Where Are the Ripping Settings?

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socker_dad
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2023 12:13 am

Where Are the Ripping Settings?

Post by socker_dad »

I've been using MakeMKV for a while, using the basic settings under the Expert mode. However, I have not been able to find anywhere I can change the output video to high definition, etc. The closest I can get editing the Audio and Subtitles in the last screen before ripping. (I tried to add a small attachment, but it won't let me.) I tried ripping under the following profiles: Default, AAC-stereo, FLAC, and WDTV. They all look pretty much the same to me.

The reason this is important to me is that my wife is severely vision impaired, so I want to get the best output I can.

Another question: I agree with other users that the output files, even from DVD's, seem rather large. Without having to learn xml programming, is there a way to have MakeMKV compress the output a wee bit more?
dcoke22
Posts: 4099
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:25 pm

Re: Where Are the Ripping Settings?

Post by dcoke22 »

MakeMKV makes a one-to-one copy of the contents of a disc into a .mkv file. While there are profiles you can use to change the audio on the fly, there's no such convenience for video. The video you get in the .mkv is the same as it is on the source disc.

The typical way people compress their rips (both video and audio) is to use Handbrake.
socker_dad
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2023 12:13 am

Re: Where Are the Ripping Settings?

Post by socker_dad »

So, I rip with MakeMKV to get a MKV file, then I use Handrake on the ripped file? I tried it and the video jumped from 1.78 Gb to 8.8 Gb - the exact opposite of what I wanted!!!
dcoke22
Posts: 4099
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:25 pm

Re: Where Are the Ripping Settings?

Post by dcoke22 »

I presume if your rip was 1.78GB that it came from a standard definition DVD source. If you use the h.264 video encoder with Constant Quality, set the RF value to about 20.

If you're starting from a high definition blu-ray source, set the RF to about 22.

The Handbrake documentation, linked below, goes into more detail about the settings and gives a range for each kind of source material. If you set the quality too high, you can end up with an output file that is larger than your source file, which isn't what you want.

Video compression is about making tradeoffs. More compression gives smaller files but worse visual quality. Different kinds of source material respond differently. For instance, if you're compressing animation, like an episode of Rick and Morty, you can use a lot of compression and get smaller files without much of a noticeable loss in visual quality. On the other hand, a movie like Dune (2021), especially in scenes with a lot of dust in the air or in the darkness of night, you have to use less compression because the visual artifacts will be very noticeable.


https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/1.9.0/workflow/adjust-quality.html
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