Wise Startup Blog

Are you getting the most of out your Netflix subscription? What about your lovely Apple TV? Thanks to the power of DVD ripping software, you can turn an $8.99 Netflix into a home movie collection in no time. I recently signed up for Netflix and am happily ripping DVDs and watching them on my Apple TV saving me a ton of time and money in the process.

Rip DVDs for Apple TV

As you may have already noticed, if you try to rip a DVD in iTunes the same way you do a CD, not much happens. Thanks to the DMCA, iTunes cannot import DVDs, and thus you can’t get them onto your Apple TV.

There is a solution, however, in Handbrake. Handbrake takes the tedious steps out of ripping and encoding DVDs perfectly fit for your Apple TV.

My typical routine is to grab my new Netflix DVD from the mail, pop it into my Mac, run Handbrake, and then drop that same DVD back in the return mail the same day.

I’m able to maximize the number of DVDs I am able to rent every month and am able to enjoy the DVDs whenever I get around to them, as opposed to having it stare ominously at me from the coffee table.

Encoding DVDs Using Handbrake

The entire conversion process is quite simple, once you have Handbrake installed, you just follow the instructions, and the only settings you will want to tweak are under the ‘encoding’ settings. This tutorial from Macworld has the full details, but the only real notes you have to take are below:

H.264 files can be up to 5 Mbps using the Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps. The maximum resolution is 1,280-by-720 pixels at 24 fps, and 960-by-540 pixels at 30 fps. MPEG-4 files can be up to 3 Mbps using the Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps. The maximum resolution is 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps. (In our tests, we’ve gotten files with even higher specs to play on the Apple TV, so use the following as a guideline.) Although you’re unlikely to come up against the resolution limit for MPEG-4 files, you should choose H.264, since it gives you more flexibility in terms of data rate and generally looks better than MPEG-4. So set MediaFork’s File Format pop-up menu to MP4 File and its Codecs menu to AVC/H.264 Video / AAC Audio.

With the Video tab selected, you’ll see several video options. Framerate (FPS) should default to Same As Source, and Encoder should default to x264 (H.264 Main)—if not, set those option as such. In the Average Bitrate (KBPS) field, enter 2500. You shouldn’t need to adjust the output settings.

I just signed up for Netflix the other day, and really love the convenience of online free streaming, and the DVDs that come in the mail are really just a nice treat, especially for all of the DVDs that aren’t yet available in the online store.