Hi, I'm new to the world of DVD ripping and while doing a search - I found the afterdawn.com forums and the Guides. I was reading through the information provided on the site but I still have a few questions. Info: I have a 750 MHZ Pentium III, Windows 98 Second Edition, 128MB of Memory and an Nvidia GeForce 2 with 32MB of memory. Is this enough computer power to get the job done properly? Additional Info: I will be buying the LG Electronics GSA-4163B 16X Super-Multi Triple Format DVD Writer and blank Maxell DVD discs. If this is in the wrong forum - just let me know and I'll remove whatever is inappropriate. [bold]Question 1[/bold]: I hear that I might face some difficulty copying DVDs because the largest file allowed on Windows 98 is 2 Gigs in size? Should I be worried? [bold]Question 2[/bold]: Let's say I want to rip a DVD - how good will the quality be? I see mention of this everywhere but no one seems to say how close to the original source it will be? Let's say I want an exact copy of the DVD - is that possible? [bold]Question 3[/bold]: Is there such a thing as the source DVD or file ripped - being larger than the actual space on the DVD itself? I recall some of the guides saying "set the size no higher than 4360MB." I realize I can compress it but won't that have an impact on the quality? [bold]Question 4[/bold]: Other than the LG Electronics GSA-4163B, Shrink, Decrypter and Nero 6 Express - would I need anything else? [bold]Question 5[/bold]: I don't know which to get for the LG Electronics GSA-4163B? DVD+R and DVD+RW or DVD-R and DVD-RW and what's the difference? Thank you for your time. Any help will be much appreciated. Cheers! Victor
Your CPU speed is kinda slow as of today's standards with the 3GHz stuff, so it will probably take quite some time but it is very possible. I was using a 600MHz CPU for a while, copies came out great but damn it took a long time to encode! I would definitely look into upgrading your RAM though. I was using 384MB without a real issue for a while, but 512MB is the minimum recommended. Video card doesn't matter with burning, but may look funny if you watch them on your PC. You're also gonna want at least 13-15GB of free hard drive space too. Your burner looks OK, I personally prefer slower burn speeds, many here (myself included) will recommend 4x or lower for DVD movies, so if you get this burner I'd go with Verbatum 4x media or 8x media with Super AZO dye (<-----very important, that one) burned at 4x. Do not rip movies in ISO mode, you will end up with 1 file for the whole movie that is way larger than 2GB. I use DVD Decrypter to rip (in File mode) and there is a setting where you can set the size of each file manually (don't worry, this will not affect the movie). This question has a lot of variables. I am a very picky person when it comes to video quality, some people are not. The larger the TV, the easier it will be to notice flaws. The programs I recommend are DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink. Both are free and are available here. In DVD Shrink there is an option to do deep analysis and you can do quality enhancements, both of which help out with video quality but will increase your encode times. Usually burners come with at least one RW disc (rewriteable). I recommend using that one until you find your niche. Your source file can be upwards in the 8GB-ish range and when you rip it will not be any bigger. When you use DVD Shrink there is an option to set compression size. Default is 4464MB, most people set it to 4300MB-4400MB to avoid burning to the edge of the disc, which causes problems with some media. I don't think you'll need anything else. In fact, you can get by without Nero and use DVD Decrypter to burn as well (set DVD Shrink to make ISO image and burn with Decrypter). Statistics show that -R format is more compatible than +R format with standalone players, but not by much. Some burners (and I believe LG is one of them) allow you to "booktype" your +R and +RW media as DVD-ROM, making standalone players think it's a commercial DVD and thus making the compatibility close to if not 100% for +R media. I'd get a couple of RW discs just to use for experiments and such, you'll most likely need them somewhere down the road. Both of my burners came with both a +R and a +RW disc, so play with those and see what you come up with. I hope I answered all your questions, but one thing I must add as a warning: [bold]STAY AWAY FROM MEMOREX AS IF IT WERE THE PLAGUE!![/bold] This is some of the worst media on the market, and can burn you just as you burn it (get it? HA!) Check the guides listed in my sig for further help on how the process is done, and come back if you have any issues. There's some really smart people here that will be more than willing to help you out.
