Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dvds

Should I send dvds via media mail?

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:02:58 -0800

I am considering moving my DVD and books via media mail...is it a bad idea? I am moving and don't have much room in my car so I am thinking of sending my books, dvds and some clothes via mail. I've estimated the cost and I am ok with that, but I am concerned about my dvds and books getting stolen. I have received books and other media items via mail before, but not this large of a quality (approx 100 dvds, and 50 or so books). I could insure them but I just don't want to lose them. Has any one done this via usps or ups successfully? I was told that all media mail go through inspections. I've had valuable parcels not arriving the destinations and am concerned that people will pick out the dvd and books they want and reseal. I'd appreciate it.

Ripping dvds automaticy

brent_h — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:04:43 -0800

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.

Where to sell used books, CDs, DVDs, and gaming stuff in Chicagoland?

korpios — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:59:49 -0800

What are the best places in the Chicago area to sell used books, CDs, DVDs, and tabletop gaming materials? My wife and I are moving into a new place in a month; since we're largely a digital-only household these days (Kindle, MacBook, iPhone), I'd like to take this opportunity to clean out the physical media that keeps following us around. We have a bunch of DVDs and CDs, as well as quite a few boxes of books (largely non-fiction and older tabletop gaming stuff, e.g., AD&D 2nd Ed.); I refuse to drag it all to yet another apartment.

I'd ideally like to be able to visit as few places as possible to offload the majority of what I have; I'm willing to drive (both within Chicago and the suburbs), but I don't want to end up having to visit 15 different places. I also don't want to list items individually on Craigslist since what I can expect to be paid per-item isn't worth the hassle of making many individual sales; by the same token, I really don't want to bother with eBay. My primary goal is getting rid of the stuff — not making the most amount of money possible. (Anything I don't end up selling will be given away and/or tossed.)

So, Chicago submodule of UsedStuffFilter ... suggestions? (The closest AskMeFi post I've found was this one for used CDs.)

Shine on, you crazy diamonds!

mjao — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:56:58 -0800

Favourite psychedelic / drug / shaman / consciousness related books? My brother met a shaman in South American and has given me his credit card and asked me to order him a bunch of books. Think Terence McKenna, Alex Grey, Alexander Shulgin, Carlos Castaneda, DMT, Ayahuasca... *Documentary/DVD recommendations welcome as well. Out of the authors listed above, I'd like to know which are the best works of each, or the best ones to start with. Particularly Castaneda, I don't know where my brother should begin. Which books are the most interesting?

Further info: he also has budding obsessions with Zeitgeist, Jacques Fresco, George Carlin and Bill Hicks so anything even loosely related is good - lateral thinking is encouraged here!
He's also suddenly into dreaming and sensory deprivation tanks and quantum physics.

Please give me the titles of anything related to these topics - please only recommendations of books you've personally read and liked :)

Thanks for helping my brother :)

Help me offload my movies offshore to DVDs

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:23:22 -0800

Hi everyone. I have a some of movie files that I'd like to transder to DVD. However... I have a DVD burner on my computer, however, my MacBook Pro (OS 10.5) will not give me the option of burning the file directly onto the blank DVD. When I try to do so, all it does is make a shortcut to the movie rather than to the movie itself.

The only other option it gives me when I insert the DVD is to create a movie through iMovie, which won't let me transfer the file either.

Why yes, these are downloaded BitTorrent files. Are there fundamental barriers to burning them coded into the files? Is my only option to transfer them to an external hard drive?

I've found some answers on burning DVDs on a Mac generally, but not with these specifics. Will Mac the Ripper (currently unavailable online) or Handbrake solve my problem?

Thanks for your help!

Where can I find DVD sleeves in Sydney city?

wingless_angel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:02:14 -0800

Seeking DVD sleeves in the Sydney CBD area - anywhere I can buy inexpensively and in bulk? I'm seeking to throw out all of the cases that came with my DVDs and replace them with thin sleeves to save room. We have approximately 450 DVDs so I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive option per piece. I have tried DVD books but I find them a bit bulky.

