Thinking of ripping DVD collection to HTPC running NextPVR

[mvallevand]

If I want to watch DVDs on the NMT, I assume that I would need to rip them to mpg.

Alex you gotta mean MVP, the NMT's play pretty much all formats.

Martin

[ACTCMS]

Alex you gotta mean MVP, the NMT's play pretty much all formats.

Martin

So, could I play a DVD ripped to a VIDEO_TS folder, using the npvr UI on the NMT ?
Alex

[mvallevand]

So, could I play a DVD ripped to a VIDEO_TS folder, using the npvr UI on the NMT ?
Alex

Through the NMT software sure if there is no CSS encryption, but maybe not via the UI because sub still hasn't implemented the DVD support which worked in GBPVR. ISO's work via a hack a user found using Play on the folder which does a Play All.

Martin

[BigMoose]

I use handbrake to convert DVDs. Might rip to an .iso so I dont need the disk/drive during the convert, or run handbreak on the actual disk. Either way, for series it's dead easy to queue up all the eps and leave it going over night to convert to separate mkv's. I use AC3 or DTS passthru for my amp.

[ShiningDragon]

How have other NextPVR users gone about this?

DVDFab is not bad for ripping, but have often problems to read complicated pathes of a dvd structure (so the results could end up with an movie where picture/sound mismatch).
It's transcoding capabilities are ... awful. Buggy with more then 4 real cpu cores (artifacts on amd x6 cpus if they aren't limited to 4 cores).

DVDs:
- ripping with DVDFab (use ONLY Softwaredecoder!), PathPlayer AUTO is not right everytime. You have to see if PathPlayer ON or PathPlayer OFF is a good decision for your rip, if auto produces out-of-sync results or just cut parts of the mainmovie.
- save a load of work onto a free harddisk
- use StaxRip as transcoding engine (you need to install AviSynth 2.5 and ffdshow too, but on ffdshow you only have to use and register and raw videoformat the YV12 setting). StaxRip has batch capabilities. Very useful if you're transcoding a lot of stuff.
- transcode with a baseline or main conform x264 setting. If you're using a higher setting it could happen that you'll get problems to playback this transcoded video on other devices.

BluRays:
The way to rip BluRay is very similar to dvds, but here's the using of AnyDVD vor copyprotection remove the better choice (it can run in realtime in background, so that DVDFab just see an unprotected BluRay). DVDFab is very, very poor on BluRay side.

General considerations:
On TV shows/series i don't need "7.1 super duper high fidelity 40 GigaByte Surroundsound", there's AAC LC SBR more then good enough.
On movies i don't alter the audiotrack (at least for dvds). Sometimes, if there are dts only streams i'll transcode them for compatibility reasons to ac3 within StaxRip (Transcoding Profile makes it automatic!).

[Lao Pan]

I use AnyDVD HD for decryption.
For DVD I use DVD Decrypter run through Rip-it-for-me (movie only) (Both now banned software but still work)
For Blu-Ray I use ClownBD

Any Editing I use VideoRedo (Occasionally have to remove junk inserted by bad [deliberate?] mastering)

Then I use MEGUI developer version for Indexing, Script editing and conversion to MKV etc. (DVD & Blu-Ray)
X264 Quality setting usually about 16 - 17 (Yes I am Insane)

DVD,s I usually convert to 720p 23.976fps format - imbedded Chinese --> English Subtitles on Chinese films
Only thing I haven't found is a DVD Chapter 25 to 23.976 fps time expansion tool.

Quality on 43" Plasma is well good