Recommendations - Linux

[john3voltas]

Hello there.
Long time away from movie ripping hobby. Last time I did it was on Windows XP and used DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink.
Nowadays I'm on Linux (Archlinux) and I'd like to know my options.
I've heard of people using DVD Decrypter or DVD Shrink under Wine. Some say it works, some don't. Apparently these don't work too good or don't work at all on later protection systems.
I've heard people using Handbrake. Not too sure about it but from what I've heard this appears to only work on DVD's with very very basic protections.
Some say they're using DVDFab HD Decrypter or even MakeMKV under Wine, because DVDFab is available on Linux but it has only been packaged for Ubuntu. Yep, it seems that Linux has gone property of Canonical... This may change in the near future with Flatpaks and Snaps but as of right now this is what we have.
I was wondering what you guys would recommend. And why you would recommend
Cheers

[Hoser Rob]

... DVDFab is available on Linux but it has only been packaged for Ubuntu ...

Well, UBuntu has the largest user base and thus the best software selection, and I don't think they're doing much of a job maintaning the Linux version of DVDFab anyway. Much like the Linux version of Skype, which is rubbish. I'd probably try running DVDFab HD Decrypter in WIne myself.

Wine is actually not very reliable but the reports in the wine app database looked good the last time I checked.

You don't need WIne for MakeMKV. There's a Linux version, though, as in WIndows, it doesn't have powerful decrypt capability.

I'd recommend Handbrake or Avidemux. They're reasonably powerful and reasonably easy to use. I use both.

[JVRaines]

I would recommend you look at all the applications and then set up a computer with the OS that will support the one you want — unless loyalty to a particular OS is your overriding concern.

[john3voltas]

I'd recommend Handbrake or Avidemux. They're reasonably powerful and reasonably easy to use. I use both.

Do you mean Avidemux can also rip and break DVD encryption? And would it also work on Windows? Today I'm on my wife's laptop and her's runs Windows 7.

I would recommend you look at all the applications and then set up a computer with the OS that will support the one you want — unless loyalty to a particular OS is your overriding concern.

Thank you for your recommendation but that is usually not possible.
When you set up a computer with an OS you don't have a single goal. Usually you have a lot of tasks to deliver and you choose your hardware, OS and applications by averaging. An Intel would do this or that better than an AMD but it would be more expensive. Windows would be very good doing A and B but it would also be worse than MacOS or Linux at doing Y or Z.
So, in the end you gotta average it and go with what makes more sense for what is your primary goal. In this case, ripping and encoding movies is surely not my primary goal/task. Hence why this is a Linux.
Then you can also say that I could dualboot Windows. Well yes, it's a fact, but I will only do so if I can't do it properly using my current OS.
For now I'll keep your recommendation in mind and will come back to it later if I realize that I can't use Linux for this task or that it will be very cumbersome to do so.

[DeJay]

When you set up a computer with an OS you don't have a single goal.

I have to disagree (with a smile), because that is precisely what I did a few years back, when I set up a desktop PC for the single purpose of video editing, anything else it did was a bonus. Yes, I do have a (Linux) laptop for everything else.

I've never had much success with Wine, too many applications are not compatible with it. I would suggest that if you still have a licensable copy of Windows, you install it on your Arch system with VirtualBox, otherwise install Ubuntu or a derivative the same way. Then, if when shutting the guest OS down you select save machine state, next time you start VirtualBox your application will open where you left it. Easy.

[john3voltas]

I have to disagree (with a smile), because that is precisely what I did a few years back, when I set up a desktop PC for the single purpose of video editing, anything else it did was a bonus. Yes, I do have a (Linux) laptop for everything else.

Are you really sure you only had a single task to achieve? Because otherwise why did you get the (Linux) laptop?
I see what both you and Hoser Rob mean. Usually there is a greater purpose for a computer and everything in it should be setup best for that greater purpose.
That's exactly where I stand too. My boss gave me a laptop for work. At work I need to use a bunch of windows-only tools, hence that laptop runs Windows but it is locked for most everything else and I can't install anything on it apart from a few PortableApps.com tools.
For my personal use I needed a computer only for the average web browsing, email, spreadsheeting, word processing and mainly for remote access (ssh'ing, rdp'ing). Notice no gaming on that list. I can do all that on a linux box and I do some linux server maintenance as a freelancer to cash a few extra bucks. So it did make a lot of sense to have linux on that laptop.

I've never had much success with Wine, too many applications are not compatible with it.

Same here. Nothing really worked fine on it except maybe Internet Explorer 8 IIRC.

I would suggest that if you still have a licensable copy of Windows, you install it on your Arch system with VirtualBox, otherwise install Ubuntu or a derivative the same way. Then, if when shutting the guest OS down you select save machine state, next time you start VirtualBox your application will open where you left it. Easy.

