Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dvds

Recommendations for a desktop printer that plays well with DVDs/CDs

ethel — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:33:06 -0800

My work has to produce sometimes one, sometimes two at most DVDs when we do a transfer of an older video recording to digital file. We're looking to purchase a desktop printer for use with DVDs, and I'm hoping the mefi community has recommendations! Right now we have a Epson RX595 and have about $400-500 in the budget to purchase a new printer. Does anyone out there have a good recommendation for a printer that works well with printable DVDs in particular? I'm not seeing a lot of reviews specific to printing on these surfaces ("printable" DVDs)

I did a little research and it looks like dye based inks are bad for printing on surfaces that aren't paper because any droplet of water will smear the ink.. Otherwise we are just looking for others who have had good experiences especially for machines that are used quite a bit! Thanks in advance!

Best way to digitize & organize CD and DVD library?

mark7570 — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:37:56 -0800

Finishing up a home organization project... I'm facing several boxes of (music) CDs, and one box of (movie) DVDs. What's the best way of digitizing & storing the music & movie files? Music - I know how to rip a CD into iTunes, but how would one digitize several boxes of CDs? Any preferred/reliable/trustworthy vendors out there?

Movies - I know how to digitize a DVD, but not sure how to retain cinematic resolution, or - just as importantly - how to get a file that resides happily alongside other movies in iTunes. (Would rather not end up with a disk image of the DVD.) Once in iTunes, I should be able to get it on the iPad, stream it through an AppleTV, etc.

Looking for a fully legal solution. This is just for personal storage, to preserve these files before the physical plastic media go bad; no plans for torrenting or otherwise sharing the files.

(Previously: Yes, I've read past questions on formats (1, 2), digitizing documents, and iTunes tips.)

Toddler music and musical DVD recommendations?

kitcat — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:48:48 -0800

XmasGiftFilter: Recommendations for DVDs that have adults leading children in the usual song-with-actions classics? And classic kids song CDs that are decent and not Raffi? This is for a two-year-old. We like Raffi; we're just sick of him....

DVDs need storage

lizifer — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:18:45 -0800

Hit me with your best storage solutions for many DVDs (in cases) that is stylish, simple, available in Canada, and appropriate for a house with small children.

Great Blu Ray titles only available in the US?

dobbs — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:33:12 -0800

Great Blu Ray or DVD titles (or special editions) only available in the US or titles that are considerably cheaper in the USA? Looking to add to my collection while traveling. I'm a film buff traveling in the USA.

Just curious of any titles that are currently only released in the USA that I might want to grab while I'm here.

Additionally, any films that have special editions specific to the USA that are worth grabbing.

I'm aware of the current sale on Criterion titles through B&N and picked up 23 of them yesterday. Any other sales like that I should be aware of?

Thanks.

The Invisible, Omnipresent Digital Backpack

cardioid — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:53:47 -0800

I want to digitize everything, and I mean everything: DVDs, CDs, books, food… okay, not food, just the media. What should I keep in mind? How can I make this easy? (I've looked at some previous questions, and this one is the closest I found.)

My main concern is having my media be reliably accessible without (much of) a hassle.

CDs I have a process for, since a good amount of the sort of thing I like is only available in that form, and I only listen to the stuff digitally. It can be a bit of an involved process, though, since I often have to get the metadata manually. Then I rip the CDs to FLAC for archival purposes.

DVDs I have no process for. Some of what I have isn't really necessary to keep on hand, what with Netflix streaming and all. Other things aren't available on Netflix (or aren't always available — ugh, don't get me started). And I'm a bit of a fan of extra features, which are entirely exclusive to the physical media (or so I believe). I've ripped a few DVDs using Handbrake, but it's also an involved process and I end up just grabbing the main feature. I'm sure I could rip something with alternate audio tracks, just like the subtitle tracks, but I'm not that familiar with the process. And I don't also want to go through the hassle of ripping the featurettes separately. I might not mind just making disk images of the DVDs and figuring out what to do about video files later.

