Coming to 'afterdawn forums' the main impression a 'newby' gets is 'why the h*** is this so complex?'
You are presented with a category entitled 'software specific discussion' ...there are several programs for each task and someone new to DVD copying probably doesn't know what each program does, let alone which is better for what.
The guides tell you how to use each program ...fine, except which program is better than another? ..and reading literaly all the discussions to piece together what you need to know could take weeks or even MONTHS to find out.
Not all media suits all burners, some software is better at some things than others, so...
What is needed is a SIMPLE, concise recommendation as a good starting point for;
burner/s, + software (all programs needed listed) + media for;
1. copying a DVD-9 movie to one DVD disk
2. copying a DVD-9 movie to two DVD disks
3. copying a DVD-5 movie to DVD disk
4. copying a DVD-5 movie to CD-R
With a simple recommendation from a list like that, you can save a lot of time and head scratching, after all it must surely be known which burners are good, which software is most reliable etc..
...a quick list like might not answer all questions but at least it's a good starting point that could be updated as new programs and new versions come out.
So... ..anyone (with more knowledge) care to list what they would recommend for 1 to 4 above? (especialy 1)?
I really think coming here as a newby you should really be told some sort of alert flashing on your screen that says post your question in the search icon and you shall receive your answere 95% of the time. Now back to your questions 1-4. If one tells you what programs work for them the same programs may not work as well for you due to the hardware, OS, and programs you have running on your machine. There are lots of programs that will work regarding your questions 1-4 but there are about 100 other varibles that will cause your final project to be junk. Like Media,+RVS-R,Labels,Burn Speed,Set Top DVD Players,ect,ect,ect. First John you have to decide do you want to pay for a program or run something FREE. I would say its safe to say an up to date version of AnyDVD along with cloneDVD2 will work on most all video's pretty close to 100%. If you prefer free DVDShrink and DVDDecrypter will work about 90% of the time these 2 can not handle the new sony encryptions. Every Newby want's a one click solution for backing up dvd's it's just not that simple. But with the four programs I just mentiond and some experimenting on your part you will be backing up your dvd collection in no time.
The ONLY thing you will find on these boards that everybody has their favorite group(s) of programs and will defend them vigorously. The ONLY CONCENSUS you will find is that MEMOREX media is the bottom of the heap of the bad media pile....:-)
Spacedust, nobody (inc.me) expects to click a box and find all the answers, it's just that a 'recommended combination/s' of burner, software and media that works well on most machines would be a good starting point and would help people avoid the worst mistakes.
Of course there are other vartiables like burn speed and op. system that you quite rightly mention.
Am I right in saying that Plextor DVD burners and TY and Verbatim media have the best reputation?
Quote:The ONLY thing you will find on these boards that everybody has their favorite group(s) of programs and will defend them vigorously. The ONLY CONCENSUS you will find is that MEMOREX media is the bottom of the heap of the bad media pile....:-)
@ Bilbo
Truth hurts...
@John205
Every n00b's first action should be to look at my sig, then hit the search button... ;)
Then spend a few hours looking for the best apps. Spacedust gave you a very good answer there, but i'm sure you wouldn't need to look to deep into AD to find it. When you come across problems AFTER acquiring the software, THEN ask questions.
Can you imagine if every n00b started a thread with a post like yours? We would be in trouble answering...
So, start searching for those titles then tell me how you get on, ok?
I'll be here all week to help you.
Good luck.
John205 If I were you I would start here for burners and media combinations but remember most reviews are bios in a way. It's not really in the best interest of groups testing drives to down them to bad. http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Home.aspx?ArticleTypeId=2... I do think with the disk quality scans you can get the picture.
To Bilbo65 I thought BenQ made the plextor drives as John mentiond plextor. John alot of recommending drive brand names can be model depenant on getting a good quality drive. Plextor along with many manufactors have had problems with first generation firmware on new drives now with that said Im am not saying plextor is a bad drive. For example the plextor PX750A is much slower ripping dvd double layer video than the PX740A. But it does burn DL media faster is that better not at this point. D9 media quality scans do not come close to the quality scans of D5 media right now. Im sure it will be better in the future manufactors are just giving you a little bit at a time it's a money thing $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. NEC drives have rip lock very slow rippers now with most you can get some hacked firmware to speed it up. With that said NEC are very good burners. It's really finding a combination like you said with burner,media, and set top dvd player. I know the Sony DRU710A with latest firmware does a great job burning on Verbatum +R 8X (MCC003). For that drive in this order for disk quality scans. 1.verbatum,2.Tiyo yuden, 3.Maxell. I can't tell ya nothing on DL media the price is still to high for me a little overrated I think for the money. I can not tell the diffrence shrinking movies to fit on D5 media vs d9 media on HD tv. Im sure you may see some artifacts on tv's above 50inches.
