Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
7:40 am
Sunday,3 April, 2011
Offline
No sure if this is in the right section but here goes anyway. Now I know that some people when away on their boat or even living on it would never dream of watching a DVD movie on TV but most might like listening to their favourite CD. The problem is that DVD’s and CD’s take up a lot of storage room on the boat. Well, it did on mine. So, here is the solution.
Download a copy of http://www.makemkv.com. Its free to use. Just put in your DVD’s and rip to the hard drive. I would suggest a portable hard drive such as a 1 or 2 TB model (such as qid=1376548115&sr=8-1&keywords=portable+hard+drive)
You can play the files on the laptop using the free programme, http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html or even get a ie=UTF8&qid=1376548275&sr=1-1&keywords=wd+media+player and play through your TV directly.
Worried about losing all that DVD information on the Jewel case insert. No problem. Just get a copy of http://www.collectorz.com/. The iPad version is great. You can add DVD info by barcode and then have all your DVD information to hand. Beats trying to find a DVD to watch by trying to find one on the shelf.
I am not suggesting this is piracy as you already own the DVD, don’t you so its OK to copy it?
As far as CD’s. Transfer to an iPod using iTune’s. I use Apple Lossless and an iPod Classic 80GB. Its (very nearly) trude CD quality then albeit using more space. Playing through a decent iPod dock provides a great compact music system.
Perhaps this is too techie for some but, by t sound of it, some of you are real high tech. Feel free to ask questions.
Cheers
Rob
7:51 am
Friday,19 February, 2010
Offline
Great information Rob. I can’t add anything to that as I’m not really a music enthusiast. Reading is more my cup of tea. However, when I moved onto my boat, I digitised my music collection and quite large collection of self help programmes from Nightingale Conant. They’re all on iTunes now. It’s the perfect solution for a boat.
With regard to reading, I’ve also gone digital. I have a Kindle and I LOVE it. I’ve had it since December 2010. Although I sometimes miss the look and feel of a “real” book, the Kindle is better in so many different ways. I wrote a review about my Kindle for the site in 2010. Here it is.
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
8:35 am
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
Offline
I bought one of these for my dvd’s http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/240-…..23158c8e6d
Acts as a handy doorstop for the cupboard where the inverter is, when switched on.
Saves having to copy everything. I did copy my music to itunes.
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
1:11 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
Offline
Alan said
I bought one of these for my dvd’s http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/240-…..23158c8e6dActs as a handy doorstop for the cupboard where the inverter is, when switched on.
Saves having to copy everything. I did copy my music to itunes.
I have something slightly larger for my vinyl records. I use it as ballast.
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
5:37 pm
Sunday,3 April, 2011
Offline
Good tip Alan. Certainly cheaper but I am a bit of a techno nurd anyway. Transferring discs takes a while but what’s the hurry and can be easily done when on the boat. You can get about 200 DVD’s on a tiny 2TB hard drive. That is full quality.
I have tried Ebooks and indeed, do have a Kobo but find the cost a bit much. It does seem difficult to get books at a good price but perhaps you know more? However, I agree, the feel of a real book is better and you can’t borrow a real book. I do see the advantage of the Ebook for a boat.
Rob
10:45 am
Monday,19 August, 2013
Offline
My favorite for that purpose is AppGeeker DVD Ripper.
It supports ripping DVDs to all known formats on my hard drive (and yes you can pick which audio tracks, what subtitles, and main movie only if you wish).
http://www.appgeeker.com/conve…..i-mac.html
1:02 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
Offline
Welcome to the forum osequi and thanks for the information.
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
8:51 pm
Wednesday,30 March, 2011
Offline
Maybe someone with the ‘knowhow’ can do an idiots guide, coz I’m an idiot and I need a guide. Just found out that daughter and her BF have about 400 DVDs between them so that should keep me going for many winters evenings 
James and Debbie
NB Lois Jane
http://nb-lois-jane.blogspot.co.uk/
6:47 pm
Friday,16 August, 2013
Offline
Hi all
Yes, I de-cluttered all my CD’s a few years back and splashed out on the Brennan JB7 – lots of adverts for this everywhere.
It is basically a hard drive that you load your CD’s onto or transfer MP3s via a USB stick . . . I had some 500+ CDs so wanted to save space and my old “System 80’s” Hi-Fi was wearing out and taking up the space of a sideboard so I went digital. The JB7 is very good, I can dial up just the first bit of a track or album and it’s found it. Or not – it does depend on a user made database and this isn’t perfect! The gadget is more for home use as it has a 60W amp built in but it can be used with headphones or boat sized speakers. Loading a CD is quicker than a PC. And its size is ideal.
I also use a Kindle but bought a very cheap Kobo (£29 offer from WH Smiths) – this has the advantage of allowing you to get free (yes, that lovely word!) books from your library. Yes, you have to sign up to a library and yes, you have to download the books to a PC first but the incentive for a free read spurs you on. I use libraries west but I guess there are plenty of others out there.
Cheers
Steve
9:27 am
Friday,16 August, 2013
Offline
Hi
Found the link to Libraries West – for those in this area.
http://www.librarieswest.org.u…..ns/ebooks/
1:05 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
Offline
I’ve just had a look at the Libraries West web site. They appear to have about 4,000 titles available to borrow which, compared to Amazon with over 1,000,000 titles, is a little limited, but it is free. I tried to find out what they have available but I could only find a search rather than a browse facility. What kind of reading material do they hold? Is it all out of copyright books, or do they have some more recent titles?
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
1:28 pm
Friday,16 August, 2013
Offline
Yes, it is a bit flaky but with funding as it is for libraries I guess they’re doing their best.
The area they cover is vast but the eBooks bit is a bit limited.
I’m currently reading all the Lee Child books (Jack Reacher) and have had loads from the ebook section.
They also have a lot of Sci-Fi. (Reading Eric Brown’s Xeno-, Cosmo, Necro-path series). The search is a bit odd but once you latch on to an author say, it seems to be OK.
As you say . . if it’s for free (and supports local libraries rather than a Luxembourg based corporate) then it’s worth a go.
I’m sure there are other libraries out there that local folk can find . . . be interested to see what they turn up? London boroughs??
Cheers
Steve
7:01 pm
Saturday,9 November, 2013
Offline
Free Kindle books (not the best sellers obviously but some good reads and worth trawling through) available at these three sites that I know of (and I’ve been told there are more):
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb…..x=top+100+
http://www.freebooksifter.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/find-fr…..ndle-books
Cheers, Marilyn
Most Users Ever Online: 298
Currently Online:
6 Guest(s)
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Top Posters:
pearley: 968
Alan: 637
GM: 462
deckhand: 296
richardhula: 292
Paul B: 183
Johny London: 142
martincowin: 120
MikeEaves: 116
Our Nige: 110
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 71
Members: 15870
Moderators: 0
Admins: 1
Forum Stats:
Groups: 1
Forums: 10
Topics: 1461
Posts: 9028
Newest Members:
SandyLochrie, lakeisharawson8, Stuart_2, StuartWeeks, MichelleBreeze, miquelbullard, archiemcdonald, DavidStone, DeanCowell, eccAdministrators: Paul Smith: 1797
