Need help ripping/burning back-up of dual-layer dvd on dual-layer burner...

[bloomcounty]

Gotcha -- thanks!

Okay, one more stupid newbie question. I just setting up my laptop and when I open a file to play in Windows Media Player 10, you have to do the registration thing and it says it will be the default player for all those kinds of files (dvds, cds, tv shows, etc. etc.). Is that just the way it is? Will this cause a conflict with the other DVD programs we've been discussing? Or do I need to set things a certain way?

Thanks again!

[VegasBud]

bloomcounty,

I wouldn't use Windows Media Player at the same time you're processing a project, but there shouldn't be any conflicts otherwise.

If you're looking for an alternative to Windows Media Player, you can give Media Player Classic a try.

[Brent212]

Also, when using ImgBurn for burning dual layer backups, an ISO is unnecessary, and can introduce layer break selection problems.

So is ripping directly from a commercial dual-layer dvd to an ISO, and then burning that ISO to a dual-layer DVD+R going to create a layer break problem? I was under the impression that this was the simplest way to back up a dual-layer, and in a way, the most reliable, since you aren't (I thought) changing a single bit... just making a disc that's an exact copy of the original. Assuming the disc was authored correctly in the first place, isn't doing anything more going to create a greater risk of screwing something up?

[VegasBud]

Brent212,

On newer dvds, the ISO you get would depend on the ripping process. If the unreferenced material isn't removed, and the bad sectors are replaced by dummies, the original layer break should be fine. You're not going to get many rips that are bit for bit the same as on the original (if it's recent), but if the file sizes don't change, the layer break isn't affected.

Yes, ISO-Read, ISO-Write is the easiest way to backup a dvd, but with the newer copy protections, that method is no longer guaranteed to be the best way. Keep in mind that the copy protection methods are specifically designed to cause backup problems.

If you allow FixVTS (the standalone program, or the internal version in RipIt4Me) to strip out the unreferenced material, and correct the problems, then use VobBlanker to blank/delete the assorted garbage that's very annoying to sit through every single time you watch the dvd, and finally use PgcEdit to skip right to the main menu (or intro), you can have a backup that is better (in many ways) than the original.