MakeMKV (Notices of New Versions)

[lhb1142]

I am a new PCLinuxOS user so please pardon me if this question does not belong in this part of the forum.

I installed the 2012.08 KDE version several days ago and I have been "playing" (configuring and customizing) it since. I have never used a "rolling release" distro before nor had I used anything other than Linux programs which use .deb files.

For quite some time I wanted to try a "rolling release" operating system; the fact that PCLinuxOS uses the .rpm files (which I also wanted to try) is a bonus.

PCLinuxOS looks very good indeed.

From the repository I have been able to obtain every program I want to use (if it was not already installed by default) except for the following:

TrueCrypt: Now I have read the warnings about not installing anything other than what's in the official repository. I did have to enable the special section in order to get TrueCrypt (so it was sort of "semi-official").

Epson WorkForce 845 printer driver: I had to install a downloaded .rpm for my printer driver as it appears nowhere in the repository (believe me, I looked everywhere!). Otherwise I would not have been able to use the printer!

The final program I would like to have, though it is certainly not an "absolute must," is MakeMKV.

This program allows one to backup DVDs and Blu-rays. It is fairly easy to install in another distro which normally uses .deb files (this program is not a .deb file, however) using instructions on its web site < http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=224 > but I do not know if this will work in PCLinuxOS.

I searched this forum but I could not find any reference to this program.

While having it on the PCLinuxOS computer is not an absolute must, it would be nice to have. (I have been able to get every other program that I have used previously on other Linux distros.)

Is there anyone, preferably one who uses the program on PCLinuxOS, who can help me by telling me whether (a) if it is safe to install it and (b) if it works?

Thank you so much.

[T6]

hello and welcome to the forum!

"I did have to enable the special section in order to get TrueCrypt"

what special section?  testing section?

about make mkv, if it is not in the repos then you can do a package request so the app is added when a pclinux dev member can check if it can be added to our repositories but you have to make more then 10 posts to activate the package request section of this forum

as you said, we don't recommend to use apps outside the repos because the app could not work or make other apps stop working, damage the pclinux install or be a security risk for your personal info, if we didn't tested it and we don't know who did it, we can't know what it is and if it is safe to use

since you are experienced in deb files, in synaptic there is a package called alien, it helps you installing deb files if the requirements are met but i never used it so can't guide you on that process and if you use it, your install will be modified and different than ours and we won't be able to help you solving possible problems that could happen derived from that

the link you posted shows the procedure to download the source code to compile the app

the codes will work but you don't use sudo, just su to invoke root user and then your root password(we don't use sudo, it is a security risk)

i rarely can make a compiled app work or can compile a app, i don't know enough to compile, or i don't have requirements or write something wrong or something else 

[johnmart]

"I did have to enable the special section in order to get TrueCrypt"

what special section?  testing section?

It's the repo section where you find TrueCrypt, Wine, sudo etc.

[T6]

but that section comes enabled by default? no? 

[lhb1142]

but that section comes enabled by default? no? 

No, you must enable it yourself by adding the word "special" (without the quotes) to the end of the "Section(s)" dialog box of the particular repository from which you wish to obtain a particular "non-official" program (such as TrueCrypt).

I did print several documents and web pages successfully (and wirelessly!) using my Epson WorkForce 845 printer after installing the .rpm driver program I downloaded.

I would like to install the MakeMKV program onto this computer - but only if I'm reasonably certain that doing so will not damage my installation.

Thanks for the quick replies and comments. I do hope there is someone who has actually used the MakeMKV program in their PCLinuxOS setup and who can tell me that it is either safe or not safe. By the way, it is a fantastic program, somewhat tricky to install but very easy to use.

Thanks again.

[Archie]

Compiling from source would require advanced users. If you can find the correct libraries you'd need then you have your choice to do so. There is no telling how it would affect your system until its done. However, please keep in mind that in doing so will render your installation unsupported in the forum (so says the rules). 

Rack up 10 posts and make a package request. This would be most advisable.

And welcome to the community.

[Just17]

mkmkv ........  I did a quick search for this on line and found only a short wee script which uses mkvmerge .... here
http://renomath.org/video/linux/bin/mkmkv

Code: [Select]

#!/bin/bash
base=`echo $1 | sed "s/\.[^.]*$//"`
echo mkvmerge --default-duration 0:29.97002997002997002997fps $1 $2 -o $base.mkv
sleep 5
mkvmerge --default-duration 0:29.97002997002997002997fps $1 $2 -o $base.mkv
mkvmerge is in the repos -- part of mkvtoolnix I think, which provides 

mkvextract   
mkvinfo     
mkvmerge     
mkvpropedit


It appears the above is not what you are referring to, so maybe this is it?

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=67420


It would help greatly if you could identify the source of the utility you mean, so someone might have a look at it.

EDIT:
             I think I found what you mean ......  is this it?

http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=224

Apparently this is a commercial product with licence key requirement.


Some install instructions here
http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2047

Appears it works on PCLOS:-
http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2047#p20184

[lhb1142]

mkvmerge is in the repos -- part of mkvtoolnix I think, which provides 

mkvextract   
mkvinfo     
mkvmerge     
mkvpropedit


It appears the above is not what you are referring to, so maybe this is it?

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=67420

http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=224

Apparently this is a commercial product with licence key requirement.


Some install instructions here
http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2047

Appears it works on PCLOS:-
http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2047#p20184

I already have MKVToolNix installed. And yes, the links you provide are the correct ones for MakeMKV (I had already placed the main link in my original post here).

