The DVD Backup Thread

[Duzaki]

Well, I recently asked about the best software to backup my DVDs and I believe our mate, Night Owl mentioned DVDFab. :) I wanted to expand on this whole thing. I'm a bit tired of getting scratches on my originals. :rant:

* What would be the best software (in your opinion), to backup original DVDs - 1:1 (as in exact copies)? (kind of the same question I asked before but, I'm expecting more people to answer)

* What would be the best software for shrinking the the DVDs from DVD9 to DVD5?

* What would be the best DVD media to use for backing up (based on size - DVD9 and DVD5 and also based on +/-)?

* What would be the best software to backup DVD images on the PC or external hard drive?

* What would be the best image file to save them as (.ISO or something else)?

* What would be the best software to burn the backed up image?

* What would be the best speed to burn the backed up image on (maybe half of what my DVD drive has)?

* Anything I missed? Or anything you might want to add? :dunno: :idea:

Eagerly waiting for your responses/opinions, mates! :cheers:

[Atasas]

* What would be the best software (in your opinion), to backup original DVDs - 1:1 (as in exact copies)? (kind of the same question I asked before but, I'm expecting more people to answer)

* What would be the best software for shrinking the the DVDs from DVD9 to DVD5?

same again DVDFab

* What would be the best DVD media to use for backing up (based on size - DVD9 and DVD5 and also based on +/-)?

all depends what DVD player you have (older used to be picky as weather + or - ... not many anymore

* What would be the best image file to save them as (.ISO or something else)?

hmhmhm... pointless, just rip the in to decent size .mkv- good quality for reburning in my experience is about 1.3GB and apart from DVDFab I'd recommend HandBrake- freeware

* What would be the best software to burn the backed up image?

* What would be the best speed to burn the backed up image on (maybe half of what my DVD drive has)?

Depends if you want to do riping + burning etc messing about two many times

I'd recommend rip them in with Handbrake and when you want to burn DVD use ConvertX to DVD

[Night Owl]

I use DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 which works great for most North American DVDs. For the rare DVD with strange copy protection, DVDFab works great.

DVDFab can shrink a DVD9 to DVD5. I know DVD Shrink was very popular for this before, but I never used it — and it hasn't been updated since July 2004 so I don't even know if it's fully compatible with Windows 7 and Vista.

For DVD media I only use Verbatim DVDs. If I really want an exact copy of a commercial DVD, I'll use a Verbatim 8.5 GB DVD+R Dual Layer DVD. But I also have a WD TV HD Media Player so I copy my DVD ISOs to an external hard drive and then watch them on the big TV. They can easily be deleted when I'm finished watching them.

I use ISO file images since it's only one ISO image per movie and the ISO image is an exact image of the DVD. I have ripped to folders before, but burning DVDs from ripped folders adds a little complexity and probably won't be an exact copy (e.g. for a Dual Layer DVD, your transition point to the second layer could change with folders and the VOB and other files within them, but it won't change for an ISO image).

I use DVD Decrypter to burn my DVD movie ISO images to DVD. I burn at the second slowest speed supported by my DVD burner, but I also use verify (see next paragraph).

One thing that you missed is that it might be a good idea to verify the DVDs you burn. DVD Decrypter, Nero and ImgBurn offer this and I always like to know that my DVD burns are perfect. It rarely but sometimes happens that a DVD is bad so I always verify my burns.

[LeetPirate]

My recommendation is Slysoft software. Use AnyDVD to defeat any copy protection then you can use CloneDVD to replicate the DVD which will be playable on any device or you can use CloneCD (don't mind the name, it copies DVD too.) and make a 1:1 image backup. With CloneDVD you have the option of compressing a DVD9 down to DVD5 but the quality loss might be unacceptable depending on the length of the main video, so just buy DVD9 blanks and burn it correctly. Can't get easier than this.

