Elvira Administrator Aspect Ratio Diva member is offline
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Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Thread Started on Sept 12, 2008, 2:57am »
Long overdue, it seems! I'll cover three popular DVD rippers in this tutorial, for Mac and PC. Also, there will be a link to an LJ tutorial for a popular DVD ripper/converter (that I don't really recommend for vidding, but hey, if some vidders really want to keep using it, they should learn how to set it up to get the right aspect ratio! ).
The DVD rippers which will be covered here are DVD rippers only--they do not convert the DVD to another format (like AVI or MP4), they only extract the digital video files (.VOB) from the DVD, remove copy protection, and place a copy of the VOB files on your hard drive. You can then open these VOB files in encoding software (like MPEG Streamclip or VirtualDubMod) to convert them to an editable format (DV AVI, DV MOV, Lagarith AVI, etc.)
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: A WORD ABOUT DVD REGIONS:
A lot of us vidders are crazy obsessed devoted fans, so much so that we'll order DVDs overseas, if the DVD is not yet available in our own country. (I plead guilty to ordering DVDs all the way from Australia! ) When we do that, we must deal with the different DVD regions: As you all probably know, your country will have one video standard: Either NTSC (Region One, for North America), or PAL (Region 2, 4, for UK, Australia, most of Europe).
Most computer DVD drives will open and play a DVD from any region, but, depending on the drive and the software used on your computer, you might get complaints. Your DVD software might spit out an error message, telling you that the disk you're playing is not the right region, and it'll offer to switch the region for you.
NEVER NEVER NEVER SWITCH REGIONS ON YOUR DVD DRIVE!!!
You only get so many switches before your drive's hardware is permanently stuck in that region, never to be switched back. (Not even a reinstall of your operating system will do the trick.)
There are two solutions for overcoming the DVD Region problem: Software, and hardware. For most of us, the software solution will be sufficient. Most DVD drives don't really have any preference about what region they'll play. They'll play anything. The computer's operating system (or DVD player software), however, will have a different idea. (It'll be the software that gives the error message abut region switching.) So, if we switch to software that doesn't complain, we're golden.
But some of us (like those of us with Intel-based Macs) have DVD drives which are hard-wired somehow to reject foreign DVDs, requiring that you switch regions on your DVD drive first. (Which, as said before, you DO NOT WANT TO DO.) So, we'll have to use the software solution and a hardware workaround. (Which really boils down to a new DVD drive. ) More on that later.
Software solution: Use a region free DVD player as your default DVD software. VLC Player is one such program. Free, and for Mac and PC.
Use DVD Rippers which are region agnostic. DVD Decrypter and Mac the Ripper don't care which region your DVD is, they'll rip anything. DVDShrink will balk and try to get you to switch your DVD's region. (WHICH YOU WILL NOT DO!!!)
Hardware solution: If you have an Intel-based Mac, or if your DVD drive for whatever reason refuses to play foreign DVDs, you'll have to take this extra step.
Buy a separate DVD drive, just for your foreign DVDs. A USB 2.0 drive will do the trick nicely. I got my DVD drive for about $60 US. This USB drive does not have any weird funky "hard wiring" which makes it incapable of playing foreign DVDs—as long as the DVD ripper or DVD player software is "region agnostic," it'll play any DVD with nary a complaint.
Don't feel bad if you have to get a new DVD drive. Having a second drive can come in handy for many computer tasks, not just for vidding!
Ripping your DVD with DVD Decrypter: (PC only.)
DVD Decrypter is my favorite DVD ripper for Windows, because it will rip both PAL and NTSC DVDs without requiring that you manually change the region setting on your DVD drive (later in this tutorial I'll explain why this is BAD ). DVD Decrypter is free, and also comes bundled with the much-recommended AMVapp (which has many tools for ripping and converting video for fan videos).
Open your DVD in DVD Decrypter:
When you first open your DVD in DVD Decrypter, you may be faced with a message that talks "protection." It will also talk about the "region" of your DVD. Do not worry about DVD Decrypter trying to change the hard-wired region of your DVD drive. It's just confirming the region of your DVD, nothing more.
