Rip DVD-A on Mac

Hey Lars - The software is called DVDAExplorer. The Mac version is just ported over from the Windows version by someone other than the original developer(s). So, the Mac version has a few issues. I ended up using the Windows version more frequently.

Try these links

Windows Version.

Mac Version.

Thanks for the help Chris. DVD-A Explorer worked great.

Can all DVD-A be ripped as 24/96? Sorry newbie when it comes to media other than CD...

All DVD-A is a very broad statement that I won't make :-)

I will say that 99% is a good number. There are some weird ones that won't rip, some that will only rip at low resolution or higher resolution etc... But for the most part you they rip at 24/96. Some multi channel downmixes don't come out very well while others come out great.

I'm not having any luck with using DVDAExplorer or Mac The Ripper. Maybe I'm tired and it's just too late in the night/early morning for me or maybe I'm just used to easy cd ripping software. This is too much work without any progress and thus I am going to swear off buying any more DVD-As since this is worthless to me for easy computer audio. The only benefit of DVD-A to me is that I can play the files using my univeral player and DAC, something I wish I could do with my SACDs. But at least with SACDs I can rip the hybrid cd layer to my computer music server with ease. In fact I just bought a dozen Telarc SACDs priced $7.98 or $13.98 each. Seeing that my recent high res digital download were costing $20-45 and my new vinyl purhcases were often $25-50, these low priced SACDs are quite a bargain.

Sorry to dig up an old post, but I had been trying to figure out DVD-A rips. Found links to the new versions that I thought others might appreciate:

Mac Version
PC Version

This is Beta3 which is the most up to date I could find.

These are not new, they've been around for some time, but thanks anyway.

I understand that they may not be new in the sense that they were not released a few days ago, but they are newer than the files linked to at the start of the thread, and the latest versions released at this time as far as I can find. Just thought it would save others searching for them as I did.

Does anyone have any form of tutorial on how to use DVD-A Explorer. I can get it (on the Mac) to read my DVD-A, however I get the message "MLP decoder failed during extraction" ... does anyone have any ideas?

Eloise

That problem only exists on the Mac version. You're using the program right however. I use this program on a PC.

Sounds like I need a PC then... Will have to try to sort the PSU in my old Dell. Under windows I just need the DVD-A Explorer download, is that right?

Thanks Chris
Eloise

Yep just the download.

You can also use boot camp on your Mac instead of using and older one.

You can easily do so with the help of DVD CD Duplicator. This will help you in burning DVDs from your PC on MAC OS.

Hi, I’m having trouble finding the latest copy of DVD-A Explorer for the Mac. The Beta 3 link is no longer working.

Is this the correct software:
http://rapidlibrary.com/index.php?q=dvd+a+explorer+mac

How are users of the Mac version finding it?

Thanks

^ I just searched around using google. The Mac version isn't going to work though, so don't spend too much time searching...

Thanks for looking.

So does this mean the only real option for Mac users is to use boot camp and download the PC version?

I've downloaded DVDA Explorer for the MAC. I was able to do an extraction on a DVD-A track, but what I get (and it says it was successful) is an .mlp file. Don't know what it is? Mac system doesn't recognize it.

Meridian Lossless Packing Audio File is a lossless audio compression technology designed for use with DVD audio discs. The format was developed by Meridian but has been licensed by a number of different vendors, including Dolby. VLC (or winamp on PC) will supposedly play it, not sure what you would use to transcode it to something more useful though...

I'm very curious as to how you got it to work at all to be honest; I tried for quite a while with no success. What version did you download? I'm happy to upload the Beta 3 version again if it's of interest (assuming I can find it again)

In the DVD-A Explorer 2008 Windows version, there is an option right at the top to"Convert to .wave"
(Just below the "Output Directory") in the File>Extract stage.The 2nd group of files are normally the
L + R stereo files.
SandyK

I really don't have it working. I was able to apparently decode and get an .mlp file, but it's relatively useless. I've tried to find an .mlp to "something usable" converter, to no avail. It seems there is no option on the MAC version to decode to anything other than an .mlp file.

