Still haven't found a DVD ripper that can...

[tahoma]

- Crop edges
- Cut scenes (by frame)
- Compress to DivX (or any good compression method) directly from DVD specified by file size (i.e. 700 MB)

I have tried maybe 10-15 different programs, but none of them have all this and it seems that I need to use several programs (DVD Shrink, VideoReDo, AutoGK, VirtualDub, etc.), for every project. The most common problem is that the conversion from DVD to DivX usually ignores the specified file size and goes 800-900 MB.

Any recommendation for a software that would suit me is appreciated.

Thanks.

[guns1inger]

No one-click program will do all that for you. Why ? To begin with, producing ripping software can get you into trouble - just ask LightningUK, creator or DVD Decrypter. Second, to do frame accurate editing you need to include an MPEG-2 encoder to rebuild any cut GOPs. This requires either programming skills or a license fee. Finally, the highest quality solution has always come from using the right tools for each stage of the job - a good ripper, a good editor, and a good encoder.

FWIW, I have never had AutoGK miss the size target set for it.

[tahoma]

Ok, thanks for that.

It's true that you can rely on AutoGK when it comes to file size, so I will stick to that (as there doesn't seem to be an all-in-one software for all my needs).

DVD Shrink is also handling the DVD rip (to one big VOB file) pretty well, so now the missing link is the software in between, the one I can use for cutting and cropping the video without compressing it. I successfully managed to cut and save clips as MPEG files without quality loss (I believe) with VideoReDo, but lately the program has started to act funny, it jumps back and forth in preview mode, fast forwards by itself and the output file is often cut in half (not using trial version).

So is there any software similar to VideoReDo you could recommend for cutting and converting to MPEG or similar without any quality loss?

[guns1inger]

You can't crop video without re-encoding, and you can only cut on I-frames if you want to avoiding re-encode. DVD Shrink can do this in re-author mode, as can several other freeware tools, but all of them are restricted to I-frame edits, which every 12 - 15 frames. If you want to cut on any frame then you are restricted to payware - VideoRedo, Womble Mpeg Video Wizard, Tmpgenc Mpeg Editor. All of these can edit without quality loss.

[ricardouk]

- Crop edges
- Cut scenes (by frame)
- Compress to DivX (or any good compression method) directly from DVD specified by file size (i.e. 700 MB)

doesnt DVDX Ultra version do that?
http://www.labdv.com/dvdx/versions.php#ultra

rip, crop,cut scenes, compresss? i've tried in the past but didnt like the interface and like Guns1inger says:"the highest quality solution has always come from using the right tools for each stage of the job - a good ripper, a good editor, and a good encoder. "