Can't rip self authored DVDs? Tried Decrypter & Shrink.

[Thorn]

Well... if it plays with your software dvd player, perhaps there is a way to get the data off the old fashioned way. Remember way back when... before decss? DVDs were ripped with a hook into the dvd player software that pulled the video out after just before display. Yea, that degrades signal, but it's certainly better than no signal. Maybe someone remembers how to do that here?

[hothandiman]

Thorn, I'm confused. Are you talking about a hack to the firmware? A macrovision buster, or what?

[Trimegisto]

spmc: Have you tried to make a direct copy of the disc using for instance Nero? Or using Nero to create an image of the disk? But don't forget to try ISO Buster, it's a great tool.

One other thing, I had some problems in the past with faulty CD-ROMs and sometimes one disk that my CD-ROM reader was unable to read was perfectly readable in my CD-RW recorder.

Lasers are different in readers and recorders, are you trying to read the disc with your DVD recorder?

Good luck!

[Thorn]

hothandiman - I just remember that some people had been using slightly modified versions of dvd player software and were basically grabbing the video signal after the dvd soft had decrypted and decoded it. Not too much removed from capturing the video signal output from your computer when you play the dvd.

It just stands to reason that if the dvd software can play the movie (the WHOLE movie, not just the first few seconds) that the data is extractable. It may need to be re-encoded and reauthored, though.

On that note, using disc recovery-type software that can read all of the good sectors might be a far better option. (or maybe a combination of the two, I really don't haven't tried to rescue a damaged DVD yet).

[spmc]

I have not tried anything with Nero for awhile. I had some bad experiences with it awhile back and just gave up on it. I am going to try the ISOBuster though when I get the chance. If I have success I will post about it.
I am starting to believe that with all the time I've spent in failed efforts, I could have just reauthored another DVD, put it on better media and been done with it. But I will keep trying for a little longer.
I have tried both my read and write drive to extract the DVD data. No luck with either.
Thanks again everybody.

[Thorn]

Do you still have the original media (like DV tape or VHS)? I keep all of my production files just in case I ever need to re-author my media.

If I keep the DV tape, I can recap the whole thing, then use the saved file from the editor to produce the video, and then use the project file from the authoring program to reauthor. Even if you reaquire the video from another source, the files are useful.

I know that's not too useful to you at this point, but if you have the original media and it's fairly easy to reauthor, it may be worth it. For home videos I'd rather do some extra work now than loose some footage.