Frustrating because I can see the tantalizing files listed @ 24/96 rez. Sure wish someone could fix this for the Mac side, I'd even be happy if I could get CD quality. It's too bad because it seems that DVD-A is a defunct format, at least let us recover our investments.

dancremeans

It's a shame you can't get it working, because those DVD-A 24/96 and 24/192 files can sound absolutely stunning when played back via a PC and a good DAC. The SQ is far in excess of what you will ever hear via a typical DVD-A/SACD player.However, not all DVD-As meet those standards. 2 that sound absolutely sensational are "Fleetwood Mac-Rumours" in 24/96, and "Carly Simon-No Secrets" in 24/192. The track "You're So Vain" is a fine example of just how good 24/192 can sound. (even at my age )In the case of "Rumours" there is evidence of a little hard limiting on some tracks though. At least with a PC, you are also able to burn downloaded files from Linn Records etc. to your own DVD-As using the inexpensive DVD-Solo. Many DVD-As are watermarked, and if used in your own compilation DVD-A may play for only a few seconds in some DVD-A (but not all) players before the digital ID of the watermarking is detected.

SandyK

We're on the same wavelink. "Rumors" was exactly the DVD-A I was able to decode to .mlp (one track).

Am I understanding you to say that the "decoded to a PC DVD-A" sounds better than when it's played from the DVD itself?

I have an Intel Mac. I suppose I could install Windows on it & try what you're describing, because, at least for now, the MAC side seems unable to do any decoding of DVD-A.

Dan

dancremeans
Both ripped CDs and DVDs CAN be made to sound far better from the PC/Mac than directly from an optical drive, whether in the PC or a CD/DVD player.
After all, that is the goal of the founder of this forum. I feel sure that Chris believes this is the future of music playback.
If you want more info, feel free to send me an email or message.

SandyK
P.S.
An extract from a recent post in another forum after test purposes ONLY upload:
"Currently listening to them Fleetwood Mac tracks again. Bloody stunning "

Very interesting. Thanks a lot for "the food for thought" info.

I'm already fully in "this camp," as of a few years ago, after I got my first DAC (PS Audio's DAC III, which I'm still using, but would like to go higher in rez, but that's another topic) and compared against the Ayre CD player I had at that time, & could detect "no difference." I knew then (at least for me) that CD players were a thing of the past, and promptly sold mine on ebay. I've been enjoying the convenience & quality sound since.

Dan

And then importing the .wav files off my external drive to my Mac in Itunes. Works great. Try David Crosby "if only I could remember my name". It has 2 channel 24/192 on the DVD-A and 2 channel 16/48 on the DVD-V tracks. The best tracks include Jerry Garcia on pedal steel and Phil Lesh on bass. The sound quality is exceptional for such an old recording (1970). Something about an echo chamber in the studio.

What other DVD-As are recommended besides Fleetwood Mac Rumors?

bottlerocket

I have been listening to rips of the 10 DVD-As that I own.
"Carly Simon-No Secrets" 24/192 is very good, especially the track "You're So Vain"
IMHO, "Alicia Keys-Songs in A Minor" and "Faith Hill-Cry" appear to be very poor quality for what is supposed to be 24/96 origin. (Upsampled ?)"Fleetwood Mac-Say You Will" has been painted by the loudness brush, and has very little subtlety. Going by the photos, the group may have had too much control of the production?
The voices are just loud, and very little individuality is evident,which is in sharp contrast to "Rumours" 24/96 , where the track "Dreams" is very good indeed.
"Diana Krall- The Girl in the Other Room" which is on dual disc, is quite good, and markedly better than the normal CD tracks.

SandyK

I've often thought it would be great to have a list on this website to document what DVD-As are good and what track formats they include. DVD-As tend to be hit and miss. Some have 5.1 only, and some are not great quality. It seems you never quite know what you are getting without borrowing from someone else's experience.

http://www.quadraphonicquad.com/QQHiRezPoll2004.htm

I've posted here a few times about how to rip with DVDAExplorer, and also moderate a discussion on Audio Circle (HiRez Circle section). My faves, all ripped succesfully with DVDAExplorer (on PC then converted to AIFF for my Mac to Weiss DAC2) in no order, are:
David Crosby (24/192) If I Could only Remember My Name
Beck (24/88.2) Sea Change
Donald Fagen (24/96) Kamakiriad
Jackson Browne (24/192) Running On Empty
Steely Dan (24/192) Everything Must Go
Grateful Dead (24/96) American Beauty
Neil Young (24/176) On The Beach
Pete Townshend (24/192) Who Came First
Cannonball Adderley (24/192) Somethin' Else
Pete Townshend (24/96) Rough Mix
Muddy Waters (24/192) Folk Singer

