Hi guys, my newbieness has resulted in me scarfing down too many (don't yell at me) Giveaway of the Day softwares, so much so that I don't know what the heck I'm doing anymore.
Goal: Determine which software to use for which purposes and which to uninstall, immediately.
Need: Relatively easy user interface.
Confession: Tried DVD Shrink at one point this past year and couldn't figure out how to use it.
- To rip commercial dvd's
- To copy commercial dvd's
- To shrink as needed
- To burn avi, mkv, mp4, etc. files to dvd's
Software Acquired Free via Giveaway of the Day
- Aiseesoft DVD Creator 5.1.58
- Aiseesoft Video Downloader 6.0.12
- Aiseesoft Total Video Converter 7.1.22
- Ashampoo Burning Studio Free v1.12.0 (2014)
- WinX DVD Ripper Platinum 7.3.5
- WinX DVD Copy Pro 3.5.0
- Wonderfox DVD Video Converter
Software I've Paid For
- Applian's Replay Suite
- AnyDVD and Clone DVD
- ConvertXtoDVD 3.5.3.139
What to use and what to immediately uninstall?
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If you are backing up DVD's then you should use AnyDVD and Clone DVD. This should be an easy to use, dependable combination. Run AnyDVD in the background all the time and use Clone DVD to copy your movies, with or without compression depending on what needs to be done.
ConvertXtoDVD isn't bad either if you need to convert various types of video to DVD-video, but I prefer the free program AVStoDVD.
You might also want to look at some online guides for DVDShrink, as it is a worthwhile program to have, especially for cutting out sections of DVD-video for free.
The only Giveaway software you mention that might be worth keeping is the Ashampoo Burning Studio. I don't use it, but it has a decent reputation. Most of us use ImgBurn instead and it is free. -
Thanks, Kerry.
Can you point to DVD Shrink online guides that are easy to follow?
I found ImgBurn a bit confusing. Terminology not intuitive. I could learn it, but might hurt my head. So if not that one, the free version of Ashampoo Burning Studio or Burnaware? -
What's your ideal output format? You have a mixture of software there.
If you don't need to create compliant DVD video discs (the format of video DVDs you buy), MakeMKV might be a good option. It'll rip DVDs and output the contents as MKVs. It's easy, for example, to elect to rip just the movie as a single MKV. Nothing is re-encoded, so there's no quality loss. If you want to convert to reduce the file size there's plenty of free encoder GUIs. Vidcoder/Handbrake are fairly popular as they're not too hard to use. The output would be h264 video in an MKV or MP4.
Once you have video in a "standalone" format such as AVI, MKV or MP4 etc, they can be burned to blank DVDs as a data files. The same burning method you'd use for backing up any other type of data file. I do it that way myself. I haven't created a compliant DVD video disc in years, but I don't play video off discs much (I burn to disc only for backup). Everything is stored on a USB hard drive. -
There is a list of guides on this page: https://www.videohelp.com/tools/DVD-Shrink
Either of those burning programs will work. If you don't like ImgBurn, you might also consider CDBurnerXP. Contrary to its name, it is not just for CD's, and works with all Windows operating systems. Be wary of any "extra" programs offered in its installer though.
Hello_hello has a good point about other formats. Most of us have moved on to mkv or mp4 files instead of burning to discs. I recommend VidCoder as an easy to use conversion program, but you would still need a decrypter. Since you already have AnyDVD, you should be set, just keep it updated.
If you are still playing DVD-video from discs, then the AnyDVD/Clone DVD combo should be all you need for ripping and compression. -
There are two parts to this:
#1 - Ripping the DVD which requires you to defeat commercial copy protection schemes
#2 - The actual copying and conversion of the media
For #1, there really aren't that many viable options that are consistently good. The only really free one is MakeMKV. But MakeMKV is an AIO DRM removal and conversion tool in one. You will end up with an .mkv file instead of a compliant .vob/.mpg folder or file.
DVDFab Decrypter does a pretty good job of defeating protection but I know their situation is a little precarious, at least here in the states and it may not even be an option at this point. It is like a more customizable version of MakeMKV that doesn't lock you into just one target file type.
DVD Shrink can defeat some of the older Copy-Protection schemes but some of the newer stuff with things like ARCOOS will give you a pretty messed up copy.
AnyDVD is the single best option out there and by far the most expensive but you get what you pay for. It runs as a driver in the background. When you insert a DVD into the drive, the DRM is detected and removed automatically without any interaction from the user (other than to make sure it is running in the system tray). What that does is let you use ANY tool to rip/convert/copy the DVD. It also has a good built in ripper, but it is very basic. For DVDs I will usually rip with CloneDVD or DVDShrink with AnyDVD running in the background. You can use other tools like Handbrake to convert straight from the DVD to an .mp4 or .mkv as well.
#2 - You'll have a lot more options for this once the DRM is removed from the DVD. To make an uncompromied .iso or DVD structure I prefer IMGBurn, DVD Shrink or CloneDVD with DVD Shrink & CloneDVD's transcoders turned OFF. If you need to shrink the contnet DVD Shrink and CloneDVD can be used to remove unwanted features, menus, extras and/or shrink the bitrate via transcoding. Nero Recode used to be a pretty good tool for this as well but I am not sure if it is even around anymore. DVD Rebuilder works similar to CloneDVD and DVDShrink but at a higher quality because it completely re encodes the video instead of an on-the fly transcode like the previously mentioned tools.
Finally, if you are looking to convert DVDs to a digital format, then you may want to consider dumping .avi completely. It relies on inefficient encoders (relative to .mp4 & .mkv) and most devices have moved on to .mp4 and .mkv. Handbrake is the most popular free tool that is out there. RipBot264, Super, FreeMake & Vidcoder are other popular options. Everything else is really just a refreshed interface that is often (unnecessarily) dumbed down or has a special feature (like CUDA support) that people might pay for. They all use the same encoder(s) (.h264 or MPEG-4 L2) so quality differences will be negligible.
In a nutshell, I will pay for my DRM removal tool.
For ripping and re encoding, there is really no reason to spend any $$$ as there are enough free tools out there that do a great job. -
Guys, thanks for the input. Will digest this and come back with a response.
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DVD Shrink is a great application, been using it for years. It has an easy to use GUI, place your DVD in open it then choose re-author, from there it is self explanatory.
Cheers from downunder.