If there is something like this that I could pick up in the Sydney CBD (eg a stationery store, $2 store, Officeworks etc) that would be ideal. I haven't been ordering things online from the US of late as I usually do due to the poor state of the dollar.

How can I find some great exercise DVDs?

mintchip — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:57:10 -0800

How can I find some great exercise DVDs? I'd like to get some exercise and yoga DVDs for use at home. My weight is fine; I just want to tone up a lot, especially my legs. I'm picky, though. I have a bad back so I can't do crunches or pilates-type moves. As a runner, my knees are too sensitive for a lot of squat moves. I can't be jumping around a lot because the noise will disturb my neighbors. Finally, I want a challenging pace and I want to feel THE BURN the next day.

There are a million DVDs out there, and it's hard to compare one to the next. Sometimes I will read reviews on Amazon, but it is still pretty hard to tell if a particular title will appeal to you. Sometimes the description is misleading, or you buy it and realize that the instructor is annoying or the pace is too slow.

First of all, I'm looking for recommendations for specific DVDs you'd recommend. Also, for tips for HOW to find the best workout DVDs. In other words, web sites that have great summaries of different titles?

Buying a Rottweiler and seeking my revenge

Inspector.Gadget — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:30:12 -0800

My postman or somebody in the mail chain between him and Netflix shipping centers has cracked or destroyed several DVDs en route to me. I know he destroyed one by shutting my mailbox door over the midpoint of the disc, but with the others I'm not sure where it happened. How do I address this so that I don't become liable for the damage or lose my account? And how do I maximize my credibility? Out of 45 discs, I'm on my third replacement, but the damage has all occurred within the past 3 weeks.

Many video formats: success or desperation?

TheManChild2000 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:39:26 -0800

Does a movie studio releasing many, many different video formats (multiple SDVDs, HD DVD, UMD, VOD) of a particular movie indicate that this movie performs well at retail? Or is it more likely a desperate attempt to recoup from a disastrous theatrical run?

i blame the writers strike

kidsleepy — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:22:33 -0800

What good TV shows can I watch on DVD that won't leave me frustrated? I've recently been watching a lot of TV shows on DVD, thanks to the utter crap that's on TV these days and my unwillingness to pay for cable. I enjoy recent shows, early seasons of shows currently on the air, classic shows, sitcoms, dramas, Law & Order: CSI type shows, cartoons... pretty much everything, as long as it's good. By good, I mean shows that won't leave behind a bunch of unresolved storylines, and that don't take forever to watch.

For example, the first season of Friday Night Lights was completely satisfying. There were some minor cliffhangers, but more or less everything got wrapped up nicely. How I Met Your Mother was entertaining, even though I had to watch two seasons to get to Marshall and Lily's wedding. Something like Dawson's Creek would be a nice guilty pleasure, but six seasons' worth of DVDs is too much of a time commitment. I saw a lot of good suggestions in this earlier question about underrated TV shows, but I've always been wary of watching My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks, because I worry that I'll be left jonesing for a conclusion that is never going to come.

So, my fellow Mefites, what shows do you like to curl up on the couch with?

Poisonous fumes from a DVD candle holder?

tkolar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:01:20 -0800

Poisonous fumes from a DVD candle holder? I've been using a discarded DVD as a candle holder. I like the lighting effect and would like to continue doing so, but... when the candle burns down far enough it's going to start heating up the DVD.

If I let it get down too far it's going start burning the plastic and I'll have an obvious cue that I need to fix things. What I'm worried about is what happens before that point: will there be significant gasses released as the DVD heats up but before it starts to burn?

Needless to say, googling "burning DVDs" did not yield the desired results...

