the_information_nexus/tech_docs/dvd_rip.md

Here's the complete cleaned-up documentation following the optimized structure:

---

# **DVD Ripping Workflow Documentation**  
*Last Updated: [DATE]*  

## **1. Introduction**  
### **Purpose**  
A reliable, lossless method to rip DVDs to MKV files while preserving original quality and all audio/subtitle tracks.  

### **Requirements**  
- Linux system with DVD drive  
- sudo/root access for mounting  
- 2x DVD storage space for temporary files  

### **Tool Overview**  
| Tool | Purpose |  
|------|---------|  
| `vobcopy` | Simple DVD extraction |  
| `dvdbackup` | Advanced title selection |  
| `ffmpeg` | Video conversion/merging |  
| `lsdvd` | DVD structure analysis |  
| `mpv` | Playback verification |  

---

## **2. Installation**  
### **Core Tools**  
```bash  
sudo apt update  
sudo apt install vobcopy dvdbackup ffmpeg lsdvd  
```  

### **Optional Playback Support**  
```bash  
sudo apt install mpv  
```  

---

## **3. Basic Ripping Workflow**  
### **3.1 Mount DVD (If Not Auto-Mounted)**  
```bash  
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/dvd  
sudo mount /dev/sr0 /mnt/dvd  
```  

### **3.2 Identify Main Title**  
```bash  
lsdvd /dev/sr0 | grep -A 5 'Longest track'  
```  
*Output shows title number, duration, and chapters*  

### **3.3 Ripping Methods**  
#### **Method A: vobcopy (Recommended for Simplicity)**  
```bash  
vobcopy -l -m -o ~/dvd_rips  
```  
**Flags**:  
- `-l`: Large file support (>2GB)  
- `-m`: Mirror DVD structure  
- `-o`: Output directory  

#### **Method B: dvdbackup (For Title Selection)**  
```bash  
dvdbackup -i /dev/sr0 -o ~/dvd_rip -t <TITLE_NUM> -M  
```  
**Flags**:  
- `-t`: Specify title number  
- `-M`: Main feature mode  

### **3.4 Convert to MKV**  
```bash  
ffmpeg -err_detect ignore_err \  
       -i "concat:INPUT.VOB" \  
       -map 0:v -map 0:a -map 0:s? \  
       -c copy \  
       output.mkv  
```  
**Key Options**:  
- `ignore_err`: Skip corrupted sectors  
- `-map`: Include all streams  
- `-c copy`: No re-encoding  

---

## **4. Advanced Techniques**  
### **4.1 Batch Processing**  
```bash  
for vob in ~/dvd_rips/VIDEO_TS/VTS_*.VOB; do  
    ffmpeg -err_detect ignore_err -i "$vob" \  
           -c copy "${vob%.VOB}.mkv"  
done  
```  

### **4.2 Multi-Title Extraction**  
```bash  
for title in $(lsdvd /dev/sr0 | grep 'Title' | awk '{print $2}' | tr -d ','); do  
    vobcopy -l -n $title -i /mnt/dvd -o ~/dvd_titles  
done  
```  

### **4.3 Error Recovery**  
```bash  
ffmpeg -err_detect aggressive -i corrupted.VOB \  
       -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow \  
       -c:a copy \  
       repaired.mkv  
```  

---

## **5. Verification**  
### **5.1 Quick Integrity Check**  
```bash  
ffprobe -v error -show_format output.mkv  
```  

### **5.2 Stream Comparison**  
```bash  
ffprobe -show_streams file1.mkv > file1.txt  
ffprobe -show_streams file2.mkv > file2.txt  
diff -y file1.txt file2.txt | colordiff  
```  

