DVD Copying Basics

https://www.videohelp.com/dvd

THat link has the technical details of what dvds are.

https://www.videohelp.com/dvdbackup

the dvdbackup link will have the options for the most popular methods to backup a dvd.

Basically you can use two programs to backup dvds. Dvdfab decrypter or ripit4me will copy the dvd to the harddrive. Dvdshrink will make a copy of the dvd that will fit on standard single layer 4.3gb dvd-+r discs. You can do a 1:1 exact copy to dual layer recordable discs but only if you have a dual layer burner and dual layer discs (more expensive than single layer).

To do streaming video you most likely will want to have a compressed version of the dvd (dvd is made up of "vob" files - the video you usually get off the internet is divx or wmv or mov files). You can compress the vobs using something like virtualdubmod or virtualdubmpeg2 and other freeware conversion apps.

Check out https://www.videohelp.com/tools for more tools.

Welcome to the forum and remember don't be afraid to experiment and make sure you have plenty of hard drive space

Originally Posted by MysticE

I might also add don't skrimp on discs. Verbatim is always a good bet and works well with almost all burners.

Good point but it looks like the original posters main desire is to stream over a network. That would eliminate the need for blank discs unless they want to backup as well - which wouldn't take much more effort

You cannot copy a comercia DVD directly because of 2 main reasons.
1, it's got copy protection that needs removed. Never saw one not protected yet, though some may not be.
2, they are often larger than the disk you want to put them on, so they need shrinked. I do have many older movies that fit without shirinking though.

DVD shrink was great and I used it for everything, Beta 3 for years. I just got the newest version and like it even better for movie only backups. I just recently downloaded the newest and last version as I hear he quit working on it. A real loss to us all!

DVDshrink would remove the protections and regions settings to copy the disk, and also shrink the disk size based on your settings. Best program I ever used for this. Still should be great for many new disks and all the older ones. I only has a feq problems recently and they could have been system problems?

The old DVD decrypter I tried to use often screwed up the audio, I would start out with a DVD in english and then get a VOB or two in some other langauge, spanish, italian, whatever.

DVDFAB Decrypter seemed pretty good, but I have pixilation problems in the few I did with it and some jerkyness also, but I also had hard drive problems nearly the same time and lost some files, so not sure if the program or the hard drive was to blaim. Same disks, Burner, burning program so not a problem with those for certain.

There is a program that runs in the background I just started using, 90 days left of my 30 day free trail
I did not do it! I think it was caused by the computer problems I had and the fixes I used, but won't say what. Anyway it seems great and pretty cheap.
DVD Region+CSS Free , $40, and it removes protections, regions, user prohibited stuff etc. That's when you can't fast forward or skip the 30 mintutes of trash commercails and other GARBAGE put on disks before the menu.
That was the best money I never spent
If I use it much I will register it like I should. So far I like it alot (only 4 days or less), using programs that normally state what the protections are (like DVDshrink) they just say not encrypted. DVD Region+CSS Free kills the stuff as the drive is read or something. I geuss maybe the same way as Anydvd does, but I never tried that program yet.

Many DVDs are small enough to fit onto a DVD R disk, 4.7 gigs, so with something like DVD Region+CSS Free or AnyDVD I geuss you could make a straight copy disk to disk basically. I never tried because I remove alot of useless stuff from my disks.

If I wanted to watch comercails I would watch TV! I buy a movie to watch the movie, I refuse to be forced into watching comercails for 30 minutes, waisting my time, that's NOT what I paid for, I paid for a MOVIE! So I normally cut and kill the comercails from my disks. Even if only a 4 gig DVD I still take the time to put the comercails where they belong, in the trash bin!!