Books are more of a problem. I have a Kindle Touch, and I've already downloaded a few books I own and love to re-read, but I can't easily get them all. Some are free, some are strangely expensive, some have not-so-good formatting, some have a confusing number of editions, some are not available. And books can't be ripped (uh, in the same sense as the optical media).

I have a home server and a setup involving multiple external drives and rsync, but I'm already kind of tired of dealing with it and getting more so. It would be great to have all of my media "in the cloud", accessible anywhere and anytime. That seems kind of like a pipe dream, though, considering my travels can take me to places where I can hardly check my e-mail. But everywhere I go I have my laptop (MBP) and phone (Galaxy Nexus) with me, and now my Kindle as well.

I'd also like to offload/outsource/whatever the digitizing effort to someone else if possible. Are there good services for this out there? Is there someone with reasonable rates I can trust?

Automated way of checking commercial DVDs for errors?

woodman — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:25:17 -0800

How to verify library patron complaints about freezing, skipping, & other issues with our movies on DVD? As a public library with DVD movies that circulate very heavily, we're constantly receiving reports that one disc or another is not working properly.

We don't have the funds for a quality disc cleaner, so we clean the discs by hand. It would be nice, however, to verify issues with discs by simply playing them in a PC & having a program generate a report specifying the number & severity of errors. The alternative is to view the movie ourselves or foist the disc on another patron.

Anyone have suggestions for checking the status of multiple discs as efficiently as possible?

OneBagging My DVDs?

DisreputableDog — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:30:44 -0800

I'm trying to get my ever growing movie collection out of these large 300+ DVD cases and into some terabyte drives for traveling convenience. But how? I keep hearing all these Navy guys talk about how they have all their movies on external drives, but

1st: what would be a good mobile terabyte drive to get?

2nd: supposedly I should compress the DVDs in order to fit more...but, er, by how much? What's the difference in quality?

I note that after I get these movies onto the drives, I -have- to toss them or give them away. So, basically, I need to be sure that this will be successful, that it can work for future DVDs I may want to add without wiping what I already have, and that the DVDs will be of a decent enough quality (for all kinds of movies from "Avatar" to "Seed of Chucky").

Good place to announce large collection of DVDs for sale?

You Should See the Other Guy — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:38:31 -0800

My Toronto-based shop has just received a huge collection of art house, cult, foreign, Criterion, out of print etc. DVDs. For obvious reasons I'd like to turn these over as quickly as possible. I posted to our web site and Craigslist to announce the titles, but what other online places do DVD people gather where I could post this news without it being considered spam? Thank you.

What's long and hard and full of swearing? Subtitling!

pH Indicating Socks — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:50:04 -0800

Tell me about making and editing subtitles for home use: What software do I want? What's the workflow? Er, that is, how do I do it? tl;dr:

Subtitling spoken English with written English
For Windows 7 x64-to-DVD player, or Windows-to-Windows
What software is easiest/best/your favorite?
I have Handbrake, AnyDVD, SubCreator, and Subtitle Workshop.
I do not really know how to use them.
Please tell me how one does it (or point me at a tutorial) in an idiot-proof "first you do this... then you click here" kind of way.

/tl;dr

My dad cannot hear worth a dang, and had been saying that he is watching more and more non-English movies, because these are reliably subtitled. There are tons of movies in English he'd love to watch, he said, but often they don't have English subtitles. (TV, of course, is good -- he has closed-captioning)

I learned that one can get subtitle files online -- made by regular folks for the benefit of humanity, like Wikipedia -- and play them with movies that were not subtitled at release. These .srt files can be made by anyone in a text editor. One makes, or finds and downloads, an .srt file, starts the movie in VLC Player, and opens the subtitle file with VLC. Et voilà! Subtitles!

But available subtitles are often out of sync with my copy of the movie, or not accurate, misspelled, etc. Sync issues often cannot be corrected even by a global subtitle speed/lag adjustment in VLC. My dad can still hear just well enough that this would be as maddening to him as it is to you or me. And I imagine that sometime I will be unable to find any subtitle file for a given movie.

