Which is better for copying my discs?

[nathanaa]

Ok, I've recently been educated about the differences in the quality of media. I had been buying the cheaper stuff, but now I've gotten the high end TY media.

So, for all my discs that I backed up onto low quality media, I want to re-back them up onto the high grade discs.

Which method would be better though is what I am wondering - just use the Nero6 Copy Disc function, or to run them through DVDShrink's Backup function (which would autoburn using Nero anyway)?

Would there be any benefit to one method over the other?

Thanks for any help, opinions, advice.

[Capmaster]

You might as well use DVDShrink for it. It won't apply any additional compression and the interface is easy to use, as you know

[jameshgross]

If you backup up using DVDShrink or DVDdecrypter then all you need to do is a disk copy.

[steve2713]

Use Nero to do on the fly disc to disc copy if you want the easiest way to do it. One issue you might have with that though since you are copying questionable discs, if the drive is having to slow down alot to read bad spots on the disc, you might have to burn at slow speeds or not be able to copy on the fly at all.

For the best results I'd rip the discs with DVD Decrypter as an ISO image, then burn the ISO images with DVD Decrypter. DVD Decrypter is known to be better able to rip 'bad' discs compared to DVD Shrink, and I've experienced this firsthand several times where Decrypter ripped a disc that DVD Shrink choked on.

[nathanaa]

Well, the discs are not "bad" discs per se.

I have been backing up my DVD collection, using mostly DVDDecrypter+DVDRebuilder, but also DVDShrink occasionally. So, all the discs I am talking about currently are DVD-5s, and need no compression or reencoding, I just need to copy each one.

I was using el cheapo DVD-Rs, which when I first got into this I didn't realize might be a real problem long-term. So, I bought high-grade TY discs, for peace of mind about long-term storage (several years).

Now I just need to transfer the original backups (all of which have been made in the last 8 months) to newer better discs.

I'm still wondering which would be the BETTER of doing this though - a straight Nero6 Disc Copy (NOT on the fly, it only saved a piddling few minutes anyway when I tested it over doing the "long" way), or using DVDShrink's Backup Disc function. I don't know if there is any benefit to one over the other.

Any other input?

[Gurm]

Mode->Iso->Read

Mode->Iso->Write

[steve2713]

I just wanted to point out that Decrypter does a better job with marginal discs if you encountered any, since you will be backing up cheapo discs as you said. I thought it was worth mentioning so you know this going in, since you are dealing with cheap media and may come across difficult discs, especially near the edge of the disc where cheap media can often be harder to read.

If you're not interested in on the fly, I'd just use Decrypter personally, Decrypter has been a better burner for me than Nero (nothing against Nero, I use it alot too).

edit:

Mode->Iso->Read

Mode->Iso->Write

Couldn't have said it better myself :P

[nathanaa]

Ok, so *why* is Decrypter better? Other than being able to handle the edge-of-disc problem (which I have run across before, but thanks for mentioning it).

Is there a specific technical reason?

[steve2713]

Scans of discs burned with Decrypter show fewer PI/PO errors than discs burned by Nero. Other people that have made comparisons also experienced this, so it's not simply from my experience. Not large differences, but Decrypter was better nonetheless. I don't know why, it just does :P

Decrypter is extremely easy to use, but if you insist on Nero the difference in burn quality is really not an issue, just slightly lower errors with Decrypter if you are being REALLY picky about burn quality.

[jimmalenko]

Ok, so *why* is Decrypter better? Other than being able to handle the edge-of-disc problem (which I have run across before, but thanks for mentioning it).

Is there a specific technical reason?

No technical reason AFAIK - simplicity more than anything else IMO ...

Open DVD Decrypter
Press R
Select destination for ISO file
Click Start
Press W
Select ISO file
Press start

ISO is then left on your HDD if you wish to keep it there as an extra backup, and also if you want to run off multiple copies as well.