Hi there !! I have been reading the DvD boards for a few hours and htere are many suggestions and ways to burn DVD movies. Here is what I want to know, what is the best way to start? I have bought my Pioneer 8x DVD +-R burner today with a spindle of nice DVDs and I have DLed all sorts of apps but I am not sure hwat to do. Some say DVD Shrink + Nero Some say DVD Xxopy Some say DVD Shrink + DVD Decryptor I have all thos applications. I have the newsest version of Nero and DVD XCOPY Platinum. I have DLed DVD Shrink and DVD Decryptor. What do I use? Can I get everythnig from the original to 1 DvD or do I have to forsake the menues and outakes and such for diskspace. I know these questions are answered but they are answered in several different ways and I am looknig to not destroy too many DVDs while learning this Thanks !
As you've already found out, there are many opinions as to the best methods and the ones you listed all work. They are just different roads leading to the same destination. My best advice would be to buy some rewritable DVDs and experiment to see what suits you. And keep reading too, there's a wealth of knowledge here
I thought I'd just have to pop the DvD in, say copy and then pop in the DVDr and all would be good but I was wrong ! Can anyone tell me if DVD Xcopy is worth using or if it is garbage. It seems all the advanced users like to use things like DVD Shrink and so on. Is that just because uit offers more control or is it better quality. I cant afford any RWs right now and I do not think I can resist the temptation of burning till I can !
Hi Shadowulf ... Why not just buy one DVD-RW and do some experimenting with it? If it doesn't work, erase it and try something else. I use dvdshrink to transfer/compress my original DVD files to my PC hard drive. Once you have used it a couple of times, it becomes pretty intuitive. After using it several times, you start to discover some of it's great features. There are several on-line tutorials that will guide you through if you don't want to experiment. I use burnatonce to burn the files from my PC hard drive to a DVD-R/RW. While not a '1-click' operation, it's very basic and produces great results. Good luck and have fun!
Shadowulf, I'm pretty new at DVD burning too. However, I've tried all the software you've mentioned, including 3 different softwares from 321 Studios. Nothing against the 321 software, but I found it to be real picky about other software on the pc, and I never really got Platinum to work. I've had great success with DVD Shrink. If the DVD I'm backing up is a big one, sometimes I use the re-authoring function and backup on the movie. Most of the time, I can backup the whole thing. It's simplier that way. I have only ever burned one bad one out of about 20. I do occasionally use DVD Decrypter, and I do let Shrink use it to burn the DVD's. I've had excellent results that way. I like the new Nero, but I'm not messing with success. If you're anxious to go for it, I'd try Shrink and just do a backup. Good luck and have fun. compgran
I forgot to mention that you really should take the time to read through this whole thread and check out the guides. I'm no expert, but I'm having good results and I've learned everything on this thread and on the guides referenced here. compgran
I have been going through the threads and the guides and it seems like DvD shrink is the way to go. From what I am reading I can use shrink to do everything correct? if I understand the guide basically I pop in the DvD, boot up DvD Shrink, access the DvD, if it is less then 4.3GB then I can decrypt and burn, if not then I "trim the fat" then burn. I just dont want to mess up hehe I will be trying when I get home tonight an I'll post my success my miserable failure once I have gone as for the RW, the store near me only sells spindles it seems and I cant get a single RW any last tips. suggestions? Thank you ALL for the posts BTW
I believe you will still need software to burn the files to the blank disk, unless dvdshrink has been upgraded to include that feature also.
Here is the thread that really helped me figure out how to use Shrink and Decryptor together. http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/79846 Check out ScubaPete's post at the very bottom of the first page. Mine worked perfect by following those instructions. Good Luck
pmac34, thanks for the kind word about my guide ;-) Howdy there Shadowulf , Welcome to the fold. Iffin you have a RF (Rip free) XCopy Plat. Version, let us know, there is a patch that can put it back to what it should have been - a soup to nuts program. If you want to know why most here like DVD Shrink it's because when you use XCopy, you'll wind up with an opening screen that says something like 321 Studio Backup Copy. We find it annoying. I like my backup to either be just the movie OR I want it to look just like the original. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that the thread pmac34 told you about has just about every answer to every question you'll have for a while. It's about 12 pages but it's loaded with information about media, tips on burning and as he mentioned, Super-simple Guides. I put at least 3 in there plus a bunch of links to help you along the way. If you read a single thread, that's the one you should read - Enjoy, Pete
Hey shadowulf, You forgot one combo which I like better than all the ones you mentioned(BTW,S.pete turned me onto this). Get DVD43, it's free, this will de-encryt your movies or "rip". There's nothing to do but intall and it runs in the background. Open nero and go into Recode2 which will do what shrink does, only allow you to keep your source menu(which shrink won't if you delete anything). In recode you can compress up to 50% with no visible video loss. It is simple to operate so u might wanna give it a try. I like to have the entire movie w/special features and a working menu. If your movie is too large you can disable certain items in recode and still get most of what you want, all with a working menu. Good luck! _X_X_X_X_X_[small] [bold]GO VOLS![/bold]........Dell Media4600, XP home,Pentium 4 @2.80GHz/800Mz, 512MB, 280 HD w/8MB, 17" flat panel, AIO-A920, 8x DVD-ROM, integrated 5.1 audio, HP dc4000, Plextor PX-708UF[/small]
Pete.. Bigorange, just wanted to let you know I find myself using DVD43 w/Recode2 more often. Thanks for showing me how. Anyhow, Shadowulf we learn from our mistakes. And live and learn. It's nice to know different ways to successfully backup dvd's. I'm surprised how many ways there are, now its hard to choose. Well good luck.
Hey flip, long time no see, it's a great combo ain't it? I swear tho, sometimes I go a different route just to break the monotony, know what I mean? It's just so damn easy........ _X_X_X_X_X_[small] [bold]GO VOLS![/bold]........Dell Media4600, XP home,Pentium 4 @2.80GHz/800Mz, 512MB, 280 HD w/8MB, 17" flat panel, AIO-A920, 8x DVD-ROM, integrated 5.1 audio, HP dc4000, Plextor PX-708UF[/small]
Well "Goodness me" there flip, seems like I might have created a recode3 "Booster" - Sometimes I just like ta say, "Naa,Naa, Naaaaaa, Naa, I told ya sooo -" Seeeeeeee Yaaaaaaaaaaa, Pete
I think part of the learning process is to make a few coasters unfortunately You cant go too far wrong with Shrink though, and Nero to burn or just use Shrink to burn. Sometimes I find (and its very rare) that Shrink doesnt like an original DVD disk and I then use Decryptor in ISO read and write mode. Have fun!
SCUBAPETE, I HAVE TH RF VERSION OF PLAT DVDXCOPY HOW WOULD I FIND THE PATCH TO MAKE IT LIKE IT WAS BEFORE LIKE YOU SAID? THANKS FXMOVIEMN
fxmoviemn, http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/86048 http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/86110