Does the Robert Rodriguez Mexico Trilogy box set come with artwork on each of the slimcases?

snowleopard — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:46:40 -0800

Does the Robert Rodriguez Mexico Trilogy box set come with artwork on each of the slimcases? I recently bought this box set (used) and the dvds came in clear slimcases without any artwork other than the outer cardboard box that holds the three slimcases. It seems odd to me that there isn't any artwork for the cases themselves and I am somewhat annoyed that the seller didn't mention this before sending it.

The seller tells me he doesn't know if the set comes with artwork or not. Does it? And if so, might someone who owns this set post a picture to the amazon.com user pictures section that shows the art? I want to be able to direct the seller to the page.

Tai Chi and Ang Lee: two tastes which'll taste great together

Coventry — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:43:41 -0800

Where can I find a DVD of Ang Lee's Pushing Hands which is reasonably priced and zoned for the US? I would be happy just to borrow it, but it's not on netflix. I've heard that there's a netflix-type service which specializes in indie movies, but I'm having trouble finding it. It's possible that that service would have it. I looked on Amazon, but the cheapest copy there is $70, which is a bit much. Froogle found a copy zoned for Australia for $23, but that would be a bit of a nuisance. I couldn't find it on the Borders or the Barnes and Noble websites.

Blockbuster censorship?

tzikeh — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:10:42 -0800

Can anyone prove that Blockbuster edits out content they deem obscene or immoral? I can only find hearsay of "My friend rented Movie A and said it didn't have Scene B in it", but I've never had any proof, either directly from an employee of Blockbuster (which would be preferable) or from someone who took the time to get several possibly offensive movies from both Blockbuster and either the officially released "for sale" versions, or a version from Netflix, or what-have-you.

Anyone have the real scoop?

dvds in your house, making you sad

routergirl — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:32:02 -0800

I have approximately 230 dvds I'd like to sell. I have been to some local shops that advertise they buy used dvds, and I keep getting told that no one is buying right now. I'm not looking to get rich, but a little cash would be nice. All are in good condition with the original artwork/cases. (Some we never even opened) Besides ebay, any suggestions? Has anyone had experience selling large quantities of DVDs to a reliable buyer, either in the San Diego area or online? I've had some success with ebay (selling small lots, 1-3 at a time), but it's a pain. Before I give up and devote myself to ebaying the rest, I thought I'd do some more research, in case there is an easier way I haven't yet discovered.

I also tried an outfit I found online (mx123). They seemed too good to be true, so I shipped them a small number as a test, ones that I didn't care much about. When I didn't hear anything after a few weeks I contacted them and they emailed back saying their store had been closed, inventory "seized" and my dvds "should be" returned to me. I'm now wary, understandably, and would prefer to ask here and see if anyone has any recommendations.

VLC command line to autoplay a dvd?

allthewhile — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:59:07 -0800

VLC Player Filter - I would like to know if there is a command line that I can put in my VLC player shortcut to autoplay dvds without menus. I'm trying to configure vlc as the default dvd player for my media center. I can get it to auto-fullscreen but want it to autoplay dvds when the program is started.

Homemade DVD server- Whats the best/easiest/cheapest way?

weiler63 — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:21:47 -0800

Homemade DVD server- Whats the best/easiest/cheapest way? I wanted to take my 200+ DVD collection and store it on something that could serve it up to my Infocus IN72 projector.

I was thinking DVD Shrink( ~3GB .vob each movie)--->External Hard Drive--->Mac Mini with DVI out. I'm a Windows guy, but I want to be able to integrate the IR codes to my universal.

I want something with ease of use (no Linux), Future expandability and as cheap as possible. Being able to network it is a plus, but not required.

Any Tips?

Thanks,

Weiler63

"Finalize disc" should be the default option.

BackwardsCity — Wed, 16 May 2007 19:45:15 -0800

My backup DVDs don't work. I just reinstalled Windows only to discover that the drive won't read the backup DVDs I burned. (It acts as if no disc has been inserted.) My wife's computer won't read them either; I was using DropToCD and I'm worried that I didn't have "finalize disc (close)" checked.

