Best all in one programme for converting DVD to AVI

[geeman028]

HI all, new here today hope you all well. Please bear with me I'm a novice.
I have around 300 DVDs which I would like to fit onto a 2TB external HD so I can take around with me and play on my laptop.
I'm looking for an all in one programme that is easy to use. I would like to be able to copy some of the subtitles across too, not bothered about the previews but prefferebly would like to get rid of them to save space obviously.

Is AVI the best file to convert too?
How long does 1 movie take to convert?
Paid or free I don't care, as I can get paid ones quite cheaply anyway.

Thanks very much for you advice and if any more info needed please just ask.

Been looking at the DVD ripper V8.1.1 programme, anyone have any info on this one?

[filmboss80]

You have a large enough hard drive to hold most (if not all) of the movies without going through the long, arduous process of converting to another format. Just do a straight DVD rip to the hard drive. The free portion of DVDFab HD Decrypter will do this. If you just want to pare down to the main movie without extras, a 2nd step would be to use DVD Shrink in the reauthor mode.

[Zetski210]

HI all, new here today hope you all well. Please bear with me I'm a novice.
I have around 300 DVDs which I would like to fit onto a 2TB external HD so I can take around with me and play on my laptop.
I'm looking for an all in one programme that is easy to use. I would like to be able to copy some of the subtitles across too, not bothered about the previews but prefferebly would like to get rid of them to save space obviously.

Is AVI the best file to convert too?
How long does 1 movie take to convert?
Paid or free I don't care, as I can get paid ones quite cheaply anyway.

Thanks very much for you advice and if any more info needed please just ask.

Been looking at the DVD ripper V8.1.1 programme, anyone have any info on this one?

It's all a question of bit-rate vs quality vs file-size.
A standard DVD will hold the media in roughly 8 Mbps bit-rate.
Those 700 MB AVIs you see floating around range from about 600 kbps to 1+ Mbps.

If you have the storage space, then do as suggested above and keep the DVDs in VOB format. A 2 hr long "main-movie" from a DVD9 should yield a VOB of about 6(ish) GB. This will allow you to fit 300, or so, files on your drive. You can use DVD decrypter in IFO mode with file-splitting disabled to obtain a single VOB file.

Regarding AVI format, this is an old container, that while still works, has been superseded with other containers that can house a wider range of codecs with better compression abilities. The most common of these is the MKV container. Unfortunately, conversion into these new containers can be lengthy and resource hungry, not to mention a steep learning experience. If you can keep the DVDs in VOB format, then this is your simplest option, then if you begin to run out of storage space, tackle the conversion path then.

[ATLien]

You have a large enough hard drive to hold most (if not all) of the movies without going through the long, arduous process of converting to another format. Just do a straight DVD rip to the hard drive. The free portion of DVDFab HD Decrypter will do this. If you just want to pare down to the main movie without extras, a 2nd step would be to use DVD Shrink in the reauthor mode.

Could have sworn he said AVI.

[Noahtuck]

You have a large enough hard drive to hold most (if not all) of the movies without going through the long, arduous process of converting to another format. Just do a straight DVD rip to the hard drive. The free portion of DVDFab HD Decrypter will do this. If you just want to pare down to the main movie without extras, a 2nd step would be to use DVD Shrink in the reauthor mode.

Could have sworn he said AVI.

Yep, and filmboss80 just stated that with that large of a HDD he really would not have to go through all the extra time and effort of converting 300 dvd's

I prefer FairUse Wizard ($), a lot of people like AutoGK (free) but the pay version of DvdFab will rip and convert to many formats.
If you want an all in one DvdFab would be the way to go because with most programs that convert, you first need to have the dvd ripped to your hard drive in order to remove copy protections.

And as far as speed/time to convert, that depends on your PC.
The more power you have the faster it will convert.

[aurgathor]

For viewing on the PC, I just store .iso files. I use either DVD Decrypter, or DVDFab Decrypter if the DVD has a newer protection. I extract the mpegs from the isos, but that's mainly for a portable device.