Gary Jackson
Inactive User
Just thought id post this for all us guys that are getting into DVD recording, its a basic understanding of how it works.........forgive me if it has been posted before.
DVD Copying-The Basics
While DVDs and DVD recording is currently a hot issue, there is more and more demand for DVD backup software. DVDs are still vulnerable for scratches, children and pets and people are looking into solutions to create safety copies. In this article we will try to explain why you can’t just simply copy a DVD and the processes you have to go trough. This article is in no way the answer to all your questions, but it should get you started and explain the basics of the process.
A DVD is currently generally a movie, therefore we will focus on making a copy of a DVD movie. This process includes several tasks that might be - or become - illegal in your country, because there is circumvention of copy protections involved. We strongly advice you to check if you are not violating any law in your country.
First we will introduce you to the DVD format, tell you why you can’t just simply copy it and the processes needed in order to make a copy. After that we will discuss some useful tools to assist you in making your backup.
What’s on a DVD?
If you have purchased a DVD that you want to copy, you can put it in your DVD-ROM drive to check out its contents. On the disc you will find several folders with files in it. Normally you should always see a VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folder. The AUDIO_TS folder is used to store DVD Audio, the VIDEO_TS to store DVD Movies.
We will be focusing on a movie DVD, so we’ll enter the VIDEO_TS folder. In this folder you will find .VOB .BUP and .IFO files. The VOB file contains the actual movie files. This is a MPEG-2 encoded file. Simplfied is MPEG-2 is a method of compression for movies, just like MP3 files are compress audio. The file contains also audio, normally this should also be a compressed format. Mainly it is an improved form of MP3, named AC-3. Besides that contain the .VOB files the subtitles and multiple camera angles.
The .IFO files are the information files, used by your DVD playing device. It gives the DVD player information on what .VOB files to load and when. E.g. when to start a new chapter. The .BUP files are simply a backup of the IFO files and generally have no use, they will only be used when an .IFO files become unreadable somehow.
Let’s copy those files!
You would think it would be as easy as copying these files to a folder on your hard disk and then burn them to a recordable DVD, but unfortunately they didn’t make it that easy. The files copied will contain useless data and your copy will not work,
DVD movies are protected with the Content Scrambling System (CSS), a protection developed and adopted by the Hollywood Studios. It simply protects them from pirates who want to make copies to sell. Simplified the protection encrypts the data on a DVD and requires a special key to decrypt it. DVD playing software developers have received such a key from the studios and therefore their software is able to read the information, but unfortunately the studios don’t hand out keys to anyone else.
However the protection has proven to be weak and has been beaten by many applications. Most of them are based on the software DeCSS of which you might have heard due the many lawsuits that try to forbiod the software. The software is illegal in many countries. Removing the DeCSS protection and getting the movies to e.g. a hard drive is mainly referred to as ripping. Later on we will discuss the software available for ripping. Besides CSS movie sometimes also contain a protection developed by Macrovision, this is also on many VHS tapes, software that is able to remove CSS, will also easily remove this Macrovision protection.
Another problem is that if you are planning to record it to a recordable DVD, it simply won’t fit. Why doesn’t it fit? Currently DVD recordables can only contain about 4.7 (actually it’s 4.38) Gigabytes of data, they are generally referred to as DVD-5 (4.7 ~ 5). The movie you have purchased might contain a lot more Gigabytes, many movies are released with up to about 9 Gigabytes of data (DVD-9), you will understand that a DVD-9 movie, will not fit on a DVD-5 disc. In order to make this happen there are three possibilities:
Remove data
Shrink data
Split the data
Sometimes you will need to make choice between them, sometimes you can combine these techniques. On the next page we will show you the best solutions and show you where to go when you want to create a backup.
Remove, Shrink, Split?
Currently there are many applications available that are able to let you choose what parts of the DVD movie should be copied to a DVD recordable. By selecting the right information you can rip the movie to your hard drive and see if it will fit on the DVD recordable, if it fits that’s great and you can burn it. If not there are still two options, shrinking or splitting.
Shrinking the data is probably the most used option. Simplified there is software available that is able to compress the data of a DVD-9 movie to make it fit on a DVD recordable. These software packages are commonly referred to as compression engines, remuxers, transcoders or encoders. The software is able to compress the MPEG-2 compressed movies in such a way that you are almost not able to see that you are looking at a copy, while bringing down the amount of data used and making it possible to fit on a DVD recordable.
