the_information_nexus/tech_docs/dvd_rip.md

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

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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

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2. Installation

Core Tools

sudo apt update  
sudo apt install vobcopy dvdbackup ffmpeg lsdvd  

Optional Playback Support

sudo apt install mpv  

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3. Basic Ripping Workflow

3.1 Mount DVD (If Not Auto-Mounted)

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/dvd  
sudo mount /dev/sr0 /mnt/dvd  

3.2 Identify Main Title

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)

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)

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

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

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4. Advanced Techniques

4.1 Batch Processing

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

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

ffmpeg -err_detect aggressive -i corrupted.VOB \  
       -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow \  
       -c:a copy \  
       repaired.mkv  

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5. Verification

5.1 Quick Integrity Check

ffprobe -v error -show_format output.mkv  

5.2 Stream Comparison

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

mpv --untimed --frames=100 output.mkv  

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6. Playback Options

6.1 Basic Playback

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

mpv --hwdec=vaapi --vo=gpu output.mkv  

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7. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem: vobcopy fails with "Cannot open /dev/dvd"
Solution:

sudo chmod +r /dev/sr0  

Problem: Broken VOB files
Solution: Force ffmpeg processing:

ffmpeg -fflags +genpts -i broken.VOB -c copy fixed.mkv  

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Appendices

A. Command Quick Reference

# 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

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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!

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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

sudo apt install vobcopy lsdvd ffmpeg

2. Reliable Rip Command

vobcopy -l -m -o ~/dvd_rips

Flags:

• -l Large file support
• -m Mirror entire DVD structure
• -o Output directory

3. Stream-Copy Conversion

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

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

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?

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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.

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Method 1: vobcopy (Simple & Reliable)

# 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

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Method 2: dvdbackup + ffmpeg (More Control)

# 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"

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Comparison Script

#!/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}')"

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How to Evaluate

1. Speed: Check the time output for each method
2. Quality: Compare files with:

   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

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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.

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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.

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Step 1: Rip Title 06 Using vobcopy (Correct Syntax)

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.

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Step 2: Verify the Ripped Files

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).

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Step 3: Merge VOBs into a Single MKV (Lossless)

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).

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Step 4: Clean Up

sudo umount /mnt/dvd   # Unmount the DVD
rm -rf ~/dvd_rip       # Delete temporary VOBs (optional)

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Troubleshooting

1. If vobcopy fails:

   • Retry with -v (verbose) to see errors:

     vobcopy -v -l -n 6 -i /mnt/dvd -o ~/dvd_rip
     

   • Ensure /mnt/dvd contains DVD files:

     ls /mnt/dvd/VIDEO_TS/
     

2. If ffmpeg complains about invalid VOBs:

   • Extract the largest VOB manually:

     ffmpeg -i ~/dvd_rip/YELLOWSTONE_S1_D2/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB -c copy "output.mkv"
     

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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!

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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

mpv output.mkv

Advanced Viewing Options

1. Verify all streams are detected:

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:

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):

mpv --hwdec=auto output.mkv

To Verify Your Rip Quality

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:

#!/bin/bash
file=${1:-output.mkv}
mpv --hwdec=auto \
    --sub-auto=all \
    --audio-channels=6 \
    "$file"

Make it executable:

chmod +x play-dvdrip

Then use:

./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.