Reduce a DVD 9 to DVD 5 with best quality results?

[zainhansrod]

Hi - I require a software that can shrink/reduce a dvd 9 (8.5GB) to DVD 5 (4.7GB), i seem to have tried every single software i think there is in the world but the resulting quality is poor!

I stress empahsis on quality of the dvd, am no expert on this but have tried the many softwares mentioned below, please add comments on specific softwares if anything like bitrates or passes need to be changed on the below softwares that i may try.

Please also reccomend software(s) that should be able to include chapters & subtitles & menus. Below is a list of softwares that i have tried:-

Mediachance DVD Lab Pro
DVD Rebuilder Pro
Ulead DVD Movie Factory 4
Ulead DVD VideoStudio 9
DVD Shrink 3.2
Elby CloneDVD 2.3
DVD Decrypter
Nero 7 Ultra Premium Edition

I would like to re-iterate that I am looking for best quality when shrinking/reducing the DVD. Any reccomendations? Thanks in advance.

[daamon]

I use DVDShrink with "deep analysis" enabled - have you tried it with that setting on?

[budz]

Try DVD REBUILDER.

[hech54]

1) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
2) If you feel that NONE of the softwares you
have tried meet up to your standards...you may want to consider buying a lot of dual layer DVDR's.
3) I'd love to know how you feel DVDDecrypter's quality is poor when it does not compress in any way, shape or form?

[guns1inger]

DVD Rebuilder Pro with CCE or Procoder.

Hand's down better than anything else on the list.

[GKar]

I started aiming at quality and went with authoring my own DVD's. I rip with DVDDecrypter and then author with TmpGenc DVD Author 1.5. I do a lot of series related stuff (X-Files, etc...). I can put 3- 45 minute episodes on a disk adding my own backgrounds and menus with usually no more than about 20% or less compression (using DVD2One or Nero Recode) which is hardly noticable. At about 30 cents a disk for good quality Verbatim MCC004's, dual layer just isn't worth it to me. I also split my movies across 2 disks (when needed) and add menus and backgrounds. No extras or all the other junk.
Anyway it's an alternative to excessive compression and artifacts.

[zainhansrod]

well firstyly i just named dvd decrypter to list the s/w (s) that i use - anway i tried ti use procoder with dvd rebuilder but it gave an error when it started to encode saying something about the path was incorrect! i have even tried cce 2.7 with the default settings - i dont know whether to change the q.prec & vbr rate......but i have seen dvd9 to be shrunk to dvd5 with better quality than what the above programs that i have used output!!!!

[BCdave]

DVD Fab Express (30 day free trial) http://www.dvdidle.com/fab-compare.htm

I can't tell the difference from the original, even with compression up to 50%. (However, I also can't see any difference using DVDShrink with deep analysis, as suggested above by daamon, so you may disagree)

[budz]

well firstyly i just named dvd decrypter to list the s/w (s) that i use - anway i tried ti use procoder with dvd rebuilder but it gave an error when it started to encode saying something about the path was incorrect! i have even tried cce 2.7 with the default settings - i dont know whether to change the q.prec & vbr rate......but i have seen dvd9 to be shrunk to dvd5 with better quality than what the above programs that i have used output!!!!

use this link to install DVD REBUILDER correctly:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=74308

if you donate $10 to the author of DVDRB you can get the DVDRB PRO version with free updates. the best $10.00 investment i made when it comes to backing up my dvd movies.

[waheed]

DVD Rebuilder PRo with CCE SP and maximum number of passes available.

[guns1inger]

You heard the say "Any more than three shakes . . . . . ."

3 passes is more than enough in 99% of cases. Anything else is overkill, and undetectable to the human eye under normal viewing conditions.

[mikesbytes]

There is a significant difference in the quality of dvdshrink when deep analysis is switched on

[archaeo]

Really, I tend to prefer having a 'toolbox' approach, where I may choose between several programs, depending on the needs. It depends on compression, source characteristics, and bitrate available.

As a default though, I usually always defer to DVDRebuilder w/CCE. Hands Down, it will give you the best chance at quality.

You'll hear people say that "I don't see any difference between Shrink and DVDRB...etc, etc" but that's because the compression was very low, 80% or better. In that case, yeah it's probably a trade off. But with movies like Saving Private Ryan, Lord of the Rings, and other challenging films, you can't compare - side by side DVDRB w/CCE will always take the prize. CCE is a professional level encoder, and is designed to offer the best quality. You can pick up the CCE Basic program for 59 bucks, which gets you the same encoding engine as the $2000 program.

It's all in the eye of the beholder, and the 'one size fits all' is not usually the best way to approach it. But if I had to choose just one, it would be DVDRB w/CCE.

[zainhansrod]

ok - i did manage to get improvement on the quality using dvd rebuilder with cce - i didnt know how to specify filters for avisynth - now i do - but i have another question(s) -

1) are there any other filters for avisynth that can specifically improve the quality of the video?

2) i have 2 movies on 1 dvd9 (e.g spiderman, shrek) - i only want to extract shrek including all its submenus & extras...please reccomend a program that can do this - i have tried it with elby clone dvd 2 but it starts the dvd from the title menu where u can choose spiderman or shrek - i want it to start directly from the shrek menu!

Thanks

[manono]

Hi-

There are a zillion AviSynth filters, many of which can improve the compression, but if the DVD is of decent quality to begin with, none will improve the quality. Leave it alone and don't filter it. About all I ever use with good quality DVDs is Undot which gives some free compression without damaging the video. Others will have differing opinions.

For your 2nd question, one way is to use VobBlanker. Open the DVD9 in VobBlanker, blank out the unwanted DVD (Spiderman), and then "Process" At that point you'll then have Shrek, but with the original menu which first asks which movie you want. You can then open the new Shrek DVD in PGCEdit and use its "Jump To PGC" feature to bypass the choice and go straight to the Shrek menu. Here's a guide:

http://home.tiscali.be/debie.roland/pgcedit/third_party/blutach/How_to_use_PgcEdit_new_macro.htm

Briefly, you find the Shrek Menu at which you want to start (highlight them and Preview to check), right-click on it and hit "Toggle PGC pre/post breakpoint" which will make it turn red, turn on the Trace function up at the top and Trace to that menu. Then in the PGC Tab at the top, "Jump To PGC Upon DVD Insert". Save it and test.

[guns1inger]

1. Unless you have some particularly poor quality discs, you really shouldn't need to use the filters. Commercial releases of new films are generally pretty close to spotless, and older films are going to be difficult to improve on yourself. Do you have specific instances in mind that might help pin-point the right filters ?

2. DVD Remake Pro might be able to seperate out just one film and it's menus. Funny combination of films to have a single disc.