Tales of a successful DVD / TV / video conversion (and thanks!)
-
Thanks very much to everyone who offered insights into ripping DVDs, players, etc. For any of you who are thinking about this adventure in the near future, here’s how my little story played out. It had a happy ending thanks in large part to all the advice I got here, so perhaps yours will as well. This is a long read, so if you’re not interested in this sort of thing it’ll simply rob your life of otherwise productive minutes. :) After the latest exploding bulb incident, I decided to replace my 73” projector TV with a 65” plasma, a Panasonic Viera P65V10. While I haven’t yet figured out the ultimate fate of the now retired (and $300 bulb-less) projector and screen, I’m quite happy with the TV. All the connections you’d expect including Internet (more on that in a moment), good picture, and passed the toaster test. I recently dropped my $125 a month Dish satellite TV service in favor of a $20 a month, 2 DVDs out at a time Netflix plan, largely motivated by their streaming service and the fact that I wasn’t using 230 of the 250 channels I was paying for. Netflix streaming quality isn’t HD, but it’s close enough for rock & roll as it’s just something to keep me entertained when I eat dinner. Current configuration is an XP based PC with a moderately decent video card going VGA into the TV. For reasons I didn’t feel like debugging, HDMI didn’t look as good as VGA (some ghosting, etc.) on a smaller flat screen I tested with, so I just went with the VGA. Netflix runs full screen on the 65”, and even with their streaming quality it’s better than the quality I was getting with projector / Dish setup, so I’m happy enough. The suggestions for AnyDVD as a tool to help in ripping were well founded. Used the trial version a bit and will be buying a copy from them. Followed JSOP’s strategy of just using their rip to iso image in the task bar as I prefer quality to disk space. A quick & easy solution. Next up, I went with the recommendations of VLC for the media player and am very happy with it. It’s much more robust than Windows Media Player. The ease of cycling through aspect ratio & cropping modes makes it quick & easy to get the best screen, hotkeys are configurable and in general it’s very full featured. The one thing I was missing in the move to a computer based video system was the ease of a remote control. I originally tried a wireless keyboard and mouse. I found it irritating to have to reach over to a table and mouse around, do qwerty typing, etc. just to watch TV and had the same reservations ab
I have all this functionality plus remote control plus BR player plus Wi-Fi internet connection and much more in just one box. They called it PS3 and its price these days is about two dinners in a restaurant. :)
The narrow specialist in the broad sense of the word is a complete idiot in the narrow sense of the word. Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
-
Actually, I thought I'd just lacquer it and use it as a sled. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesI like that much better! Maybe you can turn on the remaining lamps for night sledding? :)
My other signature is witty and insightful.
-
Thanks very much to everyone who offered insights into ripping DVDs, players, etc. For any of you who are thinking about this adventure in the near future, here’s how my little story played out. It had a happy ending thanks in large part to all the advice I got here, so perhaps yours will as well. This is a long read, so if you’re not interested in this sort of thing it’ll simply rob your life of otherwise productive minutes. :) After the latest exploding bulb incident, I decided to replace my 73” projector TV with a 65” plasma, a Panasonic Viera P65V10. While I haven’t yet figured out the ultimate fate of the now retired (and $300 bulb-less) projector and screen, I’m quite happy with the TV. All the connections you’d expect including Internet (more on that in a moment), good picture, and passed the toaster test. I recently dropped my $125 a month Dish satellite TV service in favor of a $20 a month, 2 DVDs out at a time Netflix plan, largely motivated by their streaming service and the fact that I wasn’t using 230 of the 250 channels I was paying for. Netflix streaming quality isn’t HD, but it’s close enough for rock & roll as it’s just something to keep me entertained when I eat dinner. Current configuration is an XP based PC with a moderately decent video card going VGA into the TV. For reasons I didn’t feel like debugging, HDMI didn’t look as good as VGA (some ghosting, etc.) on a smaller flat screen I tested with, so I just went with the VGA. Netflix runs full screen on the 65”, and even with their streaming quality it’s better than the quality I was getting with projector / Dish setup, so I’m happy enough. The suggestions for AnyDVD as a tool to help in ripping were well founded. Used the trial version a bit and will be buying a copy from them. Followed JSOP’s strategy of just using their rip to iso image in the task bar as I prefer quality to disk space. A quick & easy solution. Next up, I went with the recommendations of VLC for the media player and am very happy with it. It’s much more robust than Windows Media Player. The ease of cycling through aspect ratio & cropping modes makes it quick & easy to get the best screen, hotkeys are configurable and in general it’s very full featured. The one thing I was missing in the move to a computer based video system was the ease of a remote control. I originally tried a wireless keyboard and mouse. I found it irritating to have to reach over to a table and mouse around, do qwerty typing, etc. just to watch TV and had the same reservations ab
Is the best HTPC combo I've seen so far... DVDFab[^] rips to iso (or just about any other format you could possibly want)...but it also creates the nice little xml files for media center. Media Browser[^] is a plugin for media center that allows it to load iso files (it also requires a virtual disc app like daemon tools lite[^] MediaCenterMaster[^] scrapes imdb and a couple other sites for information about your media and modifies the XML file that dvdfab outputs so it is all viewable in Media center... Windows Media Center has all your internet TV, netflix, and now movie support (thanks to media browser).... And last but not least, it can all be accessed via a 20-50$ windows media center remote easily (without configuration)...
