DVD RECORDING

What all have you tried? Have you check out the guides?

I agree, best place to start ... with the free stuff.

Shrink:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_rippers/dvd_shrink.cfm

Decrypter:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_rippers/dvd_decrypter.cfm

[bold]Shrink Guide:[/bold]
http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/dvd9_to_dvdr_with_dvd_shrink.cfm

[bold]Scuba Pete's guide for using DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter:[/bold]
First, you should create a folder for your DVD backup before hand. This is the place on your HD where DVD Shrink will work on your movie files and DVD Decrypter can pick them up to burn to disc. Try to put it someplace where you won't forget it - i.e. C:/All DVD work/Pirates of the Caribbean

Now open up DVD Decrypter - and under "Mode", select "ISO" then "Write" - under "Source" you may leave that blank as DVD Decrypter will find the location that DVD Shrink will put your ISO files in all by itself. Select your "Destination" as your Burner - and make sure that the box that says "verify" is un-ticked (This last one will cut down on DVD Decrypter errors). Do that now. OK, feel free to close DVD Decrypter now because when DVD Shrink is finished it will open DVD Decrypter all by itself.

Now you can place your original DVD in your DVD-ROM drive and a DVD blank in your burner's drive (If you have two drives). If you only have the one drive, put your original in that drive now. When the time comes for you to put in your blank in either the drive door will open OR a message will appear. As for your DVD media, after all my efforts, it had better be Ritek G04, Verbatim "DataLife", Ridata, Sony or media boasting "Advanced Metal AZO". Other media could well be the cause of errors. Only the very best media should be used for DVD Video backups. Remember that RW discs will probably not play in standalone players. But I suggest that you use your RW now until you get comfortable with the backup process. That way we won't be creating any "Coasters" during our trial period Now is defiantly not the time to put your crappy, "Look how much money I saved on these." cheap stuff in. If you don't know what I'm talking about – you had better go back to reading these forum threads and seeing all the poor media complaints -.

Now go into DVD Shrink, click "Edit", then click "Preferences" on this page we're going to select "DVD Target Size" as "Custom" and set the size anywhere between "4260MB" to "4300" - we do this to make sure that we don't burn to the very edge of the disc. Then, under the "File I/O" tab [bd]un-tick[/b] "Enable burning with Nero" then click "OK". Let's do it now !

Now let's burn a DVD, OK ? Click "Open Disk" and let DVD Shrink analyze (rip) your DVD. If you wish, we can edit your movie now. To trim your movie a little, you can "un-tick" audio you don't want like the foreign audio streams, i.e. Outer Mongolian or Eastern Himalayan Yak language selections or the Director's comments. This will result in your DVD requiring less compression and a better quality picture. If you would like, as I do, to get rid of all the extras and trailers thus compressing your movie as little as possible (giving you the best quality picture), click "Re-author" then, under "Main Movie" select "Title 1" If there are more choices, look at the time and select the longest one as that is usually the main attraction. Click and drag the "Title 1" from the right-hand side of the screen to the left-hand side, under the "DVD Structure" (DVD) and release it there. Bingo, Bango, you are done editing, giving you the least compression (best quality), backup possible. Now select "Backup" to get ready to finish.
If you want a total backup, that's all the things on the original disc. We need to be sure that the "Full Disc" icon is depressed. Don't try to cheer it up and don't worry, it likes being "depressed". There's no problem in doing a full backup as long as we don't see any "Red" on the size bar at the top. (If you should see some "Red" there, on the size bar, simply "Un-tick" any foreign languages, Director's comments or DTS sound boxes until the "Red" disappears.) With no "Red" visible on the size bar we just let the "Automatic" (Default) settings alone. THEN we select "Backup". Take just a second and under "Target Device" go to "Select backup target " once there, select "ISO Image File and burn with DVD Decrypter". Finally, where it says "Select target image file", browse till you find your created folder for your backup and click "Save". That's it ! Click "OK" and DVD Shrink burns that ISO image to your HD. It then opens DVD Decrypter and has it burn the ISO image to your waiting blank DVD.