Manual Mode Tutorial

[Virago]

I'm very new to MakeMKV and I don't understand computer lingo at all. Is there a good really basic tutorial to learn how to use Manual Mode? I have some DVD's that MakeMKV is missing chapters and I understand Manual Mode can help me capture those

[Virago]

bumping this topic, hoping to find help

[Grauhaar]

There is no "more specific" tutorial available as the link to the makemkv provided help.

If you need specific help, please provide more infos and maybe someone can give you some help. Best is to open the DVD in manual mode, provide a screen shot and what you want to kow.

[Virago]

I don't need a guide. This was my question:
Is there a good really basic tutorial to learn how to use Manual Mode?

In other words, I don't know a lot of computer lingo. I need something simple to teach me how to use Manual Mode

[Virago]

There is no "more specific" tutorial available as the link to the makemkv provided help.

If you need specific help, please provide more infos and maybe someone can give you some help. Best is to open the DVD in manual mode, provide a screen shot and what you want to kow.

Hello Grauhaar
My question is HOW do I open the DVD in Manual Mode?

[d00zah]

You need to go into "Preferences" and click the box to enable "Expert Mode" to get the "Open DVD Files Manually" option.

https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic ... 398#p78478

https://www.makemkv.com/manualdvd/

[Virago]

You need to go into "Preferences" and click the box to enable "Expert Mode" to get the "Open DVD Files Manually" option.

https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic ... 398#p78478

https://www.makemkv.com/manualdvd/

Thank you!!!!

[d00zah]

De nada.

[StormMeows]

Is there a way to enable manual mode on blu-rays and 4k UHDs as well?

[d00zah]

Not that I'm aware of, but you CAN back up the entire blu-ray/4k UHD. What are you shooting for?

[StormMeows]

Not that I'm aware of, but you CAN back up the entire blu-ray/4k UHD. What are you shooting for?

Someone had mentioned in another thread that there are some problematic Blurays where you have to look at the "segment" to find the correct files to rip. I haven't ran to an issue yet but I'm sure there are some weird glitchy movies with MakeMKV and just wanted to be prepared for anything I come across.

[d00zah]

IF Java is installed, MakeMKV makes a 'best effort' to determine the correct playlist for discs produced with ScreenPass/playlist obfuscation... Lionsgate releases, et al.

https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14330

[ssybesma]

Hello,

I was wondering if there is a way to add a few more clear examples to this page so that I can figure out how to use the syntax:
https://www.makemkv.com/manualdvd/

Having a few more clear examples, I can piece together more uses on my own.
It's a little above me to figure this all out myself, but I'll bet there is a lot of benefit in knowing how to use manual mode.
I've seen cases where I wondered if I could rip individual chapters. Would be cool.
Sometimes the files ripped from the DVD don't cover everything on it...usually that happens on certain special features/extras, rarely on the main feature.

Note...I decided to copy and paste the entire bottom half of that page into Notepad and break it up a bit. Still a bit hard to follow.
I realized getting the concepts down of token, title, chapter and cell helps.
Not exactly sure what a token is, but the hierarchy seems to start with title at the top, then chapter being a sub-unit of title, then cell being a sub-unit of chapter.
I guess token is the 'command string' you feed into Manual DVD mode that is composed of the syntax outlined.

It's clear to get a complete list of titles including any that are fake or hidden, that I should use a DVD player.

Attempting to get a handle on the token structure, it seems you always have to start out with the title on the left side of the colon, and then the chapter and cell is on the right side with caveat that cells are prefaced with '@'.
What's not clear to me is what chapter a particular cell belongs to or how MakeMKV knows what chapter to look at when cells are specified. Maybe I am understanding this wrong and that cells are not necessarily parts of chapters and that cells and chapters are different ways to look at parts of the same title.

The one example token (command string) given below that seems to be most encompassing indicates all the elements involved.
I noticed there is a space between each component of the token that is treated as a unit comprising title:(chapter OR cell but not BOTH)

That example referred to seems like it should be re-worded just a bit to add 4 more words for clarification:
"The string 5:1-5 8:@3-@14,@16-@21 specifies that chapters 1-5 should be opened from title number 5 as a first title, and cells 3-14 followed by cells 16-21 should be opened as a second title."
Suggestion is:
The string 5:1-5 8:@3-@14,@16-@21 specifies that chapters 1-5 should be opened from title number 5 as a first title, and cells 3-14 followed by cells 16-21 should be opened from title number 8 as a second title.

Reading some more through the text, there appears to be a typo on this line:
"token := tile_number:part1[;part2;...;partN]"
Assume it should be:
token := title_number:part1[;part2;...;partN]

I notice near the end, the new concepts of "part", "range" and "point" are not defined.

Also the very last line about "point" shows a syntax component called "pgc" which is not defined:

"point := (chapter|[pgc/]@cell])"

Two questions:
1. I know all DVD players show titles and chapters (maybe they all show fake titles as well). What DVD player shows individual cells or how would you even know which cells to specify?
2. What is the best DVD and Blu-Ray player to use?


Steve

[cornbredx]

This was very frustrating because I have used this program for years- it's so good I paid for it because it's worth it- and this was the very first time I had to stop the program from skipping titles that I can recall where it didn't make sense that it was skipping them. For me this is happening on Supernatural and figuring out manual mode made this a breeze. It also, coincidentally, made a game changer because I figured out you can just tell it which titles to open and it opens them in the order you tell it meaning if it is not in order on the DVD you can rip it in order and not have to guess if you ripped it in the right order and go through the hassle of finding that out later. A one two punch. Top top it off it's actually very easy to do this- only made difficult by adding the extra layers of being able to break this down further. However, you don't need all that for what my problem was. We'll call my answer- the basics.

I felt the need to add a very simple and concise reply answer that I figured out that would have been helpful for me to know in order to understand manual mode much more quickly, as many that posted here are experts, and not teachers, so they don't entirely understand breaking it down to a simplistic level. However, for me, what I post below was all I needed to make the program open the DVDs the way I wanted when this extraordinarily rare issue occurred. I write this respectfully- I cannot tell if what I say comes off rude so sorry if it seems too harshly worded. That is not my intention.

Anyway, to start off: quite simply. If you want to turn on manual mode go to View, then preferences. Select the General tab, and in the second area of this box is a section called Miscellaneous. Under Misc select EXPERT MODE. Click apply, and then ok.
Insert your disc. When you do, now, you'll notice a check box to open in manual mode, so put a check in there. It will ask for you to tell it what to do basically. Quite simply, if you're new to this, all you probably want to do is open specific titles that the program is skipping for some reason. All you have to do is type in each titles number separated by a space.

For example: I needed it to open titles 3, 9, 10, and 4. For some reason Makemkv is skipping these titles even though VLC shows these are the titles playing. So I type in 3 9 10 4. It opens these 4 titles in that order so when it rips they will also rip in the correct play order. Voila.

There are more advanced ways to use manual mode, and they are quite useful to learn over time what all these syntaxes do for that if you really want to (I have other programs that do that stuff quickly that I prefer but whatever floats your boat). But if your problem was only Makemkv skipping titles you needed then this is all you have to do.

Have a great day.

[gerard143]

thanks for the step by step breakdown. Need more of that on this forum!