Convert my DVD's to small video size, and/or MP3 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 03:27:38 pm
content: I have a pile of DVD's that I hardly ever watch, because my DVD burner is so loud and annoying, even just having it plugged in, is annoying every time it whirls up.I've tried a few freeware ways to convert my DVD's to smaller video files, like Handbrake, VLC, and it didn't seem to work, or there was some other hurdle, and I gave up again, a few months ago.700MB copies of my movies would be fine for me, and people have been uploading 700MB movies for decades now, so how to they do it ? What freeware can do it ? (I don't want to go pirate all my old movies)The other thing I like to do, is copy the audio from stuff I watch, so I can listen to it w/ MP3 and headphones away from the computer.I've tried using Audacity to record DVD audio thats playing, but it only records the L/R channels. And a lot of movies I've tried recording so far, most of the dialogue is on the center channel, and is far too low volume or missing from the L/R tracks that get recorded. So far I can't find how to record other channels, or mix it all into stereo or even mono. I tried 1 VLC setting for mono, but it didn't do anything.I have a good AE-5 Plus, Sound Blaster soundcard, I don't want to go trying hardware mods on it (maybe I'd try with my old one though).IDK, I could hook up a mic to my PC and record that way too, but that shouldn't be necessary in 2025, just to mix and record the audio I hear on playback, and make an MP3.And converting my 20yo DVD collection to video files, should also be free and simple in 2025, shouldn't itAlso DVD's and Blueray's can fit on thumbdrive's these days, so do they sell movies on them yet ?? At least that would be quiet, unlike DVD drive's.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 03:45:29 pm
content: 0. videohelp.com is a better place for this kind of question, and they have all kinds of guides, but I took a quick look and couldn't find the right one1. I don't know of an all-in-one tool, so my personal workflow is:a. DVD Shrink to read and decrypt the DVD, and extract the main movie and any extras I wantb. Avidemux to encode as desired (note, it's hard to get to 700MB without sacrificing too much quality)2. Avidemux is also good for extracting audio from any video file

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 04:01:54 pm
content: Quotewindows cant do ithttps://manual.audacityteam.org/man/multi_channel_recording.html

author: GLouie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 04:55:49 pm
content: I've used Handbrake for years (Mac), but admit there have been changes over the years that are sometimes frustrating. Sometimes I recall having to use an older version. Figuring out the settings can be painful. The price for being free, I guess.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 05:07:36 pm
content: I've used Handbrake on Mac for years and years to rip my DVDs. Alas, I don't have a Windows machine with optical drive to test with at home. (Presumably you understand why I don't want to do it at work.)With that said, itshouldbe basically the same: install Handbrake, then install libdvdcss to allow decryption.I use another Mac application, Subler, to do things like import additional subtitle tracks, make files with multiple language soundtracks (from other versions of the DVD, etc) and so on. The key to it is that Subler does not re-encode, it just recombobulates your tracks into a new file, so no generational/conversion loss.

author: Simmed
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 05:54:41 pm
content: FFmpegtest on small clipsthere is a learning curve-crf can be used to lower the quality-maxrate to limit bitratereduce audio size by changing sampling and ratechange the EQchange the gamma, sat, brightness, resolution, aspect etcchange the entire speed of the videomany many functions

author: bte
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 09:22:21 pm
content: I usehttps://www.makemkv.com/for this purpose.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 10:43:08 pm
content: Somewhat futile IMO.A normal576i486i format DVD movie takes around 4.7 GB of storage. Reducing that would send you back to VHS quality.A 1 TB external SSD costs around $70 these days and will let you store 200+ DVDs in original quality.

