https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd
Convert game ISO and archives to CD/DVD CHD for emulation on Linux.
https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd
cd chd chdman cli converter dvd emulation iso linux python3 retroarch
Last synced: 8 days ago
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Convert game ISO and archives to CD/DVD CHD for emulation on Linux.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd
- Owner: thingsiplay
- License: mit
- Created: 2022-03-13T15:51:35.000Z (about 4 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2024-06-08T05:12:06.000Z (almost 2 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-06-08T06:25:36.633Z (almost 2 years ago)
- Topics: cd, chd, chdman, cli, converter, dvd, emulation, iso, linux, python3, retroarch
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 126 KB
- Stars: 62
- Watchers: 4
- Forks: 9
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGES.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# tochd
Convert game ISO and archives to CD/DVD CHD for emulation.
- Author: Tuncay D.
- Website: [tochd-converter](https://thingsiplay.game.blog/tochd-converter)
- Source: [Github](https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd)
- Releases: [Github Releases](https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd/releases)
- Issue Tracker: [Github Issues](https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd/issues)
- Forum: [Github Discussions](https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd/discussions)
- Update Notes: [CHANGES](CHANGES.md)
- License: [MIT License](LICENSE)
## What is this program for and what are CHD files?
Automation script written in Python as a frontend to `7z` and `chdman` for
converting CD like formats into CD or DVD CHD.
When you are playing CD based games on RetroArch or possibly on any emulator
which supports CHD files, then you might want to convert your ISO and CUE+BIN
or GDI files into the CHD format. It has the advantage good compression and
produces a single file for each CD. This saves a lot of space and makes
organization easier.
To achieve this, the separate program `chdman` from the MAME tools is invoked,
which introduced the CHD format in the first place. Often you need to extract
those various CD formats from archives such as .7z or .zip files too. The
program `7z` is used to extract those files, before handing them over for
conversion.
## Requirements
The script was originally written for Python 3.10 for Linux. No other Python
module is required. The following external applications are required to run
the script:
```bash
7z
chdman
```
On my Archlinux-based distribution, the programs are available in the
packages: `p7zip mame-tools`
### Installation
#### Manual installation
No special installation setup is required, other than the above base
requirements. Give `tochd.py` the executable bit, rename the script to exclude
file extension and put it into a directory found in the systems `$PATH` . To
automate these steps, an installation script is provided, but not required. If
you cannot install from AUR, then use following commands to install newest
version manually:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd
cd tochd
bash suggested_install.sh
tochd --help
```
#### AUR: Install with package manager on Archlinux
The package is available in the Arch User Repository:
[AUR Package Details](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/tochd)
- `yay -S tochd`
- `pamac install tochd`
## Usage
```bash
usage: tochd [OPTIONS] [FILE ...]
usage: tochd [-h] [--version]
[--list-examples] [--list-formats] [--list-programs]
[--7z CMD] [--chdman CMD]
[-d DIR] [--temp-dir TEMP_DIR]
[-R] [-p] [-t NUM] [-c NUM] [-m DISC] [-H BYTES]
[-q] [-n] [-s] [-E] [-X]
[-] [file ...]
```
This is a commandline application without a graphical interface. The most basic
operation is to give it a filename, a list of files or directories to work on.
The default behaviour is to convert .iso and .cue+bin and .gdi files to .chd
files with same basename in their original folders. Archives such as .7z and
.zip are extracted and searched for files to convert. The progress information
from `7z` and `chdman` are printed to stdout.
### How to use the commandline options
Options start with a dash and everything else is a file or folder. In example
`tochd .` will search current working directory for files to convert. Use
option `-X` like in `tochd -X .` to list files without processing them. The
option `-d DIR` specifies a directory to output all created .chd files into. In
example `tochd -q -d ~/new_chds ~/Downloads` will process all files it can find
in the "Downloads" directory and save the created .chd files in a folder named
"new_chds" under users home. The `-q` option means "quiet" and will hide
progress information from `7z` and `chdman`, but still output current job
information from this script itself.
You can also specify filenames directly or use shell globbing `*` in example to
give a list of files over. Usually that is not a problem, but if any filename
starts with a dash `-`, then the filename would be interpreted as an option. To
prevent that, you can use double dash option `--` to indicate that anything
following the double dash is a filename and not an option. In example
`tochd -q -- -name_starting_with_dash.iso` would recognize `-q` as an option
and `-name_starting_with_dash.iso` as a filename.
Use `tochd --help` to list all options and their brief description.
### Examples
```bash
tochd --help
tochd -q .
tochd --quiet --stats --names ~/Downloads
tochd -p -- *.7z
tochd -m dvd -- psp/
```
### Example output
The following is an output from some files I used to test the program. The
failing jobs are supposed to fail, for one or another reason. "Completed" jobs
are files that are successfully created. "Failed" jobs point to the path that
would have been created.
```bash
$ tochd -q cue iso gdi unsupported .
