Why Is It So Difficult to Copy DVDs? (A Guide for Newbies)

@diverj,

Yes.... I totally agree with you that even with the most expensive stand alone dvd player on the market now-a-days will somtimes failed to play certain kind of DVD+Rs. Please keep in mind that not all new (top set) expensive dvd player can play all DVD-Rs/+Rs, it certainly will read/play the majority, but not all of the DVD+Rs due to the rapid changes of the media codes. However, it is recommend to always stick with high quality media because it'll last longer in the long run - not only that but it probably will save you more money as well.

Again, no doubt, I have to agree with you that it all depends on the individual's experiences in regards to media because of his/her stand alone dvd players prefer certain kind of DVD-Rs/+Rs only. What works for you may be an issue for me, so it's best to stick with the combination you deemed to have the most compatibility.

I don't have any expensive dvd players -- in fact, both of my Philips and Samsung dvd players are under $70 and whatever I throw it in there, it's flawless according to my knowledge and experiences. Why...?? Simply because I only use Taiyo Yuden (also the Fuji "Made In Japan"), Maxell "Made In Japan" and Verbatim media for all of my backups. Furthermore, I always "book type" all of my DVD+Rs into a DVD-ROM format. Therefore, none of my players ever experienced any sort of issues whatsoever. You're right if you're asking 20 people with the same question, you'll definitely have 20 different answered in return. However, what I'm trying to say is that if your dvd burner is capable of "bitsetting" or "book typing" then you can easily change the book type from a DVD+R into a DVD-ROM format. This is one of the safest and or perhaps the best way to go. As a matter of fact, all commercial (original) dvd movies are pressed as DVD-ROM only. Thus, all functional stand alone dvd player are capable of playing them.

 

Well, alkohol, I am the first to admit I know nothing about DVD+R format. Before I burned my first DVD, I settled on using DVD-R because of its being the more widely accepted formatat the time. So, I certainly am no expert in booksetting. Perhaps you would like to explain this to me. One never knows if the knowledge will come in handy in the future.

 

What kind of dvd burner do you have? What programs do you ususally use to do your backups? According to my understanding, both Nero and DVD Decrypter can change the "book type" or "bitsetting" from any DVD+R/DVD+R DL into a DVD-ROM format. However, you have to have the right burner i.e. Sony, Lite-On, LG, NEC, Plextor, Nu Tech, BenQ, and RICOH etc.

 

@diverj

Here is a nice little article on bitsetting and programs that can be used, if your burner is capable of doing it.

http://www.k-probe.com/bitsetting-booktype-faq.php#BitSettingLinks

 

Nicely done there on that link arniebear.

@diverj,

Or you can easily change the book type using Nero as well.

((Here's how to book type using Nero Burning Rom))

01) open up Nero StartSmart, then click on Nero Burning Rom
02) EXIT out the "New Compilation" when it pops up
03) click on "Chooses A Recorder" (it's a small burner icon next to (I) and the arrow down)
04) click on "Options", then on "Book Type Settings", set to "Automatic" and click "OK" - that's it... easy as smoking. Now every burning using a DVD+R disc your Nero will automatically change the booktype into a DVD-ROM format.

((Here's how to book type using Nero Express))

01) open up Nero StartSmart, then Nero Express
02) now click on "Copy Entire Disc"
03) click on "Options", then onb "Book Type Settings", set to "Automatic" and click "OK", then "Exit" out. That's it... easy as sipping on some Corona. Again, now every time when you burn, Nero will automatically change your DVD+R into a DVD-ROM in prior to the actual burning process.

Basically, you only need to set the "book type setting" on Nero once. So, if you book type it with Nero Burning Rom already then you don't need to do it again on Nero Express or vice versa.

Hope this will somehow help you out.

 

4 or 5 programs to make a DVD copy? Reading the posts here would lead many to abandon the thought of even attempting to copy DVD's. I've been making copies with no problems whatsoever. I use the cheapest +RW discs (yes, rewritable), DVDXCOPY version 1.X, and a cheap +/-DVD burner that cost me $50 new. The copies have no compression and are essentially perfect. The source and copy cannot be distinguished from one another upon A/B comparison on a high quality monitor. It takes 2 single sided discs to copy a DVD in it's entirety, but who cares? If I decide I don't really want a copy that I made, the discs are reusable. What could be easier? What is the point of editing a movie before burning a copy? Is the goal to save the cost of a second blank disc? How much is your time worth?

