Newbie looking for BEST info on DVD-COPIERS & COPY PROGR

[Dallas22]

Hello... My friend just bought an eMachines computer that he bought customized with a DVD-Copier. Since then he has used this to BACK-UP his original DVD's. I would like to do this as well, since I have a HUGE collection of DVDs that I would like to back-up in case one gets destroyed or ruined (it recently happened to "The Usual Suspects" ).

NOW FOR THE QUESTIONS:

#1) I have an eMachines computer as well but with only a CD-ROM player and a DVD-Player/CD-Copier combo. I wanted to BUY a DVD-Burner from Best Buy and needed to know - WHAT IS THE BEST DVD-BURNER TO BUY??? Does it make a difference which one I buy in order to make a direct Back-Up of an original DVD??? Here are the ones that are avaliable at my local Best Buy: Norcent - 8x ($120), MediaStor - 4x ($125), Universal BUSlink - 4x ($130), Lite On - 4x ($130), Hewlett-Packard - 8x ($150), Lite On - 8x ($160), Digital Research - 8x ($180), TDK - 4x Internal ($180), Universal BUSlink - 8x ($180), along with Plextor ($200) & Sony ($220). I just want to know the basic differences with these models - which one is the BEST to buy (best performance) BUT also, which one(s) will allow me to BACK-UP my Original DVDs. If there are any others that are NOT on this list, please post the brand and model as well so I can check around in other places. I know the speed differences (between 4x & 8x), and I have an eMachines 2.6 GHZ with 256 MB wiht an 80 GB HD.

#2) What program should I buy to give me the best QUALITY, EASE TO COPY and OPTIONS to back-up my original DVDs??? The most important thing is the quality - I want to make sure that I will not lose any or much quality when copying. I would also like to have options, as far as picking features to include on the copied DVD in order to save space for picture quality (if possible). My friend has XCopy GOLD with XCopy Express and he backs-up MOST of his DVDs with little problem. I have noticed SOME bad things though... first off, certian DVDs he cannot back-up for some reason; like Catch Me If You Can, Aliens & Menace II Society - all of which have different levels of space taken up, between 4.1-7.8 GBs, which is strange because WHY does this happen??? There are also SOME DVDs that LOSE A LOT of quality - some that lose MORE quality sometimes are compressed even less than the BIGGER ones than are compressed much more, but yet look much better.. another BIG questions for me - WHY??? As far as XCOPY, I have some bad things about it on here, so I wanted to know what you all though about this and please suggest the best program(s).

Thanks a lot guys for any help that you all can provide. There is no rush on this but I would love to know ASAP some things that I should look for when I go shopping for this soon. I have a friend that can install the DVD-BURNER for me, so that part is not a problem. I just want to get the BEST DVD-BURNER that MUST allow me to BACK-UP original DVDs as well as a program that will provide the BEST QUALITY and MOST OPTIONS to back-up my original DVDs. Thanks again!

Dallas22

[rcb]

As an aid to your burner search, take a look into the DVD writers over in the l/h column this page - lots of pros/cons on many units along with a variety of ranking methods. You should see info on those already on your pick list along with others with high user ratings.

As to backup software, take a look at DvdShrink - it's freeware and many posters here deem it quite good. There are others which you can find in the tools section in the l/h column on this page.

As to your hardware, you might look at adding more RAM... and later on a second large hard drive, should you move into capturing, etc.

One more thing - make sure you buy a cuppla rewritable disks to learn with - that small investment could save you a bunch of coasters until you get your process tweaked and stabilized.

[Dallas22]

Thanks... what are the Pros and Cons of usng DVD Shrink? Video & Audio Quality?

Also, if anyone else can submit more info on the original post, please do so ASAP... thanks!

Dallas22

[mynameis97rb]

the way i do them is i use this program called Fair Use. I copy the dvd to the computer. it automatically converts it to XVID. Then u can use TMPGEnc to convert it to mpeg 2 and burn. Fair use is a perfect copyer. it maximizes the size of the video and keeps the quality.

