Will making copies of my dvd's solve my issues? And how to copy them?

[tygerstyle]

I'm fairly new to all of this and don't really know where to begin so hopefully you guys can help me out. I have some older dvd's that are starting to freeze and skip a little bit. I was wondering if copying these movies to a new disc would help get rid of these issues or if they'd still be freezing and skipping no matter if I copy them to a new dvd. It's not anything serious but it's enough that it's hard to enjoy some parts of the films, some of which are great scenes.

I also don't know how to go about doing that or what programs to use. I'd like to go with completely free software and the movies I'm talking about are 10-15 years old and some of them aren't american movies (if that would affect the copy protection). What programs do I use, and how to I use them?

One of the movies is a bluray disc. Is the procedure/programs different for bluray vs dvd?

Thanks!

[Kerry56]

The discs may have scratches or have some issues in the reflective layer that make them more difficult to read. They may give you trouble when copying too.

Since they are so old, you can start with a program called DVDDecrypter to get them to the hard drive. It is free to use. Burning to a disc afterwards might require the use of double layer dvd's, it depends on the size of the movie, and most commercial movies were released on double layer pressed discs. If you do need double layer discs, buy Verbatim brand only, and use the free burning program ImgBurn to burn them.

It is possible to compress the movie to fit onto single layer dvd's, but I don't know if you want to do this. DVD Rebuilder will give the best quality, and there is a free version of that program.

For your Blu-ray, get a program called MakeMKV. It can decrypt Blu-ray and is free to use while in beta. In order to get the complete disc to the hard drive, you'll need to start in Backup Mode. Its not going to fit or play on a dvd, and if you want another copy on a disc you'll need a Blu-ray burner and a good blank disc. Panasonic make the best blank Blu-ray, but they are hard to find in the US. Verbatim is usually a good choice too.

[october262]

Before you try copying them try giving the discs and
Your player a good cleaning and see what that does.

[Krispy Kritter]

Before you spend any time and effort into trying to copy them, check the replacement cost. So many movies can be found for $10, $5, or even cheaper used, that it may not be worth your time (copying isn't free).

And as you mention multiple discs, I'd suspect a player issue, unless you just happen to be rough with your discs.