How do I rip a DVD to Hard Drive with 100% video quality?

[djc6535]

Here's what I'd like to do, I'd like to copy a DVD to the hard drive, such that there is a directory on the hard drive that perfectly matches what is on the DVD.

I've done this a few times with DVDFab, but there must be some sort of compression going on because when I play the vob file in VLC the quality doesn't match that of the actual DVD.

What I tried to do in DVDFab is copy DVD to DVD, with a target of a hard drive folder. I select DVD9, (the only options are DVD 5 and DVD9) and I can't help but wonder if DVD9 isn't good enough.

I don't really care about hard drive space, I'm just looking for a 1 to 1 copy. I'd like the video files to be indistinguishable from the DVD itself

Any suggestions as to what I ought to be doing here?

[SLK001]

You probably don't have a good MPEG2 codec installed. Check the size of the files on your hard drive and compare them to the size of the files on the DVD. If they are equal, then it's a codec problem. If they are not, then DVDFab probably tried to run Shrink to fit the files on a DVD-R.

BTW, using DVD9 is the correct option for a 1:1 copy of the DVD.

[djc6535]

Where do I get a good MPEG2 codec and how do I make sure my video playback programs use it?

[Lawbringer]

Your computer screen resolution will virtually always be higher than your TV resolution, so a DVD played on the computer will not look as good as one played on the TV.

If you're doing DVD9->DVD9, there is NO compression being done. None. Nada.
Play the actual DVD with VLC, and it will looks exactly the same as playing the folder off the HDD.

Where do I get a good MPEG2 codec and how do I make sure my video playback programs use it?

VLC uses the codecs that it comes installed with, so it doesn't depend on ones you've manually installed on your system

[hech54]

I've done this a few times with DVDFab, but there must be some sort of compression going on because when I play the vob file in VLC the quality doesn't match that of the actual DVD.

Lawbringer is correct. If you selected DVD9....there is NO compression being used. What you
end up with is an exact copy minus the protections(if any).

[djc6535]

The thing is this is an HTPC. It's never been connected to a computer monitor. Here's what I did to test.

I put a DVD into the HTPC, and used Win Media player to play it on my HDTV. I then alt/tabbed to the ripped vob file playing in its own window in VLC and watched the same scene.

Same movie, same screen. There are issues with clarity and background grit in the background images. I'll see what I can do to get some screen captures for proof.

[hech54]

If you chose DVD9 in DVDFab...it is an exact copy....plain and simple. All the posted compressed(jpeg) screen caps in the world are not going to change that.

[yoda313]

Perhaps its the software player. Try a different one. Try windows media player home cinema.

[dessieclive]

djc6535
with any dvd on your pc you just right click open the dvd drive and copy the video_ts folder to your hard drve and play

[SLK001]

djc6535
with any dvd on your pc you just right click open the dvd drive and copy the video_ts folder to your hard drve and play

If the DVD is encrypted, then doing this will NOT work (well, it will NOT play, because you CAN copy the encrypted files to your hard drive).

[jagabo]

I put a DVD into the HTPC, and used Win Media player to play it on my HDTV. I then alt/tabbed to the ripped vob file playing in its own window in VLC and watched the same scene.

Same movie, same screen. There are issues with clarity and background grit in the background images.

This is probably a video overlay issue. Perform the experiment the other way around and you'll find exactly the opposite results. It can also be a player issue. Some players will use different brightness, contrast, and color settings, etc.

Only one program can use video overlay at a time. The first media player that opens the video overlay device gets it. The second and subsequent players don't. Video overlay has its own video processing amp for brightness, contrast, and color control (and other hardware video processing like edge enhancement, noise reduction, etc.) and is often configured differently than the Desktop's (the device the other players will be using) color settings -- hence the different appearance.