The compression of the movie is a very intensive task for your computer and the faster your system is, the less time you will have to spend on this process. Generally you should take at least 2 hours time for the entire process to complete with an average system.
Some software is also able to split the movie to several discs, the disadvantage of this is that you will have to change the discs while watching. Generally shrinking the movie is preferred.
Burn!
After ripping, there is shrinking, removing or splitting, and after that you probably want to burn the movie to a DVD recordable to conveniently watch it on your home entertainment set. There are several packages available that allow you to burn your disc. When done you will have a perfect backup copy of your favorite movie.
Important issue is if your DVD recorder records on DVD+R(W) or DVD-R(W) media, you will need to test if your DVD player is able to playback the media written by your DVD recorder. If you write it to rewriteable media the chance that your DVD player is able to read itm is slightly lower but you will not be wasting a disc if there goes something wrong.
The right software
Understanding the process of making a DVD backup might seem easy, but as said we only discussed the basics. If you are a normal home user you will be able to create a backup this way. If you are a demanding user you might want to search for more in depth information on all subjects. Probably the easiest way to get know with creating DVD backups is probably by trying some of the software around. This way you will be able to find out what gives you the best quality and the best setting. Below you will find a variety of software packages that you might want to try.
For those who are not interested, we also listed some all in one solutions that will enable you to make a copy without any hassle. We have picked the software we have seen to be used the most, based on reports of users on our forums. There are more packages around, but with one of these, you will never be wrong.
All in one solutions (Rip, Remove/Split/Shrink, Burn):
These software packages are recommend for those who just want to make a backup of their movie, don’t want to fiddle around with settings and spend a lot of time learning. These packages will give you a perfect copy, while saving you a lot of learning time.
DVD x Copy Gold – Software that is currently the most popular in our downloads section and allows you to either transcode a movie, split the movie to multiple discs and/or remove content.
Also rips the protection from the movie DVD. After that you can burn the movie to a DVD recordable with this software, a totally all in one solution and no other software is needed. Transcoding engine has been tested as one of the best in a recent article about DVD backup software by us.
DVD Copy Suite – Software mainly popular in Germany, is also able to rip, transcode, split and/or remove content. Besides that it also has a burning engine. Transcoding engine has not been tested by us. Also an all in one solution that does not require any third party tools.
Ripping:
For ripping there are currently two utilities that are very popular.
DVD decrypter - This software is freely available and is able to remove the DeCSS protection, it allows you to select which parts of the movie to rip and is even able to burn the files to a DVD recordable. – Freeware
AnyDVD – This software is able to remove the DeCSS protection, but is able to do this on the fly. Where you need to spend a lot of time with DVD Decrypter to copy the movie to your hard disk, this software allows you to rip and burn. Insert the disc in a DVD reading device, and use your favorite software to remove content, split discs or transcode.
Transcoding:
DVD Shrink (also ripping) – This free software does a good job in transcoding and is also able to rip the contents of the DVD. Its strongest points are the possibility to set the compression level, the ability to rip content and that it is totally free. - Freeware
DVD2One – This was the first transcoding engine available on the internet and is still considered as one of the best and fastest engines. Combined with AnyDVD for ripping and CopyToDVD for burning, you will have a perfect combination that is build to work together. Also allows you to select the content you want to remove.
DVD95Copy – Also a transcoding engine, rumors are that D-C-S is using the engine of this software.
Transcoding + Burning
CloneDVD – This software has been developed by Elby, the developers of CloneCD. Has one of the best looking user interfaces and a well performing transcoding engine. Of course burning is neither a problem. Also works well with AnyDVD.
Pinnacle Instant Copy – This software has according to our test the best transcoding engine, but has the disadvantage that it is terribly slow. Our tests showed that other software might be up to 3x faster and that’s a lot when talking about hours and not minutes.
Nero Recode – Rumors are that it is based on DVDShrink, because of the similiarities with that software, is included in the Nero 6 package and therefore also has the ability to burn to a DVD.
Burning:
CopyToDVD – Small tool developed by the French software company VSO-Software, creates DVD compliant discs. Its engine is also used in other products and the software is optimized to work with DVD2One. Together they are a perfect and powerful solution.
Nero – Being the emperor of CD burning, this software of course also allows DVD burning. Select the files you have ripped and/or transcoded and burn them to a DVD recordable.
Easy CD/DVD Creator – Widely used and easy to use. When you have already installed this software, there is no need to purchase something else.