Oh yea, ripping or transcoding takes long depending on your system but I also recommend using MP4/MKV format. Might be faster/cheaper to just burn the DVD instead of ripping etc.

Although my personal preference is to download a 720p BluRay rip and burn it to DVD because somehow those look much better than the regular DVD release even though DVD is supposed to be 720p as well.

[Night Owl]

Although my personal preference is to download a 720p BluRay rip and burn it to DVD because somehow those look much better than the regular DVD release even though DVD is supposed to be 720p as well.

No, DVDs are only 480p (NTSC), or 576p (PAL): Wikipedia's article on DVD-Video. That explains why 720p video looks much better.

[LeetPirate]

No, DVDs are only 480p (NTSC), or 576p (PAL): Wikipedia's article on DVD-Video. That explains why 720p video looks much better.

Yes you are correct, my mistake, for some reason I assumed DVD supported 720p. Well this explains everything, I can never go back to DVD quality now, lol. 480p/i is crap sauce.

[Night Owl]

What really impressed me was a Blu-ray rip in AVCHD format. This fit on an 8.5 GB DVD+R Dual Layer DVD, but it was 1080p quality. :D It was my girlfriend's favourite movie too. :D :D

Blu-ray Disc players are supposed to be compatible with AVCHD:

AVCHD has been designed to be compatible with Blu-ray Disc format,[2] and can be used for distribution of high definition video, albeit with reduced quality and interactivity compared to Blu-ray Disc.

[LeetPirate]

Yea I only download BluRay rips made in AVCHD formats. The quality is superbly the best and the CUDA acceleration is icing on that cake. I use CoreAVC codec to play the rips and the CUDA accelerated playback with CoreAVC is much better than what ffdshow offers.

[Duzaki]

@Atasas: I won't be ripping anything out of the DVDs, mate. I'll probably make exact copies so, ConvertXtoDVD probably won't be needed, right? I want to keep all of the menus and everything. I'll check out Handbrake though. Hmm, that's two people for DVDFab now! :think:

@Night Owl: I can confirm that for you, mate. DVD Shrink works with Windows 7 (Ultimate x64 at least). I do like Verbatim and it hasn't let me down yet. I guess, .ISO files seem to be the way to go since I won't be ripping anything. At most, I'll be shrinking. I'm a bit confused about DVD Decrypter and Imgburn. Since they are essentially the same thing, shouldn't I just use Imgburn seeing as how it's still being updated? Also, I've a bit familiar with Imgburn anyways. Verifying! Very good point, indeed. I always verify my burns, as well. It makes me feel all good inside knowing everything went well. :lol:

@LeetPirate: I actually did want to know more about Slysoft software. It caught my eye once in a while when it was on the front page. AnyDVD sounds good for the protection part but, how does that work? I mean, since the protection is actually on the disc, how can it get past that? So, CloneDVD is just for compressing and backing up the only the main movie (no menu, extras, scene selection, etc), while CloneCD makes perfect backups without worrying about protection? :dunno: I would download blu ray rips too but, as I mentioned before, I want the full package. :)

[LeetPirate]

AnyDVD works behind the scenes through it's own drivers or filters. The default configuration works for everything so you don't even need to configure anything after installing it. It comes up in the task tray where you can right click to turn it on or off as you please.

CloneDVD has scene selection and transcoding abilities to compress the project if you need to, very simple to use yet powerful. You can select scenes to leave out if you want, I normally exclude everything except the menu and the main movie. CloneDVD requires AnyDVD to be enabled if the source DVD has copy protection.

CloneCD has always been the king of 1:1 copying since the days of CD-ROM, hence the name of the program is CloneCD. CloneCD copies raw sectors I believe so it will most likely replicate the copy protection. You don't need to worry about copy protection but if problems occur just enable AnyDVD.

If you just want to copy over your original DVD movies I would recommend using AnyDVD and CloneDVD so you could burn it but get rid of the stupid warning crap and other advertisements that play at the beginning and you can't fast forward. Up to you really, I just hate those things. When I download BluRay rips and I want to burn them on DVD I use ConvertXtoDVD with max quality settings and I don't even bother with menu and stuff, I just set it to start playing automatically.

