I am new to this site but have used dvdxcopy site in the past so if I have posted incorrectly I apologize. I am trying to back up Season 4 of Sopranos and disc 2 is causing a problem. It reads fine but when I go to burn it automatically reads "complete". The guys at dvdxcopy said it was something that that software could not do and I needed to come here.
If anyone can help me I would grealty appreciate it.
Thanks
Well DVD Decrypter is a good free ripper that is kept up to date. DVD Shrink is a good freeware ripper/encoder program. Shrink needs an external ripper like AnyDVD or DVD Decrypter with some of the later movies. Shrink will do the episodes. Guides here at AD, at Doom9.org and http://www.dvdshrink.info . DVDCopy3 is a good retail program. http://www.intervideo.com
Thanks for the info. I have downloaded the software you recommended but have not been able to find instructions on how to read the dvd and then burn using these 2 products. It was simple under dvdxcopy and it probably is simple here but I can't figure it out. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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 when 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.
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 must be an idiot. I have downloaded dvdshrink and Nero and have read Sopranos and am trying to use Nero to burn it. I have gone to suggested sites for more info but I am stuck. I sure wish dvdxcopy would work on all episodic programs as that was a complete no brainer. Anybody have any idea what I might try next?
Thanks
DVDCopy3 is a good "no brainer" program that is both an excellent program and not overly difficult to use. In fact if one is used to recording apps, they should find the interface intuitive. It's not free, but it's worth the price I paid for it. They have a trial, so download it and give it a try. You can use the hard drive files ripped with DVD Decrypter. The link for the DVDCopy3 is http://www.intervideo.com