In the "Destination" area, select a folder where the ripped VOB files will be stored. It's usually good to create a new folder with a descriptive name.
If you are trying to rip a foreign DVD, you may get an error message like this:
It'll talk about using the slower "brute force" method of ripping. Let it do this; it's okay!
Usually you want to keep all the boxes checked (for all the chapters in your DVD). Then when you're ready to go, press the "Decrypt" button!
Watch as DVD Decrypter rips your DVD. This may take around 10 minutes or more, depending on the speed of your computer.
When DVD Decrypter is finished, you'll hear the friendly Calypso melody that announces that your DVD rip is ready!
If you have a foreign DVD you want to rip, you'll get this error message:
ALWAYS click on "Cancel." You do NOT want to change the region setting on your DVD drive. You only get about 5 changes back and forth, and then your DVD drive is hard-wired to stay with that region, forever and ever (unless perhaps you want to jump through a lot of technical hoops, which most of us don't). No re-installing of software (or even reinstalling Windows) will undo it. If you get this error message in DVDShrink, switch to another DVD ripper like DVD Decrypter, which will rip multiple regions without making you manually change the region on your DVD drive.
DVDShrink will proceed to analyze your DVD. This will take a few minutes.
Choose "No Compression" from the drop-down menu on the right side (under the "Compression" heading). Compressing your DVD files will lower quality, and you want to keep as much detail as possible for your fan videos.
In the "DVD Structure" area, check or uncheck any sections of the DVD you want to rip. I usually keep everything checked. You never know when you might want something from the DVD Extras!
Click on the button on the top menu which says "Backup!" When you do this, you will almost certainly be faced with this message:
It is telling you that the DVD you're ripping won't fit into a standard 4 GB commercial DVD-R disk. But you're not planning on burning a copy of this DVD to another disk--you want to extract a copy of the DVD's VOB files, so you can convert them to an editable AVI file, to import into your video editor! So ignore this error message, say "Yes" you want to go on, and proceed . . .
You will be asked to select a place to put the ripped DVD drives ("Select Target Folder"). It's a good idea to make a new folder where your DVD rip will reside on your hard drive.
Make sure that the "Region Free" box is checked (under "DVD Region Code" tab).
When you've got everything the way you like, click "OK" and DVDShrink will start to encode your DVD. This will take several minutes:
Done!
Mac the Ripper—Ripping DVDs on the Mac.
Download Mac the Ripper (for both PPC and Intel Macs—Intel will work under Rosetta).
Set up Mac OS to not object if you open foreign DVDs in your drive: (Optional, only needed if you rip foreign DVDs.)
Go to System Preferences. Click on the CD/DVD icon.
In the drop-down menu for "When you insert a video DVD" select the "region agnostic" DVD player of your choice (often this will be VLC Player). If VLC Player is not already on the list, you can choose to find VLC in your Applications folder and select it.
RIPPING A DVD WITH MAC THE RIPPER:
Insert a DVD in your drive. Start up Mac the Ripper. It'll automatically identify the DVD and start to analyze it.
Mac the Ripper has two ways to rip a DVD: "Disc" and "Mode." I prefer "Disc." It just rips everything on the DVD and makes an exact copy to your hard drive. But if you prefer, you can go to "Mode" and select one of the options there:
I find that sometimes MPEG Streamclip (which I use to convert all my DVDs to an editable format) has trouble sometimes dealing with DVDs that are ripped in any other mode other than "Full Disc Extraction." This may be something unique with me. Try out both ways and see which you prefer.
Find a spot on your hard drive where you want to save the ripped DVD. Go to "File >> Save to." Then, when you're all set up, press the "GO" button and Mac the Ripper will start ripping.
Mac the Ripper shows you the progress of the rip. Usually it overestimates the time it'll take to complete ripping. (Times can be under 10 minutes to up to 30 minutes, depending on the speed of your Mac.)