DVDFab can basically do the same things as AnyDVD and CloneDVD but it's just that I have been using CloneCD and stuff for many many years and it keeps working for me so I never bother to try anything else but you could give "DVDFab DVD Copy" a chance if you want.

[Night Owl]

@Night Owl: I can confirm that for you, mate. DVD Shrink works with Windows 7 (Ultimate x64 at least). I do like Verbatim and it hasn't let me down yet. I guess, .ISO files seem to be the way to go since I won't be ripping anything. At most, I'll be shrinking. I'm a bit confused about DVD Decrypter and Imgburn. Since they are essentially the same thing, shouldn't I just use Imgburn seeing as how it's still being updated? Also, I've a bit familiar with Imgburn anyways. Verifying! Very good point, indeed. I always verify my burns, as well. It makes me feel all good inside knowing everything went well. :lol:

I guessed that DVD Shrink worked fine with Windows 7 since I haven't read about any obvious problems. Thanks for confirming that it is compatible. DVD Decrypter and ImgBurn are written by the same guy, LIGHTNING UK!, so yes they are similar DVD burning programs. Writing an ISO movie image won't make a difference so use ImgBurn (especially since you're familiar with it).

DVDFab can basically do the same things as AnyDVD and CloneDVD but it's just that I have been using CloneCD and stuff for many many years and it keeps working for me so I never bother to try anything else but you could give "DVDFab DVD Copy" a chance if you want.

I'm the same way with DVD Decrypter and DVDFab. It's what I started with, it's what I'm comfortable with, and they work 100% to rip my DVDs. I've never had a need to try Slysoft products.

[Night Owl]

Oh, one advantage of DVDFab is that if a DVD is badly scratched in a spot, DVDFab will eventually skip over the bad spot(s) and continue. It will still give you an ISO of your movie. Other programs I've seen just give you an error and stop — with no ISO file. :eek:

[Duzaki]

All right, I'm going to try out all these programs one by one. But, here's what I've done for now: I installed AnyDVD and enabled it. It showed that the protection has been removed from the DVD that I had inserted into the PC.I then launched ImgBurn. Here's where the problem came up. Imgburn displayed a warning in it's log: "AnyDVD can interfere with ImgBurn's ability to verify accurately, please ensure it's disabled!" What should I do here, mates? :blink:

EDIT: I was going to choose the "Create image file from disc" option. I don't know if verify is even necessary for that. :dunno:

EDIT 2: Well, I did do that option (with AnyDVD enabled) and wasn't asked to verify. I left the Read Speed settings at MAX and 8x. Is that okay? The original DVD's size was 5.79gb. This saved ISO file was the same size and there was this MDS file saved with it as well, I don't know what that is. Before all this, I did try and shrink with DVD Shrink and the ISO image's size did go down to 4.35gb but, I want to keep the full quality. So, what do you think, mates? Is this AnyDVD + ImgBurn method okay? Will the protection still be there? :think:

EDIT 3: I installed all the other programs and decided to test them as well. While having AnyDVD open, I launched DVDFab. A message came up saying: "AnyDVD is detected. You need to disable AnyDVD to make DVDFab work correctly." The program still launched anyways. :huh: The menu looked a bit advanced to me, lol. I couldn't find a simple option that'd copy the whole DVD into an ISO image and save it into the PC's hard drive.

EDIT 4: I launched CloneDVD and went into it's option to save the ISO image; it froze my PC! :fist:

EDIT 5: CloneCD looks good but, after launching, it gets stuck at: "Searching for SCSI/ATAPI devices...". :frusty:

[ck_kent]

Try making the ISO first without the verify checked. You could then use the verify tool later on with AnyDVD disabled. Verity the disc against the ISO image you've made. That way no discs will be waisted.

