Organizing Ripped DVDs
I have several hundred DVDs. I’ve ripped most of them so I have them available in digital format, but the more I do, the less organized I feel. Every time I look for a DVD, it takes too long, and I’m starting to get frustrated. Is there an application that will organize these files for me? I’m on a PC, by the way.
We use iTunes, which is available for Windows and Macs. ID3 tagging insures your videos are organized, exactly as you want them to be. You can organize by title, genre, director, and the list goes on and on. With iTunes installed on multiple PCs, your videos can be shared across your network. Add an Apple TV or two to the mix and an AirPort Extreme
If you’re, for some reason, not an iTunes fan, there is a Windows application called eXtreme Movie Manager that will let you organize . It’s 10 Euros, which is currently about $13 US dollars.
Delicious Library (Mac) and MediaMan (Windows) are great tools that allow you to catalog your collection by scanning the barcode on your DVD (or book, CD, video game). I talked about these applications in detail on a previous Dear Cali answer.
You’ve already ripped all your DVDs, so this next option would cause some duplicate work, but for someone who hasn’t already ripped their DVDs and wants to start with an organized collection, Drive-in is one of my favorite applications. With Drive-in, you make a copy of the whole DVD, special features, and all. You enter the SKU number and the software fills in all the information about the DVD for you. You can find more information about Drive-in in a previous Dear Cali, question here. The big difference with Drive-in is that you aren’t ripping the DVD. You’re making a disk image that will play on a Mac exactly as it would if you stuck the DVD in the drive.
MediaPortal is an open-source Windows application that turns your computer into a Media Center. You can watch videos, DVDs, listen to music and radio, look at pictures, and record live TV. Once you have all your DVDs on your computer, it’s great to have software that controls all your media.
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