Then it'll tell you when it's all done!
If you must, you must . . . Other DVD rippers/converters that are NOT recommended, but I'll give you a few tips anyway . . .
Xilisoft DVD converter tutorial for vidding. Xilisoft is popular with some vidders. I explain in this LJ tutorial why I don't really recommend it for converting DVDs for vidding, but also give some hints and tips, in case you want to use it anyway . ..
A1 DVD Ripper is not as good as MPEG Streamclip or VirtualDubMod (for getting quality and proper aspect ratio) but you know, it's really not bad at all! It'll make DV AVI or Lagarith AVI files. It'll rip your DVD and then convert it to the AVI of your choice.
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #1 on Sept 13, 2008, 9:23am »
Thanks for the info about A1 dvd ripper, I found when using WMM it ripped fine AR, but I found I had to find a different size to rip movies so they would be AR fine for projects in Ulead.
For A1 dvd ripper, to get proper AR I have to rip the movies at 640x360. (pretty sure it has to be a different size for full screen movies) but I don't rip a lot of those.
I have also used Magic DVD ripper that only gives you the choice of two sizes, but not had any problems there. It analyses the AR and tells you what size they are in the info.
Joined: Apr 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 287 Location: Gloucester, England
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #2 on Sept 16, 2008, 2:04pm »
Thank you SSSSSOOOOO much for this! I've always used DVD Shrink and lately it has been playing up on me. I've just bought The Tudors DVD set as I wanted to create videos using those files and it refused to even recognise the disk stating that it was a disc that could not be accessed - I thought DVD shrink gets around any DVD protection but then again it could be my version going crazy! I'm going to have a go with DVD Dycrypter and I'm sure I'll be bombarding you with questions!!!! Thanks you are a star for doing this page
Joined: Apr 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 287 Location: Gloucester, England
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #3 on Sept 19, 2008, 1:11pm »
Ok now i'm confused. I totally uninstalled then re - installed DVD Shrink which is acting fine but still will not rip The Tudors so I've tried DVD Dycrypter which rips the menus but when the file for each episode is being ripped I get an error message and it can't do it. Can you explain this at all or am I going to have to go without The Tudors for my vidding pleasure????????????
Joined: Apr 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 287 Location: Gloucester, England
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #5 on Sept 27, 2008, 8:42am »
Soz Elvira I've uninstalled it and gone back to DVD Shrink. That won't allow the DVD set to be ripped either but I've found something really wierd. Months ago I started a thread called 'problematic DVDs' as my copy of Mansfield Park wouldn't rip. As I said I uninstalled DVD Shrink and re-installed it. I thought I'd give it a go again and now having done so it worked!!! I can't understand it as it is the exact same version as I had before - wierd huh?????????
Joined: Apr 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 74 Location: Florida, USA
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #6 on Sept 29, 2008, 8:27pm »
Thanks for these tutorials I mostly use Magic DVD Ripper, but occasionally use DVD Decrypter. I started off using DVD Decrypter, and it is a great program, especially with pesky copyright protected DVDs
Elvira Administrator Aspect Ratio Diva member is offline
Aspect Ratio Diva
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,636
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #7 on Sept 30, 2008, 4:42am »
Thanks for the tip on Magic DVD Ripper. I have been writing a series of reviews/tutorials of the many Windows-based DVD rippers/converters out there, and so was able to add Magic DVD Ripper to the list! http://sweeney32.livejournal.com/3002.html
My editing software is Final Cut Pro, but I have a familiarity with Sony Vegas, Ulead VideoStudio, and Premiere Elements.
vigorlilover Getting used to the place member is offline
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Joined: Oct 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 26
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #8 on Oct 16, 2008, 2:56pm »
I may be doing something wrong which most likely i am, but I downloaded DVD shrink and it finished doing everything in the screen shots; encoding, "This dvd is now ready for burning with the correct burning software" "create shortcut folders" and all that jazz but when I go look for it I find the folders but no movie. Can someone tell me where am I going wrong?
