ISO Support in Latest Firmware??

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Zippster

How do you play via the Video Ts folder structure? Only way I have been able to is by choosing each file as the next ends.

I simply run DVDFab HD. It rips the whole DVD into a main folder (named for the dvd such as SUPERBAD) and within that folder is the AUDIO_TS and the VIDEO_TS folder. I then place all of these DVD main folders onto a drive (Fon my file server. I point Sage to this drive (F and state its a Media Import Folder (videos) and Sage loads them all up. I then go to the Media Center and all of those DVD Main Folders are there and I can select one and it plays back start to finish with no problems. I am pretty sure this is how everyone does it. So basically here is my structure:

F: -> Superbad -> AUDIO_TS
F: -> Superbad -> VIDEO_TS
F: -> FELLOWSHIP -> AUDIO_TS
F: -> FELLOWSHIP -> VIDEO_TS

Then all you do is point Sage to F: and do a media import refresh and they should be in your media directory in Sage.

[valnar]

Originally Posted by paulbeers

Why ISO though? No one can ever really give a good reason. There are programs that will batch unpack ISO's into their file structure. Sage plays perfectly back as long as it is is in the "Audio_TS/Video_TS" structure. I understand you are currently using ISO's for XMBC, but if that is all that is missing from Sage, do a batch unpack and tada.....perfectly Sage compatible. Space wise you are only saving a fraction of a percert in storage by packing the iso's. Besides, having everything packed into an ISO actually takes a little longer to rip the DVD than just doing a straight copy with something like DVDFab HD.

It's cleaner and keeps the original DVD intact for recreation. With folders, I need a separate parent folder created for each DVD, which may or may not be the same as the volume label of the DVD, thus destroying the original identity of that DVD. With ISO files, I can name the ISO file any descriptive title that I want, and the volume label remains untouched. I can also throw all the ISO's I want into the same folder, if I choose.

Yah, it's pretty minor and petty stuff, but I'm that way with CD audio rips as well. I prefer to keep a single .FLAC file with embedded CUE sheet in order to recreate the original CD exactly. If you rip each song to separate files, it's not quite the same.


I know that doesn't matter much to some, but it does for us anal-retentive folks.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Zippster

How do you play via the Video Ts folder structure? Only way I have been able to is by choosing each file as the next ends.

Go to the DVDs view in the imported media and pick the movie. They're named "Movie Name", where the movie is in <importdir>\<any subfolders>\<Movie Name>.

I've got almost 500 DVDs on my servers like that, works perfectly.

Originally Posted by valnar

It's cleaner and keeps the original DVD intact for recreation.

How is 1 ISO which contains many files and folders any cleaner than 1 Folder which contains many files and folders?

And don't you have the originals? Never quite understood the need to be able to 1:1 recreate the DVD from the rip.

With folders, I need a separate parent folder created for each DVD, which may or may not be the same as the volume label of the DVD, thus destroying the original identity of that DVD. With ISO files, I can name the ISO file any descriptive title that I want, and the volume label remains untouched.

How does volume label matter? What difference does it make?

I can also throw all the ISO's I want into the same folder, if I choose.

You can throw all the rip folders in the same folder too. Looks the same from the when you look at that directory, except folders have a different icon and no extension (oh, so maybe you could say folders are cleaner because they're not cluttered with the extension )

Yah, it's pretty minor and petty stuff, but I'm that way with CD audio rips as well. I prefer to keep a single .FLAC file with embedded CUE sheet in order to recreate the original CD exactly. If you rip each song to separate files, it's not quite the same.

You mean it's harder to use?

I know that doesn't matter much to some, but it does for us anal-retentive folks.

Maybe we've just got different priorities, my originals are my backups, the copies on my server are so I can more easilly access them. My movies are movie-only rips (no recompression) since I couldn't care less about the menus/extras, except for TV show discs where the menu is useful to pick a specific episode.

Never understood ISOs, IMO they're just a PITA. They used to be a necessary evil for DVDs (when players didn't support playing from folders), but those days are long gone. We're still there with Blu-ray, but heck when you can remux to MKV or TS and kill the extras who cares about that either.

[valnar]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Never understood ISOs, IMO they're just a PITA.

In your opinion. In mine, they are the backups to my originals. I'm worried more about those. Thus re-creating the original DVD, including menus and extras, *is* the priority. And if there is any extra content on the DVD over and above the main movie, it's nice to preserve that.

Keeping the files in separate VIDEO_TS folders is actually more of a PITA, it's just that is what most DVD software supports, so now you're used to it.

You mean it's harder to use?