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2025, 11:55:20 pm
content: shotcut free video editor will convert most legacy video formats on a PCput the DVD in a PC disc drive & open the DVD file list. not auto-play.copy the large one Gb VOB files out of the list.most are about 30min rename .VOB to .MPEG-2 thenmove the 5 or 4 1GB video files into shotcut & output to your new format as a combined video.a 2hr standard definition 768x576 at 24 fps video can be less then 600Mb in .MP4 when its was 4GB on the DVD. will not work with blu-ray discsorplay the DVD on a DVD player with RCA component video out & record the analog output to a video USB thumb drive recorder like this see image.using standard definition analog component video RGB & L+R audio RCA plugs. then monitor the USB recorder output of the USB recorder on a TV or a PC monitor with HDMI inputs. so you know the sound level is Okput the USB thumb drive in to a PC & combine the large videos into one. some as above.ForBlu-ray discsuse a HDMI video splitter to record the output from a blu-ray player & two TVs on the outputs . so the HDMI DRM feedback loop will not block the HDMI video.the blu-ray player will only see two HDMI TVs not the USB thumb drive recorder in one side of the HDMI video split.works for me-

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 12:27:57 am
content: I use VSDC for all my video conversion needs.I've never converted an entire DVD but I'm sure it can do that.You choose the output resolution (and hence the overall size) when doing the conversion.Their user interface is a bit complicated but you'll be able to figure it out.https://www.videosoftdev.com

author: cunningfellow
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 12:52:20 am
content: Quote from: Benta on August 18, 2025, 10:43:08 pmUsing archaic compression.

author: Zoli
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 05:40:29 am
content: To chime in: any DVD conversion has learning curve.As start, I would recommend you to learn how to properly rip a DVD; DVDDecrypter is the standard tool to do it.And since it was mentioned earlier, +1 videohelp.com for help.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 08:29:41 am
content: DVD Decrypter is probably your best bet. MakeMKV would also be able to make ISO images out of the discs.When I was still converting DVDs, my choice of software was DVDFab.I used it mostly for tv series ... load the DVD, select only one episode, select only the audio tracks i wanted (english, commentary tracks), select only subtitles i wanted (english, romanian) and export the episode as a single VOB file.Then, I used MeGUI -https://sourceforge.net/projects/megui/- to re-compress the video part to H264 and the audio part to AAC 192 kbps or Opus (if the sound was AC3 192 kbps I didn't bother recompressing the audio, too little space saving vs potential loss of sound quality).MeGUI is just a frontend, in the background uses the software encoder x264 and various audio codecs (neroaac, opus open source encoder etc) to compress stuff.You can use the built-in muxer to create MP4 or MKV files with the video and audio created by MeGUI or you can get MKVToolsnix separately and create MKV files from video and audio tracks and subtitles and chapters (optional) :https://mkvtoolnix.download/In MeGUI, I used to configure x264 is CRF mode, not fixed bitrate, and lower the CRF factor from the default (which i think was 21 to to a value that retained more quality but used a bit more disk space, like 18 or 19)In CRF mode, you can just set the preset to "very slow" and x264 will make the best effort to retain the most quality ... basically it analyzes the frames and gradually throws out detail and stuff until the quality level you set with that parameter is reached, so throughout the video you get a consistent quality. So the difference between presets (ex very fast, fast , medium, slower, slow, slower, veryslow) is just how many "tools" and strategies the encoder uses to retain quality - a file encoded with preset fast could be 10 MB per minute, a file encoded with preset very slow could be 2 MB per minute, but the quality would be the same.In variable bitrate / constant bitrate, the actual preset matters more because x264 is forced to squeeze as much quality in a limited amount of space.I'm looking at a series that's 720x576 in resolution, and I have 25 minute episodes compressed in 350-450 MB, with 2 192kbps audio tracks , around 1/2 to 1/3 of the original DVD size (~ 800-1 GB per episode, 5 episodes per disc or something like that)If you're interested, I can upload somewhere a few old versions of DVDFab that should work well for DVDs ... maybe not the absolute latest DVDs that may have added encryption of anti piracy stuff, but most DVDs should still work. They're cracked, but we're talking about software from 2015-2016 so it's not like they lose sales.The latest versions of DVDFab are probably bloated with bluray stuff and other crap.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 11:18:22 am
content: Quote from: Benta on August 18, 2025, 10:43:08 pmThat is completely untrue!DVD uses MPEG-2 compression. You can compress a typical 90 minute movie DVD at full resolution to under 1GB using h.264 (which isn’t even a modern codec anymore) with zero loss of image quality. h.265 and other newer codecs do even better.Also, many DVDs are dual-layer, with up to 8.5GB of data.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 12:13:46 pm
content: The maximum bitrate for video alone is 9.8 mbps when using the MPEG2 codec. For MPEG1 it's 1.856 mbps . For maximum compatibility, most DVDs use a bitrate of 8 mbps or less for video.With the right settings, x264 can retain the same quality in 2-4 mbps.You can see in the picture below, just mounted an ISO image of a MASH 4077 disc set I bought some time ago, they set the maximum bitrate of 7.5 mbps but they're squeezing 7 24-25 minute episodes (2h 46 minutes in total ) in 7 GB disc so...

