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[gradu8ed]

Sorry if this doesn't belong here but I'm not sure where else to post it. I'm using a 2014 mac mini running os 10.13.6. I've been banging my head against this for the last couple of months and I give up. I've searched the forum and manual wiki and maybe I'm missing something but I just can't figure it out.

Ideally I'd like to convert video_ts files to mkv files with no loss of video or audio quality. At this point though I don't even know how to add them to my library and get them to play.

I have a number of folders and iso with video_ts files and some with accompanying audio_ts files, some have an md5 file in the folder, and some are PAL. Here are some examples:

/name of video folder/Video_TS/ VIDEO_TS.BUP, VIDEO_TS.IFO, VIDEO_TS.VOB, VTS_01_0.BUP, VTS_01_0.IFO, VTS_01_0.VOB, VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB

/name of video folder/ISO/ VIDEO_TS (as above) and AUDIO_TS

and a few are just
/name of video folder/VIDEO_TS/ VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, VTS_01_3.VOB/ VTS_01_4.VOB
with no other files.

Let me know if I'm not being clear or if any additional info would help.

[blgentry]

As far as I know, DVD folder structures and ISOs are not supported at all by MC for Mac.  You can not import them into MC or play them with MC.  MC for Windows is different.  It uses some windows only libraries (not written by JRiver) that allow it to read DVD and BluRay structures.

My favorite tool for converting DVD and BluRay to MKV is MakeMKV.  It will convert real discs or folder structures into MKV files and remove the encryption (if present) in the process.

MakeMKV is free and has been for something like 10 years.  They say that it's only free while it's under development, but it's never changed.  That being said, it is wonderful software and very important to my video process, so I bought it a long time ago (lifetime license).  I wanted to support the developers and have a guaranteed license.

MakeMVK works on Windows and Mac so you can definitely run it on your system.   Good luck to you.

Brian.

[gradu8ed]

Thanks for the info. I've checked out MakeMkv (https://www.makemkv.com/) and it looks like exactly what I am looking for but I think there's a learning curve. MC should make it clear the ISO and TS_Video files are not supported.

[JimH]

MakeMKV is pretty easy to use.  We've integrated it into MC for Windows but it can be used standalone. 

[gradu8ed]

I've been experimenting with it but am having difficulties so far. I start with an ISO or VIDEO_TS folder but I end up with multiple separate mkv files for the same movie/tv show.

[blgentry]

That's "normal".  Most discs contain multiple Titles.  A Title is something you can select from a menu to watch.  So a Title might be the main movie.  Another title might be a "making of" special feature.  There can be many titles on a disc; sometimes a dozen or more.

What I always do with MakeMKV is to find the main movie title and select it.  It's generally the biggest title listed.  Sometimes there are a few to choose from, but it's generally not very hard to do.  I de-select everything else and ONLY rip the main title.  That way I get one MKV for each movie.

If you are a completist and desire to keep absolutely everything associated with each disc, then MakeMKV might be a bit of an awkward solution for you.  Personally I don't really miss all the other "stuff" that's on each disc.  But your opinions and desires might be different than mine.

Brian.

[gradu8ed]

For the most part things are working ok following your example. The main holdout is a 10 dvd set of Miles Davis. I load a disc and there are some smaller titles that I don't care about but there are 4 or so multi gig titles, I'd rather not end up with  40+/- titles in MC. There have also been a few video_ts folders that makemkv "fail" to open for some reason.

I really appreciate you help and feedback.

[blgentry]

With music DVDs, there are probably several main titles.  Something like the first music set, the second set, an encore, a special feature, etc.

You'll have to go through the DVD's menu to find out what you want to keep. VLC (free video player) can read DVD menus and display them.  You can navigate around the DVD and see which titles you want to play.  When you are on a title you like, you can go to the Playback > Title menu (up top on VLC) and it will show you the title number you are on and probably the run time.

Using this information, you can then choose the correct titles to rip in MakeMKV.  Or you can just rip them all and play them individually (with VLC or MC) and decide which ones to keep and which ones to delete.

If you are willing to put in the effort, you can later join two or more titles together, into one BIG video file.  Perhaps all the titles you want to keep on the first Miles Davis DVD could be one video.  If that works for you, you can use a video joining tool to do so.  Or you can keep them separate.  I use MKVToolNix to join MKV files.  It's fairly easy to use and is pretty simple.

I only have a handful of concert/music DVD/BluRays in my collection and I keep the titles separate.  You have options.

Good luck.
Brian.