All About Handbrake.

[HappyDude20]

So a few days ago, here in the this iPad sub-forum I read up on Handbrake and absolutely love it. With Handbrake i've managed to get the ".dvdmedia" files that are under my Movies folder on my Mac, and have been able to convert the movie in question to a file that goes directly into my iTunes and hence directly into my iPad. Heaven.

*Disclaimer:I don't wanna turn this thread into anything illegal about ripping illegal movies and whatnot. I just wanna address and hopefully resolve the following:

My MBP has a good amount of movies, both family home filmed movies from my Flip Mino HD and also some DVD's I personally own. When I got these films onto my Mac the only program I knew of and could easily use was "RipIt" so the entire DVD in question was ripped. (Straight to the point) The reason I'm posting this here now is cause just about every "Rip" is eating up about 5GB-7GB's of space on my Mac, while i'm sure the movie itself should be no more than 2GBs.

My current process has been to use RipIt and then that .dvdmedia file goes through Handbrake, which tosses it out to iTunes and then finally to my iPad...but why not cut the middlemen out?

Example #1; Right now I have say "Back To The Future 4: Marty's Revenge" as a .dvdmedia on my MBP worth 7GBs. Then another 2GB's are created just for the movie when I use Handbrake; but I wouldn't mind just having one 2GB BTTF4 in iTunes so I could view it on my MBP and/or iPad.

How can I go about this?

I sure do hope the solution wouldn't be to use RipIt, then w/ the .dvdmedia file go through Handbrake to iTunes then delete the original .dvdmedia file.

 

[nStyle]

I don't understand why anyone bothers converting all their movies. Just stream it.

 

[tbayrgs]

So a few days ago, here in the this iPad sub-forum I read up on Handbrake and absolutely love it. With Handbrake i've managed to get the ".dvdmedia" files that are under my Movies folder on my Mac, and have been able to convert the movie in question to a file that goes directly into my iTunes and hence directly into my iPad. Heaven.

*Disclaimer:I don't wanna turn this thread into anything illegal about ripping illegal movies and whatnot. I just wanna address and hopefully resolve the following:

My MBP has a good amount of movies, both family home filmed movies from my Flip Mino HD and also some DVD's I personally own. When I got these films onto my Mac the only program I knew of and could easily use was "RipIt" so the entire DVD in question was ripped. (Straight to the point) The reason I'm posting this here now is cause just about every "Rip" is eating up about 5GB-7GB's of space on my Mac, while i'm sure the movie itself should be no more than 2GBs.

My current process has been to use RipIt and then that .dvdmedia file goes through Handbrake, which tosses it out to iTunes and then finally to my iPad...but why not cut the middlemen out?

Example #1; Right now I have say "Back To The Future 4: Marty's Revenge" as a .dvdmedia on my MBP worth 7GBs. Then another 2GB's are created just for the movie when I use Handbrake; but I wouldn't mind just having one 2GB BTTF4 in iTunes so I could view it on my MBP and/or iPad.

How can I go about this?

I sure do hope the solution wouldn't be to use RipIt, then w/ the .dvdmedia file go through Handbrake to iTunes then delete the original .dvdmedia file.

Just delete the .dvdmedia files. Depending what settings you use to convert the video, the quality of the transcoded version probably looks fine on your MBP as well. If you ever need the .dvdmedia file again, you can rip as needed from your collection.

 

[HappyDude20]

I don't understand why anyone bothers converting all their movies. Just stream it.

I love using the Netflix app, however there are times when my GF and I just need to watch a movie in a superior quality; especially with iPad's screen.

Just delete the .dvdmedia files. Depending what settings you use to convert the video, the quality of the transcoded version probably looks fine on your MBP as well. If you ever need the .dvdmedia file again, you can rip as needed from your collection.

I'm currently deleting the .dvdmedia files once they're done going through Handbrake; it's just i'd like a way to get them straight from my disc collection to iTunes; seeing the Movies folder on my Mac as the middleman.

 

[tbayrgs]

I don't understand why anyone bothers converting all their movies. Just stream it.

???

Stream from where? If he's watching on his MBP his needs either the physical DVD or the ripped .dvdmedia file on the computer. If you're talking about viewing on the iPad, since he already owns one, it's clearly wifi only---what if he wants to watch somewhere w/o a wifi signal? An even if it was a 3G iPad, how would he go about streaming somewhere w/o a 3G signal, say, an while traveling on an airplane?

If you are able to stream though, check out the Air Video app. Has already saved me a bunch of time when I'm out with my kids and needed something for them to watch that I didn't already have on my iPhone/iPad.

