Hello I am fairly new at all of this but can now succesfully rip/burn with Decrypter/Shrink/Decrypter OK, I need opinions on this? I am backing up some of my larger disks (7.5 to 8.5G)...how do most of you handle these? Naturally, much of the space is because of lengthy extras which I am interested in Would you recommend splitting into 2 disks and NO compression (movie on 1/extras on 2) or is it SAFE (in terms of acceptable quality and standalone playback compatability) to just compress the whole thing to one DVD-5? I am NOT a quality fanatic but also don't want something mimicking bad tv rabbits ears So I guess I'm asking, what are the safe limits of shrinking? 50%? BTW, I always burns at 2X! I want a clean, playable copy. Regards, F43
Try it out an see. The time I've used 50% or less compression was on the "extras" and I noticed pixaltion due to the loss. You may not like the main movie with this much loss- I mean, it's watchable but the loss was evident and could be annoying to some.
I hate 2-disc movies, especially when you don't have any of those cool 2-disc cases. I'd go for one disc but I would turn some of the lengthy extras (which it probably has) into still images. That will free up space. Just highlight the extra, change the compression option box from automatic, or whatever, to still images. I think a significant portion (NOT ALL) are used as filler or are made specifically for the hardcore fanatic. As far as leaving the whole thing intact for one disc, it's a gamble -- it's your time and energy! But to some people knowing is more important. Whatever you decide, do some more research by looking at some other posts talking about compression, and quality enhancements, they're everywhere.
I've backed up hundreds of dvds, most of which have been DVD9's, and for every single dvd I've shrunk with Shrink, I've used the same process. I select the Deep Analysis option, and don't select the Quality Enhancement option. Then, I leave the compression at the defaulted values, and remove and foriegn language audio and subtitle tracks. And I remove the smaller English audio tracks in favor of the 5.1 or DTS tracks. I do it that way every time, and my eyes and ears have never been able to tell the difference between the compressed backups and the originals. I've never spied a pixel, and out of the hundreds I've done, theres never been a reason for me to change my procedure.
In using this method do you need any special software on your computer to have the burned copy play in true 5.1 English on a home theatre? Do you do full backup also? Thanks in advance.