It wasn't clear to me that there was a good way to convert a bunch of ISO files to MKVs in a way that works well for Plex on Mac, so I created the attached Automator workflow. It's not fancy or robust, perhaps more of a starting point for others. It assumes that you have your ISO files in a folder that also contains a folder called "MKVs" (where the results will go) and another called "Converted for Plex". When you run the script you select the ISO files of interest and it puts the largest resulting MKV file into "MKVs/diskname", the others into "MKVs/diskname/Other", and moves the original ISO file into "Converted for Plex". This works well for me: As long as the original ISO filenames are reasonable and I have https://support.plex.tv/articles/local- ... nd-extras/ installed, scanning the library will almost pick the proper file as the movie, and the remaining files as "extras". When I get around to it, I can rename the files in "Other" to be more informative, or delete them if they're crap.
The thing simply dies if it encounters an error, and for all I know it might not work at all on other people's systems, but I figured I put it out here, just in case.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xcrq5g8e9b0w ... rqg5a?dl=0
Automator script to batch convert ISO to MKV
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sferrari63
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:55 pm
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DigitallyInclined
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2022 5:21 am
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for this! [I know this post is old, but I just had to reply.]
I have a Mac Mini home server and I am finally getting around to archiving all my physical media. I want to keep a direct 1:1 disc image copy of all my discs, so I have a bunch of ISO's. It is just nice to have these in the archive. However, we all know that ISO's are not going to be supported by Plex. I enjoy Plex, so I need to get all these ISO's in a format for Plex, but don't want to convert (takes time and reduces quality). Therefore, those of us with this mindset know that MKV's are the answer - fast to take out of the ISO and lossless. I also want all the extras and bonus features.
However, to have to open MakeMKV, parse through the GUI, then save the MKV's, then organize them in folders with the extras to make it easier to get into Plex, then get it all setup in Plex - manually....one ISO at a time - is just a menial and un-motivating task.
I searched everywhere for something to at least easily and quickly batch process the ISO's and make them MKV's. Unfortunately, I am not that well-versed in command-line and code-based stuff. So, there really wasn't an easy solution out there for me. HOWEVER, I came across your post! I was like, finally, something I can work with! I love Automator. BUT wait! It also will automatically organize the MKV files & and ISO's, too?! This is amazing! This will make my disc archive & Plex workflow so much better!
The only thing is this - I am having an issue with batch processing. I think maybe I did something wrong. After the workflow completes creating all the MKVs from the first ISO in a set, it errors out and doesn't process the 2nd one or any of the rest. To be honest, this isn't a huge deal for me because the app still helps me process one ISO at a time - doing all the MKVs and organizing them in the folders automatically. This still is an amazing workflow for me. BUT, it would be nice to batch process the ISO's, as is the original design of this workflow.
Below is the error screenshot. If there is any info you could give me to at least point me in the right direction in solving the issue, that would be amazing.
Anyways, thank you so much for this automator workflow!
I have a Mac Mini home server and I am finally getting around to archiving all my physical media. I want to keep a direct 1:1 disc image copy of all my discs, so I have a bunch of ISO's. It is just nice to have these in the archive. However, we all know that ISO's are not going to be supported by Plex. I enjoy Plex, so I need to get all these ISO's in a format for Plex, but don't want to convert (takes time and reduces quality). Therefore, those of us with this mindset know that MKV's are the answer - fast to take out of the ISO and lossless. I also want all the extras and bonus features.
However, to have to open MakeMKV, parse through the GUI, then save the MKV's, then organize them in folders with the extras to make it easier to get into Plex, then get it all setup in Plex - manually....one ISO at a time - is just a menial and un-motivating task.
I searched everywhere for something to at least easily and quickly batch process the ISO's and make them MKV's. Unfortunately, I am not that well-versed in command-line and code-based stuff. So, there really wasn't an easy solution out there for me. HOWEVER, I came across your post! I was like, finally, something I can work with! I love Automator. BUT wait! It also will automatically organize the MKV files & and ISO's, too?! This is amazing! This will make my disc archive & Plex workflow so much better!
The only thing is this - I am having an issue with batch processing. I think maybe I did something wrong. After the workflow completes creating all the MKVs from the first ISO in a set, it errors out and doesn't process the 2nd one or any of the rest. To be honest, this isn't a huge deal for me because the app still helps me process one ISO at a time - doing all the MKVs and organizing them in the folders automatically. This still is an amazing workflow for me. BUT, it would be nice to batch process the ISO's, as is the original design of this workflow.
Below is the error screenshot. If there is any info you could give me to at least point me in the right direction in solving the issue, that would be amazing.
Anyways, thank you so much for this automator workflow!