I am as green as they come when it comes to burning. I have only used DVD-Shrink. Now I have a few question that I acn't seem to find on the net, and I am hoping someone here can help me with them. 1. If I am making a copy of a DVD with DVD-Shrink, and I remove all the extras, etc... and am able to get the full movie on the DVD-R without ANY compression... is it the exact same quality as the original source DVD or is it still compressed in some way? 2. If the answer to the above question is "no it is not the same quality", is there a free or cheap way to burn a copy of a DVD with the EXACT same quality as the original onto a DVD-9? 3. Is there a way to burn a movie on a DVD-9 to make it play continuously from side to side like a normal DVD without having to split the movie in half? 4. Is burning DVD-9's worth the time/hassle (I don't know if it's easy or not, doesn't sound like it) and money for someone who just wishes to burn some DVD's now and then? Any opinions would be appreciated. I am really stuck on these questions and would appreciate any input you guy/girls could give...lol Thanks!!
No worries, we were all newb's before. Besides, you never stop learning. 1. Yes, no compression is exactly the same as the original. 2. ... 3. Dvd Decryptor can make a copy of a dvd-9, it's free and in the download section here. 4. Until blank dvd-9's come down in price it's not too cost efficient in my opinion to back up on them. I get dvd-5's for 34-38 cents a peice, where the DL's are a couple bucks on sale. So for 1 DL "dvd-9" disc I can make 4-6 copies on 5's. Check out some of these guides for more info on differnt programs like Shrink and Decryptor: http://www.dvdplusvideo.com/tutorial007.html http://home.comcast.net/~bbmayo/index.html Hope that helps you out, if not come on back and someone will get ya straight. Good luck and welcome.
Thanks very much for the response OU812Ono, I appreciate it!! So just the clarify on a DVD-9 there is NO issue of splitting the movie on each side, dividing in 2 etc..? It will just play continuously (with the normal pause of course). Are those programs you listed better than DVD-Shrink? They have better features? Thanks!!
Are you talking about flipper disc's? I mean one side plays then you eject and "flip" it to the other side? If so you can use Dvd Shrink for that also, it's just a different method. If it's just a standard dual layer then it reads from one side, inside to out, then outside to in I beleive. In that case there will be no pause, the same as a store-bought disc. Dvd decryptor just "rips" the disc to your hdd, meaning removing the encryptions and copying to the hdd. Some movies cannot be copied with Dvd Shrink only, so you use Decryptor first then shrink it to fit on a dvd-5. It can also burn, something Shrink cannot do. They work very well together. They are both free but neither will be updated since Dvd Shrink's author went on to work for Nero on Recode, and Dvd Decryptor's author was issued a cease-and-desist. There are ALOT of different programs that can backup dvd's, but as far as ease-of-use and price "free" Shrink/Decryptor is great to start off with. Once you get your feet wet you could move on to some other proggy's depending on what type of features you want.
Ahh ok....thanks again ou812ono I have 2 more questions... and then I will be gone...lol... for now.. 1. I have heard that burning DVD's at higher speeds can decrease the lifespan of the DVD and produce a DVD of lesser quality. Is this true to any degree? 2. Should I ignore where it says "2 hours of video recording time" on my DVD-R's? I mean excluding extras, audio tracks, etc. aren't some movies larger or smaller than another of the same time length due to higher or lower resolution? When I am renting movies to burn, should I be going by the 2 hour rule (assuming I want no compression on the main movie... don't care about anything else), or is that not an accurate marker to go by? Thanks again... and I apologize for the length and all the questions... I am really trying to get a hold on this concept of DVD burning...and this is REALLY helping
Although you probably won't notice dvd shrink processes (alters) files even set at no compression. After you determine that the movie only is less than 4.37 GB useng shrink, if you want a true 1:1 copy open dvd decrypter and click on edit, then click on main movie files then click on mode, ISO read, click on the green start arrow. After dvdd is done reading insert a blank disc into your burner, click on mode, click on ISO write, locate the ISO MDS and open it. Let it burn. Your done. Mort
From what I've read burning at higher speeds increases the chances of read errors. The unofficial speed around is 4x, some go way over that but I've done 200+ without a hitch at 4. Also quality media has alot to with it, search around the media forums for what's good, everyone has their favorite brand, but there are some bad one's expecially made with the cmc mag dye. Tayo Yudens, Verbatum Date Life (Plus) seem to be the favorites from what I've read. I'm not too hip on the scene with media, I'll stick with what works for me until I have a problem. So go lurk around there to find which ones to stay away from. Also no multi-tasking when your burning, I set it and forget it, usually while I'm watching a movie so I can "babysit" in case of problems. The 2 hours rule is about right for no/little compression. I always do movie only, and even getting down to 70-75% compression in shrink I haven't noticed a difference. Now that's only a guide, some movies with alot of CGI and fast action might suffer a little, but that's what the AEC settings are for in Shrink. If I do a larger movie like Gangs of New York I just split it into 2 disc's. Don't worry about all the questions, all of us are here to help/get help. We all have problems at one time or another. Plus the big thing is you searched first, almost all my problems have been solved with the search button "plus it's faster than waiting for a reply". I'm kinda blowing through this responce since I was watching Death to Smoochy, but if you have anymore problems don't hessitate to come back. Also you should check out those links I gave in my first post. BBMayo and ScubaPete are excellent and valued members of these fourms, along with alot of other prodigy's "just they don't have guide's". "Pete's guide has a section on setting up the comp for copying, what to do, what not to do...." Oh and your welcome
Mort81... thanks I just downloaded DVD-Decrypter after reading your post... I appreciate the reply. OU812ono thanks again, good to be on a board with friendly and welcoming people, some boards really make it hard and are quite short with newbies like myself. So I have been burning mostly at a friends house and want to get my own DVD drive.... can you check this one out and tell me what you think? It says dual layer compatible... so will I be able to burn dual layer DVD's with it? http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=006264&cid=CR.184 I have been looking up review after review after review of BenQ, LG, Lite-On drives and I can't tell which is better. They do those test and tell you how well they read write (errors). Can you recommend a good quality burner capable of dual layer? I would prefer something that burns at 2x for dual layered, as I am more concerned with quality as opposed to speed. Thanks!
