vikodin
26th November 2002, 14:47
I'm someone who'd rate himself a tad above-average in terms of technical skill: I've set up a W2K server to network my Mac and PCs, I've installed components like RAM and PCI cards, blah blah blah. Still, after working on backing up DVDs for about a month, I have to say that it's definitely not for dilettantes.
It's simply not that easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just lying to you. Despite the incredible effort in terms of programming and documenting that ppl of this community have put in, backing up DVDs is nowhere near as simple as, say, backing up an audio CD with Roxio Easy CD Creator. Fortunately, things have come a long way, and the situation is rapidly improving as the notion of DVD backups gain momentum and popularity.
The biggest hurdle to the beginner is that most commercial DVDs are released as DVD9s* (dual-layer DVDs with 9GB capacity) whereas DVD-Rs are only available as DVD5s (single-layer DVDs with 4.8GB capacity). This entails using a number of separate utilities in a multi-step process that can span an entire day. Basically you're taking apart the contents of the DVD, recompressing the video portion to fit the smaller capacity of the DVD-R disc, sacrificing some parts like the making-of featurettes and foreign language soundtracks, and finally reassembling all the components. Even with a 2GHz processor, recompression alone can take up to 3 or 4 hours. If you're anal about picture quality, fine-tuning can easily double or triple the time needed.
Another hurdle is that the most popular DVD authoring apps (Scenarist and DVD Maestro**, which are used to reassemble the components) are somewhat difficult, although obviously not impossible, to get ahold of. Scenarist costs something like $4K, and Apple has purchased the company that makes DVD Maestro, making it a challenge to obtain its software. Look for this situation to change, as companies gear up to fill this niche -- Ulead now offers a DVD authoring app, for instance.
If you're seriously considering getting mixed up with all this, I'd suggest that you really think about what your motivation is. I mean, how many DVDs do you honestly need to own? I'd guess there's probably about a dozen movies most ppl would want to watch on a regular basis -- and for the seed money you'll need to get started, you could easily buy all twelve through Amazon or eBay and spend the remainder on a year's-worth subscription to NetFlix. In my opinion, you should only move ahead if you see this as a technical challenge that interests you. Otherwise, save your money and go to columbiahouse.com.
Still here? You'll need a fast PC (at least 1GHz), a HD with at least 10GBs to spare, and of course a DVD-RW drive and discs. You'll also need a Windows OS that uses NTFS, like Win2K, XP, or NT. I would estimate an initial outlay of at least $300 - 400, assuming you already own the fast PC and the required OS, and know your way around the Web.
If this post hasn't detered you, and your credit is good, I'd suggest that you apply for the American Express Small Business Gold Card, which allows you to return merchandise 90 days after purchase. That way you'll have 3 months to figure out if this is something you're really interested in. If not, at least you can recoup the cost of the DVD-RW drive. Amex SB Gold will also pricematch, so you can order the drive from a reputable dealer and later you'll be able to get Amex to refund you the difference of the lowball price from that sketchy, obscure retailer that you've never heard of.
I'd advise everyone to think read the various posts and tutorials thoroughly before spending any money. This might sound odd, but it's a commitment. You'll have to read, research, and keep notes. Be respectful of the ppl around you, and give back to the community by sharing your knowledge with the newbies. As the guides point out, it's possible to create quality backups of your DVD9s, but it'll take some perseverance.***
Good luck and much love to doom9, AfterDawn, and Digital Forums
-vikodin
_____
* Some DVDs are DVD5s, which are a breeze to copy -- this is as close to Easy DVD Creator you'll get for now. Follow http://www.cd-rw.org/articles/archive/small_dvd_2_dvdr.cfm as a guide. http://www.afterdawn.com/dvd/dvd_layer.cfm is a database you can use to see whether a disc is DVD5 or DVD9. In a pinch, tho, you can probably assume that movies that clock in under 100 minutes are DVD5s.
** Please do not reply to this post asking about where to obtain these applications. Attempts to get a discussion about pirated software will obviously put the operators of any forum at risk, and will only get the thread shut down and your userid cancelled.
*** So, okay, here's a typical story. I decided to back up my copy of "Pusher," which is a foreign DVD9 movie with a Danish soundtrack, an English commentary soundtrack, and English subtitles. After backing up some DVD5s to build up my confidence and a making a decent backup of the DVD9 version of "Drugstore Cowboy," using http://digital-forums.com/dvd2dvdr/intro.htm as a guide, I felt like I was up to the challenge. At this point my setup became very buggy -- the ripped VOBs kept failing their CRC checks. I thought the OS had become corrupted, so I reinstalled XP Pro, then Win2000, then back to XP Pro, then updated the BIOs, then updated the driver for the SCSI HD, then moved the entire setup to a backup PC, and so on. After slowly eliminating the potential causes for the faulty reads, I realized that my computer simply didn't like the OEM CD drive being connected as a slave to the DVD-RW drive. This took about a week to figure out. This was just to get properly ripped VOBs, mind you. After disconnecting the CD drive, properly capturing and synching the subtitles took another few days to figure out, as did figuring out the proper TEMPGEnc settings for a proper bitrate. I'm still trying to figure out why the DVD defaults to the English commentary track instead of the Danish soundtrack (probably some DVD Maestro setting I'm not aware of). In the meanwhile, I've gone through 4 Meritline DVDPro blanks ...
