Playing/Burning DVD torrents on Imac

[Lippy]

I just made the switch from PC and have an Imac. I am Apple illiterate, and just dowloaded my first DVD torrent - and I'm not sure what application I should use to open/play it on my computer. Also looking for recommendations on DVD burning software. Would appreciate suggestions.

[daddyray]

I recently switched to an app called Burn (ofr mac) which is freeware....once the app is open set the tab to Data (not audio or video or copy) and then set the pulled down menu to dvd (udf)..(You will see all this stuff when the pane is open)...drag the correct VIDEO_TS file into the pane and hit burn....those settings are key and they are not explained anywhere on the site (I was helped here).....to just watch on your computer get VLC at VLC.org....hope that helps, I am not very techie but a few folks here have kept me going.

[COLOGNESHARK]

Programme/DVD Player/ in the menu: Open/ search your DVD, go into the VIDEO_TS-Folder/Play

The Best Software is Toast: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/toast/titanium/overview.html

or use the on-bord tool:
/Applications/Utilities click Burn

[stoner]

hope this isn't too off topic but - Don't MAC's have some sort of limits on how many times a user can switch from one format to another (PAL vs NTSC)? How do mac users get around this?

[daddyray]

it is not an issue for playback or burning

[stoner]

it is not an issue for playback or burning

what is the issue then? I have a friend who has some problem with this. He's asked me to convert PAL's to NTSC to play on his mac...

[DustyDan]

what is the issue then? I have a friend who has some problem with this. He's asked me to convert PAL's to NTSC to play on his mac...

That a WHOLE other issue. And you won't be thrilled to hear the answer.

First though, your computer will play NTSC or PAL either one. It's the regions you can only change so many times. Region 1 is North America, Region 2 is the UK, and so on. The UK, and much of the rest of the world uses PAL. Your current DVD player may or may not play a PAL (Sony, I know, won't play it); your current DVD player WILL NOT play a Region 2. (I'm assuming you're in North America.) There are a couple of free programs that will let you rip a DVD so that it's region-free. But you'll still have a PAL video.

Here comes the answer about converting PAL to NTSC: Forget it. Unless you have the right, expensive software, it's too much to bother with. Take my word for it. Save yourself from finding this answer over and over again. The only easy, cheap way is to rip your video to AVI then take it back up, but it looks seriously crappy.

Here comes your best answer: Buy an all-region DVD player. That's it. If you're not worried about the region thing, there are some DVD players that will actually play a PAL. Take your region-free PAL video to the store and see if any of them will play it. Alternatively, do some research on Amazon and find a cheap DVD player that has been hacked to make it region-free AND plays PALs. Follow those hacking instructions. It's a simple code and done in no time. I can play my Region 2 PALs on it, no problem, and it only cost about $70 or $80 bucks if I remember. I was able to find the right model locally and just followed the hacking instructions. Still better, look at something like what Oppo makes. It upconverts everything, and upconverts it for high-def, too.

Again, the simple answer about converting PAL to NTSC, or vice versa, is to NOT EVEN BOTHER unless you have some fancy, expensive software. Get another machine that will play them.

[Lippy]

I recently switched to an app called Burn (ofr mac) which is freeware....once the app is open set the tab to Data (not audio or video or copy) and then set the pulled down menu to dvd (udf)..(You will see all this stuff when the pane is open)...drag the correct VIDEO_TS file into the pane and hit burn....those settings are key and they are not explained anywhere on the site (I was helped here).....to just watch on your computer get VLC at VLC.org....hope that helps, I am not very techie but a few folks here have kept me going.

Thanks!!

[stoner]

That a WHOLE other issue. And you won't be thrilled to hear the answer.

First though, your computer will play NTSC or PAL either one. It's the regions you can only change so many times. Region 1 is North America, Region 2 is the UK, and so on. The UK, and much of the rest of the world uses PAL. Your current DVD player may or may not play a PAL (Sony, I know, won't play it); your current DVD player WILL NOT play a Region 2. (I'm assuming you're in North America.) There are a couple of free programs that will let you rip a DVD so that it's region-free. But you'll still have a PAL video.

Here comes the answer about converting PAL to NTSC: Forget it. Unless you have the right, expensive software, it's too much to bother with. Take my word for it. Save yourself from finding this answer over and over again. The only easy, cheap way is to rip your video to AVI then take it back up, but it looks seriously crappy.

Here comes your best answer: Buy an all-region DVD player. That's it. If you're not worried about the region thing, there are some DVD players that will actually play a PAL. Take your region-free PAL video to the store and see if any of them will play it. Alternatively, do some research on Amazon and find a cheap DVD player that has been hacked to make it region-free AND plays PALs. Follow those hacking instructions. It's a simple code and done in no time. I can play my Region 2 PALs on it, no problem, and it only cost about $70 or $80 bucks if I remember. I was able to find the right model locally and just followed the hacking instructions. Still better, look at something like what Oppo makes. It upconverts everything, and upconverts it for high-def, too.

Again, the simple answer about converting PAL to NTSC, or vice versa, is to NOT EVEN BOTHER unless you have some fancy, expensive software. Get another machine that will play them.

Maybe i'm making myself clear. I think the problem is with the OS on a Mac??? It recognizes a region (or format "PAL or NTSC") on a disk. The OS only allows you to switch so many times (completely ridiculous to me)?? I figured there’s a way around it but since I have a PC I never pursued an answer. The players are a different issue. I pointed my friend to an ALDI's store chain in metro Detroit, they advertised a cheep GPX player that will play PAL and NTSC and is only $25. I haven't heard back from him.
Converting is an ethical / quality issue, I run TMPGne 4 - got no problem outputting to ether format.

[daddyray]

I play damn near everything even PAL stuff on my iMac with the dvdplayer app and I do not get asked to switch regions....I have had only one PAL disk which "asked" about switching regions after all this time and that has an older disc...I just played it in VLC instead..problem solved...VLC.org Does that make sense, stoner?
transcode conversions seem to degrade the quality of the dvd so I do not do that sort of thing...okay?

[stoner]

I play damn near everything even PAL stuff on my iMac with the dvdplayer app and I do not get asked to switch regions....I have had only one PAL disk which "asked" about switching regions after all this time and that has an older disc...I just played it in VLC instead..problem solved...VLC.org Does that make sense, stoner?
transcode conversions seem to degrade the quality of the dvd so I do not do that sort of thing...okay?

Yes - Thank You, I'll see if I can get my bud to load this program and find out if it works for him.. :dance2:

[DustyDan]

PAL, NTSC — the Mac won't care. It's the regions it cares about. It wants you to decide which part of the world you live in, but gives you those few changes in case you've relocated. The world is divided into all these separate regions for marketing purposes.

If your problem is that you have discs from other regions, then you likely will want to rip that disc so that it's region-free. (The PAL and NTSC part won't change.) To rip it region-free on the Mac, look at a program like Handbrake or Mac the Ripper.