Easiest way to convert DVDs to a Netbook!!

Hello,

I recently purchased an HP Netbook that doesn't have a cd/dvd drive. Outside of me just purchasing an external one to watch DVDs, I was wondering how I can convert a dvd to my netbook to play without having to use an external drive?

Specifically, I'm looking at what software is out there that can do this and how easy it is to complete. Also, I have a lot of TV shows on DVD that I would like to convert to play on my netbook. Does the same apply to DVDs??

Thanks for any information and I apologize if this thread is supposed to go elsewhere, I wasn't sure where to post it.

JJHA

Method 1:

Use another pc with a DVD drive to rip your DVD to an ISO image.

Transfer the ISO image file to your netbook using the nework, a USB Flash Drive, SDHC memory card, or an external harddrive. The drive must be formatted in NTFS in order to accomodate an ISO image greater than 4 GB.

Play the DVD from ISO image with a media player which supports that, e.g. VLC.

Method 2:

Rip and re-encode your DVD to a more portable format such as e.g. mp4. I use HandBrake for this purpose.

Transfer the movie to your netbook using one of the procedures suggested above.

Play with a media player supporting that format. I use VLC also for this.

Method 1 is faster but produces a bigger file. Method 2 is slower but produces a smaller file.

What handbrake settings (e.g. "basic"; normal) do you find fits a netbook best?

I've had to fiddle with the settings to get the best compromise between quality, size, and encoding time. There is no single best setting for every purpose and every taste.

Here's what I have come up with so far (I use VLC for playback). This is for stuff I intend to watch only once or twice on my netbook, so a reasonably fast encode is more important than a small file size or extreme quality.

For progressive (non-interlaced) DVDs:

Crop = Automatic
Anamorphic = Strict
Filters: None
Video Codec = MPEG-4 (FFmpeg)
Constant Quality = 85%
Audio Tracks: Source= Automatic, Audio Codec = AAC, Mixdown = Dolby Pro-Logic II, Sample Rate = Auto, Bitrate = 160 kbps, DRC = 1

For interlaced DVDs:

Crop = Automatic
Anamorphic = Strict
Filters: Decomb
Video Codec = MPEG-4 (FFmpeg)
Constant Quality = 85%
Audio Tracks: Source= Automatic, Audio Codec = AAC, Mixdown = Dolby Pro-Logic II, Sample Rate = Auto, Bitrate = 160 kbps, DRC = 1

A few DVDs end up with a very high bit-rate at 85% constant quality encoding so for those I use Avg Bitrate = 1800 kbps instead with 2-Pass encoding enabled.

The Decomb filter can also be enabled for progressive DVDs, but you get no benefit and the encoding time is longer.

Welcome to CDFreaks!