I may be off base on this; the finalize disc theory is just my best guess.

*Something* has been burned to these DVDs. I can see the lines on the back. Is there any way to get at these files?

New Spanish Language DVDs?

Holly — Mon, 14 May 2007 06:04:31 -0800

I write a monthly article on Spanish-language DVDs to be released in English-speaking territories. Where, on the Net or elsewhere, I could find such DVD listings without trawling through ALL the DVD releases for a particular month, as for example at www.moviemail.co.uk?

Help me maxamise my picture quality on a Sony Bravia LCD TV.

Effigy2000 — Sun, 13 May 2007 22:44:50 -0800

I've just bought a Sony Bravia 40" LCD TV. I'm interested in what others here think are the optimal settings for viewing HDTV? And, while we're at it, for watching DVDs, as I'm sure that HDTV would benefit from different settings than DVDs would. I think I have the settings pretty much as good as I can get them, and I recognise that different settings suit different people, but I would be interested in what other Bravia owners think are the best settings for optimising their picture quality.

Uriid dvd!

miss lynnster — Tue, 01 May 2007 16:19:14 -0800

Yet another Arabic question. A lot of people have mentioned that I should make a point to watch Arabic tv to immerse myself more in the language. I don't have cable, though. Are there are any good spoken-Arabic (subtitled) movies you know of that I might be able to get on Netflix? (Bonus points if any are in modern Egyptian.) Otherwise, does anyone know of anyone who rents Arabic dubbed/subtitled dvds in the Bay area? When I was in Austria I really got the language into my brain quickly by watching Hollywood videos in German with cc English (or vice versa), so I know it's a good idea. I can't seem to find anyone who rents multilanguage captioned videos here (other than spanish) though. I don't want to own them forever, just view them as a learning/immersion tool. Thanks for the help. :)

Pirated DVDs on Ebay - Arggggh

Kimpossible — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:06:41 -0800

What is the best way to get back at those fraudulent Ebay sellers? I received a set of DVDs today that are obviously pirated. The second one is blank - it won't even play. The first is grainy. I mean...if someone's going to go to the trouble of selling fake DVDs, why can't they at least do some quality control?!

And how do they get those professional looking DVD cases and color printing on the DVD disc itself?

A script to find a bargain?

Ambrosia Voyeur — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:33:38 -0800

Is there a script that can help me optimize used book and dvd shipping expenditures on half.com, or can this be accomplished elsewhere? I would like to run something that will tell me if a seller has more than one item out of my wish list, so I can enjoy combined or discounted shipping savings.

Alternately, is there some other used book and dvd resource out there with combinable shipping as well as good selection?

I'm running Firefox.

I buy a lot of used paperbacks and dvds, some priced lower than the usual shipping fee. Amazon's private sellers don't offer a break on multiple item shipping.

Looking to get a quality disc resurfacing machine...

You Should See the Other Guy — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 08:42:57 -0800

Tell me all you know about mid- to high-end cd/dvd disc resurfacing machines. I'm in the market and don't know anything. Will be resurfacing 50 - 100 discs per week. Thank you.

No one likes DVDs anymore!

petsounds — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:04:24 -0800

What's the best TV for watching DVDs? Everything I read online is about HDTV but I dont care about that because I don't have cable or directv or anything.. however I do have about 100 burned DVDs of my favorite movies.. I'm wondering what setup would give me the most "immersive and pleasurable" way to watch them. Right now I just watch them on my 14" laptop screen and I think the detail looks awesome, but I'd like something bigger I can watch in my apartment from my couch. I feel like it would be a waste of money to buy a high resolution 1080px plasma screen if all im going to watching are 480px dvds. But I've also heard that a plasma or lcd can look better because they will display the full 480 instead of interlacing every other line like a regular TVs. So I'm thinking this might be a good option, especially since I am on a tight budget... anyone else buy their tv for the sole purpose of watching DVDs? what would you recommmend