I'm using RipIt4Me (1.7.1.0), DVD Decrypter (using the Wizard and always making a PSL file), Fix VTS (1.603), DVD Shrink and ImageBurn on Windows XP (SP3). My dvd player info is:
PLDS DVD-ROM DH-16D2S
Firmware revision: JD11
I?ve had very good results with this combination for a long time but lately have been encountering various problems. Usually running a search on the forums and/or guides helps me figure out a solution to a problem but I can?t find anything on this one. I?ve run every search I could think of and read some threads that seemed remotely related (and learned some stuff in the process) but nothing gave me an answer. If I missed something, please point me in the right direction and I?ll be glad to read it and very appreciative of the guidance.
My current problem is this:
The DVD is The African Queen, the version with the documentary extra entitled ?Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen.? (I?ve had a similar experience with this same end result on at least one other DVD - can?t remember if it was Ballet Shoes or Enchanted April or both.)
It takes a very long time for Decrypter to run through it. At the end of the run, IFO cleanup doesn?t work. I?ve tried removing and cleaning the disk again, but that has not worked so this time I just cleaned it thoroughly before starting and then, when I got the error message, I canceled the cleanup part of the procedure and simply used Shrink to open the files.
Here?s the weirdest part: There are multiple duplicate copies of all the files, each copy the same size but a different duration. (I?ve played parts of all the files to see what was in each one.)
Menu - 5 copies
Angle Menu - 4 copies
Movie - 5 copies
Documentary Extra - 4 copies (in the Main Movie folder)
Previews Extra - 4 copies (in the Extras folder)
and there?s a folder called Unreferenced Material containing 14 small blank files of no duration
The MB bar is 3/4 red. Choosing a single copy of each desired file (and replacing the rest with Still Image) doesn?t work - even with EVERYTHING replaced by a Still Image, there?s still red in the bar.
I tried using Re-author (which I?ve never used before) and burned a disk of just the Documentary Extra - it would not play in my DVD player on my tv but it plays on PowerDVD on my computer. I tried this twice with different brand disks with the same result. I never have this problem with other backups - everything plays on my DVD player.
I have not tried burning to a DL disk - with this mess, I?m afraid it would just be a waste of a good disk.
I know the Decrypter log (which I will provide if you like) has a long column of ?Possible Scratch/Dirt? messages, but I?ve tried this on several different copies of this DVD (my own, one from the library, and one other, just to see if my original disk was causing the problem) and I?ve cleaned them all thoroughly. Could this kind of problem possibly be caused by scratches/abrasions? There are some scratches but it doesn?t look bad at all.
Or is this problem caused by some sneaky copyright protection system?
Is it time for me to try some newer decrypting software or software combination?
Or could it be my dvd player in my computer which I use for the decrypter/ripping process (see above)?
I have not tried my other unit for ripping, which I use only for burning:
TSSTcorp DVD+-RW TS-H653F
Firmware revision: D300
In the meantime, my usual process is working fine on most DVDs.
I?m definitely a novice at this stuff, but I?m good at following instructions and have used the Guides to good effect in the past. Still, some problems make me feel like I?m swimming in very deep water.
Thank you for the link. Yes, I did know that, but I've continued to use it because somehow, one way or another, it still always worked. So I realize I may have to use some newer software, but I was also hoping to learn something about this very weird problem of the multiple duplicate files.
That was because the movie maker gave up the ghost for copy protection until this year. Now they are spewing out so many different protection methods the busters can't keep up.
Why do you think what you are seeing is so weird? The protection software duped yours. You could spend years trying to figure out how it happened or just move on. The best or weirdest case I ever saw was the decrypting software was duped into 'thinking' first video object was of unlimited size. It took forever till the HD ran out of space. Luckily, I wasn't putting the video on C: or my computer would have crashed. Obviously the software got into an endless loop.