Why don't you need special "accurate" ripping programs to copy DVDs?

[sldvd]

I am getting ready to convert all of my music CDs into FLAC files on my hard drive. I have found out that in order to rip them accurately, I need to use a special program like EAC or dbPowerAmp.

Now if audio CDs require special programs to be ripped accurately, I wonder why movie DVDs and data CDRs/DVDRs don't require anything special? If you want to copy an unencrypted movie DVD, or a data CDR/DVDR, you can just use Windows Explorer to do it, and it will do it accurately. Why does a music CD require special software? They are all digital media, so I don't understand why a music CD would be different from a movie DVD or a data CDR/DVDR.

[jagabo]

Audio CDs are recorded as raw binary data on the disc with little facility for error detection/correction. DVDs are recorded with a full file system with data redundancy for error detection and correction (much like a hard drive). So when ripping from a DVD most errors are fixed before the program even gets the data. And when the errors can't be fixed the program knows about it. All the DVD rippers I've seen allow you to specify multiple retries when errors are encountered.

[MOVIEGEEK]

FYI:
DVD+R has better error correction than DVD-R: http://www.myce.com/article/Why-DVDRW-is-superior-to-DVD-RW-203/Conclusion-1/

Audio CD's use mode 2 which bypasses most error detection and correction so you can put more data than mode 1(780MB vs 700MB): http://www.cdrlabs.com/forums/mode-versus-mode-discs-t8075.html

When ripping audio CD's you should select error correction in the software, it may take longer to rip but it's worth it. Some brands work better than others, Lite-On's and Plextors are excellent rippers because they report C1/C2 errors:
http://stason.org/TULARC/pc/cd-recordable/2-17-Why-don-t-audio-CDs-use-error-correction.html

[sldvd]

Thanks for the helpful information, guys!

Some brands work better than others, Lite-On's and Plextors are excellent rippers because they report C1/C2 errors

I have a 9-year old TDK 12x10x32x CD writer - it is actually a rebadged Plextor. Do you think such an old drive will still be good for ripping CDs? I actually do have a newer NEC Optiarc DVD writer that I suppose I could use to rip my CDs, but I don't want to subject that to the wear and tear of ripping hundreds of CDs.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I would use the Plextor, Optiarc aren't the best IMHO.

[hech54]

I am getting ready to convert all of my music CDs into FLAC files on my hard drive. I have found out that in order to rip them accurately, I need to use a special program like EAC or dbPowerAmp.

Some geek lied to you.

[lordsmurf]

If you don't get pops, fizzles and clicks in your ripped CD audio, then it was ripped perfectly fine.
Like hech said, some dweeb lied to you.

The music won't change pitch, or some other nonsensical BS of that nature.