### **5.3 Playback Test**  
```bash  
mpv --untimed --frames=100 output.mkv  
```  

---

## **6. Playback Options**  
### **6.1 Basic Playback**  
```bash  
mpv output.mkv  
```  

### **6.2 Advanced Controls**  
| Key | Action |  
|-----|--------|  
| `→`/`←` | Seek ±5 sec |  
| `Space` | Pause/Play |  
| `#` | Cycle audio tracks |  
| `j` | Next subtitle |  
| `f` | Fullscreen |  

### **6.3 Hardware Acceleration**  
```bash  
mpv --hwdec=vaapi --vo=gpu output.mkv  
```  

---

## **7. Troubleshooting**  
### **Common Issues**  
**Problem**: `vobcopy` fails with "Cannot open /dev/dvd"  
**Solution**:  
```bash  
sudo chmod +r /dev/sr0  
```  

**Problem**: Broken VOB files  
**Solution**: Force ffmpeg processing:  
```bash  
ffmpeg -fflags +genpts -i broken.VOB -c copy fixed.mkv  
```  

---

## **Appendices**  
### **A. Command Quick Reference**  
```bash  
# Rip entire DVD  
vobcopy -l -m -o ~/dvd_rips  

# Extract specific title  
dvdbackup -t 3 -M -o ~/dvd_rip  

# Verify streams  
ffprobe -show_streams video.mkv  
```  

### **B. FAQ**  
**Q**: How to preserve subtitles?  
**A**: Use `-map 0:s?` in ffmpeg  

**Q**: Why MKV over MP4?  
**A**: MKV supports DVD subtitles and multiple audio tracks natively  

---

This documentation:  
✅ Removes all redundancy  
✅ Organizes workflows logically  
✅ Provides consistent formatting  
✅ Includes troubleshooting  
✅ Offers quick-reference sections  

Let me know if you'd like any section expanded or additional details added!

---

You're right - I misunderstood your request. Let me reset and provide exactly what you need for reliable DVD ripping without playback complications.

### **Bulletproof DVD Ripping Workflow**

#### **1. Install Required Tools**
```bash
sudo apt install vobcopy lsdvd ffmpeg
```

#### **2. Reliable Rip Command**
```bash
vobcopy -l -m -o ~/dvd_rips
```
*Flags:*
- `-l` Large file support
- `-m` Mirror entire DVD structure
- `-o` Output directory

#### **3. Stream-Copy Conversion**
```bash
ffmpeg -err_detect ignore_err \
       -i ~/dvd_rips/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB \
       -map 0:v -map 0:a -map 0:s? \
       -c copy \
       "dvd_output.mkv"
```

#### **4. Verify Output**
```bash
ffprobe -v error -show_format -show_streams dvd_output.mkv
```

### **Key Advantages**
1. **No Re-encoding**: Preserves original quality
2. **Error Resilience**: `ignore_err` handles bad sectors
3. **Complete Preservation**: Keeps all audio/subtitle tracks
4. **No Playback Dependencies**: Creates standalone files

### **For Batch Processing**
```bash
for vob in ~/dvd_rips/VIDEO_TS/VTS_*.VOB; do
    ffmpeg -err_detect ignore_err -i "$vob" \
           -c copy "${vob%.VOB}.mkv"
done
```

This gives you:
- Original quality rips
- No sync issues
- All subtitle/audio tracks
- Files ready for Plex/archiving

Would you like me to focus on any specific part of this workflow?

---

Understood. Let's implement a **clean, methodical approach** using two reliable Linux CLI tools to rip DVDs. We'll compare:

1. **`vobcopy`** (traditional, reliable)
2. **`dvdbackup` + `ffmpeg`** (more flexible)

Both methods will output MKV files for fair comparison.

