problems backing up dvd's with dvdxcopy platinum and shrink dvd

[wandering-jester]

hi im a newbie ....but i have spent the last few days searching for answers but not found any..i backed up some dvds with dvdxcopy platinum. the problem is now i want to back up the back up's and make them region free..the best program to do this ive found is shrink dvd.whick compresses it and region free's the dvd...help me...because shrink dvd wont recognise dvd's ive allrady backed up..or is there another way to region free them..as i want to take them to canada..when i visit relatives..and have alot of back ups region 2 copied with dvdxcopy platinum..? anyone.....!

[Dimmer]

Hi there,

If you want to leave these DVD with your relatives, that would be illegal and therefore not to be discussed here. However, in case you just want to show them off and take back, then just take them as is. If your Canadian family has a PAL DVD player, it must already be "upgraded" so they can temporarily set it to R2.

But ask them in advance if they ever heard the words PAL and NTSC - if not, you'll have to take a player and TV with you as well. Something like a portable player with 7 inch LCD screen will do.

[wandering-jester]

i know about ntsc and pal players. im going to quebec for quite a while and watching them there not leaving them.there only for my own viewing as i own the origonals here in england. the problem is cost. i have a multi region dvdplayer but power supply not compatible,and converter too exspensive.and if i take my pal dvd player their tv's over there dont have many options on them apart from the really expensive ones, and i know there arnt any where i will be staying with pal viewing capabilities...? i hoped backing them up on region free would help, ive done some but as i said my problem is the ones with dvdxcopy wont be recognised by shrink dvd..? if i just wanted copies for over there to sell (which i dont)i would just go there and copy new films in canada..! this is just a personal problem i thought there maybe a soloution out there..? thanks anyway

[Dimmer]

Okay, region-free is not a problem here. If you can play recordable DVD on a multiregion player, that means they are already region-free. Therefore, there is no point of processing the dvdxcopy output with DVD Shrink since it's already compressed, and you couldn't make a real region-protected recordable DVD even if you tried.

The real issue is PAL vs. NTSC. There are some tools that can (barely) do that. From what I heard, MainConcept MPEG encoder produces great results, but only for video/audio. The drawback is that the license cost over US$1000, and you lose the menus. There are other solutions you can find around here, but either way it'll take a lot of time (hundreds of hours) and effort.

Instead, I'd recommend purchasing a cheapest no-name player in Quebec for equivalent of UK£40, which can do PAL-NTSC conversion. You can ask your family in advance about the models that are sold around, and check them out on www.videohelp.com to confirm their capabilities. Apparently, these Chinese no-name manufacturers don't bother making players for each region of the word, and instead they make universal players that can convert PAL<->NTSC on-the-fly, use any power source, and usually have a hidden menu for switching the regions. This site (http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php) has firmware upgrades that remove any remaining protection from such players if needed.

After that, you can either return the player to the store within 30 days (and buy a new one if needed), or leave it as a present for your family, or take it with you as a souvenir. You'll only have to change the power plug in England.

[wandering-jester]

thanks dimmer i hope i wasnt wasting your time...with things youve allready covered.your right it makes sense to do it that way.....i will be on the lookout for one cheers mate..