Recordnow Max – Popular by many, easy to use and creates perfectly working DVDs. :Clap: :Clap: :Clap:
Gary
DVD Copying-The Basics
While DVDs and DVD recording is currently a hot issue, there is more and more demand for DVD backup software. DVDs are still vulnerable for scratches, children and pets and people are looking into solutions to create safety copies. In this article we will try to explain why you can’t just simply copy a DVD and the processes you have to go trough. This article is in no way the answer to all your questions, but it should get you started and explain the basics of the process.
A DVD is currently generally a movie, therefore we will focus on making a copy of a DVD movie. This process includes several tasks that might be - or become - illegal in your country, because there is circumvention of copy protections involved. We strongly advice you to check if you are not violating any law in your country.
First we will introduce you to the DVD format, tell you why you can’t just simply copy it and the processes needed in order to make a copy. After that we will discuss some useful tools to assist you in making your backup.
What’s on a DVD?
If you have purchased a DVD that you want to copy, you can put it in your DVD-ROM drive to check out its contents. On the disc you will find several folders with files in it. Normally you should always see a VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folder. The AUDIO_TS folder is used to store DVD Audio, the VIDEO_TS to store DVD Movies.
We will be focusing on a movie DVD, so we’ll enter the VIDEO_TS folder. In this folder you will find .VOB .BUP and .IFO files. The VOB file contains the actual movie files. This is a MPEG-2 encoded file. Simplfied is MPEG-2 is a method of compression for movies, just like MP3 files are compress audio. The file contains also audio, normally this should also be a compressed format. Mainly it is an improved form of MP3, named AC-3. Besides that contain the .VOB files the subtitles and multiple camera angles.
The .IFO files are the information files, used by your DVD playing device. It gives the DVD player information on what .VOB files to load and when. E.g. when to start a new chapter. The .BUP files are simply a backup of the IFO files and generally have no use, they will only be used when an .IFO files become unreadable somehow.
Let’s copy those files!
You would think it would be as easy as copying these files to a folder on your hard disk and then burn them to a recordable DVD, but unfortunately they didn’t make it that easy. The files copied will contain useless data and your copy will not work,
DVD movies are protected with the Content Scrambling System (CSS), a protection developed and adopted by the Hollywood Studios. It simply protects them from pirates who want to make copies to sell. Simplified the protection encrypts the data on a DVD and requires a special key to decrypt it. DVD playing software developers have received such a key from the studios and therefore their software is able to read the information, but unfortunately the studios don’t hand out keys to anyone else.
However the protection has proven to be weak and has been beaten by many applications. Most of them are based on the software DeCSS of which you might have heard due the many lawsuits that try to forbiod the software. The software is illegal in many countries. Removing the DeCSS protection and getting the movies to e.g. a hard drive is mainly referred to as ripping. Later on we will discuss the software available for ripping. Besides CSS movie sometimes also contain a protection developed by Macrovision, this is also on many VHS tapes, software that is able to remove CSS, will also easily remove this Macrovision protection.
Another problem is that if you are planning to record it to a recordable DVD, it simply won’t fit. Why doesn’t it fit? Currently DVD recordables can only contain about 4.7 (actually it’s 4.38) Gigabytes of data, they are generally referred to as DVD-5 (4.7 ~ 5). The movie you have purchased might contain a lot more Gigabytes, many movies are released with up to about 9 Gigabytes of data (DVD-9), you will understand that a DVD-9 movie, will not fit on a DVD-5 disc. In order to make this happen there are three possibilities:
Remove data
Shrink data
Split the data
Sometimes you will need to make choice between them, sometimes you can combine these techniques. On the next page we will show you the best solutions and show you where to go when you want to create a backup.
Remove, Shrink, Split?
Currently there are many applications available that are able to let you choose what parts of the DVD movie should be copied to a DVD recordable. By selecting the right information you can rip the movie to your hard drive and see if it will fit on the DVD recordable, if it fits that’s great and you can burn it. If not there are still two options, shrinking or splitting.
Shrinking the data is probably the most used option. Simplified there is software available that is able to compress the data of a DVD-9 movie to make it fit on a DVD recordable. These software packages are commonly referred to as compression engines, remuxers, transcoders or encoders. The software is able to compress the MPEG-2 compressed movies in such a way that you are almost not able to see that you are looking at a copy, while bringing down the amount of data used and making it possible to fit on a DVD recordable.
The compression of the movie is a very intensive task for your computer and the faster your system is, the less time you will have to spend on this process. Generally you should take at least 2 hours time for the entire process to complete with an average system.