 

Plus,

I agree AND disagree with your post to certain extents. While I agree, that using many different programs to get the job done is not necessary, you will never get anyone to agree with you or another about quality. While I may not see a difference in quality between some programs, others with more discernible eyes may. So many programs are used, and many folks are happy.

I do not agree with you an media. I DO BELIEVE you should use the very best media you can afford to purchase. Purchasing the cheapest ANYTHING when you can afford the medium or even the best is a recipe for disaster, unless you know for certain that your cheapest product will yield similar results and you are prepared to replace it sooner.

As far as cheap DVDs, that means, DVDs of important things, degrading over a shorter amt. of time and loosing your archive.

 

@ PlusMinus

Quality TY media can be purchased for 38 cents a disk. By burning "movie only" a single disk is used, (little or no compression is needed.) Xcopy does have manual select features that can enhance a dvd burn, but it cannot copy certain movies that have the newer protection used by some in the movie industry so an additional program is needed for that as well such as AnyDVD.

Again, there may be some here that think burning a DVD is difficult as per prior posts, (maybe they like to make it more then it really is,) but ANYONE that reads the guides to burning a DVD by ScubaPete or BBmayo will be burning in less then 5 minutes flat!

 

ok here is my 3 cents for dvd backups
for movies after getting rid of unwanted features
if compression is 85% or higher i use recode 2 with anydvd
for movies where compression is 84% or less i use dvdrebuilder with hc
when using dvdrebuilder pro i always burn with dvd decrypher ( works better)
for episode disks i forget about compression alltogethor and use dvdfab gold - this software breaks the episode disk in two and yet retains the relevent menu on both - works well , besides blanks are getting cheeper all the time so why not

i use anydvd to break the code

allways spend your money on good media, i use to use ridata but have read that they degrade with time so i now use ty
i get the best deals on ty from www.blankmedia.ca or www.memoryexpress.com

 

I have never heard that it is possible to break a DVD into two separate files. So I can take any DVD and spread them over 2 or more disks? How can that be done and what programs do you use? Since that would make any encoding unnecessary, it will give the best quality and no headache. But if you don't need compression to fit it into DVD, the why not use something like Nero to burn? I still think that TY media is the best because besides the quality playback, I want to make sure that the DVD's will last for decades (I think TY is said to last 100 years or so.)

 

To split a DVD you can use DVD Shrink, in re-author using the start and end frames. However with this method you cannot retain your menu.
Here is a guide.

http://home.comcast.net/~bbmayo/Setting Start.pdf
http://home.comcast.net/~bbmayo/1for1 copy w shrink&decrypter.pdf

However, I usually use CloneDVD I believe it splits a disk the best and you can keep your functional menu on both disks. You can use the 21 day free trial of the program from http://www.slysoft.com. Here is a guide for this

http://home.comcast.net/~bbmayo/1FOR1 BACKUP CLONEDVD&ANYDVD.pdf

 

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!
I have a retraction. After reading many of the articles and posts on AD, I attempted to play the DVD copies that I made but have never viewed. Much to my horror, a few of them won't play or play with errors. So I must take back what I said about DVDXCOPY. It's time to fire up DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter. Thanks to all the posters who have shown me the error of my ways!

 

Actually, the idea of copying the DVD without compressions is a very good one, so don't give up on it so easily, especially when using programs like Rebuilder might be a little more complex and not always problem free. Here are some recommendations to fix your problems: as arnie recommended, you should try using DVD Clone since many people have been having good experiences with that software. If you do not want to split your DVD's, then the best program to use is the DVD Rebuilder Pro with CCE. This is an encoder instead of a transcoder and will give you the best quality possible. If you want to transcode, then instead of RB you could use InterVideo DVD Copy, which yields the best quality as a transcoder and is second only to RB. The dark side is that this software is known for causing notorious errors and thus many people give up on it.
Nevertheless, your number one problem is your cheap media, so don't even think about changing software or hardware before you stop your inveterate inclination of using cheap DVD's. Go to rima.com and buy yourself Taiyo-Yuden media (~$30 for 50 DVD+R.) These are the best DVD's available. After you buy them, only then you can decide what software you should use because no matter what you use, you will always have coasters if the media is of poor quality, even if you use RB or Shrink. If media did not matter, people with so much experience wouldn't bother about buying only the best. Think about it.

