Discussion: DVD Ripping

Jun 15, 2012 by

Ripping DVDs is one of the most common tasks when using a home theater PC. There have been many methods for ripping movies from the discs, and possibly even more methods for converting them once they have been ripped. It’s been a while since we’ve discussed DVD ripping at the Digital Media Zone, and we’ve been wondering what people have been doing lately to archive their DVD collection. We’re primarily interested in what everyone is using for ripping their DVDs, but if you’ve already moved on from DVD to Blu-ray, then feel free to mention that too. Just be to sure to specify whether your method is for DVD or Blu-ray.

Just to get the ball rolling I’ll discuss what I use. I’ve primarily only archived DVDs, not Blu-rays. I don’t use Windows Media Center Extenders very often either. That, combined with the fact that I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to install extra codecs without ruining my computer, has led me to using MakeMKV. I just rip the primary tile. I don’t want the extras, or the menus. I just want my movie collection to contain the actual movie content so that my family can immediately start watching the title they are interested in.

So, what are you using? Please leave a comment below, and describe why you’ve chosen the option that you have.

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  • http://twitter.com/ScottSanz ScottSanz

    At your suggestion … MakeMKV. 

  • http://twitter.com/GLMotorSports Brian Knoblauch

    Actually, I’ve taken a very different approach.  I’m in the process of selling my entire DVD collection and just streaming over the Internet.  Of course not everything is available that way so one must be willing to compromise some…

  • Anonymous

    I’m right with you Josh, I use MakeMKV. I even plopped down the $60ish bucks for the full version to get Bluray support and honestly, it was completely worth it.

  • Scott Bock

    I have used Auto Rip n Compress in the past when I used extenders more, but there where a few titles that it never worked on.  Then I tried MakeMKV but it also worked most of, but not all the time.  I’ve had the best luck with AnyDVD ripping the whole movie (I want to keep the extras and episode navigation for TV shows)  to VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders then using MyMovies for play back.    

  • http://www.barnesian.com/ Chris Barnes

    I try to keep it simple.  That way there is less to break.  video_ts on the home server and the standard movies library.  

  • http://twitter.com/techlifeweb Scott Kingery

    MakeMKV. I bailed out on extenders long ago and use an HTPC only so MKV works great.I bought the blu-ray support but I’ve only used it a couple times. Still work feeding the developer to keep it going even for DVD IMO.

  • Ted

    AutoRipnCompresz to ISO. Playback with mediaBrowser in W7MC

  • Ted

    AutoRipnCompresz to ISO. Playback with mediaBrowser in W7MC

  • Ted

    AutoRipnCompresz to ISO. Playback with mediaBrowser in W7MC

  • http://jondeutsch.com Jon Deutsch

    I “rent, rip, and return” NetFlix movies by using a conjunction of MyMovies GUI + SlySoft AnyDVD.  It’s important that everything I do on my Media Center is “wife friendly” (i.e., obvious and easy-to-use).  MyMovies enables this level of consumer-level simplicity in my rr&r process, and AnyDVD just works its magic in the background.  I think it’s 3 “OK” clicks of the remote in total for the whole process.

  • http://twitter.com/WhatImpressesMe Inspired Richard

    Any DVD HD to store my Blu-ray discs as ISOs and DVDs as content folders. This preserves all menus and extras, but with an option to start right at the movie itself (at least for DVDs).

  • Steve Rohlf

    For at least a year now that is pretty much what I have done.  I ripped all my blu-rays, dvds, and 2/3′s of my hd-dvds (the rest wouldn’t rip with any app, I had to hd pvr them) with makemkv.  I only want the movies and could care less about the rest of the stuff on the discs.

  • Anonymous

    I use DVDShrink to take the movie to a VOB, then I use VideoRedo to take the movie to a dvr-ms file for MediaCenter and extenders. If I want the movie on the iPad or Android phone, I use WTVtoMP4.

    I don’t keep ripped movies, btw.

  • Jonathan Cohen

    I use Auto-Rip and Compress, basically 1-step, I love it, but it doesn’t work for Blu-Ray. I installed Handbrake, MakeMkv and Haeli Splitter, but to be honest, I forgot how it all works together. BTW, I build huge WTV files, that play on my HTPC as well as my X-Box Extenders.

    How do I get it as easy for BluRay?