So I want to edit, and create-from-scratch .srt subtitle files. I could use Notepad for this, which is hell-fire tedious, or a subtitling program. I have tried SubCreator and Subtitle Workshop, but I don't really understand how to use them. I'm pretty much like a monkey, randomly poking stuff. If it has to be hear the guy start talking, look at the time, stop, type, rewind... OK -- but it seems like possibly the process could be more efficient than this, particularly when I'm just correcting sync issues or typos.

Ideally, I'd perform my subtitling magic and hand my dad a disc, that he could play in his DVD player with subtitles burned-in (or somehow accessible through his remote?). Next best, he'd have the files I have, and I'd show him how to use VLC (and the HDMI cable he got for Christmas).

So Metafilter... how?

Short but awesome kids' shows

QryHavoq — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:34:30 -0800

What are the best kids' shows for ages 6-12? I work with an after school program, and I've been asked to find shows that the kids can watch. I barely watch TV, so I have no idea where to begin!
Educational would be best but I am open to all suggestions. I'm looking for shows that are about half an hour in length and available on DVD (no broadcast TV). The audience will be a mix of boys and girls, all different personalities, 6-12. We cycle through different activity stations so they'll be watching in small groups as an occasional treat. They're separated by age so the shows do not have to be perfect for every age at once, but we are working on a lean budget.
Thank you!

DVD to iPad: Part Deux

allkindsoftime — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:55:04 -0800

Problem with ripping TV-series DVD's to iTunes via Handbrake. Buddy of mine uses Handbrake to rip his DVDs to iTunes, for watching on his iPad.

The downfall to the software is that Handbrake only recognizes the first episode on a the disc when ripping a TV-series dvd. He is looking for solutions to this glitch. Everything else seems to work fine (i.e. can rip a normal feature-length movie and get it onto the iPad with no issues).

(Asking for a friend, both he and I live in a non-US country with no applicable laws on DRM and such so legality is a non-issue here, and yes, we saw this question.)

TIA.

What DVD is this clip from, and where do I buy it?

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:59:18 -0800

How do I find out what DVD this clip is from, and where to buy it? (NSFW) This clip of two Asian men kissing ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HMfh17C0Gk , not linked for obvious reasons) is obviously the start to a pr0n film. I want to know what DVD it's from and where to buy it.

I've run across this clip a few times in the last few years. Uploaders who've posted it all haven't answered questions about where the clip is from, either in the comments or in PMs.

I've seen it watermarked with different URLs, but they're usually dodgy sites and no help finding the DVD.

I tried taking a screengrab and dragging it into Google Images, but Google didn't recognize it.

How do I source this clip and find it for sale? Multiple problems here: basically no information to go on, DVD is probably not in English, pr0n is ephemeral, etc.

Help me pick out some fun dvds for a friend

Nickel Pickle — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:50:57 -0800

What are some good TV series released to DVD to buy for a friend on bedrest? We don't have a television, so I'm awfully out of the loop of fun things to watch. This friend is female and recovering from major surgery, and I wanted to put some DVDs in the gift basket I'm taking her this weekend.

I know she likes the following: The Wire, The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Castle, Entourage, and PBS Frontline.

Netflix is out as an option, so I need ideas. She has no preference for light and frothy vs deep programming.

What are the films in Prime Minister David Cameron's dvd collection?

feelinglistless — Wed, 25 May 2011 03:54:44 -0800

What are the films in Prime Minister David Cameron's dvd collection? The White House flickr page has post a photograph of Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron in the Downing Street flat. The Guardian found the kitchen the most interesting aspect but if you look to the top left in this large size picture, we can see a blurry shot of the PM's dvd collection.

I think I can see 24, Marie Antoinette and Armageddon, the proper Star Wars trilogy, Inspector Morse and the first season of Desperate Housewives. Family Guy. The Bourne trilogy. Scream. Is that Captain Corelli's Mandolin on the bottom shelf? It's fascinating.

Can anyone identify any of the others? Just for fun.

