Recommend a DVD Copying Software

[Ruby]

I own a fairly large collection of DVD movies and would like to make backup copies of the originals.

After some research, I see that DVD X-Copy has been banned due to copyright infringement potential. (even though I find several online retailers selling allegedly cracked copies) However, I see several companies selling new software with similar features such as 1-Click and DVD Cloner.

Are these companies legit? It stands to reason that if DVD X-Copy had to cease and desist, then these products would be similarly illegal, right? Most of the "ratings" websites look heavily weighted to individual products and not necessarily a legitimate independent rating comparison.

Does anyone have any personal experience with any particular DVD copying software? Any pros or cons of the program that you're using?

[ZipperJJ]

Nero 7 Ultra (http://ww2.nero.com/nero7/enu/index.html) is pretty straightforward when it comes to copying DVDs. There's a button for "Make Backup Copy of your DVD" i think.

I don't know if I've used it without using my special 1337 cracking software first - BUT if you're looking to make copies of DVDs in a nice, legal(?) and well-known way, I'd recommend Nero.

[Wallenstein]

www.aafterdawn.com has several guides on backing up your DVDs

[Pushkin]

However, I see several companies selling new software with similar features such as 1-Click

I was interested in doing something similar when I read you could copy a DVD but not take the long drawn out FBI warnings with the rest of the film. I tried 1-Click but it doesn't copy encrypted DVDs.

[galen]

You need DVD Decrypter (http://www.mrbass.org/dvdrip/)

[Q.E.D.]

www.aafterdawn.com has several guides on backing up your DVDs
Not anymore, it doesn't.

[shefDave]

I think this (http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/) is where e-logic meant to link to.

[Mangetout]

I use DVDShrink - The only thing it doesn't seem to work on is discs that have broken menu structures (which I think some manufacturers do on purpose precisely for this reason)

[Dragwyr]

I second DVDShrink. It is awesome and even has a mode where you can back up only the parts you specify.

[King Friday]

I third DVD Shrink (and it's free!). I seem to get better copies by copying the DVD to the hard drive first, then burning rather than burning directly to the blank DVD.

[MrFloppy]

For you videophiles, with DVDShrink unless you're burning to dual layer discs or the movie is short, you will be compressing your picture.

Personally I can't live with it.

[lissener]

Any non-compressing freeware?

Also, any freeware that allows editing? E.g., a lot of my DVDs are recorded off of TV, so there's a leadup, and a tail, that I'd like to cut off: begin and end with the movie, rather than wth Robert Osborne. (I only want to make a "lending" copy of a couple of totally unavailable movies, because all too often I lend my rarities and never get them back. So only the irreplaceable, never been available titles.)

[Ruby]

Thanks, we've downloaded DVDShrink to see how it works since it's free. One thing for sure... they've made this whole copying process very confusing. Yes, I know it's on purpose and yes, it's annoying as hell. I understand that the court has prohibited DVD XCopy from producing any more copies of it's software, but that there were no situations where it was found being used illegally. :rolleyes: to the power of Hollywood.

[Mangetout]

Any non-compressing freeware?Compression is optional in DVDShrink - it can just perform a full or partial backup without re-encoding at all.

[MrFloppy]

Compression is optional in DVDShrink - it can just perform a full or partial backup without re-encoding at all.

Yes it is optional but your average new release uses most of the dual layer DVD capacity of 9Gb.

Unless you are burning to dual layer or the total bytesize of the movie, music and titles is less tha 4.5Gb you will have to compress.

[Q.E.D.]

Unless you are burning to dual layer or the total bytesize of the movie, music and titles is less tha 4.5Gb you will have to compress.
What's your point? That's the case whether you use DVD Shrink or some other application. You can't get 9 GB of stuff on a 4.5 GB disk without compression. FWIW, I've only had problems with high levels of compression using cheaper offbrand DVD-R or +R media and then usually only with a "full burn", when most of the disk is used.

