RipBox GUI

A minimalist, web-based GUI for building reliable and repeatable HandBrakeCLI commands to rip DVDs for archival, media servers, or personal collections.

This tool is designed for users running Linux-based home media servers (e.g., Jellyfin setups) who want a quick and human-friendly interface to generate correct CLI commands with consistent output structure, subtitles, and folder organization.

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Features

• 🖥️ Simple single-page web app — no backend required, runs locally in any modern browser.
• 📝 Auto-build mkdir, HandBrakeCLI, and ffprobe commands ready to paste into your terminal.
• 🔤 Optional subtitle track selection — define subtitle tracks if needed.
• 🔒 No burn-in subtitles by default — subtitles embedded as selectable tracks if present.
• 📋 One-click copy buttons with tooltip feedback.
• 📺 TV Show support — season and episode fields enable correct folder structure and file naming for series

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Why?

Manually preparing consistent HandBrakeCLI commands can be repetitive and error-prone, especially when ensuring:

• Proper subtitle handling
• Reliable command syntax
• Consistent folder structure for movies

This project provides a lightweight, fast, and shareable workflow assistant so you can focus on efficient ripping and enjoy your media collection faster.

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Getting the DVD Name

For consistency and better metadata matching in media servers like Jellyfin, it’s worth searching for the correct title and year on a trusted source such as IMDB or The Movie Database (TMDb).

✅ Example workflow: 1️⃣ Search for the film or series on IMDB or The Movie Database.
2️⃣ Copy the official title exactly as shown, including the year in parentheses — e.g., Batman & Robin (1997).
3️⃣ Paste this value directly into the DVD Name field of the GUI.

This ensures reliable matching during metadata scans.

Usage

The target directory is very opinionated to suit my setup, but if you download the code, you can make the required changes to suit your setup.

Open the GUI:

You can use this tool online at: https://seemly.github.io/handbrake-cli-helper/

Get Disc Titles

Copy the 'Get Disc Titles' command, paste that into your terminal, and await the response. Decide which title is the likely candidate for ripping/transcoding.

Fill in:

• Name (e.g., The Terminator (1984))
• Title (always required). This is defined by the CLI output from step 2.
• If applicable, Season and Episode numbers (shown automatically when needed)
• Optional subtitle tracks (If no subtitle track selection is provided, subtitles will not be included in the generated command)

Make Folder

Copy and paste the generated 'Make Folder Command' directly into your terminal to create the DVD target directory.

Rip Command

Copy and paste the generated 'Rip Command' directly into your terminal to rip/transcode the DVD to the target directory on your media server.

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Known issues with subtitles on older DVDs

Not related to this project at all, but something to be aware of:

Many older DVDs use bitmap-based subtitle tracks (VOBSUB), and their structure can vary widely between discs:

• Some contain multiple redundant subtitle tracks (e.g., "Wide Screen", "Letterbox") that require manual inspection.
• Some lack proper language tags or subtitle flags.
• HandBrakeCLI’s --subtitle-lang-list eng --all-subtitles works well for most modern discs but may fail or behave unexpectedly on older titles.
• If subtitle tracks aren’t properly flagged on the disc, subtitles may not be embedded automatically even if they exist.

Recommendation:
Before ripping older discs, run a title scan first:

HandBrakeCLI -i /dev/sr0 -t 0 --min-duration 300

Then review subtitle track numbers manually and adjust your --subtitle options accordingly in the generated rip command.