Where can I sell used DVDs in Canada?

GlassHeart — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:47:14 -0800

Where can I sell used DVDs in Canada? I've some (barely) used DVDs that I've been wanting to sell for ages. The main problem is that I don't know where to sell them. A secondary problem is me not knowing exactly what kind of money I should ask in exchange for them. I think $35 or so would be reasonable, but I'll supply a photo of DVDs to see what you folks on MetaFilter think. I've no idea how much new DVDs even cost these days as I've been quite disinterested in film for nearly three years now. With Blu Ray becoming huge, DVD prices must be dropping quickly which probably makes it an especially good time to sell these DVDs before they're worth nothing.

As far as I know, Rogers Video and Blockbuster, the main big video places that come to mind, only give you "points" for your used DVDs that you can use to get more DVDs . . . which is something I don't want. I have enough DVDs as it is and am admittedly not much of a film buff anymore. Perhaps a pawn shop would be a good place to sell them? I dunno. Some people recommended that I sell my DVDs on Ebay, but have no idea how shipping costs are worked out . . . I guess I could ask the post office worker about this. If I'd sell them online though, I'd have to raise the $35 price to include shipping costs which, I assume, would raise the price to something over $40.

Here's a photo of the DVDs. As you can see, they're popular titles but aren't favorites of mine hence why I wish to get rid of them. The DVDs are in good condition and have hardly any scratches on them. Some have only been watched a single time.

Anyway: I live in MB, Canada. Not sure if that helps much, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to state that.

Thanks.

*Note - I'd actually be willing to sell these DVDs to someone on MeFi (not sure if I'm allowed to say this - sorry if I'm not), but I'd probably rather sell them IRL as I'm inexperienced when it comes to selling online. And if I would sell online, I could only accept payment through PayPal.

Burn, Baby, Burn, it's a Yoga Inferno!

BlahLaLa — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:56:39 -0800

I need step-by-step instructions for "How to Burn and/or Copy a DVD for Dummies." Emphasis on the Dummies aspect. Details inside. Hello, people who know more about computers than I do. Here's the sitch:

I have several yoga DVDs that I own. I would like to do two things:

1. Somehow copy the DVD content onto my laptop so I can watch them while traveling without carrying the disks with me. (This is more important to me than #2.)

2. Make a DVD copy of each disk so I can put the originals away in a safe place, so they don't get all scratched up.

How can I do this? Googling leads me to eHow and other skanky sites telling me to download software that I've never heard of. I trust the great people of Ask Metafilter more.

My technology: I have a PowerBook G4. I have an external DVD burner.

Additional caveat: I really, really barely know what I'm doing when it comes to computers, so I need this all explained in a very simplistic way.

Thanks!

Oh, rare Germany-only EP with the misprinted insert, we have to talk...

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:45:10 -0800

Calling all collectors (particularly of music and DVDs, etc.)--let's talk about dismantling our collections. I've been undertaking a really enjoyable project of going through all of my clutter and donating or discarding anything I don't need or want.

I've donated any book I can get in the public domain. I will probably end up with fewer than 20 fiction books that are not public domain and that I expect to re-read in the next 5 years (or that have sentimental value, or are art books/cookbooks, reference, etc.). I read all the time, but I don't save anything anymore.

But what to do with CDs/DVDs that I've collected since I was a kid? I'm a completist about certain bands--mostly UK acts that have lots of singles and rarities. Similarly, for a while, I was collecting DVDs (including a lot of stuff that was way out of print). [But to be clear, this is not a hoarding situation; I have maybe three standard bookshelves (not bookcases) of DVDs, and all the CDs are in a couple of flat boxes under the bed. I don't buy DVDs anymore, though I do keep buying music...]

Fellow collectors: how have you come to terms with the decision to potentially dismantle your collections? I have next to no attachment to the physical objects, but they're trophies of the hunt, and connections to my favorite artists. But also very heavy and not something I want to take on my next move.

