DVD ISO files with My TVSeries Plugin (1 Viewer)

[rmeredit]

The solution I've used doesn't shrink or convert anything. I rip each episode using DVD Decryptor in IFO mode with file splitting turned off (you need to go into Tools > Settings to do this). This produces a single VOB per episode, the extension of which I change to .mpg (it's just an MPEG 2 file after all). Plays fine (although in VLC the incorrect audio track tends to play by default, for some reason - but no hassle at all in MP), and when named properly gets sucked into My TVSeries generally without a hitch, unless thetvdb.org is down!

I also use a Mac powerbook to do a bit of parallel ripping to speed things up, and use Mac the Ripper 2.6.6. Again, rip using Title Set Only (the equivalent setting to the one I use in DVD Decryptor) - produces a single VOB which I rename with .mpg.

Any significant extras I want to keep I also rip, and in most cases, they're in thetvdb.org, but if not, I add them. I'm about half way through my collection now and approaching 1/3 full on my 3TB NAS

 

[Cruzer]

Sounds like another great way to do it. DVD Shrink isn't doing any "shrinking", just breaking out the various titles. I like your method in that it doesn't split the vobs like DVD Shrink does. However, I like the built-in player in Shrink so I can preview the titles. Six of one...

As for space, they do add up! I've been converting them to x264 to save space.

 

[rmeredit]

Yes, I do have VLC running as well for quick previews where needed - most disks are pretty obvious, but there are some strange layouts out there.

One thing I'm finding tedious is the lack of a queue in DVD Decryptor - it would be nice to set up, say, for a disk with 4 episodes on it, four separate jobs that can just run automatically.

 

[shackrock]

That does sound like a good idea, the DVD decryptor idea.

However, my problem is I have the sopranos series, for example, and I haven't watched all of the episodes yet. If the structure isn't in order (ep. 1, then 2, then 3, then 4) on a disk, how will I know which I am ripping? I don't want to watch them backwards, obviously...

And actually, I imagine I'd have that problem with many series that I have that I HAVE seen - I'm sure I can hardley remember which episodes go in which order, just by a short preview.... any tips here?

 

[Cruzer]

Typically, they are in order. But you can be sure by opening the disk in a player (I use media player classic). Then just navigate the menus to the episodes and see which title plays when you start a specific episode (it shows in the information or statistics area on the bottom if enabled).

As for using Decryptor, can you strip out the unwanted streams such as unwanted languages and subtitles?

 

[bradmitchell]

I'm following this topic with great interest. I have a bunch of TV shows on DVD. I'm not sure I want to go down the path of ripping every dvd to the HDD tho. My NAS is only 1TB so ripping all of the star trek seasons + god knows what else I have to the hdd could take a long time and a lot of space.

Is there provision to add similar to Moving pictures on adding media from a DVD instead and just specifying the season and episodes on the disc and just playing the disc. TV stuff is coming out on bluray now as well such as True Blood and I think the star trek series have also come out on Bluray so again, similar issue.

 

[poppabk]

Best bet is using symbolic links in Vista or Win 7 (or junction points may work on XP). You create symbolic links for each episode on the DVD named appropriately for the TVSeries parser that all link to the same iso file. Its time consuming, but effective.

 

[bradmitchell]

I found references to using hard links in windows NTFS which only allow you to link directly with the NTFS. Symbolic links I found referred to them as reparsepoint's in Windows XP. I don't think I can create a link to an actual DVD drive using this link method. Was hoping others possibly had a use for getting the volume label of the drive and logging it as removable media for playback similar to what moving pictures does.

Edit:

I ended up downloading systernals junction.exe to create links to the DVD.

I put a DVD in D:\ and made a series of junctions under:

C:\videos\UnderBelly\Season 1

junction UnderBellyS1E01 D:\
..
..
..
junction UnderBellyS1E13 D:\

Then I set up a basic parsing string:

<series>\Season <season>\<series>S<season>E<episode>\VIDEO_TS\VIDEO_TS.ifo

This appears to have added each individual episode and all is good. I can start up the DVD through any of the links in MP TV Series. The menu comes up etc etc. The only issue is playback after I've actually selected an episode. Now this is currently on my test box which isn't my actual media center and it goes very weird, fast audio, blocking screen looking like it isn't decoding properly. I'll try it on the proper media center but I am not liking where its going. I also brought up the DVD through My Videos and select the JUNCTION (directory) called UnderBellyS1E01 and again after I select a episode through the DVD menu, decoded badly and fast audio and all that.

If I use the "Play DVD" function, it works fine, the dvd plays as expected. I played another DVD which is stored on the HDD and that plays fine through My Videos... now I'm confused ... I thought I had it all worked out too..

^^ NM, looks like it works on the REAL media center after all

 

[jonaskp]

We wouldn't be "enthusiasts" if we didn't try to tweak everything all the time to make our setups better. So I changed the way I organize my TVseries from DVD.

I found the program called MakeMKV. It basically rips a dvd and wraps it in a .mkv container, without reencoding. This is cool, because it means that I don't have to have individual folders for each episode. In MakeMKV I get a list of all the titles on a disc. There is an option to ignore titles that are less than x number of seconds, so you only get the actual episodes (and not menues, trailers and stuff). You also have the option to select which audio and subtitle tracks that you wan't to rip. You can rip all the titles on a disc in one go.


All in all the program does everything I ever used DVDshrink for + puts the episodes in seperate .mkv containers. And the best thing is that is freeware.
I use it for ripping my DVD movies as well.

 

[bradmitchell]

We wouldn't be "enthusiasts" if we didn't try to tweak everything all the time to make our setups better. So I changed the way I organize my TVseries from DVD.

Too true. The number of options listed here will solve the issue for anyone. For me it was a matter of limited storage so I went up the path of using junctions. All it took was creating a bunch of batch files to create the junctions to the DVD IFO file. If you have lots of room on your nas then, knock yourself out. If I had a NAS large enough, I'd rip every movie so I didn't have to walk up and pick out a blu-ray/DVD at all.