 

[tbayrgs]

I'm currently deleting the .dvdmedia files once they're done going through Handbrake; it's just i'd like a way to get them straight from my disc collection to iTunes; seeing the Movies folder on my Mac as the middleman.

You could check out this thread in the Apple TV forum. I haven't tried it myself but seen plenty of positive feedback from others.

 

[supermanx]

I don't understand why anyone bothers converting all their movies. Just stream it.

If I'm at home im not going to stream video to a 9.7" screen when I have tv's all over the house (if for no other reason then my wife makes fun of me for it) unless I'm in the bathroom . I would stream outside this summer but without a good anti-glare cover thats not going to work.

Best feature of air video is the one click offline convert. Fast and hassle free, much faster then handbrake.

Streaming over 3g is acceptable but not ideal.

 

[nStyle]

???

Stream from where? If he's watching on his MBP his needs either the physical DVD or the ripped .dvdmedia file on the computer. If you're talking about viewing on the iPad, since he already owns one, it's clearly wifi only---what if he wants to watch somewhere w/o a wifi signal? An even if it was a 3G iPad, how would he go about streaming somewhere w/o a 3G signal, say, an while traveling on an airplane?

If you are able to stream though, check out the Air Video app. Has already saved me a bunch of time when I'm out with my kids and needed something for them to watch that I didn't already have on my iPhone/iPad.

lol. you answered your own question. You can rip your dvds to your hard drive stream that way too.

If I'm at home im not going to stream video to a 9.7" screen when I have tv's all over the house (if for no other reason then my wife makes fun of me for it) unless I'm in the bathroom . I would stream outside this summer but without a good anti-glare cover thats not going to work.

better to stream than to buy a 64gb ipad that you don't really need. the quality should be good over your home network. 3G - probably not so much. I guess for those instances where you are out and have to have something to watch then handbrake would be a good choice

 

[SteveSparks]

I don't understand why anyone bothers converting all their movies. Just stream it.

I do I stream a movie when I am on a plane?

 

[Travisimo]

I use Handbrake (in conjunction with VLC) on my Mac to convert my DVD's to .m4v files using the Apple TV preset. The resulting .m4v files are appx 1 - 1.5GB depending on the length of the movie and they play fine on the iPad if synced through iTunes. Furthermore, I use Air Video to stream the files from my Mac to the iPad when I'm online with my iPad, so there's really no need to put the actual files on your iPad unless you know you'll be offline when you want to watch them. I can also stream the files through my PS3 so I can watch in the living room, though I usually resort to an HD source for that! ;-)

 

[Ruahrc]

I sure do hope the solution wouldn't be to use RipIt, then w/ the .dvdmedia file go through Handbrake to iTunes then delete the original .dvdmedia file.

Unfortunately I think this is the solution. Handbrake might be able to encode movies directly from DVD disc source, but I'm not totally sure. Otherwise you have to rip it to the HD just like you do now, and then encode it, then discard the rip. It does take time but it's the only way really so far as I know.

 

[bpd115]

Unfortunately I think this is the solution. Handbrake might be able to encode movies directly from DVD disc source, but I'm not totally sure. Otherwise you have to rip it to the HD just like you do now, and then encode it, then discard the rip. It does take time but it's the only way really so far as I know.

That would be the process. Handbrake no longer decrypts copy protected DVDs.

 

[HappyDude20]

Thank you for the responses, I'm currently doing what I originally stated which is to use RipIt to get "Back To The Future 5: Doc's Time Addiction" onto my Mac, then Handbrake to create the iTunes appropriate file. Admittedly, its a bit of a process for each DVD movie but its not too much of a bother considering my goal here is to only have one small movie file (1.5GB or so) rather than 7GBs+ for each DVD on my Mac.

& so far its working out. My only concern is that now the movie in question, say BTTF5, loses video quality from the nice format i'm used to seeing on my Mac, after using Handbrake with the AppleTV preset. Don't get me wrong, the movie still looks beautiful on the iPad and i'm sure would love perfect on the iPhone, but when those rainy days come by and I wanna watch a movie on my Mac @ home and open iTunes i'll be subjected to watching a lower resolution quality film; as opposed to what i'm accustomed to seeing on those ".dvdmedia" quality files on my Mac. /Rant.

..But any tips on working around this? I mean, its not the biggest issue in the world but I do enjoy watching a movie at the best possible quality and iTunes on my Mac doesn't provide that; at least not for me MBP screen. -as opposed to the iPad and iPhone..

