Ripping only *a small section* from DVD

[tigrr]

I have a stand-alone Pioneer DVD recorder which I use to record TV shows with and I often find myself wanting to keep small clips on my computer (either as a small movie file for viewing later or just the extracted audio saved as an AIFF file).
There are no problems transferring the DVD-R/DVD-RW contents on to my Mac as they're not copy-protected. I can use something like "Handbrake" or "MacTheRipper" to rip it and save it as .MP4 or whatever that I can extract the audio from using Quicktime Pro etc.


The problem is that I may have a 2 hour recording on the DVD, and I just want to extract one minute in the middle of it. All the "ripper" applications that I've come across either only allow you to rip the entire DVD, or you can choose specific chapters, but chapters aren't usually generated when recording with the Pioneer DVD recorder unless I edit it there first.

So what can I use to extract only specific sections from an entire DVD on to my Mac?
I've been told elsewhere that "MPEG streamclip" will allow me to choose where on the DVD I want to extract, but it needs the MPEG2 component from Apple to do this which costs around US$ 20.

I can live with that outlay (if there's no free alternative, is there?), but my concern are all the negative comments of the Apple page about the MPEG2 component which says among other things that there is often the problem of missing audio. So I'm hesitant.

I've found several applications that can play back .VOB files (residing within the "VIDEO_TS" folder on a DVD) such as "VLC" and "Mplayer", but these are just movie-player applications, not rippers.

[Frobozz]

MPEG Streamclip and Cinematize 2 are the best applications for what you are wanting to do. Both require that you recorded and finalized video-mode DVD.

I haven't encountered problems. QuickTime's various updates seem to have resolved the audio sync issues.

You never need to use MacTheRipper to copy unencrypted DVDs to your hard drive. You can just use the Finder to drag the VIDEO_TS folder from the disc to the hard drive. Streamclip and Cinematize are useful then for extracting in various video formats all or part of videos from unencrypted VIDEO_TS folders whether they are on disc or on the hard drive.

Choose MPEG Streamclip. It will cost you less and has more options.

[tigrr]

MPEG Streamclip and Cinematize 2 are the best applications for what you are wanting to do. Both require that you recorded and finalized video-mode DVD.

Yes, I always finalize and use the video mode when recording a DVD-R (or RW) from something on the DVD-recorder's hard drive.
Since MPEG streamclip and Cinematize both seem to do the same thing I'll most likely go with MPEG streamclip as it's free

I haven't encountered problems. QuickTime's various updates seem to have resolved the audio sync issues.

Well, the latest comment at the Apple MPEG2 page is from 2 days ago, and that person complains about missing audio. So do others who have posted recently.
(seems like the Apple URLs keep changing, because I just got an "expired" error message when trying the link I gave to those comments. Instead, go to the Apple store, then you can enter "mpeg2" where it says "Search" (top left hand corner) and it'll be the second result from the top (the first one being the MPEG2 component for Windows).

You never need to use MacTheRipper to copy unencrypted DVDs to your hard drive. You can just use the Finder to drag the VIDEO_TS folder from the disc to the hard drive. Streamclip and Cinematize are useful then for extracting in various video formats all or part of videos from unencrypted VIDEO_TS folders whether they are on disc or on the hard drive.

Yes, I know as I've tried it, and that's fine if I ever need to copy an entire DVD (ripping probably wears the DVD drive a lot more than simply copying over the files, then ripping from the Mac hard-drive), but what I'm interested in is extracting just a tiny section of the entire DVD, and spending time copying the whole DVD is wasted time (and disk space) if I can instead extract just the bits I need directly from the DVD.

Choose MPEG Streamclip. It will cost you less and has more options.

You mean more options than Cinematize?
The price sure is right, but with so many negative comments about the Apple MPEG2 component I don't know if it's just a waste of time and money.
Anyone had success doing exactly what I want, using MPEG streamclip and the MPEG2 component?

(Apple might deliberately have added restrictions to their MPEG2 component so as to prevent people from copying commercial DVDs, hence the missing audio to "punish" people from trying to copy such copyrighted material, but in my case I'm not doing anything illegal and it might just work. Other than that, Apple have done a poor job at it or done nothing about a bug).

Are there other alternatives to the Apple MPEG2 component? Has anyone else made the same sort of thing (free or not) without the missing audio problems?

[bucho]

Anyone had success doing exactly what I want, using MPEG streamclip and the MPEG2 component?

MPEGStreamclip can get AC3 audio out of an MPEG2/VOB file using the Quicktime MPEG2 component and Quicktime can't. So although it uses the same MPEG2 component as Quicktime, it certainly does a much better job with it.

That was a 'yes' to your question.

If you've got a PPC, you can also try Avidemux2 (needs X11). In fact, it even runs on Intel Macs, albeit very slowly (I patiently wait for a native Intel binary). Both Avidemux and X11 are free. Not as pretty looking as MPEGStreamclip, but it does the job.

[Case]

I haven't encountered problems. QuickTime's various updates seem to have resolved the audio sync issues.

Well, the latest comment at the Apple MPEG2 page is from 2 days ago, and that person complains about missing audio.

I'm pretty sure that is related to exporting from QuickTime Player with muxed MPEG source files. That limitation of QTP is not present in the way MPEG Streamclip uses the component for video decoding.

[tigrr]

MPEGStreamclip can get AC3 audio out of an MPEG2/VOB file using the Quicktime MPEG2 component and Quicktime can't. So although it uses the same MPEG2 component as Quicktime, it certainly does a much better job with it.

That was a 'yes' to your question.

