Previously used Makemkv and handbrake. Not working out, too complicated and need something simpler my wife can do.

Any recommendations? I do not mind paying for software but place a lot of value in simple UI and few clicks to get something going.

DVDFab is the only other one I've really even heard of. Don't know if it's any good, is use MakeMKV and Handbrake…

Dill-Ag13 said:

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Previously used Makemkv and handbrake. Not working out, too complicated and need something simpler my wife can do.

Any recommendations? I do not mind paying for software but place a lot of value in simple UI and few clicks to get something going.

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I used to use the high seas version of DvDFab back in the day for DVD's, it worked great. Never did blu-rays but it seemed to work for everyone that tried it. UI was extremely easy to understand, put disc in, choose output, let it rip. This was back when it did everything as a single software, now they nickle and dime you for every feature it looks like and huge costs.

Honestly, looking for solutions to automate using MMKV and HB is likely the best.
Something like https://github.com/dmars8047/handymkv or https://github.com/Poisonite/MakeMKV-Auto-Rip

I have to convert to a specific format usable by my ps4 as a media center, wish I could be you and stuff was simpler to manage

Dill-Ag13 said:

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I have to convert to a specific format usable by my ps4 as a media center, wish I could be you and stuff was simpler to manage

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Other than a single drag and drop with a default profile you set in handbreak (best for ps4 i found was h.264 Main@4.2 with 4 reference frames a lvl 22 quality for video and basic constant rate 192 or 224 AAC audio using dolby plus to get both surround sound and 2.0 in same audio if device doesn't use 5.1) and clicking encode, what step is hard after mkv is spit out? I have a 3070 so i use nvmc encoder in handbreak as its super fast for .264 encoding.

You will likely need to keep makemkv in the loop but with a little bit of debugging you should be able to create a script in chatgpt that makes calls to ffmpeg that will convert the mkv file to the format you want for the PS4.

I made a similar python script in AI to basically one click convert mkv files down to DVD iso so I can burn them for an elderly relative who prefers that to figuring out streaming. It is likely way more complex than what you would need bc it has to go through a bunch of checks to get it the correct DVD spec.

I haven't used it in years, but I have a lifetime DVDFab license and used to use it all the time. Worked great for DVDs and they seemed to be innovating all the time.

Dill-Ag13 said:

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I have to convert to a specific format usable by my ps4 as a media center, wish I could be you and stuff was simpler to manage

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So don't use your PS4. How many movies are we talking about? Use a PC running a plex server or invest in a NAS running a Plex server. Now you have your movies available to you from anywhere.

I actually gave it some thought and it would likely be harder with DVDs than blu rays based on how the video is stored on the disc and how frames are handled (i.e. film vs video, video you would want to keep the 30fps a ntsc disc would be in but for film, depending on how it was originally filmed you might want to convert it back to 24fps)

DVD was a digital format for an analog world and the switch to Blu ray was way more than just an unnecessary money grab.