RipSharp

RipSharp is a command-line tool for automated optical disc ripping and file naming. It integrates MakeMKV for disc extraction with TMDB, OMDB, and TVDB metadata providers to generate properly organized video files with correct naming and metadata for movies and TV shows. Extracted tracks are re-encoded with FFmpeg using H.264 (slow, CRF 22) for video and AAC for audio, with optional English subtitle embedding.

Features

• Automatic disc detection — Identifies DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD discs
• MakeMKV integration — Extracts titles without quality loss
• Multi-provider metadata — Fetches movie/TV info from TMDB, OMDB, and TVDB
• TV episode resolution — Looks up episode titles for proper naming
• H.264 re-encoding — Compresses video with FFmpeg (CRF 22, slow preset)
• Audio handling — Copies AAC/AC3/EAC3, transcodes others to AAC
• English filtering — Selects English audio tracks and optional subtitles
• Smart file naming — Generates organized filenames with metadata
• Progress tracking — Real-time display for scanning, ripping, and encoding

Requirements

Software

• MakeMKV – makemkv.com
• FFmpeg – See installation options below
• .NET SDK 10.0+ – dotnet.microsoft.com/download

API Keys (Optional)

• TMDB – themoviedb.org/settings/api (free)
• OMDB – omdbapi.com/apikey.aspx (free tier)
• TVDB – thetvdb.com/dashboard/account/apikeys (free)

Hardware

• Optical disc drive (DVD/Blu-ray/UHD) or ISO file
• 5–100 GB free disk space per disc

Quick Start

1. Install dependencies

   Install MakeMKV from https://www.makemkv.com/

   Install FFmpeg (choose one):

   Ubuntu/Debian:

   sudo apt install ffmpeg

   Fedora:

   sudo dnf install ffmpeg

   Arch:

   sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

   openSUSE:

   sudo zypper install ffmpeg

   Alpine:

   sudo apk add ffmpeg

   macOS (Homebrew):

   brew install ffmpeg

   Windows (winget):

   winget install --id Gyan.FFmpeg

   Install .NET SDK 10.0+ from https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download

2. Clone and build

   git clone https://github.com/mapitman/ripsharp.git
   cd ripsharp
   dotnet build src/RipSharp

3. Set API keys (optional but recommended)

   export TMDB_API_KEY="your_key_here"
   export OMDB_API_KEY="your_key_here"
   export TVDB_API_KEY="your_key_here"

4. Rip a disc

   # Movie from physical disc (auto-detected)
   dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/Movies
   
   # TV series with episode titles
   dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/TV --mode tv --title "Breaking Bad" --season 1
   
   # From ISO file
   dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/Movies --disc "file:/path/to/movie.iso"

Options

Required

Option	Description
--output PATH	Output directory for ripped files

Optional

Option	Description
--mode auto|movie|tv	Content type detection (default: auto)
--disc PATH	Optical drive or ISO file path (default: disc:0, e.g., disc:1, /dev/sr0, file:movie.iso)
--temp PATH	Temporary directory (default: auto-generated in output)
--title TEXT	Custom title for file naming
--year YYYY	Release year (movies only)
--season N	Season number (TV only, default: 1)
--episode-start N	Starting episode number (TV only, default: 1)
--disc-type TYPE	Override disc type: dvd|bd|uhd (auto-detect by default)
--sequential	Disable parallel processing (rip all, then encode all)
--debug	Enable debug logging
-h, --help	Show help message

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
TMDB_API_KEY	TMDB API key for metadata lookup (recommended)
OMDB_API_KEY	OMDB API key for metadata lookup (optional)
TVDB_API_KEY	TVDB API key for TV episode titles (optional)

Building

git clone https://github.com/mapitman/ripsharp.git
cd ripsharp
dotnet restore src/RipSharp
dotnet build src/RipSharp

To run without building separately:

dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/Movies

Examples

Movie with Custom Title

dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/Movies --title "The Matrix" --year 1999

Output: ~/Movies/The Matrix (1999).mkv

TV Series Season

dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/TV --mode tv --title "Breaking Bad" --season 1

Output: ~/TV/Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv, ~/TV/Breaking Bad - S01E02 - Cat's in the Bag....mkv, etc.

Using Alternate Disc Drive

dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/Movies --disc disc:1

Ripping from ISO File

dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/Movies --disc "file:/path/to/movie.iso"

Output: Processes the ISO file instead of a physical disc

See EXAMPLES.md for more detailed examples.

File Naming

RipSharp automatically generates organized filenames based on metadata lookup results.

Movies

Format: Title (Year).mkv

Examples:

• The Matrix (1999).mkv
• Inception (2010).mkv
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994).mkv

TV Series

Format: Show Name - S##E## - Episode Title.mkv

Examples:

• Breaking Bad - S01E01 - Pilot.mkv
• The Legend of Korra - S01E01 - Welcome to Republic City.mkv
• Game of Thrones - S03E09 - The Rains of Castamere.mkv

Note: Episode titles require a TVDB API key. Without it, files are named Show Name - S##E##.mkv.

How It Works

RipSharp follows a streamlined workflow to automatically process optical discs:

1. Scan — Uses MakeMKV to detect all titles on the disc
2. Detect — Analyzes title durations to identify content type (movie vs TV series)
3. Lookup — Queries metadata providers (TMDB, OMDB, TVDB) for titles and episode information
4. Rip — Extracts titles using MakeMKV at highest quality
5. Encode — Re-encodes with FFmpeg (H.264, AAC) with parallel processing for efficiency
6. Rename — Generates organized filenames and moves to output directory
7. Cleanup — Removes temporary files automatically

Troubleshooting

"Missing required tools" error

Ensure all dependencies are installed and in PATH:

which makemkvcon ffmpeg ffprobe dotnet

Disc not detected

1. Insert disc and wait for it to be recognized by the system
2. Check if readable: makemkvcon info disc:0
3. Try alternate device: --disc disc:1 or specify device path

Insufficient disk space

Space requirements by disc type:

• DVD: 4–8 GB
• Blu-ray: 15–35 GB
• UHD 4K: 40–100 GB

Ensure both --temp and --output directories have sufficient space.

MakeMKV beta key required

MakeMKV requires a license key. Get the latest beta key from: https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1053

Permission denied

Some systems require elevated permissions to access optical drives:

sudo dotnet run --project src/RipSharp -- --output ~/Movies

Support

• Check Troubleshooting for common issues
• Open an issue on GitHub: https://github.com/mapitman/ripsharp/issues
• See examples in EXAMPLES.md
• MakeMKV forums can help with drive or ripping issues: https://www.makemkv.com/forum/

Performance

Typical ripping and encoding times vary by disc type, drive speed, and system performance.

Disc Type	Size	Approximate Time
DVD	4–8 GB	10–30 minutes
Blu-ray	15–35 GB	30–90 minutes
UHD 4K	40–100 GB	60–180 minutes

Factors affecting performance:

• Optical drive read speed
• CPU encoding performance
• Disc condition and read errors
• Parallel processing enabled (default)

Note: Times include both ripping and encoding. Use --sequential to disable parallel processing if needed.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Note: Ensure you own the physical media and comply with applicable copyright laws when ripping discs.

Acknowledgments

RipSharp is built on top of these excellent tools:

• MakeMKV — Disc ripping and extraction engine
• FFmpeg — Media encoding and processing
• TMDB — Movie and TV series metadata
• OMDB — Additional movie database
• TVDB — TV episode information