There are a bunch of options out there and I was just wondering what's best.


The wife got me a 160GB Apple TV for xmas and I'd like to convert some DVD's to it

 

also, can someone give me an idea of the file size after converting it to something that will work w/ my apple TV?

 

I use Cucusoft DVD to Ipod converter. Works great.

http://www.cucusoft.com/

 

/\/\/\ thats what i use

 

how is the process of coverting them, I have been contemplating moving some of my DVD's to my 60gb IPOD but havent yet because I thought the process is a pain in the arse!

 

Its basically 1 touch. Stick in the DVD and press convert. It will convert it and add it to your library. Then all you do is hook up the ipod and sync it and its done.

 

is it worth the $40.00?

 

If Windows, DVDFab Decrypter is free and it's pretty much also 1-click to ipod, psp or uncompressed to hdd.

 

My brother was telling me about this the other night. He uses one program to get it off the DVD then converts it to a format that the iPod will play. Both programs were free I'll ask him the name of them if you want.

 

Videora iPod Converter + DVD Decrypter.

Works flawlessly for me

 

Do you have a mac? I know several mac options...

No PC ones though

 

I thought it was worth the money since it worked every time and i didnt have to do multiple steps or programs.

 

BTW, both Videora and DVD Decrypter are free and for PC.

 

I've got DVD Decrypter from my DVD burning days. What else do I need to add?

Also, i've got a good amount of decrypted DVD's on my comp. How do I convert those


Also, what size, etc should I be converting too?

 

does it seem like it takes forever? I did a DVD w/ the trial and quit about halfway through after over an hour. Of course I was trying to use the highest quality.

 

^ it takes about 1-1.5 hours on my mac.

 

 

You should try DVD Shrink, then Videora to convert it. Thats what I use for my iphone and ipod.

 

I've got shrink and decrypter, which should I use?

 

I have a mac,

What are the options for us?

 

god this is confusing, this is why I just buy them again from itunes

 

if you're on a mac, the options are handbrake for ripping/converting and iSquint for converting other video formats to iPodable ones

 

It does take awhile. But i really dont think it takes any longer than using the other programs as DVDFab Decrypter takes about 45 min to extract to desktop (on mine anyway) then another 20-30+ to convert ??

I used all the free ones but was sick of all the steps, and just broke down and spent the $ on it

 

Oh and unless you plan on using the ipod and cable to watch the movies on a TV i see no need to load it on at its highest quality

 

+1 that's what I use. both work great. I have converted dvds with handbrake and divx movies/tv shows (that I some how stumbled across :wink: ), with isquint.

 

I'll be watch it on my 56" through my apple TV

 

well then the highest quality is what you need

 

No offense but I'd rather have an PS3 or 360 than an Apple TV. I just don't get that product. In the end it's alot more difficult to take the dvd, decrypt it, convert it to a compatible format and then stream it to the apple tv from your computer, hence why you're making this thread. Why not just take your dvd stick it in the player and press play. If you want to stream your media from you computer get a 360 or PS3 they both do that with any DNLA compatible program (which Window media player/windows media connect is). Plus they also play dvds and games so you can have 3 devices in one. And in the case of the 360 you can use it as a media center extender and stream live/recorded TV to it while the PS3 does blu-ray. The Apple TV is only useful if you've spent alot of money on videos from the iTunes Store.

 

My wife probably has $200 worth of TV series from the Itunes store (adding more everyday). On top of it, i've learned it is REALLY easy to convert from DVD to Apple TV. I've now got roughly 20 DVD's on there and they haven't even taken up 12 gb's of my 160gb hard drive. The Apple TV is great. While I've loaded a ton of my music on my PS3, it's hard to scroll through, and the interface isn't the greatest.

I'm slowly working on getting my whole entire DVD library on an hard drive (I probably have 400+ DVD's). So this will make the Apple TV great. I do a lot of burning as well, .....we probably get 4-5 DVD's a week through blockbuster so it's nice to be able to save the ones we like.


