# Copy any DVD with a CD-R with special software **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2001, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327 "2001-10-14T04:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/1 "2001-10-14T04:01:41Z")
I got this spam in my box today claiming they had software that let you burn DVD’s with a regular CD-R onto CD-R disks. This sounds HIGHLY suspicious to me. However it also mentions they will play on any DVD player just not the computer DVD player. Anybody know anything about this? Is it crap? Here’s a portion of the email… > [@](#): > > Copy ANY DVD with a > CD-R or CD-RW Burner! > > The Most Technologically Advanced Method > of DVD Reproduction Available Ever. > > Available for Immediate Download > No waiting for a CD in the mail. > > What burns the DVD Movie on to the CD? > Any CD-R or CD-RW at Any speed! > All you need is a DVD drive and a CD Burner! > > Burn DVD’s on to Regular CD-R Discs and > watch your new movies on Any DVD Player, > not just the computer DVD. > > You will SAVE money NEVER have to buy a DVD Again!!! > > Make instant backups of your personal DVDs. > > Create your own DVD library. > > Never Worry about Scratching or Losing a DVD Ever Again! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/2 "2001-10-14T04:20:56Z")
WAG mode on I would take a guess that (if it’s a real program and not a con) this either extracts the DVD movie info to file(s) of some kind and them writes them to a series of blank CDs as VCD (video CD files) files or compresses the DVD output so that the entire program can fit on a VCD. With either option you will more than likely wind up with inferior video that can only be played on computer or possibly a DVD player if it is one of the models that also pays VCDs. WAG mode off ---
**Author:** ![Genseric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Genseric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genseric)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/3 "2001-10-14T04:31:25Z")
I got this same e-mail a few weeks ago, and it prompted me to start searching for a pirated copy of this software. I was unable to locate anything, but I did learn a lot about copying DVD’s to CD-R with DIVX 4. Works great, but damn slow, and they only play on PC. I don’t know how you could get them to play back on a regular DVD player. I would think that the DVD would have to have the compression codec available to decode the MPEG video stream, and if it wasn’t built in to the player, how would it play? On a tangent, why do these companies think people will pay for software that is primarily used for piracy? We’re PIRATES for god’s sake! Get a clue! They even advertise it as a tool for piracy. Seems weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/4 "2001-10-14T05:01:35Z")
[http://www.copy-dvd.com/faq.html](http://www.copy-dvd.com/faq.html) part of the faq "Q : Can DVD-COPIES be played on a standard DVD Player? A : Most DVD-COPIES can be played on a standard DVD Player, provided the DVD Player supports Video CD. Most DVD Players manufactured within the last two years, support the standard Video CD format. Refer to your DVD Player owners manual for more information or click here to check on the VCD compatibility of your DVD Player. Q: How many CD-R’s are required to burn one DVD? A: That depends upon the length of the DVD video, and whether or not you plan to play the CD in a conventional DVD Player using Video CD technology. If you want to store the movie in a compressed MPEG or DIVX format and replay the movie on your computer, or computer to the TV, then one CD can be sufficient with specific compression technologies. But if you want to store the format in VCD and play it on your console DVD player, then two CD’s will typically be required to hold a full feature length DVD (2 - 2 1/2 hours). You can store (depending on the CD-R) up to 80 minutes of video on one CD-R in VCD format. Q : Will my CD retain the same quality and digital stereo that is on my DVD? A : Actually, VCD quality is much better than VHS, but not quite as good as DVD. Some can tell the difference, while others can’t. The audio portion is recorded in true digital stereo and you will retain the same aspect ratio of a DVD. Many of our customers maintain a library of DVD Videos on their computer hard drives as well. This allows them to make an exact copy of the original DVD, video, audio and all MENUS! So there is no difference between a DVD VOB file on your hard drive and the VOB file on a DVD. They are IDENTICAL in every way! Q : Does the copy retain all of the bonus footage and menus? A : That depends on whether you store the DVD to your hard drive or you store it to VCD or DivX