Wondershare Inc. today released Apple TV Suite, an all-in-one Apple TV video conversion solution for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista (No Mac version, Windows Media Player 9 or above required).
This suite includes “Video to Apple TV Converter” and “DVD to Apple TV Ripper” so you can convert both video files and DVDs to Apple TV formats. With this new release, you can enjoy your favorite DVDs and videos on your widescreen TV via Apple TV.
DVD to Apple TV Ripper converts DVD to Apple TV video in MP4, MPEG-4 or Apple TV audio MP3, AAC, and WAV formats. It will convert your DVD to Apple TV on all your demand. You may select subtitle and audio track freely or define a segment to output.
Features include:
• Select subtitles and audio track
• 4:3 / 16:9 supported
• Preview supported
• Video trimming and cropping
Wondershare Video to Apple TV Converter and Wondershare DVD to Apple TV Ripper are available now (Free to try; US$29.95 to buy).
More info: http://www.dvd-ripper-copy.com/dvd-apple-tv.html
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “mrmikey” for the heads up.]
We mention this only to note that third-party software for Apple TV is already beginning to appear. Mac (and other platform) users should look to the free MediaFork (HandBrake) which is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter (also available for Linux and Windows). More info here.
Related articles:
Enderle: ‘Apple’s attractive and well packaged Apple TV likely to set the pace’ – March 22, 2007
David Pogue demos Apple TV in humorous NY Times’ video – March 22, 2007
PC Magazine review gives Apple TV 4 out of 5 stars – March 22, 2007
NY Times’ Pogue: ‘Apple TV offers a gracious, elegant, effortless, delightful experience’ – March 21, 2007
Mossberg hands-on with Apple TV: ‘beautiful design, easy-to-use, classic Apple: simple and elegant’ – March 21, 2007
wonder if apple gave handbrake a large paypal donation, seems development has been kickstarted recently
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Not sure if Apple legal will let this fly
“With this new release, you can enjoy your favorite DVDs and videos on your widescreen TV via Apple TV”
Thanks, I’d prefer to enjoy my favaorite DVDs on my widescreen TV NOT via Apple TV.
Less hassle, no storage issues, and a better picture!
A note to the wise:
Movies are watched once usually and then just sit there clogging hard drive space. DVD ripping is a pain and takes a long time.
I got over 200 rips and the scrolling through the long Frontrow list to watch a newly downloaded iTunes video is a pain in the ass.
If you own the DVD already, keep the movie on it.
If you downloaded a movie, burn it to DVD a couple of times and archive it, watch it from that instead.
You’ll be grateful when your video library grows out of control.
I did look at this before, but I prefer Boilsoft’s MP4 Converter. Allows you to convert any video file for which your system has the codecs for, into MP4. Its still multi-threaded, and converts a 30min video in about 10mins on my system.
http://www.boilsoft.com/mp4converter/index.html
Oh – and Handbake/MediaFork for Windows for the DVDs
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Oh ya – and it has a queue, perfect for converting all those TV shows all in one go
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Screw converting DVDs. I’ll watch my DVDs in my DVD player. Now, an XviD-to-AppleTV converter? THAT I’d be interested in.
@Wiseguy said:
“Movies are watched once usually and then just sit there clogging hard drive space.”
Falkirk: I’d agree with you. That’s why I rent. But the fact that millions upon millions of people buy video may mean that some people want to re-watch or have the possibility to re-watch their movies. Having it in Itunes makes it much easier to do.
“DVD ripping is a pain and takes a long time.”
Falkirk: Yeah, I’d agree with that, but I would have said the same thing about ripping music CDs. And I would have been wrong there too.
“I got over 200 rips and the scrolling through the long Frontrow list to watch a newly downloaded iTunes video is a pain in the ass.”
Falkirk: Isn’t it easier to scroll though a multi-sorted list than to sort through 200 physical DVD Discs?
“If you own the DVD already, keep the movie on it.”
Falkirk: Yeah, if you own a DVD, you own a DVD player so why would you want to rip it to Itunes?
I think the key to this article – as MDN points out – is that 3rd party software to support Apple TV is available already.
One of the things that makes it almost impossible to dislodge the Ipod from the top of the mountain is that there are some 4,000 products specifically built to support it. You want your tunes in the car, you want a carrying case, you want speakers, you want it to work with your toilet paper dispenser (???) you have to buy an Ipod. How can any competitor hope to reach the critical mass necessary to match that.
So if third partys jump on the Apple bandwagon again – coud be big.
WiseGuy:
“You’ll be grateful when your video library grows out of control.”
Yeah because shelves of DVDs are so easy to “navigate” through. I don’t know HOW people scan through their libraries of 10,000 songs on those little iPods – it would be easier to just carry around a wagon with 12,000 CDs in it.
I’m all in favor of any WinDoze app that rips in Mp4 .
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Its so frustrating to see all those WinCrap Media files on P2P,
maybe now there will be some decent content out there
‘Doze users, think
OPEN STANDARD FORMATS
HandBrake is great, but it’s really too bad that it hasn’t been updated now for a year! Hopefully now that development has finally picked up again on “MediaFork” we can look forward to something soon.
