Create Back-Up for DVD?

Swizz

I need to create backup dvds of DVDs I bought or atleast have them as a .AVI file on my PC. How do I go about doing it?

Thanks.

Overheal

Im pretty sure thats DVD-Shrink you want.

The youtube results give you a fair overview, you can download it from some of the results too.

http://www.google.com/search?q=dvd+shrink+32&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

be careful though: the 2 last results on page 1 are showing up on my norton as malicious links (soft32 and download3000) - Try and download it from either Softpedia, File Hippo, or CNET: those sites I have used frequently, and trust.

Bob_Harris

Swizz wrote: »

I need to create backup dvds of DVDs I bought or at least have them as a .AVI file on my PC. How do I go about doing it?

Thanks.

If you want to save on DVDs or disk space, you could convert your DVDs to mkvs, using the x264 codec.

Handbrake and MeGUI are good tools for converting files/DVDs to mkvs / mp4s.

Handbrake is probably an easier tool to use.

The only problem is you'll need to use another piece of software to get around encryption.

Orion

Handbrake is excellent. I use it for all my dvds. In Linux you don't need anything extra but in Windows try AnyDVD to get around the css crap.

Swizz

Bob_Harris wrote: »

If you want to save on DVDs or disk space, you could convert your DVDs to mkvs, using the x264 codec.

Handbrake and MeGUI are good tools for converting files/DVDs to mkvs / mp4s.

Handbrake is probably an easier tool to use.

The only problem is you'll need to use another piece of software to get around encryption.

Whaa?
ill look em up
Thanks

cherryghost

http://handbrake.fr/?article=download

Handbrake is one of the easiest pieces of kit to use. I've had no issues ripping encrypted DVDs with handbrake, and I rip a LOT of them.

Bob_Harris

Bob_Harris wrote: »

If you want to save on DVDs or disk space

Just to clarify on this, I meant if you are short of blank DVDs or disk space you might consider x264.

If you have plenty of blank DVDs then using DVD shrink will probably be the easiest and quickest solution. These backups will play on a standard DVD player, if the DVD player is capable of reading writeable DVDs - which most do.

The primary advantage of creating AVIs (Xvid or Divx) or MKVs (x264 or other) is to save disk space. For example, if your average DVD movie converted to an MKV comes out at around 400mb, you will fit eleven movies on one DVD disk. You should fit 5 or 6 AVIs on one DVD.

The downside to this is that these files will not play on your bog standard DVD player. The AVIs will play on a DVD player which has a Divx logo on it, and these days these can be picked up for very little money.

Finding a DVD player that plays MKVs will be harder, so you'll likely to be confined to watching the backups on your PC should you choose the MVK route.

Just on a side note, I've tried out Handbrake it seems you sacrifice output quality for simplicity of use. I get much better results using MeGUI.

Swizz

What program should I use if i just want to copy a DVD to my hard drive as an AVI file?

Bob_Harris

AutoGK or MeGUI (lot of others also)

http://www.autogk.me.uk/

Here's a free (I think) tool to Rip (remove protection from) a DVD to a folder on the hard drive. From there you can convert it to whatever you want.

Bob_Harris

If you want I could write up a quick tutorial on how to get your movie from DVD to AVI with good results using AutoGK.

I could simply link you to an already existing tutorial but I find them very long winded and difficult to read.