Video compression tools - Looking for opinions.

[v491138]

OK, I've got a few compression tools and I'd like know how they stack up per folks here since I'm certain there are many people here with much more experience than myself.
Here it goes.
DVD shrink - the good old classic freeware.
Amok (Shrinito5) v1.5
Shrinkto5 Basic 2.04
DVD Rebuilder
Each has a reason for being in my meager list.
There are DVD files that break one or another, but not all usch that if one doesn't work, another will.
On another note, I've tried to update decode and encode in DVD Rebuild.
No luck using a "newer" DGdecoder DLL. So far at least.
Got 025 in place of 019 HC Encoder and it weems to be working, but was it worth the bother? Or might it not work as well?
My observations have been that I can't tell any meanigful difference between them but for the times one doesn't work and another does. I like Amok over Shrinkto5 Basic. The DLL's are not the same and do not seem to be all that much related.
Reason is the caveate in Basic about the trade off between fluid motion and sharpness of image.
Seems not to be an issue in Amok. Crank up the quality and all you "loose" is time. Much longer processing time.
DVD Shrink default has always been my only choice for the longest time. Now that I've got these other tools, I'd like to know more.
DVD Rebuilder is obvious. Its approach is clearly the way to go, but does it give you that much more given the additional processing time involved. Also can things be improved and can anyone help me do that. Seems like I should be able to update DGdecoder.
Thanks all.

[manono]

What is DGDecoder.dll? Do you mean to say DGDecode.dll? If so, what's your problem with using it? What kind of error messages do you get? If you've upgraded DGDecode.dll, you also have to use the same version of DGIndex that comes with it in the DGMPGDec package. Other than that, post your scripts that don't work along with any error messages you get when opening the script in VDub(Mod).

DVD Rebuilder is obvious. Its approach is clearly the way to go, but does it give you that much more given the additional processing time involved.

That much more as compared to what? DVD Shrink? Yes. As compared to doing it yourself with HCEnc? No, not in my opinion and not if you know what you're doing.

[v491138]

Manono, you really need to forgive the typos these hands make and realize that I really did mean DGDecode.dll.
I'm not a total newbe at this, but I do also understand the higher level of experience here, It is why I posted my question here in the first place.
As for your opinion, it is qpprecieated if not totally clear to me. There is no DGIndex anything in DVD-Rebuilder.
My point about Rebuilder is that its approach is the best way to go, but is the result that much better than ANY of the other three I mentioned? Likewise, you seemed to imply an even better way to go with HC Enc, but didn't provide any clues as to exactly how to proceed.
That sort of information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[manono]

But didn't you say you upgraded to a newer DGDecode.dll? Newer and therefore different from the one used by DVD-Rebuilder? Yes, DVD-Rebuilder uses DGIndex to index the DVD files. Therefore, my suggestion is to remove your DGDecode.dll, uninstall DVD-Rebuilder, and then start all over again.

DVD-Rebuilder allows for the possibility of using several different MPEG-2 encoders, including HCEnc. In fact, HCEnc is bundled in with the rest of the DVD-Rebuilder package. You can use HCEnc to encode through DVD-Rebuilder (recommended if using DVD-Rebuilder, unless perhaps you also have CCE), or you can do the whole process manually, also using HCEnc if you like. DVD-Rebuilder isn't suited for the kinds of DVDs with which I work, so I back up DVDs entirely manually.

[v491138]

You should be able to guess that I've little to no idea of how to do this manually and I can't imagine a DVD that you would have to do this part manually on. That is something and, I hope, not something I need to know.
Also I "tried" to update the DGDecode. I wasn't doing something right, since only the DGDecode that I started with would work.
Newer HC Enc seems to work just fine, but does it provide better results. My eyes aren't that good. I can't tell. I would assume that a newer HC Enc would do something better, but is it something others might notice?
Also, you say that DVD Rebuilder uses DGIndex, but there is no "index" anything in there. Just DGDecode.DLL and DGDecode.HTML.
Is it possible that this DLL combines the two? Would that mean I need to put both in from the updated package? And where would I put it? Same place as the DLL? If the current DLL is a special one that has both components, then would it not be possible to update in the first place. Side note. The HTML is a manual and it does specify that the DLL must be used with Avisynth 2.5 or better. Which I've had for ssome time now. Not that I really understand all of this. I've installed K-Lite Codec pack, a while back. Needed to reinstall and found things worked better in other apps. As I said, I use these GUI's to avoid those command line details. Mind is nowhere near as sharp as it once was. And it isn't going to get better. Eyes will stay the same. Good, but not 20-20. Artifucial lens and all that. Perhaps Lasix someday, but then who knows whetherr that would matter by then.
I do appreciate the info. As I've noted, only programs I had for the longest time were DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter. Shrink seemed to me then to out perform Nero and so that was my standard and I was always complimented on my backups. The purpose of which was to protect investment in originals. As in let the kids have the backups ...
It has been quite the learning process. Really something now that helps keep me busy. Intersting that I seem to be on this Dell more than my HP only because the external DVD is much faster but the HP is much faster overall.

[manono]

Just use DVD-Rebuilder with HCEnc and you'll be fine. For more speed but lesser quality use DVD-Shrink.