Feature Request - Read ISO Images

[Aberslam74]

I have tried out 15+ tools for converting DVDs to .mpg files without transcoding.

I believe that VOB2MPG PRO is the best tool and have donated/purchased a license.

I RIP my DVDs to ISO images on a hard drive. Currently I have to mount these images as a virtual DVD drive and then use VOB2MPG Pro to open the .IFO file.

It would be much simpler and quicker if VOB2MPG Pro could just open ISO image files.

Is there any way this can happen?

Thanks for the great software,

Aberslam74

[redwudz]

I wouldn't bother with ISOs for your purposes. An ISO is just a container for the file, nothing else. Not really needed for quality, speed, or much of anything else. It's handy for putting the miscellaneous files such as from a DVD into a single file container, but a common folder can do about the same. It's really most useful for creating a file for burning exact copies of a original file, but that doesn't appear to be what you are doing.

If you want to shrink the ISO DVD file, try DVD Shrink. It can read DVD ISO files. But skipping the ISO creation would be faster and easier if you just want to change the file size of a DVD or create a .MPG file from the DVD.

And welcome to our forums.

[manono]

It would be much simpler and quicker if VOB2MPG Pro could just open ISO image files.

No, it would be much simpler and quicker if you decrypted your DVDs to IFOs, BUPs, and VOBs, like normal people, before then using VOB2MPG. Why try to fit a round peg into a square hole?

[DB83]

And if you want to play an ISO without mounting it to a virtual DVD drive just use VLC

[Aberslam74]

I understand the thougt process in backing up the IFOs and VOBs.

In RIPping my DVD collection, my goal was to never have to put the disc back in the computer ever again. Therefore, ISO is the best method for this. I have experimented with 15+ tools for converting DVDs to MPEGs and kept having to put the disc back in the drive as my strategy evolved.

Finally, I settled on the approach of just RIPping to ISO once.

I use VOB2MPG Pro to convert IFO & VOBs to MPEG-2 and stream from a WD My Book Live (uses Twonky Media) to two PS3 consoles. The MPEG-2 from VOB2MPG Pro works fine in most cases.

Some kids videos do not seek properly on the PS3. I am then using Handbrake to convert the non-seeking videos to .m4v files.

Anyway, Handbrake allows you to directly open an ISO image and select IFO/VOBs within the ISO. It would be very convenient if this feature could be added to VOB2MPG Pro as well. A queue similar to Handbrake's would also be nice.

Thanks,

Aberslam74

[manono]

I am then using Handbrake to convert the non-seeking videos to .m4v files.

Anyway, Handbrake allows you to directly open an ISO image and select IFO/VOBs within the ISO.

You haven't made your case. Doesn't Handbrake also allow for the opening of IFOs or VOBs directly? If so, there's still no valid reason for decrypting to ISO or requesting that VOB2MPG open ISOs.

In RIPping my DVD collection, my goal was to never have to put the disc back in the computer ever again. Therefore, ISO is the best method for this.

That doesn't even make any sense, not to me anyway. The second sentence doesn't follow from the first.

[Aberslam74]

I would rather not use Handbrake at all. I only re-encode with Handbrake IF the .mpg file produced by VOB2MPG Pro has trouble seeking on the PS3 (FF, REW, 1-minute thumbnails, etc.). I prefer to use the encoding that is on the DVD so I can get the best quality video possible.

I was trying different methods to convert DVDs and I would have to put the DVD in the drive each time. I am aware that there are multiple tools (inlcuding DVD Shrink, which I used to use) for RIPping just the IFO and VOB files, but there is always the possibility of the data being changed. Or, in the case of multiple episodes on a single DVD, the possibility of not getting all of the content you wanted. I would rather RIP the entire DVD in UNALTERED form. That way I will never again have to go through the time consuming process of RIPping my DVD collection.

If this doesn't make sense to you, fine. It would still be a great thing if I could open ISO files directly in VOB2MPG Pro and if there was a queue, so you could batch up multiple IFO/VOBs to be converted to MPG.

Heck, I would donate/pay again for an update that added that feature.

[manono]

...but there is always the possibility of the data being changed.

No there isn't.

Or, in the case of multiple episodes on a single DVD, the possibility of not getting all of the content you wanted.

If decrypting the entire DVD to the hard drive, there's no chance at all of that happening.

But that's OK, I'll retire from this one. Good luck.

[DB83]

You may use multiple tools but you do not seem to know which one to use.

DvdShrink is NOT a ripper in the pure sense of the word. It does what it says on the tin - rips the disk and then SHRINKS it to fit on on DVD5.

A conventional ripper again does what it says on the tin - copies the content of a disk EXACTLY, compression wise, as it existed on that disk. It only alters some controls such as UOPs or region restrictions.

VOB2Mpeg again does what it says on the tin - takes a vob from a disk or a series of vobs as listed through the ifo and converts that to a mpeg. To provide a function to read from an ISO is, quite frankly, duplicating and totally un-neccessary.

Think on this. You already put that disk on the drive to make the ISO. You can equally put that same disk in the drive once, and only once, and rip it with a conventional ripper NOT DvdShrink and use Vob2Mpg to read the the ifo from there. The conventional rip takes exactly the same amount of space on your HDD as creating the ISO.

But as my friend above states, good luck with your quest. I just do not see it happening any day soon.

[Aberslam74]

I understand what DVD Shrink and the other tools do. Whenever I used DVD Shrink, I disabled compression.

I also understand what VOB2MPG does.

I prefer ISO instead of a folder of IFO, BUP, and VOB files because the ISO is a single monolithic file. Maybe it's just my former life in I.T., but since the ISO can't be tampered with or modified easily (the way a folder of files could be), it gives me more confidence in it as a long term archive. It also gives you the flexibility to use it with programs that will deal with discs but are not designed to deal with IFO and VOB files.

Anyway, I don't see why this seems so unusual to everyone. From my perspective, not creating ISO images seems weird, but to each his own.

My point is simply that it would a very convenient and helpful feature to have. It would increase the options and flexibility for the end user. There is certainly not any downside to adding the feature.

ChrissyBoy, any chance of adding this feature?

[ChrissyBoy]

ChrissyBoy, any chance of adding this feature?

I do have something in the wings for this. Drop me a PM/Email if you want to give it a try.