www.makemkv.com

Hello,

I have ripped my entire DVD collection to disk (a NAS) using AnyDVD (rip to harddisk option). I now want to "convert" all those VOB files into a playable media format to play via my Xbox/PS3/Sony Network Media player..

Network bandwidth and disk space is of no concern... But what I DO care about is the absolutely highest level of quality video and audio playback.

Is Make MKV my best option? I have tried Handbrake, but it's interface is way to complicated with too many options... Not to mention, the playback has been ugly at best on my 55" HDTV...

Suggestions for me please?

//Brew

MakeMKV doesn't alter the video or audio streams at all (hence its processing speed) so the quality will be identical to the original source disc.

Handbrake can be intimidating, but it will do the job. Try the Regular Normal setting and see if it works for you. If it does stay with it. Handbrake has worked well for me on both a 55 inch HD screen and a 7 inch tablet.

One of the best things about handbrake is queuing. Just set it up and let ir run over night or for days at a time until it is done. It will queue multiple files within a folder in just a few clicks.

I would suggest MakeMKV over handbrake for the following reasons:

#1 No re-encoding. This will save you time and gain you quality* at the cost of file size reduction.
(*You will always, always, lose quality when you reencode from another codec)

#2 Simplicity. As MakeMKV does not actually re-encode anything, the settings to deal with are much more simplistic.

#3 Handbrake is a royal pain to deal with VOB soft subtitles, multiple subtitle tracks and multiple audio tracks. So if you have anime, expect extra trouble.

Example: I have an anime, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. It has 4 subtitle tracks and 3 audio tracks.
Pulling this off on handbrake would have been a nightmare.

Tolken wrote:I would suggest MakeMKV over handbrake for the following reasons:

#1 No re-encoding. This will save you time and gain you quality* at the cost of file size reduction.
(*You will always, always, lose quality when you reencode from another codec)

#2 Simplicity. As MakeMKV does not actually re-encode anything, the settings to deal with are much more simplistic.

#3 Handbrake is a royal pain to deal with VOB soft subtitles, multiple subtitle tracks and multiple audio tracks. So if you have anime, expect extra trouble.

Example: I have an anime, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. It has 4 subtitle tracks and 3 audio tracks.
Pulling this off on handbrake would have been a nightmare.

I agree here; another downfall of Handbrake would be the lack of DTS support. If you're going for a full quality file, just use MakeMKV

Handbrake supports DTS, and DTS-HD.

SC

Smithcraft is completely right..apologies, I'm a bit outdated with Handbrake

That's my favorite post on the whole internet!

SC

How much space would the average movie take when ripped with Makemvk from a) DVD and b) BD?
I'm trying to figure out the size of HDDs I will need to rip my movie collection

A DVD can hold up to about 8GB. Bluray can hold as much as 50GB for a dual-layer.

The size of individual files depends upon the encoding of the file. For 24-minute DVD files, about 1GB, plus or minus .2GB. The same 24-minute episode on BD is around 4.5-5GB.

Post-processing the files with something like Handbrake can reduce those sizes substantially, for many reasons; more efficient encoding schemes, removing unneeded audio tracks and subtitle tracks, reducing the resolution to suit your playback device, etc.

Blu-rays average 25GB for the couple of hundred I've ripped. DVDs around 7GB.

Das Boot - Directors Cut is just under 47 GB, and Seven Samurai is about 44 GB. Those are the two longest movies I have. Other movies should take up less space.

SC

Edit - I forgot about Lawrence of Arabia. It's about 45 GB.

I've merged LOTR Extended from the two BDs, part 3 clocks in at 75 GB.