Alternatives to DVD Shrink?

[Cygnus111]

For the past few months, DVD Shrink has been completely useless to me. It doesn't rip or even open ripped files anymore.

Is there another freeware alternative to DVD Shrink? Preferably something with minimal controls. I really want to be able to just shrink a few DVD9's down to a smaller size, and don't want to have to open 5 different programs to do it. DVD Shrink was nice, you just pick a size (or percentage) and it shrinks. I'd like to find something with similar ease.

[qz3fwd]

Perhaps AnyDVD + DVDShrink?

[Cygnus111]

What about if I already have the DVD ripped to VOBs on my HD? AnyDVD doesn't seem to want to read off a HD, unless I'm missing something.

[Cornucopia]

If "it doesn't rip or even open ripped files", you are using it incorrectly.

Assuming that there's nothing WRONG with your drive, disc media, OS, drivers, or app install, there are things DVDShrink can still do quite well, and things it can no longer do well. One of the things it cannot do well is rip discs that have newer forms of copy protection-through-obfuscation/complication. That's a whole LOT of them now (it's been almost a decade). To work with those types of discs, you must rip using a different app (AnyDVD is my 1st choice), and rip to ISO, NOT files. The ripper removes the obfuscation/complication, allowing DVDShrink to do its business as if the title were an older, easier title.

If something ELSE is going on and you still can't get DVDShrink to work, I would suggest DVDRebuilder.

Scott

[Cornucopia]

If you've already ripped to HDD. Use Imgburn to build an ISO, then use DVD Shrink on the ISO.

Or,
Re-rip (to ISO this time).

Scott

[Hoser Rob]

My preference for rippiing and compressing dvd9 to dvd5 is dvdfab hd decrypter (the free version of dvdfab) to rip to a video_ts folder. Then dvd shrink to compress.

[cornemuse]

Sometimes 'shrink' gives me fits, wont rip anything. This is when I rip to folders with anydvd as quite often, 'fixvts' will fix things so shrink works.

[OllieTSB]

Just remember that DVDShrink stopped production in 2003. No updates to any copy-protect decryption schemes, no improved video-compression services. It's still a great program - for what it does.

I use DVDREBUILDER (mentioned above) for a superior compression engine, but it lacks all the checkbox and video-editing snip-it features that DVDSHRINK offers. I use a modern decrypter (DVDFabHD, AnyDVD, or TDMore) and then I might clip out bonuses using DVD SHRINK, and then create a highly video-quality Main Movie using DVDREBUILDER.