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Adding my entire DVD collection to iTunes?

M

mpossjr

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 8, 2011
43
0
Georgia, USA
I have a lot of DVDs and some Blu-Rays. I am thinking about ripping all of them to a hard drive and using iTunes to manage them. I have a few questions about the process and equipment. I am running a Windows PC.

1) If i rip them to itunes with DVDFab will they be in DVD/Blu-Ray quality?
2) If I get Apple TV can I stream these from the computer at DVD/Blue-Ray quality?
3) If I do rip them in DVD/Blu-Ray quality how large will the files be?
4) Is there a quick way to add the metadata and artwork like iFlicks but for Windows?

If there was an iTunes Match for movies this would be a lot easier! :apple:

Any help would be awesome!
 
1. I don't know about DVDFAb, but I use RipIt and I get a 1:1 copy of the DVD and then use HandBrake to encode to put into iTunes and it's the same quality as the DVD. Haven't done BR yet.

2. Yes the AppleTV2 can stream the movies from where your iTunes Library is kept, but if it's higher than 720p then it will be downgraded to 720p.

3. DVD 1:1 copy is around 6-8GB. BluRay 1:1 copy can be 40GB or higher. DVD after encoded with HandBrake is around 1-1.5GB, and Iv'e heard a BR after HB encode brings it down to around 8GB.

4. I think MetaX still is updated for Windows, but I use Identify for Mac.
 
Use handbrake its much easier. I ripped most of my dvd's in the universal format and the quality is on par with the dvd and it can be played through apple tv or on my idevices.
 
Handbrake won't crack encryption schemes designed to prevent copying. Use RipIt. Great program. Then use Handbrake to create your iOS/ATV/iTunes friendly version from those rips.
 
I don't know much about DVDFab - just that it's quite expensive, but seems to work well.

If you are not already committed to that program, You might try my approach which works well for both DVD's and BluRays on a PC:
1) I rip each disc using MakeMKV. This gives me a single file per title on the disc at the full, uncompressed resolution of the disc.
2) I convert each title to iTunes compatible "m4v" files with HandBrake. I use the Apple TV2 settings preset in handbrake. This gives me very good looking DVD's at essentially full resolution. BluRays are converted from 1080P to 720P. They are not as awesomely crisp as full resolution BluRay discs, but they look very good, can be played on all my iDevices, and are 2-3 GB in size as compared to the uncompressed MKV files which are 20-30GB in size. (Uncompressed DVDs are typically about 7GB and the handbrake output files for DVDs are 1-1.5GB.)
3) I use MetaX to add metadata to the files.

HandBrake is a free program. There is a nominal charge for both MetaX and MakeMKV.
 
netdog said:
Handbrake won't crack encryption schemes designed to prevent copying. Use RipIt. Great program. Then use Handbrake to create your iOS/ATV/iTunes friendly version from those rips.
Click to expand...

I rip all my dvd's just fine.
 
In case you are looking for yet ANOTHER option for ripping your DVDs, I use AnyDVD by Slysoft. They offer both a DVD and BluRay version. Once ripped I use Handbreak to encode movies, but I use DVD Shrink if I want to make an .ISO image of TV shows (to keep all the menus).

If you want to keep all the extras (like the menus, directors commentary, and other stuff) on the DVD, then make an ISO image of the DVD. Otherwise Handbreak will ignore all of that extra content and just give you the base movie.
 
netdog said:
Handbrake won't crack encryption schemes designed to prevent copying.
Click to expand...
Lol. most encryptions schemes are designed to prevent copying ... hence the encryption ;)

Honestly, haven't found one yet hb won't crack. Thats not to say it doesn't exist but I have yet to find one (presuming your on mac or linux where you can have hb use an external libdvdcss, hb windows unfortunately does require another decrypter due to libdvdcss dylib issues on that platform).

Edit: as is noted directly above, from a purely ripping (decrypting) standpoint , anydvd on windows is the gold standard decrypter on any platform. Period. dvd or blu ray. there is no competition.
 
I use DVDFab for all my DVD's and BluRay discs. Works GREAT! I can rip a DVD in about 12 minutes on my old PC running Windows 7. I can rip the BluRay in about 20 minutes. I have DVDFab output to an external drive directly. Then I take the whole external drive to my Mac 2010 MBP i7, and run it through handbrake generating both HD and SD versions for BluRays and SD versions of DVD's. Again, read from the external HD and writes back to it. I normally let this run all night since I'm doing a half dozen at a time. Then I use identify to tag everything. Final step, remove the HD and bring it to my AppleTV1 that is running Leopard and running iTunes and import the files into iTunes.

DVDFab is a GREAT little application, worth the $80 I spent on it. I found one movie it wouldn't copy, but I downloaded the latest version and it fixed the problem.
 
2 things

I have read that metaX works well on the PC, but know its no long the best on a Mac.

I've played 1080p video from iTunes to the AppleTV 2 without problems in the past but that was with older software on the AppleTV 2. It displayed @720p on the appletv 2 but it beats have 2 copies of a movie. I don't know the exact specs of that move.
 
ATV2 will accept a 1080p stream, but will down convert it to 720p. So, yes, you can rip everything in 1080p but it won't buy you too much right now. I'm hoping ATV3 will have 1080p output; and I believe it will now that the iPhone4S does it.
 
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