Best DVD ripping software

[AllanWoody]

Hey guys. I run a website for college film club. Our members make short films and since we've put up the site we want to post them on there. All the movies I have are on DVDs so I don't have an original source file to convert. What is the best way to rip a DVD movie into an AVI file with married audio. I'm hoping to get highest resolution possible but I at least need a width of 700 to play with. Thanks.

[Bjs]

Id work with your current available bandwidth first, then work your options from there

Consider high quality flv over avi

[AllanWoody]

To clarify I have 3 basic questions

The copies I have of the short films are on DVDs. I need to rip the movies off of the DVDs, convert them into editible files, and ensure that I get an editible copy of at least 700px width so that I don't have poor image quality.

How do I rip .vob files from a DVD?
How do I convert .vob files into an editible format for Premiere CS3?
How do I ensure that I get an image resolution of at least 700px to ensure good image quality?

[LJB]

If you don't have any copy protection then just copy the vob files to your hd. Otherwise, try using DVDfab HD Decrypter.

[filmboss80]

To convert VOB files to something you can edit in Premiere, I recommend VirtualDub-MPEG2 (freeware). Premiere loves DV-AVI files, so you must first have a DV codec installed (like the Panasonic DV codec, which seems to run well with VirtualDub). Under VirtualDub's video pull-down list, go under Compression, make sure you've selected the Panasonic DV codec. Use Full Processing Mode. Highlight the timeline of the VOB. then under File, select Save as AVI. If the audio on the DVD is AC3, you will need to install AC3ACM in your VirtualDub folder on your harddrive. VirtualDub can already handle PCM audio, if that is in your VOB source. Once you've made the conversions, just import the finished AVI files into your Premiere project.

[Bonk87]

Does anyone know what the latest version of MTR is and how to get it?

[mrswla]

Does anyone know what the latest version of MTR is and how to get it?

Try posting in the mac section. Or google it. I just got over a million hits on google.

[buttercuppp]

i love MTR, works great and flawlessly usually on mac os X .

-George

[guns1inger]

@Bonk87 : If you look at your last post you will see that MTR is a different colour to the rest of the text. That is because all the tools in our tool section automatically become links when referenced in posts. Click on the tool name, and you will be taken to the Tools page for that tool, and there you will find latest version information, links to the home site and downloads, and user ratings and comments. All too easy.

[Knightmessenger]

I'm also looking to rip my home made dvd's and looking for suggestions on the best freeware. I lost some of the original avi files when my hard drive went bad. I'm not really looking to edit the ripped video, I just want to take a lossless rip so I have a record on my computer of the video. Then I could recapture and reedit the files to match up exactly.
In particular there is a dvd I made where I'd like to make an exact copy of some of the videos (that only survive in their edited form on the disc) while replacing 2 with a more updated version. The problem is the 2 updated videos are on the computer in avi while the ones on the disc are compressed. If I rip and reauthor the ripped videos, Sonic mydvd will compress them further. I am planning on recapturing when I get a chance but is there a exact copy mode that has swapping capability in the meantime.
I can explain further if that's too confusing or vague.

[SLK001]

I'm also looking to rip my home made dvd's and looking for suggestions on the best freeware. I lost some of the original avi files when my hard drive went bad. I'm not really looking to edit the ripped video, I just want to take a lossless rip so I have a record on my computer of the video. Then I could recapture and reedit the files to match up exactly.
In particular there is a dvd I made where I'd like to make an exact copy of some of the videos (that only survive in their edited form on the disc) while replacing 2 with a more updated version. The problem is the 2 updated videos are on the computer in avi while the ones on the disc are compressed. If I rip and reauthor the ripped videos, Sonic mydvd will compress them further. I am planning on recapturing when I get a chance but is there a exact copy mode that has swapping capability in the meantime.
I can explain further if that's too confusing or vague.

The best program to "rip" you home made DVDs is Windows XP. Create a new folder on your HD, open the folder VIDEO_TS on your DVD, highlight all the files in that directory, then drag them over to your new folder. Presto! You are now done "ripping" your home made DVD.

[Knightmessenger]

umm, yeah I've seen the TS files before but I don't believe I can do anything with them in that form.

[t0nee1]

@Knightmessenger,
I believe SLK001 is talking about a VIDEO_TS folder and it's contents ,and not .TS files.....
If you're not sure what the difference is look to the left here<<<<<<<<
"What is" section <<<<<<<<<<<<
An if "you ARE" talking about .TS files,then my apologies! 8)

[Knightmessenger]

No, I don't know the difference or significance between video_ts and .ts files. I don't know what you mean by looking to the left unless that's referring to the how to guides.

[lordsmurf]

I can't believe some of the crap I'm reading here.
It's a simple question that should be getting a simple answer.

+ STEP 1 - DVD Decrypter, rip in IFO mode (extracts audio/video streams), to a single VOB file (read the guide on digitalFAQ.com)

+ STEP 2 - Rename the ripped "VOB" file to .MPG (this is safe because it's homemade video, not a retail DVD)

+ STEP 3 - Drop the MPG file into the Adobe Premiere CS3 timeline. It natively supports MPEG-2.

+ STEP 4 - Export with the Adobe Media Encoder to FLV. I suggest a higher-quality template (640x480 with good bitrate), given your request on higher res and quality. Just realize it's hard to push that much through the Internet, so I hope you're viewing this only through the local Intranet.

Done, 4 steps, so easy.

[Knightmessenger]

So you reccomend DVD decryptor? Okay, sounds good. I'm just a little cautious because it appears the cause of my hard drive going bad was due to a free ware program called Dscaler. So I want to be sure I won't screw something else up with downloads.
I don't have premier, I have Vegas. Should I still rename it .MPG or something else?

[lordsmurf]

I don't know. Adobe Premiere CS3 supports MPEG-2 natively. Does your version of Vegas?

[Baldrick]

Doesn't latest VEGAS support DVD video import? If not try VOB2MPG and then import the mpg file.