Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

A DVD Jukebox Without the DVDs?

Posted by Cliff on from the from-disc-to-platter dept.

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?"

4 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Yes by NickDngr · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes, you can.

    --
    Yoda of Borg am I! Assimilated shall you be! Futile resistance is, hmm?
  2. Re:Never Done this but ... by oever · · Score: 4, Informative

    No need for decompressing the image first. Just mount the compressed image with cloop.

    --
    DNA is the ultimate spaghetti code.
  3. try dvd shrink by nri · · Score: 4, Informative

    Compress movies with http://www.dvdshrink.org/what.html

    --
    if :w! doesn't work, try :!cvs commit -m""
  4. im doing the same thing...sorda... by teksno · · Score: 4, Informative

    well i took on the project of backing up all my DVD's to my media server, and then building a lightweight DVR HTPC...well i found the ultimate in online dvd back up knowledge...

    http://www.doom9.net/

    granted most of the software is based for a windows box...but if you go to the forums you can find a section dedicated for mac and *nix users...that should help you alot....

    as far as keeping all the spicial features, its possible, the easiest way, rip to iso, and then mount... but if you want to compress them to mp4, you may lose the little extra vidoe bits (unless you rip those seperatly)...but keeping the extra languages audio tracks and the sub tracks isnt that big of a deal.

    i know the .ogm container supports multi audio track as well as multi sub, and i believe the .mkv container supports all the abouve pluse scene selection...im not 100% sure (as i only rip the main movie in .avi with any forced subs) but if anyone can help...its the fair use freedom fighters over at doom 9