No, the space (or lack of it) between the tracks is important in many albums. I don't live in a sound byte world.

[PredatorVI]

Originally Posted by valnar

In your opinion. In mine, they are the backups to my originals. I'm worried more about those. Thus re-creating the original DVD, including menus and extras, *is* the priority. And if there is any extra content on the DVD over and above the main movie, it's nice to preserve that.

Keeping the files in separate VIDEO_TS folders is actually more of a PITA, it's just that is what most DVD software supports, so now you're used to it.

No, the space (or lack of it) between the tracks is important in many albums. I don't live in a sound byte world.

I have to agree that to maintain ISO's is easier. It's easier to create MD5's of a good rip. I only have to move 1 file instead of dozens. I have had the misfortune of moving the folder structure of many movies and run out of space at the destination so only a partial DVD structure got copied. It becomes a pain to tell where it left off.

All in all, it is just cleaner....160 ISO files or 16000 directories and files. For applications like Sage or XMBC, the program can then allow for more complex hierarchical organizational structures. If you extract them, you are more limited with all DVDs as directories at the root folder.

[mage_tiko]

Hi guys.

I recently purchased SageTV, having used GBPVR (and contributed some $$ to the remarkable author of that project) for nearly 2 years.

The main sell: MediaMVP as an extender. I have 4 MVPs, all working wonderfully with Sage.

I modified sage.properties to include the ISO type, and playback is very smooth.

However. I've noticed that ISOs seem to play back differently than DVD folders. There are fewer options with ISO playback on the MVP (no subtitle options, chapter, skip, etc.). And, most/all of my 100+ ISOs play back with the first subtitle track enabled.. I can't find a way to turn it off.

All of my ISOs come from DVDShrink.

Is there a setting I missed to configure Sage to treat ISO *exactly* the same as a DVD folder when playing back to the MVP?

Thanks

[stanger89]

No, Sage plays them basically like an MPEG file, not a DVD.

[mage_tiko]

Originally Posted by stanger89

No, Sage plays them basically like an MPEG file, not a DVD.

Yup. Thought so.

Seems a bit odd.. the whole reason for an ISO is to preserve the DVD stuff.. menus, extras, etc. Playing it like an MPG kinda leaves all that stuff behind.

All in all, though, its still excellent that you can play ISOs on the MVP at all Just wish you could toggle subtitles/select audio streams.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mage_tiko

Yup. Thought so.

Seems a bit odd.. the whole reason for an ISO is to preserve the DVD stuff.. menus, extras, etc. Playing it like an MPG kinda leaves all that stuff behind.

I get the impression that ISO support was sort of an accident, not an intended feature.

[KandA]

I just wanted to add my bump for full native ISO support. Where ever possible I prefer to have 1 file per piece of media. I have >500 movies online now and that number will continue to grow. Managing the single ISO files is cleaner then managing folder structures.

I'd also like to mention that the lack of ISO support has been the deal breaker for a few friends who were considering switching over to Sage. They tried the demo and after not being able to properly access most of their media they never explored any further.

IMHO, a lack of proper ISO handling is holding back Sage.
Thx,
K

[Ralphjb]

Originally Posted by mage_tiko

Hi guys.

I recently purchased SageTV, having used GBPVR (and contributed some $$ to the remarkable author of that project) for nearly 2 years.

The main sell: MediaMVP as an extender. I have 4 MVPs, all working wonderfully with Sage.

I modified sage.properties to include the ISO type, and playback is very smooth.

However. I've noticed that ISOs seem to play back differently than DVD folders. There are fewer options with ISO playback on the MVP (no subtitle options, chapter, skip, etc.). And, most/all of my 100+ ISOs play back with the first subtitle track enabled.. I can't find a way to turn it off.

All of my ISOs come from DVDShrink.

Is there a setting I missed to configure Sage to treat ISO *exactly* the same as a DVD folder when playing back to the MVP?

Thanks

What is the setting in sage.properties to allow ISO file playback? Does this work HD-DVD files?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Ralphjb

What is the setting in sage.properties to allow ISO file playback?

The video import extensions line.

Does this work HD-DVD files?

Don't think so.

[Ralphjb]

Originally Posted by stanger89

The video import extensions line.



Don't think so.

Didn't for me.

How about Blu-ray?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Ralphjb

How about Blu-ray?

Blu-ray ISOs? Nope.

[Ralphjb]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Blu-ray ISOs? Nope.

Bummer. That's gotta be in the wish list somewhere, I am sure.

Thanks.

[valnar]

Wishlist, yes. Roadmap, not anytime soon.