Ripping dvds automaticy

April 25, 2009 11:04 PM

Auto ripping dvds on OSX?

I am looking for a way to automate ripping of dvds, similar to the option in itunes where you can set it to automatically rip cds that are inserted and then eject the disk. I have been using handbrake and it works well but I have alot of dvds so I am looking to save some time.

I am looking to be able to set the settings I am looking for, then set handbrake (or whatever else will work) to encode the movie ( only the main movie, not extras) off the disc and then eject the disk, so I can Insert the next.

posted by brent_h to computers & internet (5 comments total)

handbrake has the capability (at least on Vista) to auto-rip. search deeper into the settings.
posted by cmchap at 11:28 PM on April 25

Or possibly combine Automator with Handbrake, maybe? Or scripting? This is just conjecture.
posted by starvingartist at 4:55 AM on April 26

I'm unclear on your question. You are looking for a feature in a DVD ripping program that, um... does what? Ejects a DVD after it is done being ripped?

Handbrake (and most DVD ripping programs) will allow you to "set it and forget it" as far as the ripping parameters are concerned, so that all successive DVDs inserted and processed will use the same settings.

The reason iTunes will eject a disk after it is ripped is that Audio CDs don't have an actual file structure, not the way your computer wants, and when it has finished processing the CD, it has never truly been mounted to your system as a disk, so it ejects.

DVDs, on the other hand, actually get mounted to your system because they have a real directory structure. The computer would require an OS-level instruction telling it to unmount and eject the DVD after it has completed its ripping process.

Are you wanting this feature so you are alerted when your computer is done processing a DVD so you can move along to the next? (I guess I'm not clear on how much time this will save you, so I'm not certain why it might be an important feature.)
posted by hippybear at 8:10 AM on April 27

Here is my issue, I have a mac mini that is headless ( hooked up to a tv, and I control it via remote desktop). What I want to be able to do automate as much the ripping process as possible, so that I can have my wife help me while I am at work during the day ( all she would have to do is if a disc is popped out, insert a new one).

I am working on a script that I can run at disc insertion, ejecting is not hard, its figuring out what the main feature on the disc. Then dealing with tv series discs that have multiple episodes on them. Not sure that I am going to work that part out. I might not figure it out, but its really more of a

As far as how much time it will save, its not that it is an important feature, just one that will help make the process smoother for me over 250 dvds.
posted by brent_h at 12:01 AM on April 29

Ah, okay, that makes a bit more sense now.

If there is some way to determine what is the main feature (probably via length?), then you might be able to applescript or automater that to work for you.

And the TV shows, you may have to save those for her to do on her own, or else give her the 30-minute lesson of "this is how this program works, this is what you need to look for, etc"...

I haven't delved into the home media center thing yet, but have been thinking about doing so one of these days. And this is a snag I hadn't thought of... ripping a DVD is never as straightforward as ripping a CD, is it?
posted by hippybear at 10:30 AM on April 29