I started using ImgBurn ever since I started using/downloading MKV files that are 6-8GB. I tried using Nero to burn those files to a DVD-9 disc and the movie always skips/freezes at the layer break. I thought at first it was the media I was using but I it also happened to a Verbatim disc which was highly recommended media/brand according to tests. I found out from a videohelp forum that the best combination for burning something to DL disc is ImbBurn and Verbatim DL+R. I took that advice and never looked back since. :)

@Night Owl: Are you using WDTV Gen1 or Live? I'm using Live :D . I was wondering if you're using B-Rad's firmware and a custom OSD.

[Night Owl]

@Night Owl: Are you using WDTV Gen1 or Live? I'm using Live :D . I was wondering if you're using B-Rad's firmware and a custom OSD.

I've got a WDTV Gen1 at my girlfriend's place and I've got the WDTV Live at mine. Yeah, I keep wondering about B-Rad's alternative firmware too, but it looks a bit scary. I'm really happy with the default WD firmware for now.

[ck_kent]

I've got a WDTV Gen1 at my girlfriend's place and I've got the WDTV Live at mine. Yeah, I keep wondering about B-Rad's alternative firmware too, but it looks a bit scary. I'm really happy with the default WD firmware for now.

I'm actually using it, it's not scary at all. You can always flash it back to the original firmware if anything goes wrong. I use it 'coz I wanted to add more features to the WDTV, like volume control, time search, and especially moviesheets :) .

Sorry if I seemed to have hijacked this thread. I think I better start a new thread about this topic.

[Atasas]

@ Duzaki- 1'st step is to re'install CloneDVD and let it restart (clearly apart from unclear performance of IMG burn it could not have detect/configure virtual drive)

DVDFab is less complicated (AIO) tool for such option anyway

[LeetPirate]

I can vouch for Verbatim as well, they are quite possibly the best DL media around. Normally I prefer Taiyo Yuden as they are ranked #1 but they don't seem to make DL media. I can also confirm that I had similar problems with the break point in Nero for DL burning but since then I too started using ImgBurn for all DL media and it was flawless.

The .MDS file is just something that goes together with the actual image file (.MDF), I believe the MDS file just has some text data about where the start point is located and where the media break is located, not sure but you could open the MDS file in Notepad++ and read it. There is an upgraded image format that incorporates all the data into a single .MDX file which is an extended version of .MDF but I don't know if ImgBurn has that as yet. Imgburn can work with AnyDVD but don't use AnyDVD with DVDFab because as Atasas points out DVDFab already incorporates the same protection killers as AnyDVD so running both filters are redundant and could cause problems. When you install CloneCD it is recommended to reboot when it asks else it could give problems.

[Night Owl]

The original DVD's size was 5.79gb. This saved ISO file was the same size and there was this MDS file saved with it as well, I don't know what that is.

The MDS file is just a Media Descriptor File:

Information file that describes the formatting of a CD or DVD; includes header information, which defines the tracks on the disc and the way the data is organized; recorded by disc imaging programs and recognized by standard CD and DVD players.

The MDS file is often found with a corresponding .ISO file or .MDF file, which contains the actual data from the disc. It is similar to a .CUE file, which describes the data stored in a .BIN file.

The problems that you're running into with AnyDVD are exactly why I'm staying away from it for now. I saved away an article earlier on changes that would have to be made to DVD Decrypter in order to get it to work with AnyDVD. I didn't want to be bothered with the extra complexity.

I strongly recommend that you start with just DVDFab until you get comfortable with it. Then if you're feeling a bit adventurous, worry about getting AnyDVD, CloneCD, and CloneDVD to work for you. But if you get DVDFab working, you probably won't need to worry about AnyDVD, CloneCD, and CloneDVD.

EDIT: Forgot to say that ImgBurn and DVD Decrypter will give you a friendly reminder if you try to burn the .ISO file. They will both tell you that you should choose the .MDS file the next time (but the .MDS file will still be selected for you).

