Help with copying DVDs onto portable HDD

[MartinaMc]

I am NOT a savvy computer person, so I need some easy to understand help with getting DVDs onto a portable HDD that I can then plug into a TV, to be able to watch the movies. I have a 5yo with autism who absolutely destroys DVDs, so we copy them, but the copies don't last very long and I've had enough of copying DVDs/printing labels constantly. When I've tried copying DVDs onto a memory stick, it didn't work due to having the Video_TS and Audio_TS folders. Is there any way around that, so I can just select the Movie and have it start playing?

I have a Win 8 OS, and we currently use DVDCloner and DVDShrink for copying/shrinking file sizes. Any help would be appreciated!

[OllieTSB]

Martina, once you've decrypted the DVDs (DVDShrink is a 2003 program, and can decrypt some DVDs but fewer and fewer as decryption changes; DVDFab, AnyDVD-HD are more modern, up to date choices)...

...then you have those VIDEO_TS, etc folders on your hard drive.

In that one VIDEO_TS folder, there are many files. One is the VIDEO_TS.IFO file. I 'open' that with my DVD-video player. That VIDEO_TS.IFO file is like the starting point for all DVD players. Once my video-file player is 'associated' or linked to play that file, then the rest of the DVD's files are displayed, just like plugging the physical disk into a TV's DVD player.

I'm not sure I'd prefer having a youngster destroy DVDs or my computer. Which is cheaper? I'd bet "burn extra DVDs and let them get destroyed" is still cheaper. Label them by hand, too - that seems the much quicker, superior solution. Burn two, give one for playing-destruction, and save the other as a Master which can be copied off to other DVD blanks later.

[jman98]

Are you sure that your TV is capable of playing these kind of rips? I would think it probably only plays files, not DVD format VIDEO_TS folders but I suppose it's possible that it can play them.

Since you live in Australia, you might try ripping with the old but free DVD Decrypter. It doesn't understand more modern copy protection methods just like DVDShrink also doesn't understand them, but those are very rarely used in Australia. You might not ever own a disc that it can't rip. Or you can probably use DVDShrink if you feel comfortable with it. If you find a disc that DVDDecrypter and DVDShrink can't rip, you're going to have to go to AnyDVD. We used to recommend DVDFab but it's in a bit of a crazy state right now due to US legal issues and for someone with your experience level right now you'd do better to just ignore it.

I'm not claiming to be an expert on autism as I have no children, but a few months ago I found an article written by a father of an autistic son and he wrote about having some success reaching his son via Disney movies. It was really interesting. He said that other families of autistic children have reported somewhat similar success via Disney movies. You might find it to be worth a read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/magazine/reaching-my-autistic-son-through-disney.html?_r=0

[MartinaMc]

Thank you both for the info, I understood it. I might try it again with a USB stick and see if I can actually get it to work on the TV using the .IFO file, before paying $90 for a hard drive.
Our son is non verbal and intellectually disabled (and yes, I've read that article, it was beautiful) and has been unable so far to understand the concept of exchanging cards for communication (called PECS) but he does understand the concept of giving me an actual DVD and I will put that on for him. So we always copy the originals and keep them in a safe place (as he destroys the covers and any other paper he can get his hands on). Since he cannot yet read, we have to copy the DVD label or cover and stick it on the disc so he knows which one he wants to watch. We've tried several different ways and so far this is the only way that works for him. My theory was that he can still give me a copy of the disc and it doesn't matter if it's completely scratched if we have it on a HDD. So far his favourite copied discs last anywhere from 3 months to 3 weeks, so it gets rather tedious. And the rewinding/fast forwarding that he does, doesn't help the player either.
He does copy songs and is now starting to follow actions from his favourite sing along type of DVDs, so we're happy to have him watch and continue to work on his speech this way - would just like to try and cut the aggravation factor of discs that are constantly stuffing up as he doesn't tolerate that very well. I'm burning them on my computer and buying better quality discs so I'm assuming it's just the constant usage (and occasional throw across the room) that is wearing them out so quickly.

[videobruger]

if I can actually get it to work on the TV using the .IFO file

As jman98 mentioned smart TV (I take that's the case here) is normally not smart enough to handle .IFO files. You'll need to put the content of the VIDEO_TS folder into something like .MKV, .MPG, .MP4. This is easily done and only takes a couple of minutes. Perhaps if you told the model & make of the TV you could get more precise information.

Also, I make external USB HDD for the family to be used on smart TVs. I include posters of the covers either as separate image files or included in .MP4 to make choosing easier.

[Kerry56]

If the tv can handle mkv files on a usb stick, you might try decrypting and ripping your dvds to mkv all in one step using MakeMKV. It is free to use, though you'll need to install a new beta key every six weeks or so.

But you can still run into problems doing it this way, if the tv won't recognize anything other than a usb stick formatted with Fat32. The mkv files would normally be too large for that file system, and you'd need the stick formatted with NTFS.

[lingyi]

+1 on Kerry56's suggestion to convert your files to MKV. This will help with greatly with compatibility.

Once you've got that done, I recommend forget trying to play your videos through the TV's USB (too finicky about formats and you'll have to manually update every time you add a new DVD) and switch to streaming your videos either through the HDTV itself or a media player like Roku or WDTV. Cost: $0 - if your TV supports DLNA (likely), to $40 - $100 depending on which media player you choose.

This way, once you've got all your discs converted to MKV (as Kerry56 stated, shouldn't take more 5 minutes per disc with MakeMKV), you can keep them on your computer and stream to your HDTV. You can either view thumbnails on screen or laminate the dvd labels you're making if you want to keep a familiar system for your son.