That's something that's not going to be easy. This is an i3 with only 8GB which is already a bit short but the big handicap is the hdd.
I'm not saying I can't install Windows on a Virtualbox VM. It's just that it gets excruciatingly slow, both the host and the VM. Windows is just too damn hdd hungry. It needs to read and write a lot even when you ain't doing anything and this is a damn slow 5400rpm hdd. It just can't cope with so much reading and writing on a VM. Believe me, I tried that in the past due to other needs (MS Visio) but it just didn't work because it was too slow. And it wasn't due to Visio's fault...
What I could do is dualboot between Arch and Windows. Actually this laptop came with a Windows 8 license (first thing I did was format and install Linux) and I know that native Windows runs sort of ok because that's what's installed on my wife's and both laptops are exactly the same model and the disk is exactly the same brand/model too.
I know, I know, SSD. Yep everybody tells me I need to buy an SSD but the least expensive around here are at least 100€ with "only" 240GB. Right now I have more than 300GB occupied on the regular HDD which means that either I need to go with 2 (regular HDD for applications and storage and SSD just for OSes) or with a 500GB SSD which amounts to at least 170€.
But having two HDD's means that I need internal space for them and a laptop only has room for one regular 2,5" drive. My options would be to get rid of the DVD recorder (which I use almost on a daily basis) and put the SSD in there or buy an M.2 unit. An M.2 with 240GB amounts at least 150€.
So, that means the M.2 would be the winner and I would need to spend 150€ which is something that I can't spend right now. It's the price for living in the a$$ of Europe...
So, dualboot will be the alternative if I can't get anything linux-native that can do the job.
Which leads me to my initial question: what would you recommend for ripping DVD's (decrypting) on Linux? Gonna give handbrake a try but I'd like to know if you guys have any other alternatives.
Honestly can't see how Avidemux would rip a dvd. Anyone could help me with Avidemux?

[DeJay]

Are you really sure you only had a single task to achieve? Because otherwise why did you get the (Linux) laptop?

It was because I had the laptop that I was able to set the PC up for video editing as a priority and not worry about what it couldn't do. Which wasn't much. I needed a distro that would boot and run correctly on my AMD Phenom machine and have the KDE desktop, because I found Kdenlive to run better that way. I settled on Manjaro KDE (son of Arch?), but after updates breaking my ethernet connection twice, I re-installed to fix it the first time, second time I suddenly didn't see any advantage in the rolling release model and changed, currently Linux Mint is working well and I use Cinelerra instead of Kdenlive. The only thing I cannot do with straight Linux is music scoring, so I have Cinescore and Sonicfire Pro on Windows 7 as a VM.

That's something that's not going to be easy. This is an i3 with only 8GB which is already a bit short but the big handicap is the hdd.
I'm not saying I can't install Windows on a Virtualbox VM. It's just that it gets excruciatingly slow, both the host and the VM. Windows is just too damn hdd hungry. It needs to read and write a lot even when you ain't doing anything and this is a damn slow 5400rpm hdd. It just can't cope with so much reading and writing on a VM. Believe me, I tried that in the past due to other needs

Mmmm..........I see. HDDs are pretty cheap now, why not replace your existing one with a higher capacity one. Another alternative, which works better if you have USB 3.0, is to get a portable external HDD and install an OS on it, it's how I used to test new Linux distros. Or simply use it as extra disc space. I've used USB sticks too, but they don't seem as reliable, although they are Ok for something simple like installing Puppy Linux as an emergency boot option.

It's the price for living in the a$$ of Europe...

I know we're leaving the EU, but I don't see things getting any cheaper when we do (that's enough politics!)

Sorry, I've never tried ripping DVDs, so no experience there.

[john3voltas]

It was because I had the laptop that I was able to set the PC up for video editing as a priority and not worry about what it couldn't do.

Well, the way I look at it you had to use a 2nd PC because if your only option was to keep using a single PC you might had to reevaluate according to your priorities, right?

I settled on Manjaro KDE (son of Arch?)

Kind of a far away cousing. I've been there and came back to Arch again. Nice kernel management tools they've developed there, though.

The only thing I cannot do with straight Linux is music scoring, so I have Cinescore and Sonicfire Pro on Windows 7 as a VM.

Now you've got me interested. What exactly is 'music scoring'?

Mmmm..........I see. HDDs are pretty cheap now, why not replace your existing one with a higher capacity one. Another alternative, which works better if you have USB 3.0, is to get a portable external HDD and install an OS on it, it's how I used to test new Linux distros. Or simply use it as extra disc space. I've used USB sticks too, but they don't seem as reliable, although they are Ok for something simple like installing Puppy Linux as an emergency boot option.