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 01:28:55 pm
content: Quote from: MathWizard on August 18, 2025, 03:27:38 pmIs storage really so precious that you want 700MB copies of your DVDs? That sounds like a future regret to me. I don't advise it.I use handbrake to convert mine to MP4 and sometimes MKV. You will need to install libdvdcss-2.dll into the same folder (well that's how I did it) as handbrake.exe. That will enable decrypting the dvd.There is a bit of a learning curve but it's not difficult. Handbrake is worth learning since it is so flexible. But I mostly take the defaults as far as video quality goes.

author: jct
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 02:22:47 pm
content: On any Linux box:Compress Video:cd path/to/your/videoffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec h264 -acodec mp2 out.mp43.6 Gb to 556 Mb, great quality* Use: ffmpeg -i 20250112_133843.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 19 -c:a aac -b:a 128k video_c.mp4ffmpeg -i "input_video.mp4" -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k "compressed_video.mp4"MY SETTING IN ADVANCED: -c:v libx265 -crf 19 -c:a aac -b:a 128kExplanation:-i "input_video.mp4": Specifies the input video file.-c:v libx264: Sets the video codec to H.264, a highly efficient compression codec. While H.264 is common, newer codecs like H.265 (HEVC) offer better compression rates. For H.265, replace libx264 with libx265.-pix_fmt yuv420p: Ensures the pixel format is compatible with H.264 encoding.-crf 23: Controls the compression level (Constant Rate Factor), with lower values resulting in higher quality but larger file size, 18-23; Lower CRF values yield better quality.-c:a aac: Sets the audio codec to AAC-b:a 128k: Sets the audio bitrate to 128kbps"compressed_video.mp4": The name of the output compressed video file.Key points:Adjusting compression level: Modify the -crf value to balance quality and file size. Lower values for better quality, higher values for more compression.Customising audio settings: Adjust the -c:a and -b:a options to fine-tune audio compression.Changing resolution: To further reduce file size, add -vf scale=width:height to resize the video.Q1. How do I compress a video without losing quality in FFmpeg?A1. Use -crf with values between 18-23 and a suitable codec like H.264 or H.265. Example: ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec libx264 -crf 20 output.mp4.

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 02:23:08 pm
content: I use makeMKV to create a 1:1 video file with the languages and subtitles you like.I use Avidemux if you want to convert mkv's mpeg2 video into .h265, but, I wouldn't go below 1gb for a full 2 hour movie at 480p. I would keep the original audio stream as-is.You are still better off finding a quality 720p or 1080p online version, except for the audio quality unless you download one of the much larger files. (Yup, the versions with the really high quality sound increases the file size 2-3 fold...)The above solution also works for Bluray.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 04:56:58 pm
content: Quote from: MathWizard on August 18, 2025, 03:27:38 pmThrift stores, man. I found a USB DVD burner in the slimmest case for 4$, it works perfectly and is very quiet, perfect for DVD Shrink to run while U work.

author: hfleming
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 07:28:02 pm
content: Look at FFMPEG and write a simple batch script to covert the videos to whatever format you find to your liking. Lots of coomercial software quietly use FFMPEG in the background, just with a fancy frontend, without telling you, and asking you a bunch of money.

