Hi. I've been using DVD Decrypter for awhile. I've been ripping as an ISO file. In answer to other questions I've posted, responders have suggested I use DVD Fab. It comes in a limited, free version that only rips the movie as folders/files. Looking at the written surface of commercial DVD movies, they seem to be written to 100% of the surface. That same movie when ripped and written does not usually consume the entire surface -- only the portion required for the size of the ISO. Occasionally, DVD Decrypter has had a problem reading a DVD with a surface I believe is damaged. Ergo, no ISO file. My question: Is it more reliable to rip folder/files than an ISO?
The free edition allows either ripping to .iso or file folder. DVD Decrypter has problems because it has not been updated in years - personal opinion is that most 'damaged', pressed commercial disks are easily fixed with water and toothpaste - although I have seen (perhaps playful) references to a belt sander.
.ISO is an image file, like a book glued together to keep the pages from flying out. DVD files (VIDEO_TS folder) are the pages from that, not bound together so you can rearrange the pages. They both are good for different purposes, depending on what you want. Want to edit a movie in any way? You want files. Want to send a file P2P or torrent? You want an .ISO A commercial DVD is pressed, not written but thats not important here, what is important is a DVD-5 fits 4.7GB of data on it, whether its a video or just data on the disc. If it doesnt take up the entire surface, less information was written on the disc. DVD Decrypter reads the video file off a disc, and can turn it into an .ISO, so your concern about a "bad disc with no .ISO on it" really is not an issue here because there isnt really an .ISO to find to begin with. If there any more questions please ask!
Thanks for your responses. What I'm aiming for here is: If DVD Decrypter reads the entire surface of a commercial disk to write an ISO but there is damage to the disk, then is DVD Decrypter reading more of the surface than necessary to rip the movie and it's menu, etc., files. Is it a better practice to rip folders/files? As for DVD Fab writing an ISO from a disk to a HDD file, well, I'm sitting here looking at all the menu selections and I must not be seeing it. But is that what you meant?
The information on the disk isn't an 'image', the image is what the software writes. The software reads the information on the disk, then creates the format - files or image. The little icon (circled) denotes the output format (files or image).
iso or folder/files is the same thing really, both good for whatever your doing if you open the iso wrapper the files/folders are the same. but if your dvd is damaged your lucky if you can rip/copy it...
