Split The Difference... Lend an Ear... My Few Q's on DVD Back-up and Converting.

[G_R_8_Kasm]

I'm still all abit new to all this computing stuff so please forgive me if I sound somewhat simple and redundant at times! And just before i start, a quick apology to the fine creators of the forum! I Found your "FAQ's" an answered some of my own by doing so, thanks for the toleration for and not punishing a stupid question sent! anyways... more than 5 days is gone so... here's a post! :)

Q1: I noticed a thread a little while back about which was better DVDfab or some other, (Sorry, can't quite remember) Still, I Prefer DVDFab (current version being used: v6.2.0.5) because of its simplicity and eligance in knowing exactly what I seem to want. However, I know there are updated versions but am hesitant to upgrade because I was told by family they were "garbage" and "not worth it"! This can't be true? Are versions 7 or 8 really any good, or garbage like family says? and what can I expect if I do get them? Can they 'back-up' dvds as 'mp4' an 'avi' an all my other favourites?

Q2: Several family members (self-proclaimed computer wizards, haha but theyre not!) has told me of the media centres available to be able to watch media files on your TV, good, yes I'll admit that! But what's the best file format to convert to, to use it to the best of its ability? most family say the 'AVI' is the best, Is it really?

Q3:A new step I also want to take is burning already backed-up movies, home vids, pics, etc, etc, to CD-R's. What programme would be a good novice tool to start with? (keeping in mind I do actually learn pretty quick!) And what are the best brands of CD-R's to work with? Also, do pics actually work being burnt onto a disc and stored that way? Or is it better to just keep them on a hard-drive for easy access with the bonus of storage?

Thanks to all from the start for letting me throw around my Q's and hopefully for the replies too! looking forward to when i can return the help!

[hello_hello]

I don't know anything about DVDFab.

AVIs.... well they should be going the way of the dodo, but they're still widely used. The AVI container, containing video encoded with Xvid is still pretty much the standard for standard definition stuff.
For high definition video Xvid and AVI can still be used, but as the x264 encoder offers better compression it's generally used instead and found in either an MKV or MP4 container. Most DVD players can play standard definition AVIs and DVDs but that's it. If you buy the right BluRay player it'll play AVI, MKV and MP4 so which format you use wouldn't be too critical. I use x264/MKV for pretty much everything I encode for myself these days, but I also still encode a lot of XVID/AVI standard definition copies for others in the house to use.

I don't know a great deal about other types of players/media centres but someone else will probably be able to help you with any limitations they may have. I just use a PC as a playback device myself.

You probably want to burn to DVDs instead of CDs because they hold more data and DVD burners are pretty cheap these days (one 700mb AVI v around four AVIs, depending on their size). Or if you plan on burning a lot, a BluRay writer might be the go. It'll burn BR, DVD and CD. Well, I assume they burn CDs, I've never actually tried it, or thought about it.

No single media is 100% reliable for backing up files so it pays to keep them in more than one location. A hard drive might die tomorrow, a poorly burned disc mightn't be readable in a year's time. A well written disc on good quality media should last longer than you're likely to need it (it'll probably still be readable long after you've transferred the files to a newer format). As long as it's stored correctly and doesn't end up overly scratched etc. The type of files being burned aren't really relevant to the disc's longevity. I burn CDs so infrequently I've forgotten pretty much everything I knew about the types of CD blanks available. For DVDs it's probably best to stick to "brand name" discs but there's not always a hard a fast rule as one brand might change the dye used on their discs at different times, or they might use one dye for their "premium" discs and another for their budget discs. I pretty much only ever use Verbatim DVDs although I think even Verbatim has a cheaper line of discs these days which don't use the Mitsubishi dye the more expensive ones do. You can read about the dye used on various brands of blank DVDs here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm
More info here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/media/dvd-tests.htm

ImgBurn is probably a good program for burning if you're after something which is free. http://www.imgburn.com/

I'm not sure if putting an email address in your signature is a great idea. It might tun it into a spam magnet.

[manono]

DVDFab HD Decrypter (free for decrypting) is the way to go when you're trying to decrypt newer movies on DVD that use newer copy protection. The more recent the version the better. Since most of the DVDs with which I work don't have advanced copy protection, I usually just use the older DVD Decrypter.

Most media players can play a wide variety of formats but, as hello_hello says, x264 is probably the way to go. Just make sure if you both buy a standalone media player and encode to x264, that the media center supports it.

For me ImgBurn is the only way to burn files to disc.

[G_R_8_Kasm]

Thanks heaps for clearing those couple of points up for me, very helpful indeed! Imgburn works a treat too, Faster than expected. Never thought id say this but I'm starting to get the hang of all this stuff. I sat here reading the replies and i actually understood what I read! amazing but true. ive come along way from using technology as a target for my BB gun! thanks again!