Convert DVD main feature to video file without transcoding/losing quality?

[Elliot B.]

Is this possible?

 

Is it as simple as changing a file extension?

[DevTech]

26 minutes ago, Elliot B. said:

Is this possible?

 

Is it as simple as changing a file extension?

The video on a DVD is encoded in a compressed MP2 video format.

 

Bluray uses MP4

 

Either format can be copied to a computer directly "as is" bit-for-bit without loss of quality, about 4 gigs for DVD and 20 to 40 gigs for Bluray.

 

For a DVD you can just look for the .VOB file and most media players will recognize it as a MP2.

 

To reduce the size of the video file on your disk you need to transcode the original file and it is completely absolutely impossible NOT to lose quality in that process. The reason it can work for most people is that there is a difference between actual quality loss and subjective quality loss.

 

The proper way to do this is to Re-Encode from the original video source since both DVD and Bluray are already compressed formats with a certain amount of loss in quality. But of course you don't have access to the original so the transcode process introduces a second type of quality loss that is unavoidable when you use a different compression algorithm.

 

To make it all work you have to accept your losses and make transcoding decisions that make sense for you and it becomes a subjective process. People that transcode all the time have experimented with a lot of variations and usually end up with a preferred tool chain and customized settings that work for them.

 

If you don't mind the storage hit, you can just ignore all these considerations and just keep original copies.

 

[Michael Scrip]

47 minutes ago, Elliot B. said:

Is this possible?

 

Is it as simple as changing a file extension?

Yes it's possible.

 

The .VOB file is actually an MPEG file.  I have done exactly what you are describing... changing the file extension from VOB to MPG so I could edit it with Premiere Pro.

 

But I did this from a home video DVD that someone created on their computer... not from an encrypted commercial DVD movie.  

 

And also note that contents of a DVD are spread across multiple files:

 

VTS_01_0.VOB

VTS_01_1.VOB

VTS_01_2.VOB

etc

 

All video DVDs have this file structure.  Just remember that the main feature and all the supplemental features are inside these files.   The main movie is probably contained within the first few VOB files... but you also might get parts of the other features of the DVD in some of the VOB files.

 

What exactly are you trying to do?

[Elliot B.]

9 hours ago, Michael Scrip said:

<snip>

 

What exactly are you trying to do?

I have 50 DVDs that I want to put away in storage.

 

I want them available on my PC.

 

I don't care about menus, extra features etc.

 

I also don't want to transcode, as it will drop the quality.

[DevTech]

20 minutes ago, Elliot B. said:

I have 50 DVDs that I want to put away in storage.

 

I want them available on my PC.

 

I don't care about menus, extra features etc.

 

I also don't want to transcode, as it will drop the quality.

You just don't seem to be asking an actual question.

 

If you don't want to transcode them, then just copy them to a large hard drive, approx 2-3 gigs per movie.

 

It is impossible to reduce the storage requirement without transcoding them. The only way to make them smaller is to use a more modern video compression format such as x265/HEVC which achieves significant compression improvements over the MP4 used in Bluray and of course much better than DVD.

 

A high bitrate transcode should give you decent storage compression with the possibility of a quality loss you won't be able to notice. You should try one and see if in fact you notice it.

 

The better solution would be to transcode the Bluray versions of your 50 DVDs since huge quality loss to Bluray will still be better than DVD. An insanely compressed 30 gig Bluray down to lets say 1 gig will still look much better than a 4 gig DVD direct copy.

 

[+BudMan MVC]

I would suggest you check out make mkv.. It will grab what you want from your dvd or bluray and put it in mkv container no transcoding, no loss of quality

 

http://www.makemkv.com/

 

Its FREE while in beta, its been in beta for quite some time   The current version just expires and you grab a new version.

 

This is very simple way to grab the data you want off your optical disk..

[Michael Scrip]

On 7/19/2016 at 8:38 AM, Elliot B. said:

I have 50 DVDs that I want to put away in storage.

 

I want them available on my PC.

 

I don't care about menus, extra features etc.

 

I also don't want to transcode, as it will drop the quality.

Ok... you started the thread talking about changing the file extension... which a couple of us explained what that does and how to do it. Unfortunately... those files contain the main movie and all the other features.  There's no way to pull out just the main movie by changing the file extension. That solution won't work for you.

 

You will need another solution if you just want the main movie.  BudMan's suggestion will work... you can extract the main movie and put it into an MKV container while keeping the full quality.

 

Hell... pretty much any DVD ripper has the option to extract the main movie without reducing quality.  Just rip it without compression.  It's very simple.

 

But you were confusing me with the "changing file extension" talk.  That's a whole other thing and is not related to what you're trying to do.    

 

You just need some kind of DVD ripper. Easy peasy.

[Eric Veteran]

Usually the extras are in separate title files. The largest VOB chain is likely the main feature.

[+BudMan MVC]

if you want to go the manual route, keep in mind the main title is prob going to be in more than 1 vob..  You would have to join them.. Its much easier to just let makemkv do it   Unless you got something against the mkv container?

 

And if you have say a tv series dvd collection, its even harder..  I have for example titus tv show all 3 seasons which is multiple dvd per season.  Using makemkv it was just a few minutes to grab out all the episodes per disk and put them into their own mkv file.  Allows you to grab the audio track(s) you want as well.  No reason to grab say the spanish soundtrack if you don't speak spanish, etc.