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A DVD Jukebox Without the DVDs?
Malphaedrius asks: "I'm moving into a friends house with limited storage space and small children with curious fingers. I have decided to make a DVR running Linux and MythTV for two reasons. First, I want a DVR (who doesn't). Second, I want to take our collaborative DVD collections and get them out of the living room, away from grabbing hands. The question, after such a long declaration of intent, is can one rip a DVD and compress it without losing the special features and menus? I don't mind losing them but it would be nice to not have to dig out the discs if I want to listen to the director's commentary. Granted special features and multiple tracks will greatly increase the storage space needed and may be a bad idea in retrospect, but it would be nice to have the option. Has anyone built anything remotely similar to this? If so, how well has it worked?"
I used to have one of those 200-disc Sony CD changers, and the last thing my 2-year-old did before we had to give it away... she took all the CDs out, put them on the floor, and made a merry-go-round for her dolls on the carriage. Then she thought she'd left a black toy in the back, reached in, and pulled the rig that loaded the CDs for playing straight out of the machine. Yeep! One of those "What IS that noise I hear from the other room...? Oh no... no no no...!" moments.
On a semi-related note, the same daughter said just the other day, holding a regular audio CD, "What's this movie, daddy?" She has no concept of music coming on plastic discs... kids these days...
The world's only surviving livewriter.
You gave her away?!? I know it was a Sony but come on..
Actually, I believe my exact words at the time were: "Okay, that's it, we have to give it away..."
Wife: "The whole CD changer?"
Me: "Hell no, the kid. I might be able to fix the changer, but the kid's obviously broken."
Then my daughter, being the comedian she is, climbs into the garbage can in the kitchen and says she wants to ride in the garbage truck, just to make me feel bad.
It could be I use the whole "These children are terrible! How's the warranty on them? Can we still return them for a full refund?" schtick a little too often.
The world's only surviving livewriter.
Just to follow-up... that's exactly it, yes. My kids are wonderfully adept at understanding silliness. We just moved to the left coast and my older daughter's new teacher asked our two kids on the first day of school: "And where did you come from?"
"Walmart!" says my older daughter;
"Loblaws!" says my younger one.
Teacher looks at me, perplexed. Older daughter adds: "I was on sale!"
Damaged? Sure, but they're cute!
The world's only surviving livewriter.