I feel this is kind of a dumb question but I can’t find a solution that’s working for me:

every now and then I have the need to rip copy protected dvds. In the past I have used Handbrake with libdvdcss. But now there only seems to be flatpak versions of Handbrake for linux and these versions can’t access the libdvdcss library.

VLC should be able to do the job but for a specific dvd I wnt to rip now, I produces out-of-sync video/audio tracks and I haven’t been able to succeed.

I can’t believe ripping dvd’s can be that hard. Do I miss something obvious? Any tips are appreciated, aside from just download it - I can’t find the respective media anywhere…

  • @[email protected]
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    472 months ago

    I use makemkv. Works every time. Once in a while you have to open the disk “manually” and select the right track but ya, makemkv does it all.

    Free if you want to update the beta trial key every few months. After years of use I bought a lifetime license for like $20. Probably the best value I’ve ever gotten.

          • @[email protected]
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            2 months ago

            Ah, it’s probably Plex not supporting the video’s codec. When you use MakeMKV to generate a video file, it’s basically just grabbing the source file directly from the disc / iso. It’s fine in modern players but for maximum compatibility you’ll have to remux it.

            EDIT: Forgot DVDs use a different folder structure than BDs so that guide won’t work, you can use this one from thewiki.moe instead (although it’s very technical, and the wiki is moreso focused on anime.) You can maybe try using ffmpeg to convert to an mp4, that might just make it work on Plex.

        • RyanOP
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          22 months ago

          Strangely, playing was working fine. Just when I try to convert it has sync issues… I’m probably just too simpleminded to make it work that way, but VLC doesn’t make it easy to do it right either, I guess…

      • RyanOP
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        52 months ago

        That’s exactly what I was looking for - I came across MakeMKV before, but couldn’t find a recent Linux version - didn’t think of Flathub, though. None of the guides that come up if you look for dvd ripping on linux mention it, though… Thanks mate!

      • @jayandp
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        32 months ago

        Ah, I missed that since it’s an unofficial flatpak so it wasn’t listed on their site or forums.

    • @[email protected]
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      02 months ago

      If this is true, it’s no wonder Linux sadly doesn’t have mainstream appeal. As a current windows user (who is looking to jump out once 11 is forced) I do not see myself doing that.

      • DaGeek247
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        32 months ago

        They make you compile it because it’s non-free software and you’re beta testing it in order to use it for free.

        It has nothing to do with linux. They do the same for the windows beta.

      • Berny23
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        22 months ago

        You don’t have to, just get it from flathub as a flatpak.

    • Chewy
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      52 months ago

      Building MakeMKV seems to require a binary, which is unfree. I assume this is the reason it’s not in official distribution repos (except Nix and FreeBSD).

      It’s in the AUR and Nixpkgs, both automate building it from “source” (+binary). MakeMKV is in FreeBSDs official repos, according to pkgs.org.

        • Chewy
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          22 months ago

          Well, it seems my reading skill deteriorated to a surprising extent. You’ve even mentioned handbrake in your post…

  • m-p{3}
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    2 months ago

    You should be able to use FlatSeal to override the Flatpak’s sandbox and grant access to VLC’s library files, which should include libdvdcss.

  • f00f/eris
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    52 months ago

    Handbrake will probably still work if you compile it from source, but it seems like upstream isn’t paying much attention to libdvdcss support.

    The version in Debian’s repo still works for me, anyway.

  • deadcatbounce
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    42 months ago

    What happened to libdvdcss? Is that not a thing anymore?

    From what I remember - it’s been a minute - there were many encryption keys that the publishing houses used to encrypt the DVDs released to the wild and they were packaged up in this codec, when they were found.