DVD Ripping Speed Tips

[Dhruv]

I've browsed the forums and collected and compiled all of the best tips and information regarding DVD Ripping speeds.

Tip #1: Enable DMA
DMA transfer is an option in modern drives which is an improved transfer method over PIO. With this enabled on both your hard drive and DVD-ROM drive, DVD ripping speeds can be significantly improved.

Steps to enable DMA (Windows XP)
Right click on 'My Computer' on your desktop and select Properties. Click the Hardware tab and launch the Device Manager. Press the + sign to expand the trees of both 'DVD/CD-ROM Drives' and 'IDE Controllers'. Double click your DVD-ROM drive, click the Advanced Settings tab and change the transfer mode to DMA if available. Repeat this step for the IDE channel which your hard drive is on.

Note for Intel motherboard users: If you have an Intel chipset, then you may not see the Advanced Settings tab. If this is the case, I recommend that you download the Intel Application Accelerator from Intel as that will automatically enables DMA on devices which support it.

Note 2: If the Advanced Settings tab isn't visible then you may need to activate DMA on your devices through your system BIOS during startup.

Tip #2: Update Firmware
Some DVD-ROM manufacturers purposely limit the DVD ripping speed of ther drives to try and prevent customers from making copies of retail DVDs. Normally, the limitation can be bypassed by flashing your DVD-ROM drive with an updated or hacked firmware (which also may allow you to make your DVD-ROM drive region-free).

Warning: Flashing your device's firmware can result in permenant damage of your DVD-ROM drive. DO NOT undertake this step if you are uncomfortable with the risk! You have been warned!

Tip #3: Re-install IDE Controller
Some people on this forum have reported that re-installing their primary IDE controller gave them a boost in ripping speed. I haven't tested this method, so I cannot provide you with many details.

Steps to re-install Primary IDE Controller (Windows XP)
Right click on 'My Computer' on your desktop and select Properties. Click the Hardware tab and launch the Device Manager. Press the + sign to expand the tree of 'IDE Controllers'. Right click your Primary IDE Controller and select Uninstall. Now re-boot your computer, and Windows should automatically re-install your IDE Controller.

Note: If anybody has any more information or results regarding this Tip, then please get in touch with me as I'm interested to hear about it!

Tip #4: Install Latest ASPI Layers
This is a fairly gray area as some people have mentioned that they see a performance increase in ripping speed when ASPI layers are installed, whilst others have said the opposite. I suggest you experiment with both and use whatever works best for you because the ASPI layers are easy to install/un-install.

Where to get the ASPI layers
You'll always be able to find the latest version of the ASPI layers for your operating system, right here in the Tools section.

Tip #5: Try another DVD ripper
This tip may seem a little bizarre, but give it a shot!
If you are using Smart Ripper, try using DVDDecrypter instead, or vice versa. You never know, you may experience better results with another ripper.

Tip #6: Disabling Plextor 708As Noise Reduction Function
Submitted by unloaded
This only applies to Plextor 708A's but it makes a big difference, copied from manual:

Switching Between SpeedRead and Silent Operation
When you are playing a DVD-Video disc that has CSS (copy protection
via the Content Scrambling System), the PX-708A normally plays at a
slow speed (silent operation) to reduce drive noise. You can speed up
DVD playback by using the eject button to enable SpeedRead.
To manually enable SpeedRead and speed up DVD playback:
1. Ensure the PX-708A disc tray is closed and empty.
2. Press and hold the PX-708A's eject button for at least 3 seconds. The
LED indicator blinks green three times to indicate SpeedRead will
be active for DVD-Video discs with CSS copy protection.
3. Release the eject button. The disc tray opens.
4. Insert a DVD-Video disc that is equipped with CSS copy protection.
5. Begin playing the disc

Update: Those who wish to have more control over this setting (amongst an array of others) can purchase PlexTools, a software package released by Plextor allowing enhancements to specific functions.