first of all very good post( details count). I have backed up numerous dvd and have noticed no difference in quality yet. i use dvdd & dvds only I guess it just depends on media and methods used to backup. this setting would apply to dvds (shrink) during compression this setting will allow for the best quality using the average 4.7 single layer dvd. Ican think of nothing maybe divx2dvd for any conversion of mpeg or any number of other formats i use nothing but dvd-r since I heard they were compatible with more writers no probs if you want to test your system you might buy the rw so as to re-record if problems did arise. as for question # 1 I am not sure and have never heard any rumors but if you wait I'm sure one of the more senior members will be along shortly
Thank you [bold]squizzle[/bold] and [bold]l8nights[/bold] for the reply and advice. squizzle, you said: "Your burner looks OK, I personally prefer slower burn speeds, many here (myself included) will recommend 4x or lower for DVD movies, so if you get this burner I'd go with Verbatum 4x media or 8x media with Super AZO dye (<-----very important, that one) burned at 4x." I'm thinking of buying this Verbatim 8x 4.7 GB DVD+R Spindle (50 Discs)ASIN: B0002IQ18A (just input this number into the Amazon.com search field and the item will pop-up). Any thoughts or specific recommendations? Do you know of any specific brands that have Super AZO dye? squizzle, you said: "This question has a lot of variables. I am a very picky person when it comes to video quality, some people are not. The larger the TV, the easier it will be to notice flaws." Can I make an identical copy in terms of image quality and use "DVD Shrink there is an option to do deep analysis and you can do quality enhancements"? Thus making it look better than the original? Questions for [bold]squizzle[/bold] and [bold]l8nights[/bold] or anyone else reading this: I don't want to get off topic but my only DVD player is an Xbox with the DVD Movie PlayBack Kit. Since the LG GSA-4163B can "booktype" DVD+R media as DVD-ROM - will I or should I be able to get these copies to play on my Xbox? Cheers and Thanks again! Victor
my preferred stand- alone is an x-box (no mod's)the back-ups play perfect. ithink you got it. my suggestion is to play around and see what happens the quality settings have never been neccesary for me but if your picky the deep analysis will only slow the process slightly enjoy!!
as far as the quality, some people say they can't notice a difference between a DVD Shrink made copy and the original, others can. I personally can, but I'm one of those people that once I know it's not the original I will look for flaws. Call me a perfectionist I guess. I actually don't use Shrink anymore, but I did for quite some time. The quality is quite good, but I found something for a bit of money and a little extra work that makes backups pretty much identical to the original no matter how you look at it and what size TV you have. Let me know if you're interested in that, but otherwise I'm not going to get into that one as it will be another very extensive post. To get truly identical backups, you will have to use dual layer DVD+R media (DVD-R dual layer is on the way, but isn't here yet) and make a 1:1 copy. Those discs are quite expensive ($5 each or more) and are only compatible with about 2/3 of standalone players. If you play them in an XBOX, I doubt they will play. So for now, most of us here are sticking with the single layer discs and compressing. [Edit]http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/nsearch?follow-pro=2&vwcatalog=supermediastore&catalog=supermediastore&query=taiyo%20yuden&.autodone=http://store.yahoo.net/supermediastore/nsearch.html Go here for some great media if you plan on purchasing online.
Thanks again [bold]squizzle[/bold] and [bold]l8nights[/bold]! [bold]squizzle[/bold]: "Let me know if you're interested in that, but otherwise I'm not going to get into that one as it will be another very extensive post." That's okay - once I get the GSA-4163B, I'll be fooling around with the Quality setting or just use as little compression as possible. I have a regular TV (27 inches) and I sit about six or seven feet away from it - I probably won't notice a decline in Video Quality. [bold]l8nights[/bold]: "my preferred stand- alone is an x-box (no mod's)the back-ups play perfect." I'm loving my Xbox as a DVD player - I just found out that it can play Region 2 DVDs - so long as they're Zone Free. My Xbox is also un-modded. I appreciate the time you both took to answer my question - it's much appreciated. Cheers! Victor