-
Is the best HTPC combo I've seen so far... DVDFab[^] rips to iso (or just about any other format you could possibly want)...but it also creates the nice little xml files for media center. Media Browser[^] is a plugin for media center that allows it to load iso files (it also requires a virtual disc app like daemon tools lite[^] MediaCenterMaster[^] scrapes imdb and a couple other sites for information about your media and modifies the XML file that dvdfab outputs so it is all viewable in Media center... Windows Media Center has all your internet TV, netflix, and now movie support (thanks to media browser).... And last but not least, it can all be accessed via a 20-50$ windows media center remote easily (without configuration)...
Sounds like a pretty cool setup. I'm running XP on most of my boxes, so I don't know if Windows Media Center is an option. In any event, it's nice to see so many ways to get it done. Now if I only had more hours in the day to watch it! :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Sounds like a pretty cool setup. I'm running XP on most of my boxes, so I don't know if Windows Media Center is an option. In any event, it's nice to see so many ways to get it done. Now if I only had more hours in the day to watch it! :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesI could have sworn that XP had media center...I know I had an issue with my old laptop (which had XP Pro) randomly booting into media center instead of regular windows...but searching now, I can't seem to find any info on it. everythign I find now says to just upgrade to 7 (which I would also recommend). There is also the XP MCE but of course, if you are changing OS, you might as well go with 7. Oh well, in that case, I would recommend taking a look at XBMC[^] or Boxee[^]. Both are very similar to media center and I believe both support XP (I know Boxee does, but not 100% sure on XBMC). I also can't really vouch for the synergy with all the other apps and these media players. I know that MediaCenterMaster will output appropriate xml files for XBMC and Boxee but it really wouldn't do you any good to have all the info about your media without being able to actually play them :). I don't know if either natively has support for ISO images or if they have media browser counterparts but I'm sure that DVDfab would allow you to output in a format that is compatable (but then you lose the "just rip to iso" aspect of your setup. :( Oh well, I guess it all comes down to what works for you and how much time you want to fiddle with it to get it right :).
-
Thanks very much to everyone who offered insights into ripping DVDs, players, etc. For any of you who are thinking about this adventure in the near future, here’s how my little story played out. It had a happy ending thanks in large part to all the advice I got here, so perhaps yours will as well. This is a long read, so if you’re not interested in this sort of thing it’ll simply rob your life of otherwise productive minutes. :) After the latest exploding bulb incident, I decided to replace my 73” projector TV with a 65” plasma, a Panasonic Viera P65V10. While I haven’t yet figured out the ultimate fate of the now retired (and $300 bulb-less) projector and screen, I’m quite happy with the TV. All the connections you’d expect including Internet (more on that in a moment), good picture, and passed the toaster test. I recently dropped my $125 a month Dish satellite TV service in favor of a $20 a month, 2 DVDs out at a time Netflix plan, largely motivated by their streaming service and the fact that I wasn’t using 230 of the 250 channels I was paying for. Netflix streaming quality isn’t HD, but it’s close enough for rock & roll as it’s just something to keep me entertained when I eat dinner. Current configuration is an XP based PC with a moderately decent video card going VGA into the TV. For reasons I didn’t feel like debugging, HDMI didn’t look as good as VGA (some ghosting, etc.) on a smaller flat screen I tested with, so I just went with the VGA. Netflix runs full screen on the 65”, and even with their streaming quality it’s better than the quality I was getting with projector / Dish setup, so I’m happy enough. The suggestions for AnyDVD as a tool to help in ripping were well founded. Used the trial version a bit and will be buying a copy from them. Followed JSOP’s strategy of just using their rip to iso image in the task bar as I prefer quality to disk space. A quick & easy solution. Next up, I went with the recommendations of VLC for the media player and am very happy with it. It’s much more robust than Windows Media Player. The ease of cycling through aspect ratio & cropping modes makes it quick & easy to get the best screen, hotkeys are configurable and in general it’s very full featured. The one thing I was missing in the move to a computer based video system was the ease of a remote control. I originally tried a wireless keyboard and mouse. I found it irritating to have to reach over to a table and mouse around, do qwerty typing, etc. just to watch TV and had the same reservations ab
Christopher Duncan wrote:
Found this Addesso, and it rocks: Addesso Wireless Slim Touch Keyboard[^]
Interesting, I was just looking at these [wireless keyboards with integrated pointing devices] last night... The reviews for the Addesso on NewEgg are terrible though; what's your experience so far with build quality (I tend to hammer on my keyboards) and getting a decent range out of it?
