Can anything rip scratched but playable DVD?

[miamicanes]

Are there any programs that can rip catastrophically scratched/damaged DVDs by reading them the same way a set-top DVD player would -- at single-speed, with the usual error-recovery strategies (ignoring errors and ploughing ahead blindly until it eventually finds something it can make sense of, etc), spooling the stream straight to the hard drive as it's read?

[ebenton]

DVD FabDecrypter

[miamicanes]

Nope. I tried DVD FabDecrypter. It aborted with read errors.

Sigh. There has to be SOMETHING out there that just reads the disk the way, say, WinDVD does, and handles errors the same way... but spools the MPEG stream to the hard drive instead of proceeding to demux and display it.

I tried SmartRipper too, but it only works if a program like DVD Decrypter first decrypts the VOB files. If DVD Decrypter (or some other program like AnyDVD) chokes on them, I'm back to square one.

[guns1inger]

Not for what you want. If you try to copy the dvd to your HDD the PC will treat it like a file, and use the normal error checking that it would for any other type of file. A software DVD player might read the disc the way you want, but you don't get a copy of it that way.

ISOBuster is well regarded for ripping very scratched discs, but if it is as scratched as you say, you may well be screwed.

Secondly, if this is a commercial disc, the only way you can get something useful is to decrypt it first, otherwise you will get files that you may not be able to open. If it is a commercial disc, you may have to simply bite the bullet and buy a new copy.

[LloydAZ]

Are there any programs that can rip catastrophically scratched/damaged DVDs by reading them the same way a set-top DVD player would -- at single-speed, with the usual error-recovery strategies (ignoring errors and ploughing ahead blindly until it eventually finds something it can make sense of, etc), spooling the stream straight to the hard drive as it's read?

Try the strategies that were posted here first, see if they help.

If it's a hard to find DVD that you can't easily replace you might want to see if there is a place in your area that resurfaces the discs. There's one here in Phoenix that does this. I had a very badly scuffed CD that I didn't want to replace (a $30 double box set). I sent it to them and they fixed it for $6. They can also resurface DVD's and Laserdiscs. Give that a shot if all else fails.

[redwudz]

If you have the patience and the gouges aren't severe, you can polish them out with some cotton balls and a lightly abrasive white toothpaste, or Brasso polish. Just polish across the grain and not in a circular direction. I've saved some messed up discs that way.

The polishing machines do the whole surface which is unnecessary if you only have one or two deep scratches. I got a disc from Netflix once that looked like someone used a sander on it. It wouldn't play as the surface looked 'frosted.' Some people have had luck with a light coat of furniture polish also. just enough to fill the scratches.

[JSB1]

What about a Skip Dr. like devise...

I have in the past used then on CD's ... most importantly my Windoze Xp cd that got scratched. Worked great if you don't mind the 1000's of "tangant" scratched it leaves.

No sure about DVD's though...their claim:

Effortlessly fix scratched audio CDs, movie DVDs, game, photo and data discs with the motorized AutoMax disc repair systems.

JSB

[oldfart13]

If you can, try to find one of the old hand crank Disc Doctors. Those ones will allow you to shave down the plastic over a scratch without having to do the entire disc like the electric ones. I did try the Memorex made scratch repair machine (actually a retro fit CD player with abrasive pads) but it doesn't work on deep scratches and is probably no better than using an abrasive cleaner or filler...

[AlecWest]

Has anyone ever used Disc Rescuer before?

http://www.discrescuer.com

[thecoalman]

Local used Cd shops usually provide the same service. $2 a disc around here and they look like brand new when finished.

[grannyGeek]

How desperate are you?

Have you considered CAPTURING the dvd playback?

I know this might be a sinful thought if you are bound and determined to rip, but I have done this when my standalone player could play the disk successfully, but the rip program couldn't handle it. Then I used my NLE editing program (Studio 9) to edit the captured DV avi and render back to dvd.
I didn't see any appreciable degradation in the video when I did this.
Downside, no selectable audio or subtitle streams, and the original menus are lost of course.

I happen to use a usb capture device, but you could use any capture card that accepts analog input.
Or, if you have a DV camcorder with analog passthrough, you only need to connect your dvd player to the camcorder and connect camcorder to the pc.

Just a passing thought . . . .

[garryheather]

Have you tried another DVD-ROM drive or your writer ? They're not all made equal...

[oldfart13]

Yeah, the places with the professional disc repair machines are the best. I've done a couple of CDs for a friend of mine through an outfit in town. These were discs pressed in the '90s that have never been re-released. He says they play fine now with no skipping. A happy camper and it cost him only a few dollars...

[SLK001]

Well, I used DVDDecrypter last Friday to rip a DVD that had a visible "bump" in the disk (my best guess is that the post office shipped it under 30 pounds of plutonium). There is a setting to turn off the "Abort on Errors". It took it 3.5 hours to rip the disk, but it completed the task cleanly.

[SLK001]

Yeah, the places with the professional disc repair machines are the best. I've done a couple of CDs for a friend of mine through an outfit in town. These were discs pressed in the '90s that have never been re-released. He says they play fine now with no skipping. A happy camper and it cost him only a few dollars...

Something this rare should be copied and the copies used for everyday playing, while the originals should be kept in a safe place.

Just my 2 cents.

[oldandinthe way]

Try an earlier version of DVDFabDecrypter. The latest download lists changes to its error handling.

I have been loathe to download it because it is the only tool which lets me avoid taking out the polisher.

[deadrats]

Are there any programs that can rip catastrophically scratched/damaged DVDs by reading them the same way a set-top DVD player would -- at single-speed, with the usual error-recovery strategies (ignoring errors and ploughing ahead blindly until it eventually finds something it can make sense of, etc), spooling the stream straight to the hard drive as it's read?

use a program called "copy it anyway":

http://www.digitalsystem.co.yu/download.html

it takes forever, but it works wonders.

[Nefarious]

A bit of a stretch for some, but if your are handy with a dremel this is the best method I know of!!!
using a soft pad, cotton i believe you can buff the disc easily to a nice mirror finish.
This won't take out the really horrid scratches, but it certainly impressed the crap out of me when i tried it!
You don't need to use buffing compound. Just be certain you are using the softest dremel buff pad available!

It should feel like a piece of cotton in your hand.
This is really good for the ever dreaded Netflix discs!

Hope this helps!!!

-

Optimism is the new pessimism!