[FFmpeg-user] wanting to convert ripped DVD movies and TV shows to MP4 for Plex

[William C Bonner]

On Thu, Dec 21, 2023 at 12:48 PM Alan Malmberg <
alanmalm-at-hotmail.com at ffmpeg.org> wrote:

> I have hundreds of ripped DVDs in vob format that I want to BATCH JOB to
> single mp4 files WITH SURROUND SOUND for use with Plex server. Any
> suggestions? I see the above as doing one at a time. Mine are already
> ripped and removed DRM so just need to convert. But also don't want to have
> to create hundreds of folders and name them. Want the batch job to do it
> all for me. For example - -
>
> I am trying to find an easy (and free if possible) way to convert/reencode
> all my ripped DVDs that I ripped and removed encryption from standard .vob
> files in a VIDEO_TS folder by default. I would like to do this in a batch
> mode to a single .mp4 file that includes either AC3 Dolby Digital 5.1 sound
> or DTS if that movie has it available (both if possible). The datastructure
> on my drive is a Movies directory - - with sub folders for each movie with
> VIDEO_TS folder under that with the multiple .vob files in that folder. I
> went searching for it and multiple folks want to do the same thing as me,
> but none of the answers were a set it and forget it type batch file to do
> say 500 movies. Do you know of a way to do this?? PLEASE??? I only want to
> have to do this once if possible and not 500 individual conversions if you
> get my meaning. I can convert with Handbrake very easily, but is a ONE BY
> ONE process unfortunately (at least for TV). I decided to go with .mp4 as I
> wanted to use it for my t
>  ablets as well as I just set up a Plex server and my son is also doing
> the same thing so we can share. I want the batch job to create the file
> folders for me automatically and move the converted file to a different
> drive and directory from the original files that I want to keep INTACT!! I
> understand that MakeMKVBatch will DELETE the original files, WHICH I DO NOT
> WANT....
>
> Anyone already done this and has a script that I can use for ffmpeg? I
> have also ripped a bunch of TV shows that have multiple episodes per disk.
> Can the batch script also handle those to separate out each episode to
> individual mp4 files for plex? For example - each disk of Leverage has 4
> episodes and then multiple disks per season. How best to do that?
>
> I think I may have got the movie side almost done, but would still like
> pointers. The main issue now is the episodic TV shows that have been ripped.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alan
>
>
I wrote a C program that calls ffmpeg using the parameters -i
INFILE.MKV  -c:v libx264 -crf 17 -preset veryfast -c:a copy -c:s copy -map
0 -movflags +faststart -n OUTFILE.x264.MKV

It produced files that were acceptable quality to me and did a bunch of
error checking to allow stopping and restarting the process. C was
definitely not the right language to do this in, as a simple scripting
language could probably do the job better.

If you don't care about the error checking, you could do all of this in a
command prompt with a simple for loop calling ffmpeg.

ie

for %f in ("d:\Videos\Live Free or Die Hard\*.mkv") do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:v
libx264 -crf 17 -preset veryfast -c:a copy -c:s copy -map 0 -movflags
+faststart -n "%f.h264"