Virual PC files accessible in OSX?

[Lyle]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new user to the forums and the Apple platform (was previously on Adobe Premiere, found it limiting and have moved specifically for video editing with Final Cut Pro 4). I love my new machine so far (Powermac G4 Dual 1.8 processor running OSX10.3 Panther), but have run into a problem I'm hoping someone here won't mind helping me out with.

I have created a Virtual PC running Windows 98, which I needed to create files with the windows-based Smartripper application (the Mac DVD rippers I've tried so far do not suffice). Now I've got those files, I would like to work with them in OSX. But I don't know how to transfer/access them from the OSX platform. They must be accessible somewhere (I have 3x160gb harddrives running), and if anyone has any advice on how to proceed it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your time,

Lyle.

[WiseWeasel]

There is no dual 1.8 GHz G4. It's either a dual 533 or 866 MHz, 1, 1.25 or 1.4 GHz G4, or a dual 1.8 GHz G5. VPC 6.x and below doesn't run on a G5, so you must have a G4. First of all, what is lacking in the OSX rippers? Have you tried MacTheRipper? Second, while VPC is running, I think you can either put stuff in the shared directory if you set one up, or just drag stuff from Windows to the Mac desktop or somewhere, I believe, though it might only work from Mac to the Win environment. Try setting up the shared directory function in the prefs.

[AntnyMD]

Drag-and-drop works both ways, in VPC5 and 6. The files you've ripped are on the Windows 98 disc image, so when you quit VPC, you can't get at the files. Go back and open VPC and find your files in Windows Explorer. Select them all, then drag them onto your desktop or another folder in Finder.

You'll find though that deleting those files from your Win98 disc image wont make the image shrink back to its pre-rip size.

In addition to Mac the Ripper, try also YadeX. Since you seem to be new to Macs, you might be using outdated rippers that although they work, don't offer the features of more recent Mac DVD rippers.

[Lyle]

WiseWeasel and AntnyMD, thanks for the prompt replies. Weasel, you're right I am on a Dual 1.42 GHz Power PC G4. As you can tell I'm very new to this

Anyway thanks for the help with my Virtual PC problem. It seems to have fixed itself with a VPC Virtual Assistant Setup application that automatically launched. No idea why this didn't come up in the first place, but everything seems to be in order now. Thanks anyway for the suggestions

As for Mac DVD ripping software, I've tried a few - including MacTheRipper - and have found none to have the functionability of Smartripper thus far. I put together theatrical trailers and tv spots, and we often need to isolate and rip particular elements of a disc quickly, and see whether audio tracks are in 6-channel or 2-channel AC3; etc etc. Smartripper does this quite nicely, though I am yet to try Yade X and will download that shortly.

Similarly, do you know of an application that can isolate a particular channel of an AC3 file (eg center channel, or rear left and right channel) and convert it to uncompressed wav (or preferably aiff)? On a PC were doing this with HedAC3he, and on Apple we expected DVD Studio Pro's A.Pack to have this functionability, but to no avail. Any suggestions?

Thank you once again for your time.

Lyle.

[AntnyMD]

I think mAC3dec will do this but you will get AIFF files for every channel.

I did use Smartripper exclusively when I was on a PC, but I found when I started working with those sections of DVDs on a Mac years later, there were broken AC3 frames on most of my files. I'm sure the program has improved since my last PC died in December 2000.

[tgpo]

on Apple we expected DVD Studio Pro's A.Pack to have this functionability, but to no avail. Any suggestions?

A.Pack is only an ac3 encoder, not decoder.

The two decoders I know of are:
mAC3dec
bd4go

[Lyle]

Antny and tgpo, a sincere thank you for the links. EXACTLY what I was looking for.

Cheers,
Lyle.