LG is okay, but many who own a Plextor swear by them. http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=006948&cid=CR.184 However, the cost is higher, but not outrageous. Me, I'm partial to Pioneer, but would probably go with a Plextor if I was going to buy a new burner right now. Here's an old post of mine that I made for beginners, maybe something will be of use: Info for beginners: (I'll mention a few popular programs, but there are others of these types.) Backing up factory DVD movies has 3 basic steps and a few things to remember. The steps are: 1)Decrypt/deCSS; One could add edit, but that isn't always necessary. 2)Encode/Transcode (Fit to the target disc, shrink as necessary); 3)Burn. You can have one program that does it all, some programs do a couple of the steps and some only do one step or one step at a time. Decrypting can be done with driver type decrypters like AnyDVD or with apps such as DVD Decrypter or DVD Shrink. DVD Decrypter is used to decrypt and rip files to the (HD) hard drive. If DVD Decrypter is going to be used as a burner, 2 important things have to be remembered. 1)Use the ISO read mode to decrypt and 2)the file size has to be below 4.37 (GB) gigabytes. If the file is above 4.37GB, DVD Decrypter cannot burn the ISO file to a 4.7GB disc. [Note: 4.7 is a retail designation for a disc; the actual size of a 4.7 disc that a computer reads is 4.37GB.] File size is important to know. (This pertains to recording DVD5 media.) I'll add here that file size is the factor you need to watch when transcoding (shrinking), not the normal time that a DVD will play when recorded with regular recording procedures. I've recorded movies like "Return of the King", without extensive editing, on DVD5 using RB/CCE and the quality was excellent.) DVD Shrink can be used to decrypt and rip to the HD. Normally though, Shrink is used to decrypt a disc, using a temporary file, and transcoding the file in preparation to be burned. Nero isn't part of Shrink, but is the default app that Shrink uses to burn automatically. Shrink can also use DVD Decrypter in ISO burn mode and CopytoDVD can also be used. I suggest Nero, as DVD Shrink is already set to use it. There are a number of transcoding programs, browsing the forums can get a lot of info on those. It's already been mentioned what they do. Just remember, simply speaking, this step is to prep the file for burning. There are a number of apps on the market now. Due to laws, most of the popular recording programs now are trancoding and burning programs. These recording programs have to have a decrypter. With a driver type decrypter the program runs as though it was one of the older ripper programs that did everything. With the manual type decrypters the files are ripped to the HD and the file then has to be opened by the recording program. Burner or recording programs are either incorporated into programs or are separate in recording suites. I mentioned Nero as it is a favorite on many forums and a favorite of mine. There are others. I find CopyToDVD to be a good choice as well. DVD Decrypter is a good freeware choice. I'll throw in a couple of links for you. AnyDVD has a 3 week trial, so give it a whirl. Read the info at the site and it will tell you most of what you need to know. http://www.slysoft.com The last version of Shrink, which you can download here at AD, is the best freeware app for transcoding. Movies up to about 6.5GB or so shrink down well to DVD5 with the app. Rebuilder with Cinema Craft Encoder (RB/CCE) is the best encoder available. You can find info on that one here at AD. There is a site that supplies a freeware downloader to load the program which now makes it easy for beginners, http://www.dvd-rb.com . It's better at high compression than Shrink, though Shrink does fair when the "Quality Settings" are used. Seems everyone has been very helpful here, glad to see it. Sorry about being repetitive, but that's the problem with copy and paste. http://www.dvdshrink.info has some quick guides on the freeware that should be helpful. http://www.mrbass.org had a good Shrink guide the last I checked. A bunch of the guides haven't been updated to include the "Quality Settings" and a few of the newer features of the last Shrink version. Most of the noticable changes are under the Burn Settings, so just compare the difference in the guide. Any questions on the Shrink, the guys in the Shrink section should be able to answer them for you.
