ideas to download movies for offline viewing on a road trip?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by head_unit, Apr 16, 2014.

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  1. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    As opposed to using massive cellular bandwidth, that is. Or playing a DVD that my kid's MacBook Air doesn't have a slot for.

    I'm not in favor of kids watching movies 24/7 in the car, but we are taking a loooooong drive and some would be OK.

    - We have a Netflix subscription, but I don't think you can download, right? And I assume streaming one of these will eat like 1-2 GB of data (??)

    - I have Amazon Prime-can I rent for offline viewing?

    - I also have an iTunes gift certificate for $25 I thought I'd never use-maybe it's useful for this?

    We leave tomorrow, so I don't have time to try for the first time ever to rip DVDs on my iMac and transfer the files to the MacBook Air...
     
  2. Chip Z

    Chip Z Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH, USA
    No download with Netflix.
    iTunes gift card would be perfect for buying some movies. Just make sure you download them from the store via wi-fi before you head out.
     
  3. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I believe iTunes lets you download movies that you have rented for offline viewing (but only to the device they were rented from); I know you can download ones you've bought. Amazon Prime might also allow this.

    I don't think Netflix does.
     
  4. I presume you're too ethical to pursue the obvious solution, eh? :)
     
    Vidiot likes this.
  5. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    If you use a Mac you can download the free software Handbrake which will transcode DVDs into a variety of file formats. It's quick and easy to use.
     
  6. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    The "Torch" browser facilitates easy downloading from some sites. May be worth checking out. (Mac only, as far as I know.)
    http://www.torchbrowser.com/
     
  7. namretsam

    namretsam Senior Member

    Location:
    Santa Rosa , CA
    Assuming you have a iTunes account already AND a decent fast download speed, using that gift cert is your most least stressful bet. You can rent and download to itunes 5-6 films and be done with it. You only have a 24 hour window to watch once you start firstplayback and can watch it over and over for that 24 hours. Be sure to rent the standard res version as they are at least a buck cheaper and will download faster as the file is smaller. The average standard res film is about 1.3 GB's . But if you are downloading anything before you go you had better get on it NOW.
     
  8. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I use Handbrake to transcode my own DVDs for trips. It works, but can be slow. Generally about two hours for the entire process.
     
  9. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    It has been awhile since I used it, I suppose I should re-phrase and just say "easy" instead of quick and easy. :D
     
  10. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    I use JRiver Media Center, and it takes about 15 minutes to rip a dvd. Unfortunately, if you don't have a lot of space you will then have to convert it to mp4 or some other compressed format (JRiver rips as a TS file).
     
  11. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    That's actually a better "quick" option. I used to use a similar application to rip the DVD to a .dvdimage file that could be played using Apple's DVD player application. The benefit of this approach is that it only takes about 15 minutes to copy the DVD and you still have access to all of the special features, audio tracks, and subtitles. Most movies take up about 6GB of disc space.
     
  12. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
  13. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Exactly my advice. Does Handbrake override the copy-protection, too? I generally do that under Windows with AnyDVD. (Strictly as a backup for discs I own!)
     
  14. SMcFarlane

    SMcFarlane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montreal
    Given your time constraint iTunes seems to be the obvious choice though perhaps more costly. If you had more time, I'd second the Handbrake route. Though slow it works and can generate via a set of presets compressed files for offline viewing on tablets, smartphones, etc
     
  15. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I believe the way it works is that it essentially just plays the file in the background and transcodes it on the fly into a different format, this way it bypasses the copy protection.
     
  16. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I'd rather actually pull the VOB files right off the DVD and play them as authored, so that way there's zero transcoding involved. AnyDVD is far better for this purpose.
     
  17. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I agree, that is preferable, but if I'm just looking for a portable copy to take with me it fits the bill.

    For backup purposes I just create an image file of the full DVD and save it on an external hard drive. I have all my concert DVDs ripped in this fashion and I almost always just play them back with VLC which allows you access to all the menu and audio selections. Most of my physical DVDs just sit in the closet collecting dust.

    The main reason I use Handbrake is for TV show box sets, instead of having to switch discs I just rip all the episodes to my external hard drive so I can binge watch with a minimum of effort. :D
     
  18. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    VLC is too kludgy to me -- lots of weird GUI issues for me. I much prefer just using Apple's DVD player and doing the CDs that way. If I have to cram a bunch of videos on an iPad for a trip or something, then I'll just convert them to QuickTime and live with the double-compression.

    Blu-rays are still a big issue, but those I can play on the WD Player and a couple of other devices. And I can turn those into QuickTime as well.
     
  19. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    By the way the winning solution was...I took another laptop that had a DVD drive! But I'll keep these ideas in mind for next times...
     
    Vidiot likes this.
  20. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    So, have a killer game of I Spy With My Little Eye!!!!!!!! :D

    Bonus: it's free!! :)
     
    SMcFarlane likes this.
  21. JPagan

    JPagan Generation 13

    Location:
    South Florida
    Actually, I think you can transfer it to the device of your choice (iPad, Laptop) provided you have said device authorized in your iTunes preferences. I've downloaded rentals to my Mac mini and copied them via USB to my iPad. Of course, once the rental period expires, it won't play on either.
     
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