DVD to iPad

[Lwood]

Free Ripping Software

Originally Posted by wot_fan
The best method I have found for converting DVDs to an iPad friendly format requires 2 programs. First is a ripper. This program will copy the DVD to your hard drive and remove the copy protection. The second program is a video encoder/converter. Here are the ones I am familiar with. They are all free.

Mac Ripping Program: Mac the Ripper
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Windows Ripping Program: DVD Decrypter (may be better ones. I haven't used it in years)
Video encoder: Handbrake
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Handbrake has a preset for AppleTV. This is the one I use to encode for my iPad.

BTW, if you want to convert a Blueray, you can use MakeMKV to rip to an MKV file. Handbrake can then convert to an iPad friendly format.

__________________

Trust me - I hate paying for software as well - but most of the programs listed, especially Handbrake - don't provide an ease of use for people that are not really technically enabled for the MAC side of things.

I tried handbrake and the output resolution was ridiculously low in the Apple TV setting. That is why I chose a purchased product that had some tech support with it.

Free is not always "free" when it costs a lot of my time and effort and does not produce the results needed.

On the other hand - thank you for providing the information that you did. With more experience, they will come in handy in the future.

Lee

 

[Gern Blanston]

Handbrake works very well for me. If you choose "Toggle Presets" from the toolbar so that the preset-drawer opens up and then select Apple > Universal, it works every time.

 

[wot_fan]

Trust me - I hate paying for software as well - but most of the programs listed, especially Handbrake - don't provide an ease of use for people that are not really technically enabled for the MAC side of things.

I tried handbrake and the output resolution was ridiculously low in the Apple TV setting. That is why I chose a purchased product that had some tech support with it.

Free is not always "free" when it costs a lot of my time and effort and does not produce the results needed.

On the other hand - thank you for providing the information that you did. With more experience, they will come in handy in the future.

Lee

I have to disagree that handbrake is not easy to use. To convert a video/Dvd to an iPad friendly format requires only three steps.

1. Load the video into handbrake.
2. Select the AppleTV preset.
3. Click Start.

I am not sure how much easier it could be.

As far as the output resolution, using the AppleTV preset only changes the resolution of the video if the video's resolution is greater than 720p (since the AppleTv and iPad don't support higher resolutions). I used handbrake to encode my entire DVD collection (over 300 movies) and I have yet to be dissatisfied with the results. What exactly didn't you like about handbrake's output?

 

[Gern Blanston]

I tried handbrake and the output resolution was ridiculously low in the Apple TV setting.

Indeed. Use the Apple > Universal preset instead. It's much, much better and will look as good as you're hoping for. It's too bad that the guys who wrote Visual Hub called it quits. That was a very elegant application and I used it all the time to convert videos for my iPhone.

 

[Edlex]

I have been having the worst time with avatar DVD. I'm ripping it with DVD decrypter and trying to convert it with handbrake. I clicked on it after it finished converting with the appletv preset and it wouldn't play on the laptop. Some error message came up. I'm close to giving up.

 

[Lwood]

How Do You Get the Graphic for the DVD to move across?

I used ANYDVD to decrypt - DVDShrink to reduce it down to a decent size and then DVD Ripper to move it over to iPad HD Video (*.MP4). The file converted great and was moved over to the iPad where it has great visual resolution.

One issue - it shows up under Videos - as a black square with the title under it. No graphic to show what it is (Avatar). Other digital movies provided with DVDs (like the Dark Knight) show up as a visual graphic that appears on the DVD Case.

How do you get the same effect on the iPad?

Thanks

Lee

 

[panlamin]

One issue - it shows up under Videos - as a black square with the title under it. No graphic to show what it is (Avatar). Other digital movies provided with DVDs (like the Dark Knight) show up as a visual graphic that appears on the DVD Case.

How do you get the same effect on the iPad?

Thanks

Lee

In iTunes right click on the movie and select "Get Info". Then select the artwork tab, then add the picture you would like to show up as the cover art.