-
Absolutely. It may be a day or two when I have time to play with it, but I'll shoot you something when I do.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesChristopher Duncan wrote:
Absolutely. It may be a day or two when I have time to play with it, but I'll shoot you something when I do.
send me a copy of the same image when ever you have it ready. All my computers are HDMI right now. Also the video card model and driver version if you don't mind.
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
-
He should probably send her the computer too. After all it's 50/50 on where the problem is coming from.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
Dan Neely wrote:
He should probably send her the computer too. After all it's 50/50 on where the problem is coming from.
I have a 52" plasma here and similar LCD.... The only computer not running HDMI is my dual-link DVI to 30" monitors... so yeah, I guess I would need the whole kitt and kaboodle.
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
-
Didn't have any issues with mine thus far, but I appreciate the heads up. If that becomes a problem, I'll buy a copy of CloneDVD as well. You can never have too many :baaaa!:, you know. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesChristopher Duncan wrote:
You can never have too many Sheep , you know. Smile
I don't know... if you clone each sheep from the clone of another one will they still be sheep after a few generations or will they start looking like biological 8th generation xerox images?
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
-
The HDMI ghosting you mention, could you send me a picture of this? A small part of the screen would be fine so I could look at the detail. A number of people have mentioned this but I've never seen it and want to udnerstand the cause. Thanks.
Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]
Can't get it to come up at all now, but I have a higher end video card on the way as I suspect this is just the nature of a cheap beast.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Christopher Duncan wrote:
Found this Addesso, and it rocks: Addesso Wireless Slim Touch Keyboard[^]
Interesting, I was just looking at these [wireless keyboards with integrated pointing devices] last night... The reviews for the Addesso on NewEgg are terrible though; what's your experience so far with build quality (I tend to hammer on my keyboards) and getting a decent range out of it?
I'm in a 12 x 12 room, so I can't speak to any range issues. As for the quality, I've been quite happy with it. Very thin but feels quite solid overall, good diminensions on the keyboard, nice nubs on the home keys (a pet peeve of mine when you can't feel them - Dell, are you listening?). Mind you I've only had it for a week, but it's exactly what I was looking for.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Christopher Duncan wrote:
Absolutely. It may be a day or two when I have time to play with it, but I'll shoot you something when I do.
send me a copy of the same image when ever you have it ready. All my computers are HDMI right now. Also the video card model and driver version if you don't mind.
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
Can't get hdmi to come up at all now and have decided to ditch it for a better quality video card - this one was pretty cheap.
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Christopher Duncan wrote:
You can never have too many Sheep , you know. Smile
I don't know... if you clone each sheep from the clone of another one will they still be sheep after a few generations or will they start looking like biological 8th generation xerox images?
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....
Just as long as they still taste good with ketchup...
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting Services -
Just as long as they still taste good with ketchup...
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes
Copywriting ServicesChristopher Duncan wrote:
Just as long as they still taste good with ketchup...
They might, they might not, but you might get 5 or 6 legs of lamb apiece...
_________________________ John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." Shhhhh.... I am not really here. I am a figment of your imagination.... I am still in my cave so this must be an illusion....