how to best copy dvd's of my home movies - standalone best?

[jlietz]

Hi,
I have about 100 dvd's that I authored from my home movies, originally on vhs-c. I want to copy these for backup purposes and to distribute selected dvd's to other family members. I'm not interested in using the standalone to circumvent copy protection as my homemade dvd's obviously don't contain any I have thought about purchasing a standalone under the assumption that it will be easier and faster to backup vs using my pc burner. Am I correct in that assumption? If so does anyone know of a standalone with 2 trays so that I can put the source dvd in one tray and put the destination dvd in the other and simply let the device go to work? I don't even know what term to look for that would describe such a setup when browsing through the dvd writers on this site. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.

[BobK]

I assume that you have a DVD writer in your computer since you've authored 100 DVDs. If you don't have a DVD-ROM then you can get one for under $30.

With a DVD Reader(ROM) and a writer, using a 4x disk it will take you about 15 minutes to copy a DVD and have an exact copy. With a standalone, if you play the disk while the standalone records it- it's going to take an hour or 2 (however long the video is on the DVD being copied) and you're going to spend well over $100 on a standalone.

So the pros of using a computer to make disk-to-disk copies:

1- no further expense unless you have to spend $30 on a DVD ROM.

2- DVDs copy in 15 minutes (or less with faster media)

3- you have an exact copy.

Cons of using a standalone:

1- More expensive to buy

2- DVDs take longer to record than to copy.

3- you have a slightly degraded copy since it's not copying bit for bit but recording the video.

Pros of using a standalone:

... might be one but I can't think of any.

I'm not sure how it could possibly be faster or easier (or cheaper, or more efficient, or better in any way) to use a standalone instead of the computer.

[ejai]

Simply put:

If your source is vhs or any other tape media then your best bet is standalone. I've tried using computers to capture and author dvds and it doesn't come close to ease of use and quality of the standalones, all sorts of problems.

If your source is dvd then the computer is your best option in terms of time and quality using programs such as DVDShrink and DVDFab.

[BobK]

Of course my answer was based on his statement that he wanted to copy 100 DVDs that he'd authored. Based on that I'd also say there's no use for DVDShrink or DVDFab. Any disk-to-disk copy will work just fine- Nero, Record Now, even Roxio's disk to disk copy. Or DVD Decrypter for free.