[MPlayer-users] Can't pipe VOBs to mencoder...

[Loren Merritt]

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004, Brian wrote:

> Latest version: MPlayer 1.0pre3try2
>
> Compiled with 'lame' support - no additional codecs.
>
> VOBs copied using vobcopy with description.
>
> Command:
>
> cat /vob/*.VOB | mencoder -oac copy -o /dev/null -ovc lavc -lavcopts
> vcodec=mpeg4:vbitrate=1000:vhq=4:vpass=1 -vop scale=640:480
>
> I can and have ripped from many DVDs but have had no luck with piping into
> mencoder. Am also unable to input multiple VOBs in any manner.
>
> Any ideas?

You never told mencoder where to get input from.
  cat /vob/*.VOB | mencoder - ...

Also, when encoding from vob files it's better to use
  mencoder dvd://42 -dvd-device /vob/
for some value of 42. This way it can get metadata from the IFO files,
and you can use -alang instead of just hoping that it picks the right
audio stream.
(This requires that you copy VIDEO_TS.IFO and VTS_42_0.IFO as well.
I don't know whether vobcopy does that automatically.)

--Loren Merritt