/Super Rant.

 

[Travisimo]

That would be the process. Handbrake no longer decrypts copy protected DVDs.

Handbrake does not decrypt DVDs natively, but it DOES use VLC. For example, on my Mac, I have both VLC and Handbrake installed. When I put in a DVD and check the Source with Handbrake, you CAN immediately convert the DVD to whatever format you want.

To make it clear, I put my DVD in the drive and use Handbrake to convert directly to M4V files that are natively supported by the iPad. You do NOT need to use Ripit or any other DVD ripping software. Just install VLC and Handbrake.

I assume this works fine on PC too, but I can 100% confirm it works on my Mac. I have about a hundred of my DVDs already converted for viewing on my PS3 or iPad. I can either sync the M4V videos directly to my iPad Or use Air Video to stream them (and it doesn't have to convert on the fly either since the M4V files are supported by the iPad).

EDIT: Let me add, however, that there is still a benefit from using Ripit to rip a DVD. You get an exact copy of the entire DVD, including special features, menus, and alternate audio tracks. Some people like to keep this DVD backup as well as convert to other formats. The ripped DVD will be very large, however, depending on what's on the disc. Personally, I just convert the main movie which results in a file size of approximately 1-1.5 GB, depending on the movie... whereas a ripped DVD can be 6+ GB.

 

[bpd115]

Handbrake does not decrypt DVDs natively, but it DOES use VLC. For example, on my Mac, I have both VLC and Handbrake installed. When I put in a DVD and check the Source with Handbrake, you CAN immediately convert the DVD to whatever format you want.

To make it clear, I put my DVD in the drive and use Handbrake to convert directly to M4V files that are natively supported by the iPad. You do NOT need to use Ripit or any other DVD ripping software. Just install VLC and Handbrake.

I assume this works fine on PC too, but I can 100% confirm it works on my Mac. I have about a hundred of my DVDs already converted for viewing on my PS3 or iPad. I can either sync the M4V videos directly to my iPad Or use Air Video to stream them (and it doesn't have to convert on the fly either since the M4V files are supported by the iPad).

EDIT: Let me add, however, that there is still a benefit from using Ripit to rip a DVD. You get an exact copy of the entire DVD, including special features, menus, and alternate audio tracks. Some people like to keep this DVD backup as well as convert to other formats. The ripped DVD will be very large, however, depending on what's on the disc. Personally, I just convert the main movie which results in a file size of approximately 1-1.5 GB, depending on the movie... whereas a ripped DVD can be 6+ GB.

That's true to a point and will probably work with a lot of DVDs, however newer releases with updated copy protection (Sony and Disney seem to be notorious) Won't work with just VLC and Handbrake, unless I'm missing some handbrake setting. I have VLC installed.

 

[CarboysDesire]

Since this is all about Handbrake, can someone please write down ste-by-step instructions for using it to convert a DVD movie to a format acceptable to the iPad? I followed the instructions in the help guide and it took too long--an estimated 16 hours before I aborted after 2 hours. I chose the Apple TV preset. I tried it on a second computer with the same slowness. I must be doing something wrong but I tried it several times following the instructions to the T. Anyone care to play Handbrake For Dummies?

 

[gnasher729]

My current process has been to use RipIt and then that .dvdmedia file goes through Handbrake, which tosses it out to iTunes and then finally to my iPad...but why not cut the middlemen out?

Example #1; Right now I have say "Back To The Future 4: Marty's Revenge" as a .dvdmedia on my MBP worth 7GBs. Then another 2GB's are created just for the movie when I use Handbrake; but I wouldn't mind just having one 2GB BTTF4 in iTunes so I could view it on my MBP and/or iPad.

How can I go about this?

The advantage of using RipIt (or MacTheRipper or similar) is that it works much faster than Handbrake, so you can rip quite a few films in the evening while watching TV, then let Handbrake do its job overnight or possibly longer. If you have a dozen DVDs, that is the fastest method. These specialised rippers are also better at ripping DVDs with some kinds of copy protection. It also puts less wear on your DVD drive.

Ripping, then compressing and deleting the ripped originals seems to be the best way. I use a folder named "DVDs" that is excluded from Time Machine backups, so all rips + converted files go in there, and I delete everything in it from time to time.

One thing: For movies (not TV shows) I use h.264, constant quality at RF = 21.5, strict anamorphic, filters on default. That's usually less than half a GB per hour, and on a MacBook I only see artefacts if I really look for them. That's of course your decision. Strange enough, for music I prefer better compression, for movies I care much less.

