Favorite Progs

[MHarner]

Very new to the DVD Backup game...wondering what the masses prefer and see as the best to use for

1. Decrypting
2. Authoring
3. Compressing
4. Burning
5. Media

I'm looking mainly for quality video as opposed to speed (if that effects answers at all) and it doesn't matter if it's freeware or you have to purchase it.

[ozymango]

This is just for DVD backup, I have different tools for re-authoring (i.e. I really just want to make a direct copy of a DVD and keep everything on it):

1. Decrypting
DVD Shrink or DVD Decrypter. I often use Shink just because I like to take a look at the folder structure and all the stuff that's on the original DVD, for no other reason than I just like looking under the hood at stuff. Plus I can easily tell how big the source files are, gives me an idea if it'll take one or two discs to backup.

2. Authoring
3. Compressing
4. Burning

Again this assumes a straight back-up, because once I've ripped the disc, I fire up DVDFab and split the disc across 2 discs, if it won't fit on one. I've used Shrink to fit a few flicks on DVD, but for the most part I realized a) it takes longer to recompress, and b) a blank DVD costs me something like thirty cents (I buy in bulk, TY), so why squeeze?

5. Media

TY or Verbatim, I've lost more than a few back-ups due to crap media and learned my lesson.

Next person!

EDIT: You can also just rip the disc using DVDFab, but I've had a few discs that just refused to cooperate, plus I've got tons of disc space, so I've just always gotten in the habit of ripping first, then going from there.

[redwudz]

1. RipIt4Me, DVDFab Decrypter, or just DVD Shrink if it's an older DVD.
2. TMPGEnc DVD Author, because it's easy.
3. TMPGEnc encoder most of the time for MPEG-1,2. VirtualDub Mod, FairUse Wizard for MPEG-4. (Xvids)
4. ImgBurn most of the time, Nero occasionally for data and some MPEGs.
5. Taiyo Yuden, 8X and 16X, -R, silver tops. For DL, Verbatim +DL.

If I am backing up a DVD to DL, ImgBurn or DVD Decrypter. TMPGEnc encoder is slow. If you do a lot of encoding, I would look into CCE or others. But TMPGEnc encoder is also easy to use like TDA.

Other programs I use:

VLC media player (Plays almost everything)
Gspot 2.60 (To find out what codecs are needed and other info.)
ffmpeggui (To convert to AC3 for DVDs, though I am trying Aften, which is faster)
SUPER (For some odd format conversions)
Audacity (Audio editor)
DVD Shrink (I use a version that automatically burns with ImgBurn)
Daemon Tools (For mounting ISOs)

These programs are all freeware.