Ripping to iso or folder ??

[Johnnysh]

Hi Guys

ok so I have spent the last few weeks using DVDFAB RIPPING many DVDs

I am choosing to do a 1:1 copy to HARD DRIVE FOLDER of the DVD which creates a AUDIO FOLDER & VIDEO FOLDER

Should I really be ripping to ISO file instead of folder?

is there any advantage, the end goal is to stream from my NAS to a new media player

I am looking to replace my old DUNE Media Player with Zidoo 1000 pro or UHD2000

can these players stream ISO files correctly with no jerking from remote NAS SMB storage

or should I carry on the way I have been going RIPPING to folder structure



Just trying to find out if there are any advantage or disadvantage with either format

Thanks for any help

[hech54]

Other than what the specs of the player say....there is no difference.
Me personally I'd use use MKV files.....IF the player supports them.

[lingyi]

Few if any software allows streaming of DVD and Blu-Ray .ISOs or the menus in folder. Plex explains why: https://support.plex.tv/articles/201426506-why-are-iso-video-ts-and-other-disk-image-f...not-supported/

[Johnnysh]

thanks for the reply


so instead of archiving a true image of the DVD are you suggesting

using MakeMKV and rip the DVD is lots small pieces


it's real shame these media player don't work on true 1:1 ISO images

ITS VERY VERY BAD, that they have gone away from this!

It's almost turning me against purchasing a media player


the idea is for me to backup a true 1:1 copy of my DVDs and use them digitally and require them to work as DVDs

It really should not be this hard !!


regards

[lingyi]

Yes, your only real option for streaming is .mkv or .mp4, which almost all media players support. However, you'll lose the menus.

[lingyi]

The issue isn't the hardware, it's the streaming. According to the specs on the players you've listed, they're one of the few that allows Blu-Ray menu playback, but it's not clear if supports Blu-Ray .ISOs or the file structure, but that's surely through direct playback, not streaming. Of greater concern is that the OS is Android 9, which for such an expensive device ($350/$850) and is very limited in it's capability. We're currently at Android 11. For the cost you can build a HTPC that will do everything better than either of these boxes.

[lingyi]

"ITS VERY VERY BAD, that they have gone away from this!"

No one has "...gone away from this!", it's never been available. Plex gave their reason, which is likely the same for other software. Mezzmo does support ISO streaming, but when I tried it years ago, it was hit and miss with anything more that simplest of menus. As for Blu-Ray ISO and menu support, Blu-Ray menus are much more complex and sometimes gives problems with software media players. Also, support for Blu-Ray ISO and menu playback requires an expensive license from the Blu-Ray Association, which they don't give to anyone but hardware disc manufacturers. So, the players you listed are unauthorized.

[Johnnysh]

Thanks for the replies

Yes I did read what PLEX say, but there reason is that other system/hardware/os does not support menus navigation etc

why do we have to follow what plex say or think


Why cant we have a hardware company make media players that actual work as if it was a BluRay or DVD Player ?




It's just everything in the video ripping department seems such hard work !


1) So I'm doing the right thing ripping the DVDs to 1:1 ISO images, at least it archives them for the future in case the discs degrade, and I have not lost any content or quality, not that it is that great anyway with todays large screens.

2) I now have to spend a whole load more time and double up / waste more storage ripping out the movies from the ISOs and losing all the extras, unless I wan to strip those too!

just so I can watch them on the media player hardware ?

It all sounds a bit of a waste of space if you ask me?


It's just such a mess and hard work, Yes I could just Make MKV, but it's not archiving the DVD ?

I like to do things right, if i'm taking the time out in the first place!

Regards

[Johnnysh]

Thanks for the replies

[lingyi]

"Why cant we have a hardware company make media players that actual work as if it was a BluRay or DVD Player ?"

I explained why hardware Blu-Ray media players that can play ISOs aren't available above. For DVD ISO playback, there's a fine line between making a media player and a DVD player, which requires a license, which the DVD Alliance won't give.