Some software is also able to split the movie to several discs, the disadvantage of this is that you will have to change the discs while watching. Generally shrinking the movie is preferred.
Burn!
After ripping, there is shrinking, removing or splitting, and after that you probably want to burn the movie to a DVD recordable to conveniently watch it on your home entertainment set. There are several packages available that allow you to burn your disc. When done you will have a perfect backup copy of your favorite movie.
Important issue is if your DVD recorder records on DVD+R(W) or DVD-R(W) media, you will need to test if your DVD player is able to playback the media written by your DVD recorder. If you write it to rewriteable media the chance that your DVD player is able to read itm is slightly lower but you will not be wasting a disc if there goes something wrong.
The right software
Understanding the process of making a DVD backup might seem easy, but as said we only discussed the basics. If you are a normal home user you will be able to create a backup this way. If you are a demanding user you might want to search for more in depth information on all subjects. Probably the easiest way to get know with creating DVD backups is probably by trying some of the software around. This way you will be able to find out what gives you the best quality and the best setting. Below you will find a variety of software packages that you might want to try.
For those who are not interested, we also listed some all in one solutions that will enable you to make a copy without any hassle. We have picked the software we have seen to be used the most, based on reports of users on our forums. There are more packages around, but with one of these, you will never be wrong.
All in one solutions (Rip, Remove/Split/Shrink, Burn):
These software packages are recommend for those who just want to make a backup of their movie, don’t want to fiddle around with settings and spend a lot of time learning. These packages will give you a perfect copy, while saving you a lot of learning time.
DVD x Copy Gold – Software that is currently the most popular in our downloads section and allows you to either transcode a movie, split the movie to multiple discs and/or remove content.
Also rips the protection from the movie DVD. After that you can burn the movie to a DVD recordable with this software, a totally all in one solution and no other software is needed. Transcoding engine has been tested as one of the best in a recent article about DVD backup software by us.
DVD Copy Suite – Software mainly popular in Germany, is also able to rip, transcode, split and/or remove content. Besides that it also has a burning engine. Transcoding engine has not been tested by us. Also an all in one solution that does not require any third party tools.
Ripping:
For ripping there are currently two utilities that are very popular.
DVD decrypter - This software is freely available and is able to remove the DeCSS protection, it allows you to select which parts of the movie to rip and is even able to burn the files to a DVD recordable. – Freeware
AnyDVD – This software is able to remove the DeCSS protection, but is able to do this on the fly. Where you need to spend a lot of time with DVD Decrypter to copy the movie to your hard disk, this software allows you to rip and burn. Insert the disc in a DVD reading device, and use your favorite software to remove content, split discs or transcode.
Transcoding:
DVD Shrink (also ripping) – This free software does a good job in transcoding and is also able to rip the contents of the DVD. Its strongest points are the possibility to set the compression level, the ability to rip content and that it is totally free. - Freeware
DVD2One – This was the first transcoding engine available on the internet and is still considered as one of the best and fastest engines. Combined with AnyDVD for ripping and CopyToDVD for burning, you will have a perfect combination that is build to work together. Also allows you to select the content you want to remove.
DVD95Copy – Also a transcoding engine, rumors are that D-C-S is using the engine of this software.
Transcoding + Burning
CloneDVD – This software has been developed by Elby, the developers of CloneCD. Has one of the best looking user interfaces and a well performing transcoding engine. Of course burning is neither a problem. Also works well with AnyDVD.
Pinnacle Instant Copy – This software has according to our test the best transcoding engine, but has the disadvantage that it is terribly slow. Our tests showed that other software might be up to 3x faster and that’s a lot when talking about hours and not minutes.
Nero Recode – Rumors are that it is based on DVDShrink, because of the similiarities with that software, is included in the Nero 6 package and therefore also has the ability to burn to a DVD.
Burning:
CopyToDVD – Small tool developed by the French software company VSO-Software, creates DVD compliant discs. Its engine is also used in other products and the software is optimized to work with DVD2One. Together they are a perfect and powerful solution.
Nero – Being the emperor of CD burning, this software of course also allows DVD burning. Select the files you have ripped and/or transcoded and burn them to a DVD recordable.
Easy CD/DVD Creator – Widely used and easy to use. When you have already installed this software, there is no need to purchase something else.
Recordnow Max – Popular by many, easy to use and creates perfectly working DVDs. :Clap: :Clap: :Clap:
Gary
lol