Job 1 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/Vampire Savior (English v1.0).7z
Job 1 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/Vampire Savior (English v1.0).chd
Job 2 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/3 x 3 Eyes - Sanjiyan Hensei (ACD, SCD)(JPN).zip
Job 2 Failed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/3 x 3 Eyes - Sanjiyan Hensei (ACD, SCD)(JPN).chd
Job 3 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/Simpsons Wrestling, The (USA).7z
Job 3 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/Simpsons Wrestling, The (USA).chd
Job 4 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/Shining Wisdom (USA) (DW0355).rar
Job 4 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/cue/Shining Wisdom (USA) (DW0355).chd
Job 5 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/iso/Parodius_Portable_JPN_PSP-Caravan.iso
Job 5 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/iso/Parodius_Portable_JPN_PSP-Caravan.chd
Job 6 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/iso/Bust_A_Move_Deluxe_USA_PSP-pSyPSP.iso
Job 6 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/iso/Bust_A_Move_Deluxe_USA_PSP-pSyPSP.chd
Job 7 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/gdi/[GDI] Metal Slug 6.7z
Job 7 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/gdi/[GDI] Metal Slug 6.chd
Job 8 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/gdi/[GDI] Virtua Striker 2 (US).7z
Job 8 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/gdi/[GDI] Virtua Striker 2 (US).chd
Job 9 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/gdi/GigaWing 2.zip
Job 9 Completed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/gdi/GigaWing 2.chd
Job 10 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/unsupported/Dragon_Ball_Z_Shin_Budokai_USA_PSP-DMU.rar
Job 10 Failed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/unsupported/Dragon_Ball_Z_Shin_Budokai_USA_PSP-DMU.chd
Job 11 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/unsupported/ActRaiser 2 (USA) (MSU1) [Hack by Conn & Kurrono v4].7z
Job 11 Failed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/unsupported/ActRaiser 2 (USA) (MSU1) [Hack by Conn & Kurrono v4].chd
Job 12 Started: /home/tuncay/Downloads/missingfiles.gdi
Job 12 Failed: /home/tuncay/Downloads/missingfiles.chd
```
PSP games should be using the `dvd` format option.
```bash
$ tochd -qs -m dvd Tactics*.iso
Files in queue: 1
Job 1 Started: /home/tuncay/Desktop/Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together (USA).iso
Job 1 Completed: /home/tuncay/Desktop/Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together (USA).chd
Started: 1
Skipped: 0
Failed: 0
Completed: 1
Elapsed time: 0:00:17
```
### Cancel jobs
At default `Ctrl+c` in the terminal will abort current job and start next one.
Temporary folders and files are removed automatically, but it can't hurt to
check manually for confirmation. When option `-E` is in effect and `Ctrl+c` is
used in the terminal, then script will stop ALL jobs and exit, while removing
the temporary folders as well. (Unlike before, where option `-E` caused to
leave temporary files.)
### Multiprocessing support
At default all files are processed sequential, only one at a time. Use option
`-p` (short for `--parallel`) to activate multithreading with 2 threads. This
enables the processing of multiple jobs at the same time. Set number of max
threads with option `-t` (short for `--threads`).
#### Drawbacks with multiprocessing / parallel option
- live progress bars and stderror messages of invoked processes from `7z` and
`chdman` cannot be provided anymore, as they would have been overlapping on
the terminal, but stdout messages such as statistics are still output
- user input won't be allowed and is automated as much as possible, because
overlapping messages could lead to stuck on waiting for input and losing the
context to what file it belongs to are potential problems
## Additional notes, workarounds and quirks
### Forcefully terminating script could leave unfinished files
- If you forcefully terminate the entire script while working, then unfinished
files and especially temporary folders cannot be removed anymore. These files
and folders can take up huge amount of space! Hidden subfolders with a
starting dot are created in the same directory as the input files, when no
path is given with option `--temp-dir` . Make sure these files are deleted.
The regular `Ctrl+c` in the terminal to abort current job is a controlled
termination, _not forced_ one (even with option `-E` in effect).
### Files and archives that need special preparation before converting
- Some archives contain multiple folders, each with ISO files of same name. These
are usually intended to copy and overwrite files in a main folder as a meaning
of patching. However, the script has no understanding and knowledge about this
and would try to convert each .iso file on it's own. As a workaround all .iso
files in the archive are ignored when a sheet type such as CUE or GDI files are
found.
- There are cases where the audio files can be a different format than what the
.cue (or .gdi) files expect. In example there are cases where the audio files
are in .ape format and need to be converted to .wav first. If you are unsure
about this, then look into any provided readme file or the .cue sheet itself.
Then convert them before handing it over to .chd conversion.
### Automatic renaming output files based on archive filename
- Sometimes .cue or .iso files found in an archive have a different name than the
archive filename itself. Sometimes one of them lack important information and
you need to determine which of them is "correct". In example translations could
have important information encoded in the filename of the .cue, which would be
lost, as the .CHD file is automatically renamed to match the .zip or .7z
archive in example. Use in such situations option `-R` (short for
`--no-rename`) to prevent that and leave the original files name found inside
the archive.
### Use DVD format for certain emulators instead
- Some emulators don't work well with standard CD format, because their
disc format is not CD. Especially the developers of PPSSPP emulator
recommends converting with `chdman createdvd` instead `chdman createcd`,
which are the internally used commands of `tochd`. `tochd` will use
`-m cd` at default, so make sure to change this option to `-m dvd` for PSP
games. You can also use `-m auto`, to determine the format based on filesize
with a 750 MB threshold. But be careful, in my own testings DVD format on
PS2 games did not work to play with PCSX2 core in RetroArch.
### Buggy GDI files causes to not process any other file too
- There is a bug with .gdi files, but normally this shouldn't be a problem.
When a .gdi file contains lines that points to non existing files or are
corrupt otherwise, then the program might stop processing any file. In such
situation, exclude these .gdi and its associated .gdi files, so it does not
get in the way.
### Stats counting with parallel option does not work
- At the moment counting a Job finish state (such as "Completed" or "Skipped")
is thread unsafe. This is an oversight and rookie mistake by me. Therefore
until a solution is found, the program will simply exclude the counter such
as "Skipped: 0" and others from final result, when `-p` and `-s` options are
combined.
## Contributors
While this project is mainly written and tested by myself, there are other
major contributors who deserve a special recognition. Thank you to:
- [AlexanderRavenheart](https://github.com/AlexanderRavenheart)
Also visit:
[Contributors](https://github.com/thingsiplay/tochd/graphs/contributors)
for a more complete list and stats.