Load DVD onto Hard Drive for edit and reburning

[hisowndamnself]

I guess to get the right answer I need to ask the right question.
I do long form video and like to save a backup copy of the DVD product.
I get requests for additional copies, sometimes edited further.
Is there an easy way (newbie ez) for me to pull the DVD back onto my hard drive as an AVI file that I can then load to my edit software before burning new/replacement DVDs?

I have a Plextor 708A, firmware updated, Roxio Easy CD/DVD creator, Adobe Encore 1.5, and Nero 6 Ultra. None of them seem to convert back into the computer except as saved wierd file types, VOB, etc.

[theDruid]

Not sure if I understand the question 100%, but anyway...

To put the file(s) onto the DVD in the first place, you have encoded them as MPEG2, so they are no longer AVI.

So, it's not simply a case of getting the AVI back onto your computer.

You can rip the DVD (giving you the VOBs etc.. you mention) and then convert those into an AVI if you must, but you're likely to have one of two problems - very very large files, or a severe loss of quality.

These are opposite sides of the same coin:

You could convert to an AVI codec which uses very little compression (or in fact totally uncompressed), but you'd need a seriously large amount of disc space. (For low compression AVI codecs see HuffyUV and the MJPEG codecs).

Alternatively, you can convert to an AVI with a codec which uses a lot of compression to get a smallish filesize, but then you'll be discarding a lot of the data, and thus reducing quality. High compression codecs like DivX and Xvid can give subjectively good results, but technically they are very lossy.

Then, if you want to get your video(s) back onto DVD, you're going to have to re-encode your AVI(s) to MPEG2 again. Each time you encode you lose quality.

If all the editing you want to do is very simple (cutting & pasting etc..) you should avoid going back to AVI at all, just rip the VOBs and convert them to MPG files (see guides->VOB to MPG) then use one of the increasing number of tools that can do basic cutting/editing directly on MPEG2 files (see tools->Basic Video Editors MPG).

That way, you should be able to author your new DVD without the time wasted & loss of quality associated with converting back to AVI.

cheers,
theDruid.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Some programs such as Ulead VideoStudio 8 or Nero VisionExpress 3 allow you to import VOB's from an nonencrypted DVD.

[theDruid]

Sorry - I should have said, I'd use DVD Decrypter or SmartRipper to rip the DVD to your hard drive - although as MOVIEGEEK says, the content's probably not encrypted from the sounds of the original post.