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 08:12:56 pm
content: For DVD resolution, don't bother with x264, use x265 or something even better like AV1. Because the resolution is tiny by today's standards, even those more advanced codecs at slower/better profiles will be able to encode at triple digit FPS, making short work of the task (assuming a half decent CPU).I've used Handbrake in the past and found it easy to use. It will definitely downmix surround sound to stereo for you, with no loss of dialog. These days I tend to use ffmpeg on Linux for video conversion tasks. Steep learning curve but very powerful.

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2025, 08:41:23 pm
content: in my own experience a lot of software will upset windows & vice versa. so I use a hardware DVR with a plugin USB or SD card then later copy that to PC for downsizing , converting & combining the files.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2025, 12:57:02 am
content: Quote from: MathWizard on August 18, 2025, 03:27:38 pmThat is literally what modern codecs like h265 were designed for, let one person encode it once with significant energy/time cost, then save more energy than that in the many many downloads.

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2025, 01:31:11 am
content: Quote from: hfleming on August 19, 2025, 07:28:02 pmDoesn't Handbrake use FFmpeg under the covers? And it costs nothing but it is easier for occasional use and for those who just want to avoid the command line. Which is nearly everybody. Although I use Youtube-dlp on the command line for downloading videos and it also makes use of ffmpeg.I find a useful feature of Handbrake is it lists the titles on the DVD and I can ignore encoding all the bonus extras which I find I rarely am interested in, but not always. Also sometimes a DVD may have several episodes of a TV series represented in the list of titles as individual episodes and also as a concatenated title that plays them automatically. I also only pick up the English language audio and subtitles and discard all the rest.Off topic of DVD encoding is another use I make of Handbrake. I like to record TV shows and movies to watch later so I can FF past the commercials. But I lose the ability to play it back with subtitles as my media player won't replay a recording with subtitles. It will if I watch live. I also don't like Teletext type subtitles.So I take the recording to the PC and extract the subtitles with CCExtractor to an .srt file which I can import into a re-encode with Handbrake. So I get to watch the show or movie with subtitles in a more pleasing font. It sounds like a bit of a palaver but I'm used to it now. I also get to truncate extraneous stuff at each end.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2025, 02:16:01 am
content: Transcode it to AV1, it can do absolutely phenomenal quality at low bitrates albeit needing more time to encode.

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2025, 02:15:50 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on August 18, 2025, 10:43:08 pm... or 2TB, for not much more than that, and in a year or two, it's again cheaper/larger ...It's not like OP's DVD library is growing in size anymore, and the amount of data on a DVD also isn't growing, but storage space is. Besides, I guess he will give up ripping all those DVDs way before the drive is full anyway.Hence, even though it'spossibleto reduce the size from 4 - 9 GB to maybe 1-3 GB with only small sacrifice in image quality (there always is some, recompression is lossy because it combines the original artifacts and adds new ones) by recompressing with a modern codec, is it worth it? It takeseven moretime, energy, and software components to do that, than just ripping. A simple MPEG-2 rip is fastest to produce, guaranteed to be as high quality as is possible given the source, and notthat bigin terms of modern-day storage. Is it wasteful compared to h.265? Sure it is, but does that matter?

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2025, 02:13:04 am
content: Ok thanks for all the good replies, and I have DVDdecrypter working, then Handbrake to make MP4's. Then if I want an MP3, I use AnyAudioConveter. In handbrake if the DVD has commentary tracks, I've been making another full MP4 for it. IDK yet if I can directly make an MP3 w/ Handbrake, or include multiple tracks in the MP4.I'm sure I tried some DVD decrypter and Handbrake last year. And this time I had no real problem getting it to work, or figuring out the controls. So IDK why I gave up last year.In HB I chose the Fast 1080p 30fps preset, and my legit and pirate DVDs have been from 0.5-1.8GB. And they look fine enough for popping on in the background.