Replacing with a better more performant spinning HDD. That could translate into around 70€ which so far seems to be the cheapest solution. Hadn't thought about that.
External HDD's are still a bit expensive and pendrives are cheaper but usually tend to have issues on the long runs.
But still nothing we're talking here beats the price of running linux native apps.
That's what I'm looking for right now but I will surely buy a bigger more performant disk in case I can't find some linux app that suites my needs.

I know we're leaving the EU, but I don't see things getting any cheaper when we do (that's enough politics!)

Sorry, never meant to go political about it. Let's just say that due to where I live change is a very scarce thing in my pocket.

Sorry, I've never tried ripping DVDs, so no experience there.

No problem, you're trying to help and that's what really counts here. So thanks a bunch.
Cheers

[DeJay]

Well, the way I look at it you had to use a 2nd PC because if your only option was to keep using a single PC you might had to reevaluate according to your priorities, right?

Not entirely. Having set up for video editing, I could have then added anything necessary to do whatever else I wanted. The bigggest freedom is being able to render a video whilst being able to do other things on the lappy. Having had renders fail while doing other things on the same machine on Windows, it seemed like the sensible option was to separate the tasks of the two machines. Each can replace the other at a pinch.

Now you've got me interested. What exactly is 'music scoring'?

Putting music on to video. While there is a lot of good royalty free music available now, it doesn't measure up to being able to arrange music to suit the mood and, since I have licensed the music, I may as well use it. Now, if I was a composer....................

But still nothing we're talking here beats the price of running linux native apps.

As you say!

I hope you find what you are looking for.

[leghorn]

You could check out DistroWatch.com. They have listed all the distros and also a "selector" which you can use to get a distro that may fit your needs.

[john3voltas]

You could check out DistroWatch.com. They have listed all the distros and also a "selector" which you can use to get a distro that may fit your needs.

Hmmm, sorry but I don't know how a specific distro can solve this issue.
If you know that there is a native Linux application out there that can do what I'm looking for better than Handbrake, MakeMKV or that can do better than DVDFab under wine, I can see your point.
And even then I don't necessarily need to change distro. I might "just" need to repackage the app for my distro.
Are you referring to DVDFab for Ubuntu? (how dare they say it's for linux....)
Regarding the so called DVDFab for Linux, right now I have two possible ways to deal with this: politely ask DVDFab to make arrangements for a package that can be used for a wider audience (flatpak/snap) and/or ask them if they would help me build a AUR package for Archlinux. Even if flatpak/snap would be much less convenient for me, I think it would suite a lot better the interest of the whole community of Linux users.
Or did you have anything else in mind besides DVDFabuntu when you mentioned a different distro?
TIA
Cheers

[DeJay]

Are you referring to DVDFab for Ubuntu? (how dare they say it's for linux....)

A bit off topic, but I also find this annoying. In my case I lost my ethernet driver and decided the easiest route would be a wi-fi dongle. I found one that was Linux compatible, it was here the next morning and when unpacked, the instructions said it was only Ubuntu compatible. Ubuntu may be linux, but Linux ISN'T Ubuntu.

In my ignorance of DVD ripping, I had a look at what is available in the Mint repos and there is Handbrake which you already mentioned, Ogmrip and Simpleburn, if that's any help.

[john3voltas]

A bit off topic, but I also find this annoying. In my case I lost my ethernet driver and decided the easiest route would be a wi-fi dongle. I found one that was Linux compatible, it was here the next morning and when unpacked, the instructions said it was only Ubuntu compatible. Ubuntu may be linux, but Linux ISN'T Ubuntu.

Exactly put, Linux is not Ubuntu. If it was, I wouldn't be using Linux in the 1st place.
A wifi dongle is basically a driver AND a firmware. With the right kernel and with the firmware file you could be using that dongle on Ubuntu. Actually, in the next release (when they update the kernel) it might start working right out of the box. Me and my off-topics...

In my ignorance of DVD ripping, I had a look at what is available in the Mint repos and there is Handbrake which you already mentioned, Ogmrip and Simpleburn, if that's any help.

Yep, Arch's repos also have Handbrake, Ogmrip and Simpleburn but I doubt any of these would circumvent anything else besides the simple CSS encryption.
There's a multitude of other mechanisms that were added to the equation: ARccOS, DVD-Cops, SecuROM, Laserlock, etc, etc.
I'm quite sure that the average ripping tool doesn't support all those hence why I am looking for DVDFab or similar.
PS: after reading this I might give handbrake a try after all.

[DeJay]

Looks promising!

As to the dongle, it was while I was using Manjaro and it definitely didn't work whatever I tried. It was cheap enough to not bother sending it back and I binned it. Now I'm using Mint, it might have worked I suppose, but having my ethernet connection back, I don't need it. I'm not a Ubuntu lover either, but as Mint is working well I swallowed my pride and am using a derivative. Ho hum!