Steve

 

[fritz68]

i tried using handbrake last night. it did the 1st chapter and then stopped. it didn't do the rest of the movie. before i hit start it said chapters 1 thru 21. why did it only do the 1.

 

[Edlex]

Ok so I finally ripped and loaded The Matrix. DVD decrypter to rip and handbrake to convert to the universal preset. Looks and sounds good but I did notice it doesn't fill much of the screen vertically. Is that because of the aspect ratio? I've given up on avatar though. I think it has extra encryption that decrypter can't handle.

 

[wot_fan]

Ok so I finally ripped and loaded The Matrix. DVD decrypter to rip and handbrake to convert to the universal preset. Looks and sounds good but I did notice it doesn't fill much of the screen vertically. Is that because of the aspect ratio? I've given up on avatar though. I think it has extra encryption that decrypter can't handle.

Yes, the aspect ratio will determine how big the black bars on the bottom and top of widescreen movies are. The aspect ratio for movies varies a lot so some movies will have small black bars and other will have huge bars.

If you want the video to fill the screen, just press the button highlighted in the pic below (red circle in upper right of image).



After pressing the button:

 

[Edlex]

Thanks wot fan. It looks just like the first picture so I guess I did it right. I actually converted it a second time in the appletv preset to compare it to the universal preset I did first. They actually look identical so do you know what the difference is?

 

[VetPsychWars]

I decided that ease of use was more important to me than free, so I paid for two programs.

The first was RipIt; that gets the stuff off of the DVD and into a file.

For single files, I prefer to use the free MPEG Streamclip for conversion to mp4. Lots of control, and one particular option a person might want to use is "deinterlace video".

For files I've downloaded where I want to batch convert a bunch of them, I use iSkysoft Video Converter. That one is not free but, as I said, it will easily do a batch. I can start them when I go to bed or go to work and they'll be done when I get home.

Another file converter I was pretty impressed with is Air Video. If you ask it to convert, it will start ffmpeg in the background and you can fire up a bunch of them if you like.

I've used Handbrake in the past and have had issues with it, which is why I bought RipIt.

So, some alternatives if you don't mind spending a little money.

Tom

 

[DavidNM]

Trust me - I hate paying for software as well - but most of the programs listed, especially Handbrake - don't provide an ease of use for people that are not really technically enabled for the MAC side of things.

I tried handbrake and the output resolution was ridiculously low in the Apple TV setting. That is why I chose a purchased product that had some tech support with it.

Free is not always "free" when it costs a lot of my time and effort and does not produce the results needed.

On the other hand - thank you for providing the information that you did. With more experience, they will come in handy in the future.

Lee

I have to disagree that handbrake is not easy to use. To convert a video/Dvd to an iPad friendly format requires only three steps.

1. Load the video into handbrake.
2. Select the AppleTV preset.
3. Click Start.

I am not sure how much easier it could be.

As far as the output resolution, using the AppleTV preset only changes the resolution of the video if the video's resolution is greater than 720p (since the AppleTv and iPad don't support higher resolutions). I used handbrake to encode my entire DVD collection (over 300 movies) and I have yet to be dissatisfied with the results. What exactly didn't you like about handbrake's output?

Yea but I'm starting to experience more and more problems with Handbrake. Some movies are showing up with 99 chapters / choices - and none of them work for the conversion. Or Handbrake can't get through all of the choices without hanging. I'm thinking there's an issue with a new encryption.

 

[Lwood]

Got the Decryption and encoding - what about shrinking?

It appears that AnyDVD will decode the DVD; and Handbrake will encode it for iPad - what about shrinking? I am trying to find an all-Apple/Mac solution.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Lee

 

[VetPsychWars]

It appears that AnyDVD will decode the DVD; and Handbrake will encode it for iPad - what about shrinking? I am trying to find an all-Apple/Mac solution.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Lee

The aforementioned MPEG Streamclip will do that. You may need to do a little research into what the parameters mean.

Tom