[hech54]

Thanks... what are the Pros and Cons of usng DVD Shrink? Video & Audio Quality?

Also, if anyone else can submit more info on the original post, please do so ASAP... thanks!

Dallas22

1) I would get a 4X burner that writes both + and - DVDR's.
2) I would NOT buy any copying software from ANY store. DVDShrink , DVDDecrypter and maybe IFOEdit are all free and all available here.

[bugster]

the way i do them is i use this program called Fair Use. I copy the dvd to the computer. it automatically converts it to XVID. Then u can use TMPGEnc to convert it to mpeg 2 and burn. Fair use is a perfect copyer. it maximizes the size of the video and keeps the quality.

What a waste of time and quality.

If you want to 'back up' a complete DVD, programs like DVDshrink are the way to go for ease of use. If you want absolute best quality by using an encoder such as TmpGenc or CCE, then there is absolutley no need to encode to xvid first. Just use dvd2avi to frameserve to your encoder (tmpgenc etc), or use dvd2dvdr (aka dvd2svcd).

Only encode to xvid if xvid is what you want as the final result. Encoding twice will only reduce quality and cost time.

@Dallas22, dvdshrink is an excellent starting point for dvd backup. Once you are familiar with the process you may want to experiment with other tools and techniques.

[Defcon]

I agree with everyone so far. I am a total newbie myself (just installed my DVD burner 2 weeks ago)

I tried DVD X Copy (trial version) and did not like it. Messed up a few disks and couldn't decrypt all of them (error's)

Download DVD Shrink (Totally free and easy to use) IMO is better than any purchased software.

Also if you have Nero (I use 6. something) DVD Shrink will even burn the movie for you w/ Nero !!!!!!!

That's my nickels worth of free advice. Try it..... You can't lose

[ghoster]

dvd decrypter dvd shrink nero enough said

[Dallas22]

Thanks again guys! Looks like DVDShrink is the way to go on the program... what about the DVD-Burner? Any models or brands to stay away from??? Any to look for???

I don't want to DIVX (Xvid) cause I want to be able to watch them on my regular DVD player and keep ALL the SOUND quality as well as the best possible VIDEO quality. I'm guessing that using a program like DVDShink is the way to go - BUT, does it copy it with 5.1 Audio as well as with excellent video???

As far as DVDShrink goes, I do have more questions. First off, I have Nero Express 5.5.10.6 bundled - since I don't have 6.0 or newer, will this affect the way I burn after coping the original DVD? how does DVDShrink work? I mean, it seems that it copies it for you but will not burn the DVD, what can I use to do this? Will my version of Nero (Express) work, and if not, then what else can I do and what toher chocies do I have???

Thanks again guys... keep those responses coming in

Dallas22

[hech54]

As far as DVDShrink goes, I do have more questions. First off, I have Nero Express 5.5.10.6 bundled - since I don't have 6.0 or newer, will this affect the way I burn after coping the original DVD? how does DVDShrink work? I mean, it seems that it copies it for you but will not burn the DVD, what can I use to do this? Will my version of Nero (Express) work, and if not, then what else can I do and what toher chocies do I have???

Thanks again guys... keep those responses coming in

Dallas22

The newest version of DVDShrink creates AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders for you. I'm NOT a Nero expert but you MAY be able to simply drag and drop the those two folders into Nero as data and burn from there...providing your version of Nero is able to accomplish this.
The DVDShrink guides on their website are EXELLENT....you'll be up and running in no time.

[ghoster]

dvd shrink will burn the files for you if you have nero

[sacajaweeda]

Your choice of burner won't affect the quality whatsoever. All the hardware does is a simple data transfer. Buy the cheapest one that has the best ratings. They all basicly do the same thing. The quality of what you burn is a result of the software process you use. The burner is irrelevant.