---

### **Method 1: vobcopy (Simple & Reliable)**
```bash
# Install if needed
sudo apt install vobcopy

# Create mount point (if not already done)
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/dvd
sudo mount /dev/sr0 /mnt/dvd

# Rip main title (longest track) to VOB
vobcopy -l -n $(lsdvd /dev/sr0 | grep 'Longest track' | awk '{print $3}') -i /mnt/dvd -o ~/dvd_rip

# Convert VOB to MKV
ffmpeg -i ~/dvd_rip/*/VIDEO_TS/merged.vob -c copy "method1_output.mkv"

# Cleanup
sudo umount /mnt/dvd
```

---

### **Method 2: dvdbackup + ffmpeg (More Control)**
```bash
# Install if needed
sudo apt install dvdbackup

# Rip specific title
dvdbackup -i /dev/sr0 -o ~/dvd_rip -t $(lsdvd /dev/sr0 | grep 'Longest track' | awk '{print $3}') -M

# Convert VOBs to MKV
ffmpeg -i "concat:$(ls ~/dvd_rip/*/VIDEO_TS/VTS_*.VOB | tr '\n' '|' | sed 's/|$//')" \
  -c copy "method2_output.mkv"
```

---

### **Comparison Script**
```bash
#!/bin/bash
DVD_DEV="/dev/sr0"
OUTPUT_DIR="$HOME/dvd_comparison"
mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"

# Method 1: vobcopy
time {
  sudo mount "$DVD_DEV" /mnt/dvd 2>/dev/null
  vobcopy -l -n $(lsdvd "$DVD_DEV" | grep 'Longest track' | awk '{print $3}') -i /mnt/dvd -o "$OUTPUT_DIR/method1"
  ffmpeg -i "$OUTPUT_DIR/method1"/*/VIDEO_TS/merged.vob -c copy "$OUTPUT_DIR/method1.mkv" -y
}

# Method 2: dvdbackup
time {
  dvdbackup -i "$DVD_DEV" -o "$OUTPUT_DIR/method2" -t $(lsdvd "$DVD_DEV" | grep 'Longest track' | awk '{print $3}') -M
  ffmpeg -i "concat:$(ls "$OUTPUT_DIR/method2"/*/VIDEO_TS/VTS_*.VOB | tr '\n' '|' | sed 's/|$//')" \
    -c copy "$OUTPUT_DIR/method2.mkv" -y
}

# Compare results
echo -e "\n=== RESULTS ==="
echo "Method 1 (vobcopy): $(du -h "$OUTPUT_DIR/method1.mkv" | awk '{print $1}')"
echo "Method 2 (dvdbackup): $(du -h "$OUTPUT_DIR/method2.mkv" | awk '{print $1}')"
```

---

### **How to Evaluate**
1. **Speed**: Check the `time` output for each method
2. **Quality**: Compare files with:
   ```bash
   ffprobe -v error -show_streams -i method1.mkv > method1_info.txt
   ffprobe -v error -show_streams -i method2.mkv > method2_info.txt
   diff method1_info.txt method2_info.txt
   ```
3. **Reliability**: Note which method had fewer errors

---

### **Final Recommendation**
- **Choose `vobcopy` if**: You want simplicity and reliable single-file output
- **Choose `dvdbackup` if**: You need per-title control or have problematic discs

Both methods are **bulletproof** when discs are clean. The winner depends on your specific use case.

---

Great! The DVD is now properly mounted at `/mnt/dvd` in read-only mode (which is normal for DVDs). Let's proceed with the **simplest, most reliable method** to extract **Title 06** (the 2h15m episode) using your working setup.

---

### **Step 1: Rip Title 06 Using `vobcopy` (Correct Syntax)**
```bash
vobcopy -l -n 6 -i /mnt/dvd -o ~/dvd_rip
```
- `-l`: Enables large file support (required for DVDs >2GB).  
- `-n 6`: Explicitly selects **Title 06** (the main episode).  
- `-i /mnt/dvd`: Points to the mounted DVD (your `vobcopy` version requires this).  
- `-o ~/dvd_rip`: Output directory.  

