can't figure out this new burner

[mark91781]

Thanks to all the help from this forum, I was able to easily and happily burn many movies with my old DVD burner. But, now I got a new computer with both a DVD burner and a DVD-ROM drive and I can't seem to figure out how to get the DVD's to copy as easily as when I only had one drive to watch/burn DVD's. The software for burning that came with it is Sonic Record Now, but I also went ahead and installed Nero and DVD Shrink. If anyone could help me out with this problem, that would be great. I'm at my wit's end.

[Baldrick]

what is the problem(s)? any errors? can't you burn at all? are you copying commercial dvds???? we neeed more information.

[mark91781]

The problem is that when DVD Shrink is done encoding the movie, it tells me that the files are ready to burn with the proper burning software. Before, with my old computer/burner, it would just kick out the original DVD and ask me to insert a blank DVD to record it to. Now with this computer/burner, it doesn't do that. I've tried everything I can think of to put the files onto a blank DVD, but have ruined 2 in the process. I thought that I would just be able to put the original in the DVD-ROM drive and the blank in the burner and hit "Exact Copy" on Sonic Record Now (seeing as that's what the help menu told me to do). I tried it once and it worked, but the burned DVD came out all blocky and didn't work in any DVD player I tried to play it in. Does this help?

[jtoolman2000]

HUH??? Ok it is apparent you are not really experienced in this game. You can not copy from dvd to dvd-r directly. There a little something called CSS that will prevent that from working properly. That's why it looked weird.

OK here we go. Install both DVD Shrink and the latest DVD Decrypter. Both Free as you probably know.

Load the disk you want to back up and SHRINK in your DVD-ROM drive. Remember that most DVDs are dual layer so they contain twice as much material as can be physically made to fit into a single layer DVD-R so they will probably require a certain amount of shrinking.

Load a blank DVD_R on your burner.

Open shrink and OPEN DISK. Locate the DVD-ROM drive letter with the movie and click it. The DVD will now be analized and you will see that most like it will not fit without a certain amount of compression. At this point I usually choose the Reauthor option and locate the main movie and drag it to the left wiwndow. Now I choose Compression Settings and there I remove all but a single ENGLISH audio track - usually the 5:1 or AC3 and that will most likely allow you to back up the movie will either none or minimal compression. Preview the movie to make you have the correct audio file with the movie.

Now click on back up and there choose "Write to ISO and burn with Decrypter". There are other quality setting but I suggest you read some the fine DVDShrink guides in this forum for specific info onm that
.
After the DVD is ripped and shrunk if it needed it, Depcryter will now kick in and the very first time, you will have to tell it what to do. That is to burn the ISO with your particular burner. From now on it will remember your settings and will operate more or less on automatic.

Once the disk is done burning you will hear the cute little DITY which means it is done. The ISO will remain on your HD which I suggest you keep until you have veryfied that the backup plays properly from begining to end.

[mark91781]

Thank you, I will give that a try.