Thanks brobear... you from canada too? I thin the plextor might be a bit out of my price range I am looking to spend around $100ish (although I posted $115 somewhere else ... doh!).... what about the plextor for $129 the cheaper one? Keep in mind I am not a techy, I just want to burn DVDs is all. Thank you for the guide as well!! This place is kicking ass so far and I have only been a member for a few hours...lol
Prices are down on the burners now. The LG is dirt cheap and a good choice for a burner. The Plextor is sort of a "Rolls" of the burners though. If all you need is something to do the occasional burn, just get the LG. As for myself, I'm not rich, but I never let something like $50 or $60 keep me from getting the better equipment. The drive I mentioned can be found on sale sometimes for about $130. The cheaper drives usually don't have all the bells and whistles; slower or not having DL capability. Though DL hasn't caught on due to price, it may eventually and in some cases it might pay to use one of the more expensive discs for special projects. I'm one of those people who like having all the capabilities, just in case. As has been noted, using good media with a burner is of primary importance. Also noted, 4X is the usual recommended speed, with the better burners and good media, some go over that. However, it does increase the possibility of errors. So, to be on the safe side, many stay at 4X. The time savings of the extra few minutes isn't worth the gamble for many. You only gain a few minutes and with available software, a good encode can take from as little as 30 minutes up to a few hours. You just have to answer the question for yourself; is the few minutes saved worth the gamble? I see no problem going a bit higher than 4X, as long as you have good equipment, media and software. Just be aware you may need to slow down if you run into read/write errors. Me, I burn at 4X and don't worry about it.
Marlin, I feel that LG, BenQ, and Lite-on are all good choices and agree with brobear that plextor is the cadddy of drives but out of reach price wise for some. Personally I prefer BenQ but have read good things about the LG's and Lite-on SOHW-1693S. I am a bitsetting (booktyping dvd+r media to dvd-rom which is the most compatable format for stand-alone dvd players) guru which all the drives you listed above are capable of doing including plextor. I'm not a pioneer fan (sorry brobear) because they are not capable of bitsetting. You might check prices at newegg. I've found they almost always have the best prices for pc software and a very good reputation. I think they will ship to Canada but am not 100% sure. Here's the link. http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=5 Mort
Mort, Bitsetting, or setting the drive to emulate DVD ROM (for the newbies who don't know what bitsetting is about), is something of a dinosaur in my book. It's all about compatibility. All players are supposed to support the DVD ROM format. Not so with the recordable formats on some players, especially the very old and some of the cheaper players. In the beginning there was only the -R and then the competition, the +R media, came along. So, the very early players only played DVD ROM, then -R was included, shortly afterward, the +R format was supported. Now a lot of the players will play most anything that is round (in other words, multiple formats including audio and CD. In all the time I've been recording, I've only run across one player (one of those cheap gifts from a promo) that would only play DVD ROM discs. It would be easier to buy a cheap drive to play the various media than to buy a burner to accomodate one of those old players. Bitsetting is all okay if one wants to do it. But it is no longer a real need as far as compatibility goes. I wouldn't choose a burner just because it has bitsetting capabilities or not.
brobear, I understand where you're coming from. There are several reasons why I like to booktype my +r/rw's to dvd-rom. My brother has a high dollar JVC stand-alone dvd player that doesn't like anything except dvd+r booktyped dvd-rom. I have had absolutely no playback problems since useing good quality dvd+r's and booktyping them dvd-rom and I personally prefer dvd+r media and booktyping them dvd-rom increases their compatability. The ability to bitset is an added feature and benefit IMO. My drives will burn dvd+r and dvd-r just fine without bitsetting but the capability is there so why not take advantage of it. Most dvdrw's are very comparable in price and performance nowdays so why not buy one that is capable of bitsetting. There are situations where the ability to bitset are very beneficial. You know I would never argue with you. I am just pointing out my reasons and feelings on the subject. Mort
I am glad that I did buy a drive with bitset ability. I have an older Toshiba standalone that will only play -R and so that is the media I have used. When dual layer came out it was only in +R so if my Plextor did not bitset it my Toshiba would not play it, they have since come out with -R but I have only seen it online. I have done several dual layers with the +R and my Toshiba plays them great. Just my opinion.
Mort Well stated. Our "feelings" have a lot to do with it. If a person needs bitsetting, by all means go with it. But in today's world it is something of a relic for antiquated equipment. I've never used bitsetting in the backups I've done and I have an extensive video library I'm protecting with backups. So, the few hundred or so DVD backups I have are without bitsetting. I regret to hear about that high priced JVC that's so picky. Decent players can be purchased nowadays for about $50 dollars and the cheap ones are on sale for about $30. Besides playing other than DVD ROM, they are handy for RW as well as the R and they play MP3 and other formats. Nice to have something up to date and they're no longer expensive for a good player. My Philips plays great and it only cost about $60. Personally, I bought the newer player to be able to benefit from the use of RWs. I like the newer multi format capabilities of the Philips. Nothing to do with bitsetting. My older Samsung and my son's older equipment play the DVDs I've recorded without problems. We're talking equipment 4 or 5 years old, if not older.