format. If you store the DVD to your hard drive, you can retain all bonus footage and menus. However, neither VCD or DivX can retain the bonus footage or menus. You can, however, use our software to copy specific footage from a DVD, like movie trailers or interviews. Q : What is VCD? A : VCD stands for “Video Compact Disc”. Basically, it’s a CD that can hold 650 or 700mb of audio and video data. In short, this means it is similar to a DVD, in that it is digital and can contain video data. Even though a VCD’s audio and video quality are not as good as a DVD, most people cannot tell the difference between a VHS and a VCD movie. Anyone else who does know the difference will say VCD is better than VHS. VCD can also be played on most console DVD players connected to your television. " ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/5 "2001-10-14T05:26:07Z")
So basicly its converting it to VCD… I was thinking along that lines… Thank you astro! That answers my question… other then… why do they say it wont play back on the computer… I dont get that part. I dont suppose any Dolby encoded info would show up either. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Genseric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Genseric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genseric)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/6 "2001-10-14T05:36:06Z")
I’ve read that FAQ, too. I deleted my copy of that ad way back, but I guess it didn’t say you could copy any movie to ONE CD-R. You can do this with DIVX 4, but like I said, it takes a looong time (even with a P4 1.4GHz), and to a discriminating viewer the quality is not quite DVD. Surely a company shilling a tool primarily intended for video piracy wouldn’t dare stoop to false advertising. I just can’t believe that. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/7 "2001-10-14T05:59:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Genseric \* > \*\*Surely a company shilling a tool primarily intended for video piracy wouldn’t dare stoop to false advertising. > > I just can’t believe that. \*\* Noooooooooooooooo… surely not!!! Why would they lie in spam!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/8 "2001-10-14T14:34:08Z")
dvds have a sort of copy protection on them that requires an extremely long decoding process, which is why the guy who made that Dcxxx program got sued cause it could decode them. Notice I didn’t post the name of the program? Whether you could just use a dvd writer ($450 these days) & dvd blank & copy is another matter. ANyway, don’t tell me you are paying attention to an unsolicted email that you got? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/9 "2001-10-14T18:52:28Z")
I was under the impression that movies burned to DVD-R couldn’t be played in a DVD player. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2001, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/10 "2001-10-14T22:55:59Z")
Hmmm, you might take a look at the specs of the Pioneer A03 (?), I think they state it reads dvdr as well as write. dvd blanks are far from cheap anyway, so not very practical. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/11 "2001-10-15T04:58:49Z")
In any event, you can’t do anything with a DVD unless you have a DVD drive. All the software in the world can’t change the wavelength of the little laser in your CD drive. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/12 "2001-10-15T13:18:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\* > dvds have a sort of copy protection on them that requires an extremely long decoding process, which is why the guy who made that Dcxxx program got sued cause it could decode them. Notice I didn’t post the name of the program? > > Whether you could just use a dvd writer ($450 these days) & dvd blank & copy is another matter. > > ANyway, don’t tell me you are paying attention to an unsolicted email that you got? \*\* Actually, CSS encryption is pretty quick to decode. It’s just that DVD-quality video is so damn big–a half hour of video at 720x480x32 resolution with a 300kbit (or so) Dolby 5.1 audio feed can run over a gig in space. I’ve messed around with conversion a bit. By down-mixing to 360x240 and using divx4.0, you can usually fit about 2 hours on 1 cd and still retain video quality about the same as VHS. It’s not really worth the pain, though, IMO. DVD’s are pretty cheap considering the pay-off you get in sound and video quality. I mainly use divx to make copies of old VHS tapes I have, since the format’s so perishable. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-any-dvd-with-a-cd-r-with-special-software/87327/13 "2001-10-15T22:25:25Z")
Try alt.video.dvd.tech Got all you want to know & then some.