ripping and copying DVDs

[mcovey]

merry christmas all!

I got an early gift: a DVD burner.

I want to use it to rip and copy some DVDs I've collected over the years, alot of which are already too scratched to use.

Is there any software that makes ease of the process? I never really read into it, but I do happen to have DeCSS source code.

Would a program like the 321 Studios one do the trick?

Thanks.

EDIT: if this has any relevance, it is dual layer but I only have single layer discs because the dual layer ones are expensive.

[ratbag]

i recomend dvd shrink to rip and Intervideo DVD Copy 3 to burn I have had no problems using this combination

[ridderock]

What I use every single time is Smartipper to rip the dvd to hard drive, and then use dvd shrink to compress (if needed) and burn the dvd.

[ratbag]

if you just use dvd shrink you can rip and compress (if needed) at the same time

[Psilaxs]

ratbag is right on, DVD shrink will burn and dump image files.

The only two files you will ever need is DVD Decrypter, and DVD shrink, they are very simple to use and are very powerful.

Everything else is just bloatware.

[ratbag]

why do you need DVD Decrypter? dvd shrink does everything except burn and intervideo does that in my opinion the best

[hawkburn]

why do you need DVD Decrypter? dvd shrink does everything except burn and intervideo does that in my opinion the best
dvd decypter is what I use myself (along with dvd shrink) and i've never had a problem with it.

[SanDiegoKid]

I agree that DVD Shrink is a pretty sweet program; I use it quite a bit. If for nothing else than to decrypt a DVD and prepare it for use with other applications.

If you see that you're going to have to reduce your main movie files to less than 80% of the original quality, you may want to consider DVD Rebuilder used with Cinema Craft Encoder (CCE).

With any kind of compressed digital video, DVD MPEG2 included, you rely mainly on Key Frames, sometimes called i-Frames. They are distributed throughout the video file, and every frame between them redraws only the information that has changed since the last key-frame. When you have a higher bit rate, you have more key frames, and in turn you have a sharper image with fewer artifacts.

When compressing your DVD9 (dual layer) video to fit on a DVD5 (single layer) blank disc, DVD shrink distributes key-frames evenly throughout the entire movie. When your compression is going to be above 80% and their isn't a lot of action or movement, this works just fine.

DVD Rebuilder with CCE, however, is capable of performing multiple analysis passes on your decrypted DVD files, distributing the key-frames at a variable bit rate (VBR) based on where the most movement is and where they are needed most. Even if you set it up to do only the standard 1 analysis pass and 1 encoding pass, the quality is noticeably better than DVD Shrink.

What I usually do is decrypt a DVD with Shrink, set it to no compression on the main movie, remove unwanted foreign language tracks, and set maximum compression on extras. Then I back it up to files on my hard drive. Next I open those files with DVD Rebuilder, and set it to steal 50% of the extras' space. This can bring them to nearly a quarter of their original quality, but it's the main movie we're looking to improve.

I've done tests and backed up a movie using the standard 2 pass, 4 pass, 6 pass, and the maximum of 9 passes. I've noticed a definite improvement from 2 to 4 passes, minimal improvement from 4 to 6 passes, and negligable changes from 6 to 9 passes. In my opinion anything over 6 passes is a waste of time. In fact I have a 6 pass encoding in the works now that I started a little over 6 hours ago, and it's only 71% finished.

Here are a few links to detailed setup guides, which have links to the software you'll need. I recommend DVD Rebuilder v0.67 (freeware), and tracking down a copy of CCE SP Version 2.66 (check the usual places). If you use the trial versions of CCE that are available, you will be limited to 2 passes and require an extra piece of software, which is described in the guides.

Good luck. You may want to print these out:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=74308
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=53770
http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/dvd_rebuilder_tutorial.cfm

[mcovey]

thanks alot guys. I'll use DVD Shrink and cdburnerxp pro or something to burn the content.

I never tried Cdburnerxp pro for CD burning but it is GOOD. Fast with the new drive too, 3 mins to fill a 700MB data CD.

[Psilaxs]

*pulls out hair* the newest dvd shrink DOES burn dvd's as well, it is pretty much the complete package (it uses a Nero plug-in) update your programs people

[mfgbypooter]

Take a look at dvd.box's movie recoding quality test using these 7 different programs.

Ahead Nero Recode 2 ver. 2.0.0.7
Elaborate Bytes CloneDVD v.1.3.11.2
DVD X Copy XPRESS
DVD2one v. 1.40
DVD Shrink v. 1.3.1
Pinnacle InstantCopy v. 7.0
InterVideo DVD Copy v. 1.2

http://dvd.box.sk/articles8.php

If you must recode a movie, DVDRebuilder + CCE is the only way to go.
Use the guides Kleenr posted.

[infringer]

http://len0x.btothec.com/web3/modules.php?name=Tutorial

Try that one on for size interesting........... Divx Xvid.
Learn it as a suggestion future of video.

-infringer-