It's simply not that easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just lying to you. Despite the incredible effort in terms of programming and documenting that ppl of this community have put in, backing up DVDs is nowhere near as simple as, say, backing up an audio CD with Roxio Easy CD Creator. Fortunately, things have come a long way, and the situation is rapidly improving as the notion of DVD backups gain momentum and popularity.
The biggest hurdle to the beginner is that most commercial DVDs are released as DVD9s* (dual-layer DVDs with 9GB capacity) whereas DVD-Rs are only available as DVD5s (single-layer DVDs with 4.8GB capacity). This entails using a number of separate utilities in a multi-step process that can span an entire day. Basically you're taking apart the contents of the DVD, recompressing the video portion to fit the smaller capacity of the DVD-R disc, sacrificing some parts like the making-of featurettes and foreign language soundtracks, and finally reassembling all the components. Even with a 2GHz processor, recompression alone can take up to 3 or 4 hours. If you're anal about picture quality, fine-tuning can easily double or triple the time needed.
Another hurdle is that the most popular DVD authoring apps (Scenarist and DVD Maestro**, which are used to reassemble the components) are somewhat difficult, although obviously not impossible, to get ahold of. Scenarist costs something like $4K, and Apple has purchased the company that makes DVD Maestro, making it a challenge to obtain its software. Look for this situation to change, as companies gear up to fill this niche -- Ulead now offers a DVD authoring app, for instance.
If you're seriously considering getting mixed up with all this, I'd suggest that you really think about what your motivation is. I mean, how many DVDs do you honestly need to own? I'd guess there's probably about a dozen movies most ppl would want to watch on a regular basis -- and for the seed money you'll need to get started, you could easily buy all twelve through Amazon or eBay and spend the remainder on a year's-worth subscription to NetFlix. In my opinion, you should only move ahead if you see this as a technical challenge that interests you. Otherwise, save your money and go to columbiahouse.com.
Still here? You'll need a fast PC (at least 1GHz), a HD with at least 10GBs to spare, and of course a DVD-RW drive and discs. You'll also need a Windows OS that uses NTFS, like Win2K, XP, or NT. I would estimate an initial outlay of at least $300 - 400, assuming you already own the fast PC and the required OS, and know your way around the Web.
If this post hasn't detered you, and your credit is good, I'd suggest that you apply for the American Express Small Business Gold Card, which allows you to return merchandise 90 days after purchase. That way you'll have 3 months to figure out if this is something you're really interested in. If not, at least you can recoup the cost of the DVD-RW drive. Amex SB Gold will also pricematch, so you can order the drive from a reputable dealer and later you'll be able to get Amex to refund you the difference of the lowball price from that sketchy, obscure retailer that you've never heard of.
I'd advise everyone to think read the various posts and tutorials thoroughly before spending any money. This might sound odd, but it's a commitment. You'll have to read, research, and keep notes. Be respectful of the ppl around you, and give back to the community by sharing your knowledge with the newbies. As the guides point out, it's possible to create quality backups of your DVD9s, but it'll take some perseverance.***
Good luck and much love to doom9, AfterDawn, and Digital Forums
-vikodin
_____
* Some DVDs are DVD5s, which are a breeze to copy -- this is as close to Easy DVD Creator you'll get for now. Follow http://www.cd-rw.org/articles/archive/small_dvd_2_dvdr.cfm as a guide. http://www.afterdawn.com/dvd/dvd_layer.cfm is a database you can use to see whether a disc is DVD5 or DVD9. In a pinch, tho, you can probably assume that movies that clock in under 100 minutes are DVD5s.
** Please do not reply to this post asking about where to obtain these applications. Attempts to get a discussion about pirated software will obviously put the operators of any forum at risk, and will only get the thread shut down and your userid cancelled.
*** So, okay, here's a typical story. I decided to back up my copy of "Pusher," which is a foreign DVD9 movie with a Danish soundtrack, an English commentary soundtrack, and English subtitles. After backing up some DVD5s to build up my confidence and a making a decent backup of the DVD9 version of "Drugstore Cowboy," using http://digital-forums.com/dvd2dvdr/intro.htm as a guide, I felt like I was up to the challenge. At this point my setup became very buggy -- the ripped VOBs kept failing their CRC checks. I thought the OS had become corrupted, so I reinstalled XP Pro, then Win2000, then back to XP Pro, then updated the BIOs, then updated the driver for the SCSI HD, then moved the entire setup to a backup PC, and so on. After slowly eliminating the potential causes for the faulty reads, I realized that my computer simply didn't like the OEM CD drive being connected as a slave to the DVD-RW drive. This took about a week to figure out. This was just to get properly ripped VOBs, mind you. After disconnecting the CD drive, properly capturing and synching the subtitles took another few days to figure out, as did figuring out the proper TEMPGEnc settings for a proper bitrate. I'm still trying to figure out why the DVD defaults to the English commentary track instead of the Danish soundtrack (probably some DVD Maestro setting I'm not aware of). In the meanwhile, I've gone through 4 Meritline DVDPro blanks ...