Info on copying DVD's

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris
  • Start date Start date
C

Chris

Hi,
Sorry for the off topic post but I needed a place to start. I am looking
for information/software on making exact copies/backups of my movie DVD's.
I would like to be able to do this so the kids will no longer keep wrecking
the originals of their movies. I have seen some software to do this but can
not really find any good reviews and would rather not just blindly purchase
what may be garbage, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
You might want to check this site: www.doom9.org.

Unless you have a DVD burner, you will need to make your backups on CDs which only requires a CD burner (much less expensive). Converting to SVCD format is probably best to allow playing the copies on most standalone and computer DVD players with close to the same quality as the original. The SVCD format can even be played using a computer CD drive as long as you install the required codec. The freeware program DVD2SVCD works well for many (don't worry too much about all the optional settings and take the defaults). A typical 90 to 120 minute movie will require 2 CDs when converted to SVCD, and requires a fairly powerful computer to perform the conversion process. It's also rather slow -- 4 hours or more can be expected for the conversion process with a 1GHz computer, and requires about 10 GB of free hard drive space.

If you do have a DVD burner, there are commercial programs available for backing up to DVD, but I have no personal experience with those. They are still going to require a lot of processing power and will not be fast, due to the decoding and recompression processes required. It's nothing like making a quick backup of your favorite music CD.

--

Bill James
Microsoft Shell/UI

Win9x VBScript Utilities » www.billsway.com/vbspage/
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Chris said:
Hi,
Sorry for the off topic post but I needed a place to start. I am looking
for information/software on making exact copies/backups of my movie DVD's.
I would like to be able to do this so the kids will no longer keep wrecking
the originals of their movies. I have seen some software to do this but can
not really find any good reviews and would rather not just blindly purchase
what may be garbage, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Easy - just control your children.

Not many parents think about that.
 
I suggest you try this method:
http://www.dvdrhelp.com/forum/userguides/84759.php
If you intend to watch the discs you make on a dvd player/tv only, you will
be suprised what you can get away with ie low bitrates.
I use this method unless the film is really long then its best split up
over 2 discs.
Bill, are you saying most standalone dvd players will play svcd rather than
vcd?
 
Now that was really helpful ... the kids are fine. As with anything dealing
with children accidents happen and disks are easy to scratch.
 
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