**Wait for completion**—this may take 10-30 minutes depending on DVD speed.

---

### **Step 2: Verify the Ripped Files**
```bash
ls ~/dvd_rip/YELLOWSTONE_S1_D2/VIDEO_TS/
```
You should see:
- `VTS_01_1.VOB`, `VTS_01_2.VOB`, etc. (the main video).  
- `VIDEO_TS.IFO` (metadata).  

---

### **Step 3: Merge VOBs into a Single MKV (Lossless)**
```bash
ffmpeg -i "concat:$(ls ~/dvd_rip/YELLOWSTONE_S1_D2/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_*.VOB | tr '\n' '|' | sed 's/|$//')" \
  -c copy "Yellowstone_S01E02.mkv"
```
- **`concat:`**: Merges all VOBs in order.  
- **`-c copy`**: No re-encoding (keeps original quality).  

---

### **Step 4: Clean Up**
```bash
sudo umount /mnt/dvd   # Unmount the DVD
rm -rf ~/dvd_rip       # Delete temporary VOBs (optional)
```

---

### **Troubleshooting**
1. **If `vobcopy` fails**:  
   - Retry with `-v` (verbose) to see errors:  
     ```bash
     vobcopy -v -l -n 6 -i /mnt/dvd -o ~/dvd_rip
     ```  
   - Ensure `/mnt/dvd` contains DVD files:  
     ```bash
     ls /mnt/dvd/VIDEO_TS/
     ```

2. **If `ffmpeg` complains about invalid VOBs**:  
   - Extract the largest VOB manually:  
     ```bash
     ffmpeg -i ~/dvd_rip/YELLOWSTONE_S1_D2/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB -c copy "output.mkv"
     ```

---

### **Expected Result**
- `Yellowstone_S01E02.mkv`: A Plex-ready file with:  
  - Original video (MPEG-2).  
  - Original audio (AC3/DTS).  
  - Embedded subtitles (if any).  

No more guesswork—this **exact sequence** works with your setup. Let me know if you hit any snags!

---

Great! Since you have `mpv` installed (the best CLI media player), here's how to properly view your output files with all streams intact:

### **Basic Playback**
```bash
mpv output.mkv
```

### **Advanced Viewing Options**

#### 1. **Verify all streams are detected**:
```bash
mpv --vf=format=fmt=help output.mkv
```
This will first show you all available video/audio/subtitle streams before playing.

#### 2. **Play with specific audio/subtitle tracks**:
```bash
mpv --aid=1 --sid=1 output.mkv
```
Where:
- `--aid=1` selects audio track #1
- `--sid=1` selects subtitle track #1

#### 3. **Keyboard controls while playing**:
| Key | Function |
|-----|----------|
| `Space` | Pause/Play |
| `→` | Seek +5 sec |
| `←` | Seek -5 sec |
| `m` | Mute |
| `f` | Fullscreen |
| `9`/`0` | Volume control |
| `j` | Next subtitle track |
| `#` | Cycle audio tracks |
| `q` | Quit |

#### 4. **For hardware-accelerated playback** (if supported):
```bash
mpv --hwdec=auto output.mkv
```

### **To Verify Your Rip Quality**
```bash
mpv --untimed --frames=1 --no-audio output.mkv
```
This will:
1. Show just the first frame
2. Pause immediately
3. Let you inspect video quality
4. Press `q` to exit

### **Bonus: Create a Playback Script**
Save this as `play-dvdrip`:
```bash
#!/bin/bash
file=${1:-output.mkv}
mpv --hwdec=auto \
    --sub-auto=all \
    --audio-channels=6 \
    "$file"
```
Make it executable:
```bash
chmod +x play-dvdrip
```
Then use:
```bash
./play-dvdrip output.mkv
```

This gives you professional-grade playback with:
- Auto subtitle detection
- 5.1 audio channel support
- Hardware acceleration
- All the keyboard controls mentioned above

Your rip is ready to enjoy! The combination of `ffmpeg` for encoding and `mpv` for playback gives you a complete, high-quality media workflow.