Tip #7: If all else fails..
If none of these tips seem to work out for you and you're losing hair due to frustration, then you may want to look into the market for another DVD-ROM drive.
I recommend a LiteOn DVD-ROM drive as they've gotten great feedback from other members over here and retail at a mere $60 AUD.


If anybody would like to share any other tips which have worked for them, then please contact me and I will update this post.

Good luck,

[Ejoc]

Tip 3 rocks I use that one myself

[Dhruv]

Thanks, I didn't notice that! Fixed!

[presto]

Off Topic but similar issue. When I burn my DVD's Nero will only let me burn at 2.4X . I know my DVD writer is supposed to write at 4X.

What steps can I take to check into this and increase my burn speed if possible?

[DeleriumMDK]

Presto it might be a media issue. What brand are you using and what burner?

[Baldrick]

Great topic.


(testing...Does it work to have same topic in two forums? no...or maybe...)

[Poppa_Meth]

as for tip 3 it does indeed work. XP likes to switch you to PIO mode without telling you. reinstalling the IDE channels forces it to attempt DMA again.

[handyguy]

If you want info on what everything is set at in your computer, including ASPI, PIO mode, etc use the free Nero Infotool, it's amazing, about 187k from:
http://www.cdspeed2000.com/go.php3?link=download.html

[hothandiman]

Cool link Handyguy 8) Thanks

[maineiac]

Another major factor to increase ripping speeds is of course to rip from a DVD-ROM and not from a DVD writer. I originally had just a DVD writer on my system but went out and purchased a cheap (about $30) DVD-ROM drive that made ripping much faster and obviously saves wear and tear on the writer too.

[Dhruv]

Another major factor to increase ripping speeds is of course to rip from a DVD-ROM and not from a DVD writer. I originally had just a DVD writer on my system but went out and purchased a cheap (about $30) DVD-ROM drive that made ripping much faster and obviously saves wear and tear on the writer too.

Yup, that is indeed true! A read-only DVD drive (DVD-ROM) is a much better option to use for ripping than a DVD-Writer as it's sole purpose is to read DVDs.

[presto]

Delerium,
My burner is Buslink RW 5125A. I went to the buslink site and found absolutely nothing on this drive.

My media is Fujifilm DVD +R that I bought at Best Buy.

<added later> I found the info I needed right here at DVDRhelp.com . First place I should have looked. My DVD +R write speed is 2.4

[Pussylips]

I did this mod 9 months ago and posted it to someone! But thanks for pointing it out again to everybody. You can just delete your IDE channel. Works exactly the same by the way.

[tigerman8u]

ok. when I 1st installed my optorite dd0203 i was able to set it up in device manager and it was set as dma 2. Now it reads pio mode. This is probably why i've noticed a decline in speed. I've tried opt.3 n the others. My dvd burner is master on 2nd controller and cd burner slave on 2nd controller. cd burner reads dma 2. bios seems ok. any help on how i can get dvd back to dma 2. also dvd shrink took about 2x longer than usual. i'm assuming bcause of dma not on. thanx

[Dhruv]

ok. when I 1st installed my optorite dd0203 i was able to set it up in device manager and it was set as dma 2. Now it reads pio mode. This is probably why i've noticed a decline in speed. I've tried opt.3 n the others. My dvd burner is master on 2nd controller and cd burner slave on 2nd controller. cd burner reads dma 2. bios seems ok. any help on how i can get dvd back to dma 2. also dvd shrink took about 2x longer than usual. i'm assuming bcause of dma not on. thanx

Hey there tigerman,
Have you tried all the tips mentioned above? I'd suggest that you try switching your CD Burner with your DVD Burner just to check if that may help. Also, have you made any specific hardware/software changes before your DVD Burner only started reading in PIO?

Personally, I wouldn't use your DVD burner to rip DVDs if I were you (have you thought about purchasing a DVD-ROM drive solely for ripping?) because as mentioned by maineiac, it will wear out your burner's laser.

