How to rip to a single mpg file from DVD?

[lizardfish]

How would I go about ripping from DVD to my hard drive that would produce a single mpg file that I could use with TMPGEnc DVD Author and author at a later time? I have read where it is possible to rip and compress while keeping 80% and higher quality. I have used DVD Shrink and have managed to get some files down to around 1.5-2 gigs compressing it at about 40 percent, possibly higher while saving a good portion of the movie quality. Is it possible to decrease the total size of the movie even further, something under a gig while saving the quality to something halfway decent?

[lizardfish]

I failed to mention my goal was to back up my DVD collection onto my hard drive and then later combining 3-4 of those movies onto 1 DVD.

I think from what I have been reading that the correct termanology is DVD - SVCD? If that is the case would I need to dl DVD2SVCD or possibly something like VCDEasy? Do these programs produce a single mpg file?

thanks is advance.

[ImaWeTodd]

If you are trying to learn about these things... go for it.

However, I think you are taking a hard path so that you can save space. You are in for a bunch of work, and drive space is getting cheaper and DVDr is getting cheaper, and who knows, maybe a 300+ dvdplayer will be cheap some day.

Here is some of what I know. Read "What is SVCD" for more:

IF you convert from DVD to SVCD:

• You will be changing the picture size
• You will be changing the Audio from AC3 to MP2
• You will be redoing the chapters
• You will loose the DVD menus
• You will loose the subs (depends on your player)

IF you then convert back to put the SVCD on a DVD:

• You will (unless you do a lot of work) loose the subs
• You will convert the sound again
• You will loose the SVCD menus (if you made any)
• You will be redoing the chapters
• You will not be compliant (but most players will be ok)

DVD2SVCD is a great tool, but switching formats and then back is a lot of work to save some space.

Here is a good guide: https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/167502.php

My only advice if you insist, is to convert to cvd which is a valid size for dvd, and keep the ac3 if you are in the US. MP2 is not standard/valid.

To answer, how to get a MPG from a dvd? Use DVD2AVI and then encode it with CCE or TMPGEnc. This is what DVD2SVCD does.

[lizardfish]

Many thinks for the info. All I needed was a nuge in the right direction. I agree SVCD is defiently not the way to go. Thanks again.

[dh]

How would I go about ripping from DVD to my hard drive that would produce a single mpg file that I could use with TMPGEnc DVD Author and author at a later time?

Forget DVD2VCD, SVCD, ABC etc.
The guide:
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/120021.php

Whole DVD --> single Mpeg2:
1. Start vobedit, click open, browse to 'VTS_01_0.VOB' in the 'VIDEO_TS' folder of your DVD.
2. Click 'demux', a small window opens, select 'demux all video stream', 'demux all audio streams', cllck 'OK'. (Selection depends on your own choice)

A m2v video stream and mpa audio stream(s) will be produced by vobedit. Multiplex them by TMPGEnc or else to a single Mpeg2 file.