[Duzaki]

@ck_kent: How can I verify the disc against the ISO image using Imgburn? :dunno: I've been using Imgburn for a while now and it's been working out great. :dance: I totally despise Nero though, mate! :rant:

@Atasas: I don't know why but, even after restarting, it got stuck. :dunno: I did want to use DVDFab but, I had a hard time trying to find the option where I can simply copy the whole DVD, in it's actual size, into an ISO image file, without protection. :mellow:

@LeetPirate: I trust Verbatim. :) They've always been great. I've never tried their DL DVDs though. Also, I've never tried Taiyo Yuden. I've heard about it but, I didn't find it in any local stores. :dunno:

@Night Owl: Well, actually, I don't think that warning really applies. I mentioned above how I didn't even get an option to verify after making the ISO image. And of course, I didn't change any settings in ImgBurn so, I don't really know if you can verify the ISO image after it has been made. And as I mentioned, I would like to use DVDFab, I'm just having a bit of a hard time understanding it. Is there a guide available for it? As for the MDS file, is it only ImgBurn and DVD Decrypter that are going to ask for it? Is it nessesary to keep that file with the ISO image and burning it, instead of the ISO image, in any program? :think:

[ck_kent]

@ck_kent: How can I verify the disc against the ISO image using Imgburn? :dunno: I've been using Imgburn for a while now and it's been working out great. :dance: I totally despise Nero though, mate! :rant::

@Duzaki: Choose the Verify Disc then check the Verify Against Image File option and browse to where your ISO/image file is.

[Night Owl]

@Night Owl: Well, actually, I don't think that warning really applies. I mentioned above how I didn't even get an option to verify after making the ISO image. And of course, I didn't change any settings in ImgBurn so, I don't really know if you can verify the ISO image after it has been made. And as I mentioned, I would like to use DVDFab, I'm just having a bit of a hard time understanding it. Is there a guide available for it? As for the MDS file, is it only ImgBurn and DVD Decrypter that are going to ask for it? Is it nessesary to keep that file with the ISO image and burning it, instead of the ISO image, in any program? :think:

You didn't read the link I gave you. It lists 7 programs (at least, besides ImgBurn and DVD Decrypter) that use the MDS file — DVD Shrink is one of them.

Yes, ImgBurn can verify an ISO image after it has been burned to DVD. I see that ck_kent has illustrated how.

Keeping the MDS file isn't mandatory, but it contains useful information such as where the layer break occurs on a DVD9. Why not make it easy for your DVD burning program and make an exact copy (well, without the copy protection :D :pirate:)? When I used Nero to burn movie DVDs a long time ago, I had trouble with layer breaks just as LeetPirate did. For the last movie I ripped two days ago, the MDS file is only 4.26 KB — almost nothing compared to the ISO for the DVD. More info on MDS files: Wikipedia: MDS file

DVDFab has an online manual: http://www.dvdfab.com/manual.htm

[Night Owl]

@Atasas: I don't know why but, even after restarting, it got stuck. :dunno: I did want to use DVDFab but, I had a hard time trying to find the option where I can simply copy the whole DVD, in it's actual size, into an ISO image file, without protection. :mellow:

Just look here: http://www.dvdfab.com/manual/settings/dvd-copy

I haven't needed to use DVDFab in a year or so, but I think you're making it too hard. I don't think DVDFab will let you keep the copy protection — the whole purpose is to make a copy you can use. Copy protection won't allow you to read the DVD in the first place so DVDFab's reason d'être (reason for being) is to crack DVD copy protection.

[Duzaki]

All right. Thanks for all the responses, mates. :) As of right now, I think I'll go with the AnyDVD + ImgBurn combo. It seems to be working out very well. :dance2: With AnyDVD, the protection is removed and with Imgburn, I'm able to get the full DVD saved into an image file. So, I can easily make backups now. Yay! :dance: