Author Topic: Converting DVD to MP4?  (Read 2924 times)

slope

  • Inclined to distraction
    • Current pedalable joys
Converting DVD to MP4?
« on: 23 December, 2019, 09:25:39 am »
I've got a film "library" of 200+ unencrypted DVDs and wonder if it's possible to convert and store the media onto a 2TB external hard drive, which can then be connected* to a 2019 10.2" iPad in order to have a portable one man traveling offline film fest? (most of them are foreign films and will need to be able to take the subtitles function with them :)).

Hardware wise I have a working DVD player in an old 2004 iBook, a 2017 iMac and as mentioned a 2019 10.2" iPad. I also have an *Apple Lightening to USB3 adapter.

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MK0W2ZM/A/lightning-to-usb-3-camera-adapter

Digging around brings up VOB to MP4 converters like VLC and Handbrake.

Any thoughts, tips, instructions, advice etc on this crazy plan would be greatly appreciated  :)






ian

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #1 on: 23 December, 2019, 09:45:47 am »
I'm behind the times on iPads, but I assume you can copy from the disk via the adaptor and play the movie, then delete from the device when you're done.

Handbrake is the usual go-to for conversion. Assuming any subtitles are in the standard encodings, you can add them to the mix. Transcoding between video codecs is processor hungry, so use the 2017 iMac, you can mount the DVD from the 2004 iBook as a remote disk (I think support goes back that far!). Otherwise, USB optical disks are cheap these days.

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #2 on: 23 December, 2019, 11:09:35 am »
good plan until the hard drive falls over.  DVDs are far from perfect but if you wreck a disc you have lost one film, not all your films.  Backup copies on USB sticks seem like a good idea...?

cheers

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #3 on: 23 December, 2019, 12:46:31 pm »
good plan until the hard drive falls over.  DVDs are far from perfect but if you wreck a disc you have lost one film, not all your films.  Backup copies on USB sticks seem like a good idea...?

cheers
But slope will still have the DVD, as that's the source being used to rip from.  The ripping and putting ointo an external drive is being done for portability purposes.

I've done similar and stashed the now retired DVDs in a box in the loft.

(I've also got a backup on another external drive)
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #4 on: 23 December, 2019, 12:48:36 pm »
There used to be a tool called DVD Shrink that did something along these lines and then rewrote to DVD.
Originally aimed at compressing to fit on CD.


ian

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #5 on: 23 December, 2019, 12:54:59 pm »
As a note, avoid online conversion utilities and download VLC and Handbrake from the actual sites, not via third parties. For some reason (ok, porn, I assume) video conversion is peculiarly scamtastic.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #6 on: 23 December, 2019, 02:14:54 pm »
good plan until the hard drive falls over.  DVDs are far from perfect but if you wreck a disc you have lost one film, not all your films.  Backup copies on USB sticks seem like a good idea...?
But slope will still have the DVD, as that's the source being used to rip from.  The ripping and putting ointo an external drive is being done for portability purposes.

I've done similar and stashed the now retired DVDs in a box in the loft.

This is why I still buy music on CD (on the rare occasion I buy music).  Quick run of abcde[1] and it's on the server and part of the usual backup strategy, but the physical disc goes in a wallet onna shelf as insurance.


[1]  I recommend this to the panel as a CD ripping tool.  Command line, gets all the settings from a config file you can keep for next time, can run multiple instances simultaneously on different drives on the same machine.  Ideal for rounding up everything with a working optical drive in one room and ripping your entire collection in a few hours.

ian

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #7 on: 23 December, 2019, 02:44:41 pm »
Pretty much only buy DVDs these days when they're cheaper than renting online (OK, that's relatively often). We have stacks of the bloody things in the garage on the off chance we'll re-watch them, but to be honest, the effort of sorting through a cold garage at 10pm or zinging up the usual streaming services with a tap of the remote, well, laziness usually wins the day. We are binging Alias on DVD at the moment after a box-set retrieval mission. We wore wigs.

I've not bought a CD for years. I think the last remaining player is in the loft. Downloads for a while. Now switched to a subscription so I can shout ALEXA, PLAY ROCK ME AMADEUS whenever I want to annoy someone.

As ever, build a backup strategy around how important the stuff you have is, can the data be replaced, and how much effort would that take...

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #8 on: 23 December, 2019, 05:39:33 pm »
Torrent the films and consider it morally justified given you have the discs.

slope

  • Inclined to distraction
    • Current pedalable joys
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #9 on: 23 December, 2019, 06:01:35 pm »
Torrent the films and consider it morally justified given you have the discs.

What's torrenting?

Morat

  • I tried to HTFU but something went ping :(
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #10 on: 23 December, 2019, 06:40:35 pm »
The worm can is open!
It's a peer to peer system for sharing files where you upload the chunks of files that you have already downloaded while you download the chunks you don't have from other users.
It has plenty of legit uses, but because it is very good at transferring large files without a central server it's also handy should you wish to distribute ripped off films, music, filth etc.
Or, so a guy told me down the pub.
Everyone's favourite windbreak

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #11 on: 23 December, 2019, 07:39:50 pm »
Yeah, it's file sharing.