 

[bpd115]

Since this is all about Handbrake, can someone please write down ste-by-step instructions for using it to convert a DVD movie to a format acceptable to the iPad? I followed the instructions in the help guide and it took too long--an estimated 16 hours before I aborted after 2 hours. I chose the Apple TV preset. I tried it on a second computer with the same slowness. I must be doing something wrong but I tried it several times following the instructions to the T. Anyone care to play Handbrake For Dummies?

What type of computer are you using? (Speed, etc.) I simply use the AppleTV preset like you said, but I always convert from an already ripped DVD, never directly from the DVD on the fly.

On my Mac Pro, I usually hit 60 FPS to 80 FPS and have a movie converted in under a half hour.

 

[CarboysDesire]

What type of computer are you using? (Speed, etc.) I simply use the AppleTV preset like you said, but I always convert from an already ripped DVD, never directly from the DVD on the fly.

On my Mac Pro, I usually hit 60 FPS to 80 FPS and have a movie converted in under a half hour.

I am using a PC. Two different ones with fast processors and RAM. And I tried to convert a store-bought DVD.

 

[gnasher729]

Since this is all about Handbrake, can someone please write down ste-by-step instructions for using it to convert a DVD movie to a format acceptable to the iPad? I followed the instructions in the help guide and it took too long--an estimated 16 hours before I aborted after 2 hours. I chose the Apple TV preset. I tried it on a second computer with the same slowness. I must be doing something wrong but I tried it several times following the instructions to the T. Anyone care to play Handbrake For Dummies?

This can happen if you have DVDs with copy protection (or very dirty DVDs) that Handbrake cannot read. To see what is happening: Try it again, but also open "Activity Monitor" (in the Utilities folder, Command-Shift-U in the finder opens the Utilities folder). Then in Activity Monitor, click on "CPU" and check how much CPU time Handbrake uses. If you have a dual core Mac (most common), then Handbrake will usually use something like 170% to 190% (200% is the max. that you could get with two CPUs, and Handbrake should use most of that). You _might_ be running some other software that uses lots of CPU time, and Handbrake is polite and lets others go first. But if your total CPU usage is nowhere near 200%, then most likely it is a problem with your DVD.

Or try what happens with a different DVD.

I see it is a PC... I think when you press Control-Alt-Delete, one of the options coming up will show you CPU usage. Again, CPU usage should be close to max (I think PCs show 100% when all CPUs are running at full speed, so you should be close to 100%). Still check out a different DVD. Try something from the bargain bin, they usually don't bother too much with copy protection, if that is the problem. 16 hours per DVD is what I get on my old 733 MHz PowerMac G4

 

[HappyDude20]

One thing: For movies (not TV shows) I use h.264, constant quality at RF = 21.5, strict anamorphic, filters on default. That's usually less than half a GB per hour, and on a MacBook I only see artefacts if I really look for them. That's of course your decision. Strange enough, for music I prefer better compression, for movies I care much less.

I'm the same way, which is conflicting concerning why i'm so determined on getting a good quality movie all around. I think messing with Handbrake after an hour or two i'll find my groove in terms of the video quality i'll settle for. But right now i'm using the same presets; AppleTV, 60FPS, etc.

 

[tbayrgs]

That's true to a point and will probably work with a lot of DVDs, however newer releases with updated copy protection (Sony and Disney seem to be notorious) Won't work with just VLC and Handbrake, unless I'm missing some handbrake setting. I have VLC installed.

For me it's just the opposite--i'll occasionally have a problem using RipIt but in all of these cases I've been able to use Handbrake/VLC to get the job done. Haven't found one yet it couldn't handle.

 

[Travisimo]

For me it's just the opposite--i'll occasionally have a problem using RipIt but in all of these cases I've been able to use Handbrake/VLC to get the job done. Haven't found one yet it couldn't handle.

I have well over 500 DVDs that I've purchased over the last decade or so, and I'm currently in the process of converting them all to my Mac using Handbrake. I've done about 100 so far and I think there were a couple that didn't work with Handbrake. But the vast majority worked just fine. Now admittedly, I stopped buying DVDs last year and strictly buy Bluray now, so most of my DVDs are at least a year old or older. So yes, there may be times when you need to rip the DVD first, but normally, Handbrake works just fine,

Also, depending on the speed of your computer, it may or may not be faster ripping than converting on the fly. On my i5 iMac, for example, it takes the same amount of time whether I rip with pipit or just invert straight from Handbrake. This is because my computer is able to convert as fast as the DVD drive can read the disc.