Elvira Administrator Aspect Ratio Diva member is offline
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Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,636
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #9 on Oct 16, 2008, 3:06pm »
There should be some folders (I think) which say "VIDEO_TS" and perhaps also "AUDIO_TS". Do you have something like that in the right location? And inside there will be files, various odd files, some with the extension .vob? The VOB files (with larger file sizes, like 500 MB or 1000 MB or 1 GB) are the video files that you'll be converting to an editable format (like DV AVI or Lagarith AVI) by following one of the other tutorials here.
My editing software is Final Cut Pro, but I have a familiarity with Sony Vegas, Ulead VideoStudio, and Premiere Elements.
vigorlilover Getting used to the place member is offline
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Joined: Oct 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 26
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #10 on Oct 17, 2008, 5:16am »
yea the folders are there but here is the weird thing, after dvd shrink says back up complete dvd output files were save to the following location, etc. I click on the link and there is the odd files you described and i find the movie there, but if I go there without clicking that link like trying to import for it has the folders but none of those files are there it says this folder is empty
Elvira Administrator Aspect Ratio Diva member is offline
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Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,636
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #12 on Oct 17, 2008, 1:32pm »
You cannot import the files directly into Windows Movie Maker. As this tutorial explains:
Quote:
they only extract the digital video files (.VOB) from the DVD, remove copy protection, and place a copy of the VOB files on your hard drive. You can then open these VOB files in encoding software (like MPEG Streamclip or VirtualDubMod) to convert them to an editable format (DV AVI, DV MOV, Lagarith AVI, etc.)
You need to now open the VOB files in encoding software like MPEG Streamclip or VirtualDubMod) and convert them to (in your case) AVI. This tutorial is one we have here which will show you how to convert the files to DV AVI. If you need to conserve more disk space, try this tutorial. Also, since you are using WMM, you should consult this tutorial which is all about getting the best quality out of WMM!
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #13 on Nov 25, 2008, 11:37pm »
Hello, I use DVD Decrypter and for a while now I've been encountering a problem that I don't know how to fix.
I rip a scene, no problems there and it plays fine in Windows Movie Player, but when I import it into Premiere the footage is all laggy/skippy/glitchy, and flickers between film angles like heck. It's becoming a major issue with me, and I sometimes re-rip scenes about 4 times, to no avail! It's also getting worse and worse. If I export the clip, it still flickers and lags. I thought maybe it was because the DVD was scratched, but now it's happening to brand-new DVDs, too.
I don't know what's causing this problem, and I was wondering if anyone else has encountered it. >_<
I use Adobe Premiere Pro 4 to make videos, and Adobe Photoshop to make signatures and banners
Elvira Administrator Aspect Ratio Diva member is offline
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Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,636
Re: Let 'er Rip--DVD ripping (Mac & PC) « Reply #14 on Nov 25, 2008, 11:56pm »
If you get the ripped DVD to play well in Windows Media Player, then it might not be DVD Decrypter that is the problem.
What program do you use to convert to some form of AVI, for editing in Premiere? What codec do you use? (I can't tell by what you've written here—it almost sounds like you're importing the VOB files straight into Premiere, which I didn't think would even work, but even if it did work, it would be a bad thing and something you Should Not Do.)
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) When we do that, we must deal with the different DVD regions: As you all probably know, your country will have one video standard: Either NTSC (Region One, for North America), or PAL (Region 2, 4, for UK, Australia, most of Europe). ![[image]](http://richard-armitage.org/graphics/smilies/sigh.gif "[image]")
) More on that later.![[image]](http://richard-armitage.org/graphics/smilies/scary.gif "[image]")
). DVD Decrypter is free, and also comes bundled with the much-recommended ![[image]](http://richard-armitage.org/DVD-ripping/DVD-ripping-screenshots/DVD-Decrypter-RCE-Region.gif "[image]")
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it has the folders but none of those files are there it says this folder is empty
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