[joze.dk]

My advise to you is.... Use shrink to rip your DVD ( The newest vers. even calculate the best setting for you. Even though i`m not so optimistic about this. I`d rather set the standarts my self)

For burning the rip out again, try using a program named " burnatonce" (Note::: This do not work if you`re burning to DVD+ )

Use Nero to copy your backups from media to media...

[Dallas22]

I must say, that I really appriciate the help and info you all are providing me... please keep the comments and info coming... this is all very useful to me and making my decisions about what kind of DVD-Burner to buy and the program(s) to use.

I am only woried that my Nero Express (v.5.5.10.6 bundled) won't be able to burn from my temp HD to my burner... I just hope this works.

Thanks again for all the help and please post any more useful info that you all can provide

Dallas22

[Defcon]

I think Nero Burning Rom is needed...... But don't quote me on that

[openup]

The burner that you purchase will probably have burning software included. Probably Nero Express.

[Dallas22]

So Nero Express SHOULD work? Also, what is the difference between 4x & 8x speed DVD-Burners??? I know the OBVIOUS, which is that the 8x speed burns faster, but would I lose quality or will the DVD skip/lose chapters/scenes/etc when burning at 8x speed? Should I just pay less money for the 4x speed???

Thanks in advance!

Dallas22

[sacajaweeda]

So Nero Express SHOULD work? Also, what is the difference between 4x & 8x speed DVD-Burners??? I know the OBVIOUS, which is that the 8x speed burns faster, but would I lose quality or will the DVD skip/lose chapters/scenes/etc when burning at 8x speed? Should I just pay less money for the 4x speed???

Thanks in advance!

Dallas22

Stability, a handfull of minutes and the number of coasters. I burn at 2x with near 100% good results even though I could upgrade firmware and burn at 4x, but then again speed isn't the name of my game. The way I see it is if I'm going to spend hours or even days on a project, what's the big rush to get it burned to DVDr a few minutes faster?

[openup]

Nero Express should work, but the copy you have now, which I'm guessing came with your burner, might not work with the new dvd burner. Either because your current copy only works with the burner it came with and/or it's too old to support your new dvd burner.

Usually burning slower results in better quality, but not always. Depends on your burner and the media you are using. If you have a good burner and media, there might not be noticable difference between burning at 4x and 8x.

[Dallas22]

The version of Nero Express that I have I got seperatly from my computer (didnt come with my DVD-Burner). This version DOES have the options to burn DATA files & to burn an IMAGE file(s) directly saved the the HD. So do you think this would work with a new DVD-Burner and the newest version of DVDShrink???

BTW, is AutoShrinkISO any good for burning the original DVD that was copied or compressed to the HD back to blank DVD??? I saw that this is freeware as well... I am guessing though that it is not as good as Nero and IF I can get a copy of Nero (newer the better I guess), Nero is the better program to use to burn back the original to the blank DVD.

Dallas22

[Dallas22]

BUMP... I'm going to be buying a DVD-Burner today so I was just hoping for some last minute posts giving info on what I should look for when buying a DVD-Burner... Should I ask the salesman something like, "Will this DVD-Burner be able to make BACK-UP copies of my original DVD movies?".

Thanks for the help

Dallas22

[sacajaweeda]

Should I ask the salesman something like, "Will this DVD-Burner be able to make BACK-UP copies of my original DVD movies?".

No. A DVD burner is a piece of hardware used to make a data transfer. Has nothing to do with "backing up movies". That is software dependant. You can burn them to DVDr with any DVD burner. You just need to decide which format is right for you. DVD-R is the most common, slap your salesman if he tries to tell you otherwise, and consider a multi-format drive if you got the money. They're certainly cheap enough nowadays. You want to be sure whatever you get is re-write capable.

[Dallas22]

Thanks.. I am getting a better grasp of the DVD-Burner side of things.