I appear to have all the dependencies for MakeMKV already installed. The program is indeed a "commercial" one; they ask for $50.00 to get an "unlimited" license key. However, while the program is in beta, it is free of charge (time-limited) and you do not actually need a key in order to run it. In addition, a temporary free key is offered (currently good until the end of September 2012).

When a new beta version is issued, the program can (must) be reinstalled, and it remains free of charge; when a new key is offered, it can be entered. This has happened quite a few times since I began using it.

The company claims that it will always be free for encoding DVDs. The monetary charge is for use with Blu-rays.

But this program is so good that I would be willing to pay the $50.00 for it. What other Linux program will allow you to copy a Blu-ray? There are none as far I can determine.

I just finished creating a livecd.iso with My Live CD so I could restore the system in case something untoward were to occur.

It appears, from the link you provided (the last one) that MakeMKV does indeed work in PCLinuxOS. (Somehow I missed that thread on the MakeMKV forum.)

Thank you very much for your reply and for that link. I am going to try to install MakeMKV today and I'll post the results here.

Thanks again!

[Just17]

I look forward to your post ......  with some pics I hope 

I have not heard of anything doing BD discs properly, so I guess this is the way to go ......  and being thankful they bothered to produce a Linux version at all.

I don't have a BD player so it has never bothered me 

[lhb1142]

I tried installing MakeMKV today - but no luck. The first part of the installation "seemed" to go okay, though not doing what I am used to seeing it do, but the second part would not work at all.

There are two folders which are extracted from the two gunzipped compressed files. I have always copied these extracted folders to the Desktop.

Then, using the Terminal (as root), I enter the first applicable place (cd Desktop/makemkv-bin-1.7.7) and enter the two codes (one at a time) listed. When doing this on my other Debian-based distro, the license, which one must accept, is displayed (you have to click the Enter key repeatedly to see it all and then accept it). This did not happen here.

When I tried to enter the second applicable place (cd Desktop/makemkv-oss-1.7.7), I could not enter it at all.

So, at least for the moment, I am at a loss as to how to install the program and it appears that I am going to have to do without it on this computer running PCLinuxOS.

If there is anyone out there who has actually installed and used MakeMKV on a computer running PCLinuxOS, I should be very grateful if he/she could post step-by-step installation instructions here.

Thanks for all replies so far.

[Just17]

I had a quick look and it seems the difficulty might be finding the correct  -devel  packages to install.

The site says the following ........

You'll need GNU compiler and linker and header and library files for following libraries:
glibc,
openssl-0.9.8,
zlib,
expat,
qt4.

On Deb based OSs those would be

libc6-dev
libssl-dev
libexpat1-dev
libgl1-mesa-dev
libqt4-dev

There are different naming conventions in RPM based distros / PCLOS

For instance the third on would be

libexpat1-devel

I see we have a   libqt3-devel  but not a libqt4-devel ......  but another package might suffice ....  someone who knows about those might be able to chime in.

libmesagl1-devel in place of libgl1-mesa-dev  ?

maybe linopenssl-devel in place of  libssl-dev

and so on.

I think an even better idea might be to request a new package to be made.

I believe I read that this version can be freely distributed, so there should not be a problem including it in the repo.

In the meantime maybe someone will post about which packages are needed to be installed to build it.

regards.

[lhb1142]

... I think an even better idea might be to request a new package to be made.

I believe I read that this version can be freely distributed, so there should not be a problem including it in the repo.

In the meantime maybe someone will post about which packages are needed to be installed to build it.

regards.

Having a new .rpm package made would be the ideal solution. Unfortunately, being a new PCLinuxOS user and a new member of this forum, I am not eligible to make such a suggestion.

The program, currently still in beta, is upgraded fairly frequently and, once a new version is out and the time-limit on the older version expires, the older version will not even load, much less work.

However, as I stated previously, it is so good that I would be willing to pay the $50.00 asked for a "lifetime" key (for use with Blu-rays, this will be necessary once the program is an "official" one rather than a beta; this hasn't happened yet).

While I do not wish to open a bag of worms, I believe that, in certain instances only, the only way we can have developers create programs is to allow them to make money from them.

Sad but true.

Especially in this case, there is no other program for Linux which does what MakeMKV does. I wish it were otherwise. I wish that someone could come up with a program (free) which would do the same thing as easily as does MakeMKV.

But I don't see it happening.

While, once installed, MakeMKV is very easy to use, the major (in my opinion) problem with it is its convoluted method of installation and the fact that, every time there is a new beta version, you must totally reinstall the program (you cannot just upgrade). On Debian-type computers, the installation is "clunky" at best (read the instructions and you will see).

And on PCLinuxOS, it has proven impossible, at least for me so far.

A package, especially an .rpm one  but also a .deb one, would go a long way toward alleviating this.

Maybe someone else, who is eligible, can suggest that this program somehow be put into the repository ...

[Just17]

Does it HAVE to be updated? .....  if so then it is pointless packaging it as each update would have to be packaged to replace the previous version ....

[Archie]

Guys (and gals?), I am keeping an eye on this thread ... and it has always been my belief that if there's a need and I can do something about it ....

But there are still other things to consider. I would need to make further investigation, especially the distribution license ... yeah I've read the MakeMKV forum thread.

Will keep you posted.

[T6]

in base to the license and the type of app it is, it can't be added to repos from what i understand

or you compile it or you use alien for this one but seems to be simpler to just run the windows version in a virtual machine or with wine