[Mangetout]

Yes it is optional but your average new release uses most of the dual layer DVD capacity of 9Gb.

Unless you are burning to dual layer or the total bytesize of the movie, music and titles is less tha 4.5Gb you will have to compress.Of course, but lissener has asked whether there is something that is free, doesn't compress and allows selected parts of the content to be extracted. DVDShrink fits those criteria - anyway, in the case of a dual-layer movie disc, if you're extracting just the main title, stripping away unnecessary audio layers such as commentaries and foreign languages, as well of course as leaving behing the menus and bonus features, etc (all of which is possible with DVDShrink, then what you're left with probably will fit on a single layer disc, even without recompressing.

[pool]

Bah I've used DVDShrink and though I've never really payed that much attention, can you really tell a difference once its been compressed? Of course I'm not watching these movies on some state of the art plasma or LCD either.

[MrFloppy]

Bah I've used DVDShrink and though I've never really payed that much attention, can you really tell a difference once its been compressed? Of course I'm not watching these movies on some state of the art plasma or LCD either.

I use on 'old technology' 2000 era 55" Mitsubishi and yes, compression does horrible things to video. Unlike compressing data which is later uncompressed when you want it, when you compress a video, it stays that way.

Since most people use DVD Shrink to err..shrink the byte size, the picture will suffer.

That's all I was trying to say. :)

[Ruby]

Most of the time I only want the movie itself on the copy. I don't have the equipment to burn dual layers DVD's and I'm sure not going to get up in the middle of the movie to insert Disc 2. Some compression will probably be necessary but I don't think it will be a significant issue with me.

[TimeWinder]

Has anyone answered the OP's question about legality? The OP is in the US, and attempting to copy DVD movies (I'm assuming commercial, css-protected ones).

My understanding of the DMCA is that any tool that breaks the css protection, except in very limited circumstances (and making a personal backup isn't one of them), is illegal. The allowed "single backup" thing doesn't apply to all classes of works in any case - I think it may just be audio and software.

A casual Google search seems to agree with this assessment, as does my reading of the act itself (you can find the text here (http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/hr2281_dmca_law_19981020_pl105-304.html) .)

Anyone care to give a cite otherwise? I've got a lot of DVD's I'd like to transfer to other media (particularly an iPod), but so far as I can tell it's completely illegal in the US.

[randwill]

So it's true that in the U.S. you can legally make a personal back-up copy of a commercial audio CD but not a commercial video DVD? Is there some logic in this law that I'm missing?

[TimeWinder]

So it's true that in the U.S. you can legally make a personal back-up copy of a commercial audio CD but not a commercial video DVD? Is there some logic in this law that I'm missing?

This is a zombie thread, but on the off chance it stays open: The difference is that in one case you're "circumventing a copy protection mechanism" (the CSS on the DVD), and in the other case you're not. If the audio CD were copy protected (and a few are), it, too, would be illegal.

The "logic" is that since there are always more hackers than copy protection developers (and for reasons relating to having to be able to unprotect the media to actually play it), no copy protection method has a hope of remaining unbroken on technical merits alone. This is a legislative attempt to add force to the copy protection. CD's aren't copy protected for historical reasons; it wasn't deemed necessary when they were first produced (long before Napster).

The DMCA is astoundingly broad; discussion of its merits belong in GD, but folks have correctly pointed out that taken literally, pencils and paper are illegal under it (tools which can be used to break copy protection) -- so it will probably undergo some modifications over time. Given the entrenchment of the media industries in maintaining their current revenue models--coupled with their massive lobbying and deep pockets--I don't forsee the rules getting less restrictive any time soon.

[DudleyGarrett]

edit: Nevermind.

[Gfactor]

So it's true that in the U.S. you can legally make a personal back-up copy of a commercial audio CD but not a commercial video DVD? Is there some logic in this law that I'm missing?

We talked about this here: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=436992

Zombie thread closed.

Gfactor
General Questions Moderator