can macs do it better?

[zoranb]

I can see guides and apps for the PC all over the place, but where can i get guides for ripping DVDs and writting them to DVDRs from the mac??? I have this G4933 here beeing really hungry to rip n write some DVDs. Can anyone help me out here?????

[elreeko]

If you want to rip from dvd directly get Forty-two (perfect synching).

If you have VOB files or need to convert formats get ffmpegX.

Both have manuals.

'Nuff said.

[zoranb]

1st
Thanx for the help, but can i use those apps to write DVDs with the super drive in DVDR disks? At this point i dont want to compress or epxerimment on Divx or VCD, just make DVD copies, is that possible???

2nd
Can i rip a DVD movie and write the vob files from a MAC (in odrer to copy a DVD movie)? Is that possible can the output vob files be burned on a DVD (empty disk) on a mac?? (are those pc files usable on the mac?)

[elreeko]

Yup, you should be able to rip from a superdrive. That seems to be what a lot of people have been using. You will have to use another program to burn to a disk (toast or Missing Media Burner or Nero are the 3 main ones)

Forty-two will only rip from a dvd or a mounted dvd image. It does not support vob files that are sitting on your machine. If you have vob or any other elementary streams (mp2, mv2, etc...) you will have to use ffmpegX (its the one I use the most for this type). ffmpegX is a great app (and I thank major for building it - I use it a lot) but it does not promise that files will have the sound in synch (in some cases it will synch up - it depends on the movie). Forty-two promises in synch sound. Of course you can use missing mpeg tools and use the mplex function. With this you can mux your audio and video files and use the offset so that sound lines up (this will not work on all out of synch files).

Good luck with your backup. Hope this helps.

[dj_yerba]

i don't know if this works, cause i haven't tried myself. but i guess you can probably make copies of your dvd's in toast. just try the option copy... i usually do this for my cd's... toast make something like a back up of your disc and when it's ready it ejects your disc and you just insert a blank one and press rec. at least this works fine with audio cd's, so i guess this should be the same for dvd's.

if you just want to copy your dvd's, this should do the trick

[elreeko]

yeah, you can just use toast's "save as image' function. I would suggest using Apple's Disk Image instead. I find it works a bit better and you don't need toast to mount it.

The problem with just making an image and burning is that it will not usually fit on a blank dvd. Most dvdr disks are only 4.5 gb, but many dvds are 7 or so gb. You may be able to buy larger dvdr, but I never burn to dvd so I am not sure. Programs like Forty-two allow you to make a file small enough (but high quality) to fit on a dvdr. You will not have menus though. That function has not yet been implemented and I am not sure if it will be (you will have to ask Kai or Bile about that).

And Remember. Macs can always do it better!

[wiedenu]

The most data you can get on consumer DVDs is about 4.7GB. That is what they are rated for, however I only get 4.3GB when formatted. DVD-9 is professional DVD, and the systems to burn those cost thousands of dollars. I believe there was a little (snippet) article about the different kinds of DVD in MacAddict one or two months ago, not sure.

[jefwest]

Okay, Last time I thought I tried copying a DVD via toast imaging and a) it didn't image or b) it didnt' burn, basically it didn't work. I'm pretty sure apples doesn't either, there are copyright protections on dvd's that programs like 42/dvdbackup etc. workaround by using apple dvd player's built in decoder and such. SO, you could try that but you'd probably have no luck. What i have been doing lately is using dvd backup, a great ripper. I rip the .vob's I want, and only the ones i want (i.e. the movie ones not the extra shiznit), then since dvd backup makes a video_ts folder you just go into toast, make a new DVD, name it the title of the dvd you ripped, then drag your video_ts folder in and click burn. MONEY copy. NOW, here's my, and everyone elses dillemma.....most sweet dvd's are over 4.3 GB, in fact, almost all are. The only dvd's i've copied this way are clerks and how high, although you could copy most other 90 minute dvd's this way. Now i'm working right now on a program to automatically split up the .vob's and change the .ifo's so that it will be in two folders and you could burn to two dvd-rs, if anyone else has experience in programming and ifogen/tocgen please let me know, i know kai mentioned something about working on this too. I don't think it would be that hard, however it'd still be multiple discs.....but theres really only two ways around that, get a double sided dvd-r which you'd have to stop making out with your woman to flip over anyways or lose quality and put it on one DVD-R with 42. I must say though 42 has done a pretty good job of quality, i'm not seeing much quality difference in 2 hour movies that i rip to like 2500 kbps rates, but then, i'm no super movie buff. Anyways, I am probably gonna end up getting a damn 3 disc changer apex since most my shit is multiple discs anyways (i.e. svcds). Anyone got one of these and happy with it holler cuz i've seen some bad reviews. Well enough of my essay, time to get back to work!

[BJ_M]

The most data you can get on consumer DVDs is about 4.7GB. That is what they are rated for, however I only get 4.3GB when formatted. DVD-9 is professional DVD, and the systems to burn those cost thousands of dollars. I believe there was a little (snippet) article about the different kinds of DVD in MacAddict one or two months ago, not sure.

no mater how much money you spend - you can't burn a dvd-9 .. They are made only by a manufactoring method .. you can create such a disk as an image or load it onto a DLT tape (the ussual method) and send it out to get made in a large quantity ussually ..