…the fact that millions upon millions of people buy video may mean that some people want to re-watch or have the possibility to re-watch their movies. Having it in Itunes makes it much easier to do.
In iTunes it’s easier to watch, but not in Frontrow.
..but I would have said the same thing about ripping music CDs. And I would have been wrong there too.
CD’s are different, they are easier to rip (no DRM), smaller in content size, easier to manage, tak up less storage space and people tend to mix music, make playlists and listen to the same songs perhaps thousands of times in their lifetime. Music is portable, movies tend to be watched on big screen TV’s once or twice.
Isn’t it easier to scroll though a multi-sorted list than to sort through 200 physical DVD Discs?
In iTunes perhaps, but the work involved ripping all those DVD’s just to catagorize them, just to only watch them a few times isn’t worth the effort.
And yes it’s less work and more impressive, keeping DVD movies on a shelf instead of on a computer. They are right there for people to see, comment on and use. Just scan the covers and take it out.
Yeah, if you own a DVD, you own a DVD player so why would you want to rip it to Itunes?
Exactly. DVD players are cheap and less work than ripping.
It’ll be news when I can take purchases from iTunes and convert them to DVD. Would like to buy at a cheaper price, but still want to have portability (particularly for kids). No reason to move a DVD to Apple TV, I want the opposite.
I’ve been trying to find a way to create a single MPEG file that will work well with Apple TV, iPod, and any Mac screen using Front Row. After spending way too much time testing all of the available options, here’s what I’ve found.
What doesn’t work:
Handbrake: Poor quality at any setting
MPEG Streamclip: Great quality but impractical because conversion takes too long
iSquint: Won’t combine multiple .vob files from a ripped DVD to create a single MPEG file
MacTheRipper: Won’t rip most of the newest titles. Still the best option available on the Mac platform.
What works (produces an MPEG file that looks great on the big screen, plays through Front Row, and will play on an iPod):
1: Rip the DVD using MacTheRipper
2: Extract the main title using Popcorn (optional – removes menus, etc.)
3: Open the ripped DVD using MPEG Streamclip
4: Use “Save As” to create a single .vob file
5: Convert the single .vob file using iSquint. Use the “Optimize for TV”, H.264 Encoding, and “Go Nuts” settings
As anyone with a child if their videos will only be watched a few times.
I know someone who has hundreds of videos ripped, many I don’t have, and to be able to sit and watch theirs is a treat.
Ryan,
You already HAVE the opposite, just buy the DVD convert it and burn a DVD. iTunes doesn’t need to factor into it at all.
MacTheRipper rips the newest titles, but you’ll have to donate to get the latest version, which has been significantly upgraded since 2.6.6.
I agree with wrong again. While I may have a few movies that I’ve never seen, the majority are watched several times with kids titles watched in the hundreds of times. My AppleTV is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and while I have reservations about it, being able to have many shows available with just the remote will be nice. Nothing good seems to happen when our 3 year old plays with the DVD’s and player.
Give me Handbrake + VGP-XL1B2 and I will be in Heaven. It has firewire, can be connected to a Mac.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGP-XL1B2-Media-Changer-also/dp/B000ENU79C
There are some Linux open source programs that control it but nothing for the Mac. Works with Micro****s Media PC though.
“It will convert your DVD to Apple TV on all your demand.”
and… All Your DVD Are Belong To Us!
Somebody PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong, but video quality aside…
There’s no way to convert a DVD to AppleTV and preserve the 5.1 audio.
Aside from a cleaner digital signal, which is unnecessary for lengths shorter than 15 feet, the optical audio port on the AppleTV seems to be pretty useless
Until the AppleTV supports DTS and DD, I want nothing to do with it. Yes, I know that AAC has a protocol for multi-track audio, but I’ve never seen a home theater receiver that supports it.
Anyone have a solution?
SD
I would like to archive my DVDs into something like iTunes to free up the space the DVDs are taking in my living room. Obviously you’ll need to have a big enough HD to store them all.
Handbrake wasn’t that effective for me, but then I only have a 1 gHz G4. I need something that can rip and compress a dvd in a few hours.
CD’s are a pain to rip, AAC isn’t as clear as AIFF, AAC takes up hard drive space.
We’ve heard it all before. If you don’t want to rip and compress then don’t buy TV
All I know is my CD collection collects dust and I haven’t bought a CD for years.
As mentioned before Apple is skating to where the puck will be not where it’s at. If you’re content with where you are at then stay put.
Apparently the original HandBrake author has rejoined MediaFork development and it will be once again known as HandBrake with the next release…
Got mine today – setup takes about five minute with the little white remote – my handbrake’d movies (h.264, baseline profile, max size at DVD aspect ratio) look and stream great. The stream is so flawless, in fact, that the ‘sync’ is overkill – I turned mine off.
Two problems – when your movie collection gets large, it takes a while to scroll through them all to find what you’re looking for – it needs to be broken down by genre…
Also, my ripped TV shows don’t show up in with the right metadata. ‘The Sopranos’ is listed as ‘Various’, and ‘Firefly’ shows up as a list of the stars. WTF? I’m pretty sure I did the tags right…
After just a few minutes with this thing, its appeal becomes apparent.