Recommend DVD-ripping software for Linux?

[daveLovesIt]

I'd like to get some advice on DVD ripping tools for Linux, specifically I'm currently using Ubuntu and Debian Unstable systems, I've looked around the Ubuntu forums, but I've basically been assailed by some 6 or 7 packages which I'm struggling to choose between. 

Specifically, I'd like a nice GUI tool that's pretty easy to use for quick tasks and testing, and something solid and scriptable for automating tasks, and perhaps dealing with the occasional problems that a weird source disc might provide. If the one provides a backend for the other, probably all the better. I could stand to miss out on a GUI tool altogether, but it would be nice.

Quality is my first and foremost concern, but I have to admit I'm a little put off by the alleged complexity of something like dvd::rip, after I remember the headaches I had getting to grips with the finer points of ffmpeg. My target final encodes are (of course) high quality .mkv files but I also create hardsubbed .avi files which need to buffer properly in <60MB of ram on a Nintendo Wii across a USB2 connection and still look nice. As well as ffmpeg (mostly for scripts and fixing sync issues) I'm using mkvtools-nix to construct/deconstruct .mkv's and avidemux to handle simpler tasks, and one-offs. I've found both of these packages pretty easy to use so far. Don't know if any of these boring details can help you to help me.

Of course, on-the-fly encoding is a nice advantage, but it would need to be lossless compared to ripping then encoding/packing separately.

Thanks in advance for for any suggestions.

[Xiong Chiamiov]

I think Handbrake's a pretty good option for point-and-click dvd-ripping.  The little bit I experimented with it, I wasn't able to get satisfactory results, but that's likely due to me needing more experience with it.

[daveLovesIt]

Handbrake, I'll take a look at it. Do you mean the rips came out poor quality?

Anyone ever use acid-rip? I notice it uses mencoder... been thinking of switching from ffmpeg to mencoder for a while. It seems to be the primary alternative to dvd::rip for full-on tasks.

I guess most ripping gets done on Windows. It was strange to see so many people on Ubuntu forums actually suggest that people install a windows partition to do DVD-Ripping

[Xiong Chiamiov]

Handbrake, I'll take a look at it. Do you mean the rips came out poor quality?

There was a fair bit of blockiness, which was bothersome, since I was attempting to create something as close to the source as possible while still retaining the filesize advantages of lossiness.  Again, it was likely my fault, and my desktop's out of commission right now, so I haven't had a chance to try it again.

[nstgc]

I've MEncoder, and think it works well. I know a GUI exists, but I haven't used it. I wrote a script that I simply had to specify a bit rate, and a name and it would encode and mux the files to mkv. Once you write the script it shouldn't matter if you have a GUI.

On a side note, try playing with snow. Its super slow, but it compresses thing beautifully and in small files.

[daveLovesIt]

I've MEncoder, and think it works well. I know a GUI exists, but I haven't used it. I wrote a script that I simply had to specify a bit rate, and a name and it would encode and mux the files to mkv. Once you write the script it shouldn't matter if you have a GUI.

On a side note, try playing with snow. Its super slow, but it compresses thing beautifully and in small files.

I've never heard of snow before, or at least forgotten about it. Thanks, I'll take a look.

I'm thinking MEncoder might be a good step forward for me. Have you (or anyone else) ever used it to fix AV sync issues when re-encoding stuff (from .mkv sources), and if so what was your experience of that? With ffmpeg, I've found it can do basically anything, but by too many differing methods.

Thanks for the input from both of you, It's nice to get input from linux users who are specifically handling anime.

[raylu]

What's wrong with just using ffmpeg (and x264 and whatever you used to produce the video in your AVIs)?

Also, I assume you've seen doom9.org?

---

It's a bit old, but the 2005 doom9 comparison didn't advance Snow past the qualification round.

Dark Shikari, one of the x264 developers, doesn't think too highly of Snow either: Comparison from 2009, "The problems with wavelets".

[daveLovesIt]

What's wrong with just using ffmpeg (and x264 and whatever you used to produce the video in your AVIs)?

Long story short, I think I'm ffing sick of it... irritatingly, after reading around for posts arguing the cases for ffmpeg vs mencoder, people who had a strong working knowledge of both were often saying that they like to use one for some tasks and the other for different tasks.

I'm playing with mencoder now (just porting scripts from ffmpeg to mencoder) and I have to say that I think the syntax is a little nicer, but maybe I'm just sick of man ffmpeg. If nothing else I can always point two scripts at my sources for a while and see which produces better results.

Thanks for the links regarding snow.

[jackoneill]

It was strange to see so many people on Ubuntu forums actually suggest that people install a windows partition to do DVD-Ripping

Well, windows has megui.

+1 for handbrake (though I don't do much dvd ripping/transcoding).

[nstgc]

What's wrong with just using ffmpeg (and x264 and whatever you used to produce the video in your AVIs)?

Long story short, I think I'm ffing sick of it... irritatingly, after reading around for posts arguing the cases for ffmpeg vs mencoder, people who had a strong working knowledge of both were often saying that they like to use one for some tasks and the other for different tasks.

I'm playing with mencoder now (just porting scripts from ffmpeg to mencoder) and I have to say that I think the syntax is a little nicer, but maybe I'm just sick of man ffmpeg. If nothing else I can always point two scripts at my sources for a while and see which produces better results.

Thanks for the links regarding snow.

I've never used ffmpeg directly, mostly because of the very issue of syntax. Also, I use x264 to encode instead of the h.264 encoder found in ffmpeg. It has more options.

[daveLovesIt]

Missed these replies, apparently I forgot to click "notify me". Again.

I've never used ffmpeg directly, mostly because of the very issue of syntax. Also, I use x264 to encode instead of the h.264 encoder found in ffmpeg. It has more options.

I decided that, yes, mencoder scripts were way clearer to read. I found posts suggesting that some tasks could not be accomplished (yet) using mencoder, but I haven't found anything lacking for my purposes. All of this said, I went back to raw ffmpeg because I missed the insane syntax I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Yes, I'm already using x264 for high-end encoding, although I'm still learning the options. There really are a lot. And it was a bit of head scratching before I realised I had to set --enable-x264 before passing it as vcodec.

+1 for handbrake (though I don't do much dvd ripping/transcoding).

Thanks for the +1, but It turned out mencoder was as simple as nstgc said, and there wasn't really any need to first experiment in a gui. And then, as mentioned, I just went back to ffmpeg anyway. I guess getting somewhere the long way is better than not getting there at all.

[Temuthril]

Yes, I'm already using x264 for high-end encoding, although I'm still learning the options. There really are a lot.

You could just use the presets and tunes, they simplify things nicely.