 

@PlusMinus

DVDXcopy was good in its day, but that is in the past. It no longer can crack new encryptions, and it totally lacks burn control which is why you are expreriencing errors on that cheap media. Yes many new burners can handle the higher speeds with ease, but not with cheap media. If you are using cheaper media you need to lower the burn speed and not burn to the edge of the disk. You would be better off just outputting your ripped DVD from Xcopy to your hard drive and then using another program to burn. Of course you will still have a size problem because Xcopy utilizes all of the space. I rarely use my old 321 Xcopy anymore. I am beta testing the new version and so far it is not good they have not fixed the burn speed issue and it does not reauthor TV series disks well or crack any of the newer versions.
You would be better off using AnyDVD and CloneDVD both are supported, updated fast and you can specify size/speed/output. You can re-author and keep your menu on both disks. They are cheap in comparison to other programs, and work. If you want the best quality then use DVD RB it is an excellent program once you figure it out, but even it is not without flaws.

 

I am about to buy an external DVD Recorder for my computer and I have several movies saved on my harddrive. I have used DVD43 to override the copy-protect and then just literally copied the entire dvd by cut and paste. I then use IFOEdit to weed out any of the ifo protection.

Am I going to need anything else when I hook up my dvd recorder (which will do the double layer) and I want to paste these on to the dvd and record?

 

gallagher,

I'm assuming that you're pretty much familiar with DVD43 already. Yes... DVD43 is a very useful cracking engine that will bypass, and or crack the protection codes that was put onto the original dvds. If you have the latest from DVD43 (version 3.6.2.111), then it should be able to crack nearly 99.99% flawlessly. I've had DVD43 since March and I've never encountered any issue whatsoever.

Since you'll be getting a DL dvd writer, now all you need is to get DVD Decrypter from this site (yes... afterdawn.com still has the latest from DVD Decrypter) and believe me, it's definitely one top notch ripper program to have. DVD Decrypter will rip and backup any DVD9 (DL) beautifully - not only that but it still rip and decrypt any new encrypted protection codes flawlessly. All you need to do is open up DVD Decrypter, ISO, Read R and Decrypt the movie to your hard drive. Once that process is successfully completed. Just insert your DL blank into your dvd burner, ISO, Write and browse to your files that DVD Decrypter ripped earlier and back it up.

On the other hand, if you're thinking about encoding (compressing) the movie into a DVD5 (single layer 4.7GB disc), then I highly recommend you to get DVD Shrink from this site as well (yes...it's one useful encoding program, and it's free). Once you've done ripping the movie using DVD Decrypter (using Mode, File F to rip and decrypt<--- this is the best method so far) into your hard drive. Just open up DVD Shrink, click on Open Files, and set your "custom size" to "4360MB" and encode or compress the files and you should be all set to go. Once DVD Shrink is done, just backup the movie by using either DVD Decrypter or Nero (your choice of burning engine). DVD Shrink should have a "backup target" in the settings for you to set your desire engine such as DVD Decrypter or Nero.

 

Okay,

I finally got an I/O Magic External DVD Recorder Dual Format/Double Layer.

What I am doing is using DVD43 and then opening a DVD and cut and pasting the entire dvd onto a file folder. I then use the IFOEdit and then turn on the Nero Recode 2.0 to burn it onto the DVD. I am using Sony DVD+R 4.7 GB right now.

I have now burnt 4 movies successfully. Does this procedure sound right or am I doing things in a cumbersome manner? Is this the quick route for quality flicks?

 

How do i burn a DVD that i have copied to my hard drvie as The VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS Fodler ? Anyone help, i am a newbie at all of this

PS I dont have a DVD burner just a DVD and CD Rom Drive

 

that depends on what softwrae u have. basically u open ur software and find copy files to dvd. then browse to find that file and then pick video-ts and burn. write back on what software u have and im sure someone on here can help step by step.

 

I got Nero But i Can Get Whatever is Needed Very Easily Off Ares Or LimeWire
Is It Possible to do with Nero ?