A limited range of DVD-As at very reasonable prices, including a few Diana Krall DVD-As (one is at the end of the listings, and wrongly spelled) is available at the attached link. I bought my Diana Krall DVD-As from them originally.
Whether they are high enough quality is up to personal taste, but these won't strain the finances too much.

SandyK

http://www.cduniverse.com/browsecat.asp?style=music&cat=1028

I am interested in using DVDAExplorer to rip some discs to my computer - but the links for both Mac and PC versions above are broken. Can anybody help with updated links? I have both Macs and PCs. From the thread it sounds as if the Windows version is better implemented but I wouldn't mind trying both as the machine in my rig is a Mac.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

symphonysound
The PC version is available at the attached link. My understanding is that the Mac version is problematical.
SandyK

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/DVD-Audio_Explorer

Perfect - thanks so much for the prompt reply! I guess it makes sense to just use the PC version :)

Thanks for digging up that link sandyk. I always lose shortly after I need it for a project.

The Mac version has trouble with the disc encryption.

I was able to use the DVDA Explorer successfully to RIP the only DVDA title (Celebrating the Music of Weather Report-Telarc) I had. I never had a DVDA player to play it though. The disk can rest in peace now :-))

Just digging this old thread out again!

I have a Mac so I will need to use Boot Camp to run DVDA Explorer. Do I need to get XP or will it work on Windows 7?

Thanks.

No problems either way under boot camp, which is the same as running native, from the OS viewpoint.

This mac version of the DVDA explorer worked fine for me on the mac

I can never get the Mac version to rip an encrypted DVD-A disc to wave files.

Having only ever used a mac, windows is very foreign to me. I would only be buying windows purely to use DVDA explorer. If I go down this route I guess Windows 7 would be the better option as its the latest windows operating system. As the software is a few years old I wasn't sure if it would be compatible with 7.

Thanks for the link to the Mac version. This was my original intention but got put off because of the problems Chris and others were having. Do you have success saving the files as something different from wave? Would be great not to have to go down the Windows 7/Vista route.

I've just found an explanation:

First, you need to point to an AUDIO_TS folder. This may be on a disc you've loaded in your DVD drive, a mounted disc image, or just and AUDIO_TS folder on storage. Click any of the IFO files, it doesn't matter which one you select. DVDAExplorer will then show you the tracks on the left, and on the right you will see useful information for each track, including bit-depth, sample-rate, channel assignment, track size and other detailed information useful for the advanced user. You can also see if the tracks are in MLP format or uncompressed PCM, by the yellow icons in the left pane or the information on in the right pane. The DVD-Audio format allows for some advanced features and playback options, and can be much more complex than a CD. While it may be clearly-laid out in the playback menu on the screen, the way the tracks are actually structured on the disc may be more complex. You will have to look for patterns and figure out which are the album tracks to extract. Sometimes at the end of title groups, there will be 1-second "dummy tracks" which contain silence. 30-second "preview" tracks are also common on some discs, such as in Elton John's Yellow Brick Road. These tracks may also be of a lower resolution than the album tracks. However, some discs will be very clearly laid out, just like a CD, with a simple group of multichannel tracks, and then the stereo tracks.

I have the Mac version and it worked flawlessly on the only DVDA I have. The version is 2008.04.16 (Beta 1). Maybe check your version number.

- John.

Hi all (if the discussion is still going on),
DVDAExplorer works fine for me, but there are a few DVDAs whose ALAC files can't be played by iTunes afterwards like all others (99%). I haven't found out why. And the strangest thing about it is that these files *can* be played by the Finder! I click into the triangle within the file icon and off they go. So after all, it's OK, but only if I don't want to use the Finder at the same time.

Does anyone have an idea why some files do not work with iTunes?

It's definitely not a bit rate problem; I play files with 6000kb/s (192kHz) in iTunes.