[oldfart13]

Running Nero Infotool on my PIII 1GHz under Win XP Pro SP1 causes an immediate crash and reboot! Typical Nero (untested) program. I suggest you seek something else...

[tigerman8u]

Dhruv,

Personally, I wouldn't use your DVD burner to rip DVDs if I were you (have you thought about purchasing a DVD-ROM drive solely for ripping?) because as mentioned by maineiac, it will wear out your burner's laser.

I'm doing that now. getting a DVD-ROM only. I also got a P4 system with 512 mb of ram. this should help alot. hopefully. Putting it together now. Thanx for all the help n replies. will let you know how this works. thanx alot.

[FT Shark]

I have noticed some weid issues with my ripping. when I first installed xp everything was fine all of a sudden one day the speend went to 1-2x. When this happened I restored my system and everything was fine. However, every now and then it happens again and I have to restore. has this happened to anyone else?

[tigerman8u]

Dhruv, and Maineiac

Yep DVD-Rom only really speeded up ripping time. Like you said it also saves on burner wear. Thanx for the help.

[Dhruv]

Glad to hear that you're now ripping DVDs at the speed of light, tigerman!

FT Shark, no such problem has occured to me. Do you make any hardware or software changes before the random ripping slowdown kicks into your system? This is where I'm suspecting the problem lies, since you mentioned that you rip normally if you revert Windows. Also, have you got the latest firmware for your DVD-ROM device and your motherboard/chipset?

Get back to me and we'll try to figure this one out,

[Cobra]

Dhruv,

THANK YOU!

CobraDMX

[tweedledee]

I'm thinking of getting a Lite-on CD burner with DVD ROM combo. Is this as fast ripping DVD's as a simple DVD ROM drive?

[Dhruv]

tweedledee, you shouldn't have a performance decrease using a combo CD-burner/DVD-ROM drive for ripping as opposed to a standalone DVD-ROM drive.

However, if your computers' case has plenty of free bays then I would recommend that you purchase seperate drives just incase one of the drives mess up so that you can still use the functions of the other drive while you get the broken one replaced. I doubt you'd be having any problems with a Lite-On, though, so I'd go with whatever is better economically.

[Fallen_angel]

Anyone knows if tip #6 applies to plextor 708UF too?

[Dhruv]

Anyone knows if tip #6 applies to plextor 708UF too?

From what I've gathered, the 708UF is an external version of the 708A - so one would assume they would carry the same features. If you're feeling uncertain, try skimming through the manual to find any references to SpeedRead. Personally, I'd just try the tip and see if it works - the likelihood of you damaging your hardware from something like this would be quite minimal.
Let me know how it goes,

[HEK01]

i did step #3 uninstalling primary controller now my windows does not start normally....i have to keep running under last good known configuration....and when it does go through, the hardware wizard keeps detecting new hardware and then it asks me to reboot again...and when i do, same thing happens again...windows still does not start normally....any help???

[MOVIEGEEK]

@HEK01,
When booting hit "cancel" when asked then reinstall the chipset drivers(eg Via,SiS,Intel) from the CD that came with your PC.
The uninstall trick should only be used with XP SP1 because SP2 fixed the PIO bug.

[HEK01]

well i dont have a windows cd only recovery....so not sure if i can get drivers from that cd....i have xp home, sp 1 and my chipset is Intel(R) 845 chipset....can i just get drivers from intel website, will that work??

[HEK01]

still no luck....updated chipset drivers from intel website and hardware wizard still keeps detecting controller as new hardware, then installs it, and asks for me to reboot....pc works fine if i dont reboot, but why does windows still keep detecting it as new hardware????

[snafubaby]

I think the best method of making sure to get a good, fast rip is to make sure you have no trojans, worms, rootkits, etc. on your computer. Rootkits are nasty buggers and are very hard to remove. If you notice slow rips, and your pc itself isn't running up to speed, that's probably what you have, either a trojan or a rootkit. I recommend doing a virus scan before running your ripping software.