Install a torrent program, such as uTorrent or Transmission.
Open your browser and Google "The Pirate Bay"
Search for the film you want to download
Click on the result you want.   Preferably choose one with the most "seeders" but it's not essential.
Click on the magnet symbol in the window that comes up, select where you want to save the file, then sit back and watch your film download.

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #12 on: 23 December, 2019, 07:46:28 pm »
Then watch as your broadband gets throttled. Also the vast majority of sites are now blocked so you need a vpn.

Your broadband provider then goes “why does he need a vpn?” , realises that it is probably for a torrent and again I suspect throttles your speed.

We use eztv for NCIS. Ecause we cannot wait for it to be available over here on Sky.

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #13 on: 23 December, 2019, 08:00:34 pm »
All except one of the TPB sites is up for me at the moment, and that's without using any VPN.

If you do want to VPN, my ISPs have usually been fine with that and my bandwidth has stayed up.  There's rarely any need though.

ian

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #14 on: 23 December, 2019, 08:08:16 pm »
Encouraging crime (and TPB is a criminal enterprise, it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise) because you want to watch a movie or tv show, I'm not so sure about. Yeah, yeah, maybe if you own the movie in a physical format, you can paint yourself a reasonable justification, but I doubt that's the majority use case.

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #15 on: 23 December, 2019, 08:19:12 pm »
Even if you bought the DVD, it is illegal to copy it onto your hard drive.

Phil W

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #16 on: 23 December, 2019, 08:38:22 pm »
Even if you bought the DVD, it is illegal to copy it onto your hard drive.

It's been legal to make copies of DVDs you own (onto any device you own or private cloud storage) for personal use since 12th September 2014.  It's still illegal to copy others CDs / DVDs nor make the copies available  to others.

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #17 on: 23 December, 2019, 08:49:07 pm »
Even if you bought the DVD, it is illegal to copy it onto your hard drive.

It's been legal to make copies of DVDs you own (onto any device you own or private cloud storage) for personal use since 12th September 2014.  It's still illegal to copy others CDs / DVDs nor make the copies available  to others.
But those new regulations were challenged in court in 2015, and found to be legally incorrect. Not sure if there has been any changes since then?
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/17/high-court-quashes-regulations-copy-cds-musicians
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/quashing-of-private-copying-exception

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #18 on: 23 December, 2019, 09:14:19 pm »
Encouraging crime (and TPB is a criminal enterprise, it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise) because you want to watch a movie or tv show, I'm not so sure about. Yeah, yeah, maybe if you own the movie in a physical format, you can paint yourself a reasonable justification, but I doubt that's the majority use case.

I agree Ian.  NCIS is the only thing I download and each time I am conscious of its problems. As it happens we have been so busy we have not downloaded for over 6 weeks and I suspect we will not bother again. Thank you for challenging me though.

ian

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #19 on: 23 December, 2019, 09:33:43 pm »
To be honest, I'm not personally down on people doing this for things they own, but in the process they're supporting an enterprise the aim of which is to defraud people, which is something I'm uneasy about (and why I don't do it).

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #20 on: 23 December, 2019, 10:38:03 pm »

Your broadband provider then goes “why does he need a vpn?” , realises that it is probably for a torrent and again I suspect throttles your speed.


I use a vpn most days for work to access various systems. My isp doesn’t seem to have a problem with it

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #21 on: 23 December, 2019, 10:38:51 pm »
I've got a film "library" of 200+ unencrypted DVDs

Are they "real" DVDs (e.g. they look silver) or "burned" DVDs (that look green or blue)?

The reason I ask is that "burned" DVDs only have a ~25 year shelf life (compared to 100-200 years for "real" CDs/DVDs).

Source: https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec4/

If they are burned DVDs then I'd be making backups of them and then making multiple copies of that data.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #22 on: 23 December, 2019, 10:41:02 pm »

Your broadband provider then goes “why does he need a vpn?” , realises that it is probably for a torrent and again I suspect throttles your speed.


I use a vpn most days for work to access various systems. My isp doesn’t seem to have a problem with it

A not-insignificant number of VPNs are run by state entities specifically to allow intelligence gathering. Sure the majority of data being sent is still encrypted at a lower level, but at least they can determine the source/destination of a lot of the traffic.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

slope

  • Inclined to distraction
    • Current pedalable joys
Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #23 on: 24 December, 2019, 08:47:55 am »
Even if you bought the DVD, it is illegal to copy it onto your hard drive.

I wasn't aware of that fact and thanks for pointing it out :-[

ian

Re: Converting DVD to MP4?
« Reply #24 on: 24 December, 2019, 09:17:20 am »
Even if you bought the DVD, it is illegal to copy it onto your hard drive.

I wasn't aware of that fact and thanks for pointing it out :-[

It's not illegal (as of 2014). But they were never going to break down doors to catch the perps in action.