analog ripping of DVDs with Elgato Video Capture

[Doug Lassiter]

I have an Elgato Video capture system, which I like very much. When connected to the TV, recording broadcast programs, it works fine. When I connect it to my DVD player, and try to do an analog rip, it works ... almost fine. In the ripped video from the DVD, every 5 or 10 or 20 seconds one gets a little static-like one-frame bar across the image. Not too big a deal, but a little distracting. Now, interestingly, it doesn't do this with ALL DVD videos. Just most of them. Older B&W DVDs don't seem to have that problem.

Now, I asked Elgato support, and they said that this was expected from the copyright protection mechanisms on the DVDs. I guess those mechanisms don't prevent you from making copies, but do prevent you from making perfect copies. Sounds reasonable, but I don't really understand it. How come when I connect my DVD player directly to my TV/monitor, I don't see that static?How can my TV/monitor ignore what the Elgato Capture system doesn't?

I can understand that the old videos simply don't need copyright protection.

Can someone give me a little background how this video protection works, such that I can do an analog rip, but just not a perfect one?

[DB83]

You are NOT ripping a dvd but re-recording the video stream. A really naff way of doing this.

BTW That one-frame bar had nothing to do with copy protection. It sounds more like an interlace scan line the sort of thing you used to see if you tried to film a tv screen with a video camera.

Rip your dvds in the conventional way and you will not see this.

[Doug Lassiter]

Well, I got the Elgato Vido capture system to digitize VHS tapes. Works very well for that, and there is no other good way to do it. As long as I had it, I figured I'd do some DVD copying. Yeah, it might be "naff", but it works, and it works quite well. It's also drop-dead easy.

That's true, this isn't digital ripping. That's why I called it "analog" ripping. Call it whatever you want.

Filming a screen with a video camera gives an interference effect that's just a sync error. So that may not be a good analogy.

If not copy protection, then why would I not see this effect when recoding a TV broadcast? Why would I not see this effect when copying old DVD videos?

You're welcome to point me to a free and easy method of DVD ripping for Mac OSX (2.5 GHz, Intel Core i5 10.7.5).

[DB83]

You're welcome to point me to a free and easy method of DVD ripping for Mac OSX (2.5 GHz, Intel Core i5 10.7.5).

Not in this topic I would. Any such inquiries should be made in the Mac forum.

Even so, most PC ripping must now be done with payware so why should thing s be different on the Mac.

[Doug Lassiter]

Fair point. But paying to copy a DVD sounds a bit "naff". Especially since I'm sitting on a video capture card that lets me do a 98% job free.

I did try Handbrake once, but it didn't work well. I should try the free version of MacDVD Ripper and see if that's any better.

[yoda313]

That's why I called it "analog" ripping. Call it whatever you want.

For future reference it is generally referred to as capturing - or dubbing if you would preffer.

Edit - the term "ripping" is reserved for the technique of taking a digital copy off a disc - a cd or dvd or bluray. And by digital copy that means the source itself. If a program is converting to say mp3 or to divx or h264 for video it is doing more than just ripping. Ripping in the strictest sense is merely taking the digital data off the disc and depositing it on a drive in the correct original structure, no tinkering.

But paying to copy a DVD sounds a bit "naff". Especially since I'm sitting on a video capture card that lets me do a 98% job free.

Well the benefit is a bit for bit identical copy that can be processed any way you want to.