As far as the Burning software, I downloaded DVD Shrink 3.1.5 Has this given anyone any MAJOR problems??? I just need something basic that I can use to copy MAINLY the movie in the BEST VIDEO & AUDIO quality.... the Extras are just a bonus if I can fit them. I would like to be able to burn the MOVIE with best Audio & Video FIRST, then squeeze in (and compress, if possible) the bonus features. Will I be able to do this with DVD Shrink 3.1.5 and is it pretty simple?

Like someone said somewhere else on here, it is a good idea to buy a couple DVD+RWs, so I will be definatly doing this to master what I want to do best (This is a good idea correct?)

Lastly, if my version of Nero Express doesnt work, then what can I use to BURN the DVD? Can I just use the burning program in DVD Shrink? Or the freeware AutoShrinkISO? Will these programs do the job that I will need to Burn the DVDs??? Are they easy enough to use? What files will I need to COPY to the DVD to make sure that I got the complete DVD-rip (the way I put it together, I mean) from my Hard Drive to my DVD-Burner???

I know there are a lot of questions in here, but please, if anyone can help me with this please post ASAP. I don't mean to be an annoying newbie, but I am a newbie and I would like to get specific info on these subjects. I have searched the forums on here, but not everything is always answered to the fullest and that is why I am asking SO MANY questions.

Thanks for anymore help and info that anyone can provide

Dallas22

[sacajaweeda]

The only other thing I can think to say to you is that if you have made up your mind to do this, just go out and buy a burner. There will be plenty of time to figure out which programs will work best with your burner and which will not. Different authoring apps like different drives, that is something you'll just have to figure out, but whichever drive you purchase will most likely come with burning software that will work with your particular drive. There are plenty of freeware and trialware apps out there for you to experiment with and find what you like best. Stop trying to get so far ahead of the game. There will be plenty of time later as you will see. Trust me on this

[Dallas22]

Ok, I got the burner and downloaded & installed DVD Shrink... I copied my original DVD of Catch Me If You Can to my hard drive but I cant get it burned to my DVD-Burner... can someone help me out with this? I did get it to burn with DVD Decryptor, but the movie does jump at some parts... what should I do/try??? Should I try with Nero Express - but which file should I copy? Should I try to burn it at 2x Speed rather than 4x speed?

Any insight on this would be very helpful... thanks again guys!

Dallas22

[sacajaweeda]

I did get it to burn with DVD Decryptor, but the movie does jump at some parts... what should I do/try???

What kind of media are you using? Is it only doing it on the DVD played in your set top player or does the file do the same thing when played from your hard disk?

[Dallas22]

I'm still trying to get it played from my hard disc I can't seem to get it to work. Also it takes over 1 hour to back it up from my DVD-Rom drive (16x speed) to my hard drive using DVDShrink!!! Is this normal??? Why does it take so long??? I mean my friend does his on a slower computer with a slower Rom drive and it gets backed-up AND burned in 25-35 total minutes with XCopy...

Please help

Thanks

Dallas22

[sacajaweeda]

Make sure your IDE is in DMA not PIO mode.

[Dallas22]

Where can I check and change that??? What would that affect?

BTW, I tried this backed-up DVD (Catch Me If You Can) on another DVD Player (a better one, mine ) and it worked FINE with NO skips

But I am still worried about not being able to watch the back-up on my Hard Drive and even MORE bothersome - Why does it take SO long to BACK-UP the movie through DVD Shrink? I would love to speed this process up if possible.

Just a side note, the burning process is normal as far as the speed is concerned

Thanks again

Dallas22

[sacajaweeda]

Where can I check and change that???

Right-click My Computer, Properties>Hardware>Device Manager>IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers(expand)>Right-click>Properties>Advanced Settings>DMA if available

What would that affect?

PIO (Programmable I/O) uses the processor continuously durring a data transfer.

DMA (Direct Memory Access) moves the data directly to memory without tying up your processor.