The Apple TV was a gift. The interfrace is awesome and EXTREMELY easy to use, and streaming and syncing is an absolute synch. I've streamed w/ the PS3 and the 360, it's not as flawless as this IMO



Only thing i'm kind of pissed about is the photo album setup. You have to use Adobe Photoshop Album. Well....when installing it I get an error, i've researched the problem and it's common and the only way to fix it is to reinstall windows because some other program i ran in the passed messed up the "My Catalogs" of Photoshop Album.

But oh well...just wish there was another program I could use.



After spending some time w/ the Apple TV, I don't know how it hasn't caught on more, it's a lot easier to use then things like the sling box and other similiar devices i've tried. Yes you are limited to itunes content, but i've been a big ipod user for years, so 98% of my stuff was already there. And now that i've learned how easy it is to convert stuff, it's a breeze. Does it do EVERYTHING? No, but it is a great new resource for me.

 

http://handbrake.fr/

 

Since you spend a lot of money at the iTS then Apple TV is useful to you. I've never gotten into watching videos on my iPod cause of it's small screen size so I'd never spend the money. Plus if I wanted to watch TV shows I'd just record them on my computer using Windows media center and then convert them to a compatible format for free instead of paying Apple for free television shows. That's one big reason I want the Zune 80 cause it does this conversion process automatically.

The interface is alright (I've got two macs with front row which has the same interface) but it's not as good as Window Media Center even though it's almost an exact replica of Media Center. My big peeve with Apple TV is that if you're listening to music and you move to far up the list say over to videos the music stops playing. It can't play music and be in the videos menu at the same time, that's just amatuer.

Well if you already have a PS3 the only reason you might want an Apple Tv is to watch the DRMed videos you purchased from iTS, which is a lame reason to spend money becaue they've trapped you in their ecosystem due to DRM. With the PS3 you can stream from your PC Mpeg, MP4, AAC, MP3, WMA, WMV, WMVHD, Divx, jpeg, png, etc. So you wouldn't need to convert your files you'd just need remove the DRM from the videos you bought from iTS. Personally I wouldn't use up an HDMI port on my TV for an Apple TV when all of it's features can be done on a PS3. Remember all those dvd's you're streaming to your Apple TV you can stream to your PS3 without changing formats so what's the point.

 

+1 for DVDfab. This from someone who used to use DVDshrink before.

 

As I said, it was a gift. I would not have bought it on my own But as a gift, i'm freakin stoked on it. Sure it does stuff other machines can do, but this is much more efficient IMO. I love this thing

 

I concur...just did this and it worked great....and its FREE!!!

 

i found videora and dvd decrypter, but both are only trial versions then they want you to pay for it. where do you get the free versions?

for those of you that bought the cucusoft how long did it take to get it? i noticed that they are in china atleast that is what the site said. did anyone have problems ordering it?

 

any actual stores carry it? the cucusoft i mean?

 

Hi all I downloaded handbrake worked like a champ, pretty quick on my machine too.
Ok my question I was using a dvd that is a season's worth of stuff, how do i get it to rip individual shows ?

 

I usually use download.com for freeware. Less likely to get crap. I am pretty sure both are on there and both are free.

I use DVDFab HD Decrypter for DVD's. I use AutoGordianKnot to make XviD avi's and videora (they have specific versions for specific ipods so you get the resolution right--I have an iPoT) for mp4's.

The DVDFab is decontented freeware, but the main function you want--ripping the main movie section of a DVD, is there and it works. For a basic movie DVD it will find the main movie and rip it automatically.

 

Sorry (edit timed out)

I use Handbrake for DVD's and videora for avi's and flv's. Handbrake is available for PC's, too, not just macs.

With DVDFab you will get a folder with bup, ifo and vob files. You then select that folder with handbrake. The title available for selection will be just the main movie (no start up crap!). You can check to be sure all is cool by the length of the title (should be real close to the movie run length) and the aspect ratio (1.78 is 16:9 widescreen). You can use the presets to pick your device.

 

vidora