And, specifically in digital realm, what is the legality of keeping a rip of that CD or DVD when you sell it or give it away? I have no intention of deleting any of my music, and if I need the CD to be "legit," I'll keep it. (Hence the anonymous question--I don't want the RIAA or MPAA knocking on my door just for asking this question.)

What's up with deleted scenes?

Navelgazer — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 01:04:33 -0800

Why do deleted scenes on DVDs always look so degraded? I went through film school at NYU, and worked in all aspects of production, including post-production, afterwards, but I still don't understand why deleted scenes in DVD extras always look as shitty as they do. Beyond not spending the money on color correction, they just always appear to have been shot on 8mm film and then transferred to early VHS. They also almost always still have time code attached.

Why would this be the case? Help please?

What's the best way to turn DVDs into cash?

dougrayrankin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:50:43 -0800

What's the best way to get rid of my DVD collection in the UK? I'm looking to get rid of approximately 150 DVDs, including a number of boxsets, and I'd like to make a bit of cash from them (between £0.75 and £1.25 per item is the figure I expect, any more is a bonus), without too much in the way of hassle. The obvious option is eBay, but I'm looking to find out if anyone has had any other experiences with others such as Amazon and Playtrade? Also, sneaking in another question... as hassle is something I'm keen to avoid, any advice on whether I should do this as a job lot and if so how many etc would be gratefully received.

Also... I know that there have been a few questions like this before, but none so far as I can tell about the UK, and none specifically mentioning options other than eBay.

Cheers in advance for your help.

Avi to DVD -- with no DVD burner?

booksandlibretti — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:39:53 -0800

I need to get a few small .avi files burned onto a DVD that will play in a standard DVD player. Complication: I don't have a DVD burner. Are there any shops in Manhattan that will do it for me while I wait? Around 2 pm today (Friday), I'll get a few .avi files online. I can save them to my flash drive if that's helpful. By 8 pm, I need to go from .avi to DVD, and from midtown Manhattan to Alphabet City.

It would be really easy if I had a DVD burner, but I don't, and since this is a one-time thing, it doesn't make sense to buy one. Is there any type of shop in Manhattan that will accept my .avis (by e-mail or on my flash drive) and convert them into a DVD to watch on a standalone player?

Again, there's a tight timeline, so I can't drop anything off overnight -- I would need a turnaround of a few hours max. It's also really important that we can watch the video on a TV+player setup without a computer. And of course, I would really, really appreciate a reasonable price.

Any other creative solutions? Is it possible to rent an external DVD burner? I'd love any workable suggestions. Thanks!

Finding obscure DVDs

flyfsh_peter — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:36:05 -0800

About 15 years ago, a good friend gave me a great 3 panel poster for a film."Love Slaves of the Amazons" was made in 1957. I have never been able to find it on DVD. I have googled it, searched many sights (including eBay) but have yet to find it anywhere. My search has lasted for 3 years. Any tips on where to find obscure DVDs? or even a real film. Cost is irrelevant.

What Are Some Great Movies About War?

musofire — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:34:49 -0800

We're watching Gettysburg, which is a great education in the Civil War for our 15-year-old son. What are other great movies about battles and war?

Where to find inexpensive used CDs and DVDs in Toronto or Hamilton.

davebush — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 18:55:47 -0800

Where to find inexpensive used CDs and DVDs in Toronto or Hamilton? Nothing makes me happier than digging through huge bins of used CDs or DVDs and finding gems for $5.00 or less. What shops should I visit in Toronto or Hamilton, ON?

American TV series on DVDs in French?

sdis — Mon, 24 May 2010 09:41:01 -0800

What addictive TV series are available on DVD dubbed in French, with French subtitles? I'm about to do a 7-week French immersion course, and I'd love to bring DVDs of an addictive TV series like Lost or House or 24 or what-have-you, but I need it dubbed into French and ideally with French subtitles. Anyone know whether any of the good TV series of the past, say, 5 years exist in this format? Anyone know if they can be found on Netflix?

Qualities I'm looking for are addictive quality and the language features mentioned above. Assume I've missed the last 5 years of good TV.