Hello, I need to rip a DVD to prores 422 in order to edit in FCP X. (I am using a Macbook Pro M1 Max & have an Apple Superdrive). I have seen people recommend using Mpeg Streamclip but it will not work on Monterey os. Any help would be greatly appreciated - thanks!
MacBook Pro (2020 and later)
I believe you can use VLC (https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html) to convert the DVD to a video file (various codecs — recommend staying with H.264). You can convert the video file imported to FCP by Transcoding/Optimizing the clip once imported which will convert it to ProRes 422 for editing.
You can customize export settings. Choose WAV for audio, at least 128kbps and 48000 sample rate. Choose MP4/Mov and customize for H.264 (I think you can leave the bitrate and framerate at 0 and VLC will use the original settings of the DVD).
Not dumb questions.
ProRes is a proprietary codec that is licensed by Apple. You will not find the option to export to ProRes in any Open Source application that is distributed freely. Awhile back, somebody came up with a prores workalike hack... not sure what the status is of that these days... better to use genuine Apple since you have it anyway. For that matter, it is better to encode to H.264 in Quicktime than use the freeware apps as well. Apple pays the license for you and you have the genuine article available.
I find the UI for VLC to be confusing and mostly annoying. It is definitely not a native Mac App. Leaving those two options at 0 is "code" for "use the original format". The Maximum bitrate for DVD was around 8000kbps (8MB/s) but
the average was around 5MB/s. If it's an American DVD, then the frame size is most likely 720x480... It's original codec is MPEG2 and no matter what you do, it's going to be converted to ... something else. If you use a bitrate of anything other than 0, then use 8000-10000kbps. More than that is basically useless. For the framerate, if you don't know, don't change it. If it's 29.97, go ahead an change it to 30. NTSC was just a counting game - skip a frame *number* every so often except at 10 min intervals...
ProRes, at least, will *not* degrade your original in any way. If the footage is interlaced, keep that when you convert - remove it *IN* FCPX, not in any of the converters you use. If you're lucky, the original will be in "progressive" format (not interlaced.) After you move it into FCPX and there is interlacing, MPEG2 interlacing was Lower First (Field Dominance Override — set in the Settings Inspector) — do not "lie" to FCPX, it will screw it up. You can check the Deinterlace option if you like, but I don't think it makes too much difference — try both ways and see what looks better.
thanks ! I thought that there might be an advantage to ripping directly to prores from the DVD but I don't really know too much about it. I'm trying to get the best possible quality off of the DVD. If I leave the bitrate and framerate at 0, is there even a benefit to converting that h264 file to prores 422 in FCP X? (I'm a noob, sorry if these are dumb questions)
thanks - from what I understand, Handbrake can not rip directly to prores but I can make a maximum quality h264 file to convert to prores 422 in FCP? (as I replied to fox_m, I don't know if there is a benefit to ripping from DVD directly to prores - or even if there is a need to convert to prores at all if I'm using maximum quality h264
Depending on what you plan to do with the footage inside FCP, you could benefit from optimizing to Prores. See Tom's excellent answer to a related question about Prores. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253476922
In addition to fox_m's recommendation, you could also look at Handbrake.
thanks!
thanks a lot for all the info - I really appreciate it!
Ripping a DVD to ProRes 422