Also, most hardware media players today are based on Android, sometimes customized like the players you listed and the Nvidia Shield. While there are Android software players that can play ISOs on Android, they're not perfect.

As I said above, there is a standalone solution for playing back DVD and Blu-Ray ISOs perfectly, a HTPC, laptop or PC. You'll still have to play the ISOs locally, but that's the only solution for full compatibility.

You're in the realm of wanting what almost no one else wants. Most users who use a hardware media player want it for streaming, so ISOs are out. If they want ISO support, they have to connect their drive(s) directly and at the $200+ price point, an HTPC, laptop or PC will do a better job.

I went through the "I want a hardware media player." stage, going through WDTV, Roku, Android Box, Chromecast, Chromebook, laptop and now use cheap dedicated PCs with my drives connected though multi-bay USB enclosures.

I save my DVDs as ISO. And my Blu-Rays as .MKV since I don't care for menus and don't want to be limited to the one or two software players that support Blu-Ray ISOs.

[lingyi]

"It's just such a mess and hard work, Yes I could just Make MKV, but it's not archiving the DVD ?"

It's a pain, and I'm not sure if it would work, but you may be able to save all the non-VIDEO_TS files, then later remux the .MKVs back into DVD compliant .VOB files if you need to recreate the .ISO.

[hech54]

so instead of archiving a true image of the DVD are you suggesting

using MakeMKV and rip the DVD is lots small pieces

the idea is for me to backup a true 1:1 copy of my DVDs and use them digitally and require them to work as DVDs

Just to clarify....MakeMKV is also a 1:1 copy of a DVD....there is no reduction in quality.....and I'm not
sure what you mean by "lots of small pieces".
A VIDEO_TS folder is lots of small pieces....an MKV file is one big chunk.

[lingyi]

I'm guessing the OP is referring to each video must be separate. Supported by his comment: "...losing all the extras, unless I wan to strip those too!"

[Johnnysh]

Hi Guys


so just to clarify what is the best format to rip/archive DVDs at the moment I have done most to folder and NOT to ISO rip

just wondering if I have made a mistake not choosing ISO ??

But the folders rips seem to play a little better in VLC than the same rip with ISO,

The folder version seems a little more fluid in operation ?


Regards

[lingyi]

ISO is a container which in this case contains the [Video] DVD folders and contents. There's absolutely no difference in quality, though an ISO usually takes a bit longer to open than clicking on the .ifo or .vob file directly.

You're going around in circles with your question as to which is better, ISO or folders. An ISO as a container is more convenient to store the [Video] DVD folders/files in. You can extract the folders/files from an ISO with an unzip program. And you can place the folders/files into a Video DVD compliant ISO container with Imgburn.

[Johnnysh]

Thank you for the reply


yes I would agree, iso seem longer to load / play that folders, i guess it like a rar or zip, need to unpack on the fly all those files before it can play the vobs


So nice to know there is no difference really


and if i really wanted, I could ISO the the ripped folders


regards

[lingyi]

"yes I would agree, iso seem longer to load / play that folders, i guess it like a rar or zip, need to unpack on the fly all those files before it can play the vobs"

Not quite since there's nothing to unpack, but close. Read What is DVD?
to understand what's happening. When you open an ISO, it starts with the VIDEO_TS.IFO, which in turn checks and begins the navigation of the other folder/files, causing a slight slowdown.

The slowdown is the main reason I don't care for menus, bloated Blu-Ray ones.

[robertoferrari]

An option could be to rip to ISO, so you have the 1:1 copy to burn or to play on your desktop with Leawo blu-ray player (free) or PowerDVD (both supports direct play of ISO with menus). When you want to stream to TV, then you can convert the disc with makemkv or mount it on a virtual drive, explore the image, and try to stream single file directly or converting on-the-fly.