I've been using Plex for almost a year and find it fine for casual viewing (Plex will lower the picture quality depending on how good your internet / network connection is). I can access it directly through my HDTV via DLNA, my Roku or my WDTV. A few months ago Plex started charging $4.99 / one time fee to use the client software (well worth the purchase IMHO), but you can still get get the same functions for free with PlexRar.

Another plus is that once you gotten Plex setup, you can access your videos from anywhere you have internet. You'll have to pay $0.99 for the Android app, but on your PC, just login to your Plex account and play it through your browser!

Edit: Thought of one disadvantage to streaming. You mentioned your son likes to FF and REW the video a lot. While you can skip forward and backwards on a streaming video, there's a delay and blank screen while it does that. If FF and REW is important, get a WDTV or Roku 3 that supports an external HD (get a hard drive with external power, USB powered portables may become flakey over time).

[netmask56]

Let's know the make and model of the TV to make sure we are on the same page as to what type of formats the TV can handle then it may be an easy matter to convert the DVD's to a suitable file format. The other option is to make a copy onto DVD blank as you have suggested and get an el cheapo standalone DVD player with a remote that your child can handle. I have seen a few learning remotes mainly designed for the elderly with large heavy duty buttons and just the minimum number of buttons like start, stop, ff and fr etc. Would be worth investigating. I suspect that playing from a normal DVD player would have faster navigation than many of the built in file playing capabilities of TV's. I have a top of the range Samsung and the most disappointing aspect is the navigation of its file playing capabilities. I tend to use my Popcorn C200 for files and a standalone DVD player plugged into my TV HDMI via my AV amp for physical DVD's and Blu ray.

http://www.ilcnsw.asn.au/items/9086

[MartinaMc]

Thanks everyone - having tried a memory stick (USB) now, it looks like I need to stick with burning DVDs. The TV we use for my son is an older one, so no HDTV - it has a DVD player built in which no longer works, and a USB connection which also does not seem to be working. I put the stick into the DVD player which we have hooked onto the TV, and it does not give me the options to look at files - the only thing that worked in it was a game designed to be played on the TV, but no actual movies, and no screen letting me see the folders and select them.

I haven't tried converting the VIDEO_TS folder yet, that shall be my next step.

I don't know what DLNA is - is it something to look at for when we have to replace the TV? And a media player sounds a great idea - something else for me to research.

The TV is a Voxson VLCD22D and the DVD player plugged in is a Laser DVD-HD007 if that's any help.

[transporterfan]

Your DVD Player also has a usb. According to specs it plays DivX 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 files and MPEG 4 in AVI container.
None of that probably means a thing to you, so as a quick test try this:
1. Rip DVD to a folder (so it has AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders)
2. Download and install VideotoVideo Converter (watch the adware)
3. Select File>Add DVD>Select DVD Folder (Your Folder you made)
4. Select longest Title in popup (usually main movie)
5. In next popup window select AVI and in dropdown (on righthand side) set Video Codec = 'divx', Video Bitrate = '1100' and Audio Codec ='mp3'
6. Decide on your Output Folder
7. Click Convert button on main screen
8. Wait...place resulting file on USB and put it in the DVD Player.

Hopefully it will play. There is a good chance it will play on the TV also. Keep the resulting files to no larger than 2GB initially (limitation of some players). You can also try 'xvid' as the codec.
Reduce the bitrate to suit (lower bitrate=lower quality). A FAT 32 formatted stick has a limit of 4GB files anyway.

Good Luck.

[MartinaMc]

Thank you transporterfan - I did the above, and tried it first on the TV. It came up with a split second of the movie and then went back to the menu screen showing the file, nothing else would work. I plugged it in to the DVD player and was able to play it through that, but it was incredibly slow - too slow to be able to watch. I used the DIVX setting, bitrate didn't give me an option of 1100 so I used 1024 and the file ended up being 2.3GB.

Should I just stick with burning DVDs?

[transporterfan]

Not yet. If you got a picture I don't think file size is an issue. Just in case set Video Bitrate=800.
Go through the procedure I listed again, but this time after you select AVI change the Video Codec=mpeg4.
Just for reference: you can type any number in the Video Bitrate box. The dropdown list are just common settings.
[Note: the more you increase the bitrate, the better the video quality will become...but the file size increases]

If that doesn't work, repeat again with Video Codec=x264. And finally, again with Video Codec=xvid.

One of them should work. We don't give up here, lol. Unfortunately it's you who has to do all the hard work testing.


Edit: Got to go. Will come back in a few hours. Let me know how you get on.

[MartinaMc]

Okay - Take 2: Codec=mpeg4 with 800 Bitrate. TV USB said "unsupported video" and that was it, while showing the file in the menu. DVD player came up with the menu screen option and I could hear the sound playing in the background, but no picture. Sound was slow and distorted.
Take 3: Codec=xvid with 800 Bitrate. TV USB just sat on menu screen and would keep coming back to that when I pressed play. DVD player started playing it straight away, but once again very slow and jerky - just like the first try with DIVX setting.

So while it's working, it's too slow. Is that due a problem with the DVD player taking longer to read the file, like someone mentioned?

[transporterfan]

Hi Martina.
If the video plays back at all then I assume the device can interpret the video format

I can think of five reasons why the playback is choppy/slow:

1. The software in the player is old and cannot read media files properly (that doesn't mean not at all). Look for software update.
2. The USB in the player could be less than 2.0 standard so it transfers data too slowly (unlikely).
3. The USB stick has formatting errors (even new sticks can have these). Try reformatting it to FAT32 and try again.
4. The USB is too large. I have read reports that your player works fine with sticks upto 8GB with FAT32.
5. The Video Codec has to be in h263 format. There is a setting. This is a very low bitrate standard. You could try it.

If all else fails I suggest you look for a cheap mini media player.
The method I have shown you works fine for these with the latest software updates.

I'm sorry I can't do any more to help.

Good luck.