and dvd+r dl, i have all three), the mac will recognize the disc and mount a dvd icon on the desktop. DVD Player does not start automatically as it would if it were a store bought dvd. I tried opening manually by "file" "open dvd media" then selecting the video_ts folder (which the mac does see all of the files on the disc). When I do this, I get a "DVD media not supported".

Now when I copied the folder to my hd, it quit copying at about 25% with a reading error, however I was able to point dvd player to the video_ts folder and it played everything that it finished copying. I just would prefer not to have to copy the dvd's i have already made as it was targeting about an hour to move the 7.7 gig dl dvd to hd. thats not worth watching movie. I don't want to make more copies of theses dvd's, i just want to be able to watch the dvd's i ahve already made on the plane. I understand I may be out of luck with the dvd+r sl...

all of these dvd's were made using roxio easy media 8 dragtodisc. I believe in UDF format because I use the same process whether i am burning dvd's, cd's, pic's, or just backing up my pc hd. I finalize everything that I burn.

one other side note, I burned 13g of music to 3 dvd+r sl to move to my new macbook, which worked great, it read the dvd+r fine.

thanks again for the feedback!

[terryj]

If you want to squeeze to still smaller sizes, you have to override the default target size. I've never done this, actually, so I don't know if dvd2one allows arbitrary target sizes.

yes it does.
I've once created a 1.9GB Video_TS folder from DVD2ONEX,
by setting the User defined Target to 1990. Quality was crap,
but I wanted to see if it could do it.

[rumplestiltskin]

snip...Now when I copied the folder to my hd, it quit copying at about 25% with a reading error,...

A) Lousy media.
B) Lousy burning software.
D) Lousy Mac DVD reader (if UJ846; worst optical drive Apple's ever used).

Try copying it using an external reader or in another Mac. Once you have it on your HD, MPEG Streamclip will turn the VOBs into H264 that's much, much smaller in size.