Sounds more promising indeed
So you're saying that the problem doesn't lie within the Quicktime MPEG2 component, but with Quicktime itself?
On a sidenote: has Apple acknowledged the problem and are working to fix Quicktime? Seems like Quicktime has several issues, because one problem I've had with their player is that although it supports Flash files out of the box it really doesn't.... I had missing audio whenever I tried to play Youtube videos. Then someone told me to download and install Flash from Macromedia (which sounded like nonsense since I already had Flash support). Well, wouldn't you know it. Audio worked fine after that.
Are these Mac programmers on drugs, or what?

If you've got a PPC, you can also try Avidemux2 (needs X11). In fact, it even runs on Intel Macs, albeit very slowly (I patiently wait for a native Intel binary). Both Avidemux and X11 are free. Not as pretty looking as MPEGStreamclip, but it does the job.

Thanks. Yes, I have a PPC Mac (15" Powerbook G4 at 1.67GHz).
I followed your link which gave me a download page. Unfortunately, when decompressing I got an error message in the midst of doing that. I tried to download from both mirrors to be on the safe side. Looks like there's a problem with that file.

Then I did a Google-search and came up with this page, which seems to be the author's. On the left hand side I clicked on "Download" which led me to a download page where I scrolled down to the bottom to find the "2.3 preview 2c" Mac version which has this download link.

OK, that one worked. I was able to install it and run the application. However, I can't figure out how to use it. I assumed it was just a matter of clicking the "open" icon (or going to "File"-"Open"), then selecting a .VOB file from either a DVD present in the Superdrive, or a .VOB file copied to the Mac hard-drive.
I've tried both, and it asks me if I want to index the file (I have no idea what this means, but I've tried answering both yes and no), then I get an error message saying either "Permission denied" or "could not open file".

Is there a user-guide for this application somewhere?
I've been at the Avidemux wiki documentation page, but it really hasn't helped much.

[Case]

On a sidenote: has Apple acknowledged the problem and are working to fix Quicktime?

Sort of acknowledged. Read about Transcoding video content (note the mention of video only!) and the FAQ: Can I transcode MPEG-2 multiplexed (i.e., muxed) video to other formats? which is answered with "Yes, the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component combined with QuickTime Pro will allow the transcode of MPEG-2 video to other formats, whether that video originates in an elementary video stream or in a multiplexed stream. However, the audio that is interleaved with the video in a multiplexed stream cannot be transcoded to other formats. Transcoding is supported for video only."
A fix or functional update in this regard has not been announced, which may have to do with licensing (my guess).

[terryj]

Seems like Quicktime has several issues, because one problem I've had with their player is that although it supports Flash files out of the box it really doesn't.... I had missing audio whenever I tried to play Youtube videos. Then someone told me to download and install Flash from Macromedia (which sounded like nonsense since I already had Flash support). Well, wouldn't you know it. Audio worked fine after that.
Are these Mac programmers on drugs, or what?

umm....no.
Flash is a properitary Adobe product now, and Adobe has shown that they don't neccessarily
have to abide by Apple's standards, and vice versa. Apple has made it a LONG standing
policy, that in their eyes, everything should be compliant with its Quicktime standards,
and anything that isn't, is just to bad for the rest of the world.

btw, if you get the Perian codec, and are running OSX, you won't need Adobe Flash,
as all your Youtube and Myspace vids will play native in QT Player.

[bucho]

I've tried both, and it asks me if I want to index the file (I have no idea what this means, but I've tried answering both yes and no), then I get an error message saying either "Permission denied" or "could not open file".

Is there a user-guide for this application somewhere?
I've been at the Avidemux wiki documentation page, but it really hasn't helped much.

I can't tell you why it might have had problems (unless of course the VOB file is corrupt). Avidemux usually opens anything I throw at it. Perhaps you can as some questions in their forum here?

[tigrr]

I can't tell you why it might have had problems (unless of course the VOB file is corrupt). Avidemux usually opens anything I throw at it. Perhaps you can as some questions in their forum here?

Thanks, I'll take a look some time, but for now I'm overjoyed that I actually have MPEG streamclip working as I gave in and bought the MPEG2 component from Apple and tried ripping a DVD, selecting only a small section in the midst of it. Works perfectly!

I really have no experience or knowledge about how to use MPEG streamclip properly, so I might be doing this overly complicated, but what I did was insert the DVD and dragged the .VOB file of choice to the application window. I could then preview the video with the aid of the timeline and playback buttons, go to the section I wanted to rip, press "i" (Select IN) for where I wanted it to start, then pressing "o" (Select OUT) for where I wanted the clip to end (IN/OUT can also be found in the "Edit" menu).
When that was done I just went to the "File" menu, selected "Save as..." which resulted in a .VOB file on my hard-drive with just the tiny clip that I wanted.
From then on I could re-import it and save it to any format I wanted.
(hopefully my detailed instruction above can be of help to others reading this).

No missing audio or other problems!
It would have been nice to get the free solution working (Avidemux), but alas I really don't have time to mess around too much with these things, so I think I'll settle with the MPEG2 component/MPEG streamclip solution. Thanks again

[headless chicken]

MPEG Streamclip and Cinematize 2 are the best applications for what you are wanting to do. Both require that you recorded and finalized video-mode DVD.

Is there any application that can rip a selected portion of an encrypted DVD?

[Frobozz]

Is there any application that can rip a selected portion of an encrypted DVD?

Take a look at FairMount.

[Huxley]

Try an older version of yade.
Select what you want and export the vob.

[headless chicken]

Is there any application that can rip a selected portion of an encrypted DVD?

Take a look at FairMount.

Thanks. Just what the Dr ordered. As it turns out, using Handbreak to rip the encrypted DVD by chapter and then editing in Quicktime/MPEG Streamclip is more time efficient. Go figure.

Try an older version of yade.
Select what you want and export the vob.

What version of yade do you recommend, Huxley? I'm running an Intel Mac. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like development stopped in '04 which means there is only a PPC release.