Ripping DVDs as MPEGs using TMPGenc --- loss in quality?

[DieselsDen]

I thought I knew the answer to this question, but I'm having doubts.

I rip DVDs onto my harddrive so I can watch the movie as an MPEG file. It's easier for viewing and editing. I use DVD Author or TMPGenc 3.0 to access the DVD and import the contents.

A friend of mine insists that by ripping the DVDs this way, I am losing quality or else modifying the file (naturally, this is all prior to editing). I thought that this method didn't affect the quality. Am I wrong?

Thanks!

[redwudz]

If it takes more than about a half hour, it's probably re-encoding and that would cause quality loss. You can use VOB2MPG and it will just extract the MPEG from the VOBs with no quality loss.

You can also check one of the VOBs from the DVD with MediaInfo against your converted MPEG and see it there is a difference and that would tell you if it's been modified.

[DieselsDen]

Thanks for the reply.

Ripping a 4 gig DVD using TMPGenc or DVD Author takes a couple of minutes at best. There are no re-encoding settings on the programs using a straight rip to the hard drive.

[jagabo]

Ripping a 4 gig DVD using TMPGenc or DVD Author takes a couple of minutes at best.

Then you are not losing any quality. It is simply remuxing from a VOB container to an MPG container.

[Alex_ander]

However if the program decides it must re-encode a particular too long GOP, it will do it (no chances to turn it off). Had both audio/video glitches from this. By default it re-encodes LPCM audio and chapter keyframes (the latter must be turned off for each new project). Now I only use it (or TAW4) for separately making menus, it's the best (at least the most pleasant to work with) menu maker. Only TDA1.6 is free from the problem above.

[jagabo]

Some alternatives are to use VOB2MPG or Mpg2Cut2. Neither of which can reencode.