Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
source community. In fact, because we work primarily with software-based solutions, we have a better deal, as the
problems can be fixed fairly quickly. Here are some tips:
u
Sometimes you can solve sync problems by pausing and unpausing the video.
u
Movies that won't fast-forward often don't have a chunk index, which can be built when
starting the movie with
mplayer -idx
.
Other problems will usually need to be reencoded (or transcoded). This can be handled from
u
the larger tools, such as VLC.
Blu-ray
Since its release in 2006, Blu-ray has been a thorn in the side for Linux and, more latterly, Raspberry Pi users. This is
because no official software playback tools have been released, and the encryption methods used are more draconian.
The first case exists because the licensing of applicable patents is controlled by One-Blue, which cannot (will not?)
license to Linux developers. Consequently, the only way to play Blu-ray discs (BD) is to separate the decoding and
playback parts and transcode the original disc into another format. We shall come to solutions, shortly.
The second case is more troublesome, especially because part of the Blu-ray design allows the encryption keys
to be changed should one get compromised. To date, several keys have been published online, but no sooner than
that happens, a set of new ones are introduced to keep the format closed. This demonstrates that the industry hasn't
learned the equivalent lesson from the days of the suffragettes, and so we are stuck with this perpetual cat-and-mouse
game for the foreseeable future.
The easiest answer is to forgo Blu-ray entirely. But, although it is easy to argue that there is little point in
upgrading DVD films to their Blu-ray equivalents, new films often have quality and feature extras that make it
worthwhile purchasing. And, for many, the fundamental view of ignoring all DRM-oriented media is impractical
(especially as that also includes much online music and DVDs). Therefore, the pragmatic view is to transcode all BDs
and file the physical copies somewhere safe.
Rip As ISO Files
In a word—don't! Because nothing plays them, they're only useful for creating an ISO that could be later ripped.
Because you have to read the disc contents anyway, you're not saving time now. And because a BD can take around
25GB for a single layer (50GB for a dual layer), the cost of storage is significantly higher than for a DVD. If you're
curious as to how much, a 1TB drive can hold 40 single-layer images. If the drive costs $100, then it's $2.50 for that
image. Compared to a transcoded version, which comes in at around 5 cents, the difference is marked.
Rip As Movie Files
The most direct method for this is to exploit the “analog hole” (but in a digital sense, i.e., the “digital hole”). This
requires a player with HDMI out and a graphics card with HDMI. The output of the first is fed into the input of the
second, and recording is made in real time. Although this is guaranteed to work, we know of better solutions.
The primary candidate here is “MakeMKV,” downloadable from the forum section of
http://www.makemkv.com
,
and it is a pragmatic choice for ripping software. That is, it is neither free, nor open. But given the limited choice we
shall use it. Fortunately, while it is in beta, the cost has been removed if you use the download key from
http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1053
. Luckily, it's been in beta since 2010 and, although a
new copy of the key will be released during the production of this topic, it is hoped that a new beta key will allow the
program to be used for free (as in beer).
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