Beginners Help

[fiveforty]

I've been playing around with the trial version but now I need help in trying to work out what the best way of copying for me will be.

I have 2 requirements then I need to achieve:

1. Copy my dvd collection to play from a streamer (thinking about getting a Dune)

2. Backup the main title of the dvd onto a blank dvd, and put the original discs in a safe place (this is so that if any sticky little fingers decide to play Frisbee with the discs I can then run off another copy)


So with both of those points in mind is copying as an ISO the best option??

I believe that the Dune players are able to play ISO's. However if I go for a streamer that doesnt play ISO's I'm thinking that I will have to go with MKV's but then that will involve another process (DVDFab DVD Ripper I'm guessing??)

Was just wondering if anyone had any other suggestions/better way for doing this??

Thanks for help

[IPopov50]

fiveforty,
you are talking about DVD, and I assume you want to keep original quality. DVD quality is bad enough to reduce it even further.
(1) you are correct. To make back-up copy ISO is a way to go. And yes, with some devices you can stream them as well.
(2) However, MKV is my choice for streaming, and if you want an original quality - just remove all crap besides movie itself, use "remux" function...

[fiveforty]

hi, thanks for the advice

Is there any way to output in both ISO and MKV at the same time??

Or is it a case of making an ISO, then a MKV - or even converting the ISO to MKV??

[GregiBoy]

It's two separate jobs and cannot be run concurrently.

[terry5]

Please use DVD Copy Main moive to make an iso and then use DVD ripper to MKV mkv.remux to make a mkv file. Wish it helps.

[fiveforty]

Thanks everyone for the help, not tried DVD Ripper yet, but if its as easy as DVD Copy is I'm sure I wont have any problems


I know this isnt really the place to ask but what are the fores and againsts using ISO's on a streamer rather than MKV's, if any??

Just wondering if I save myself a job and just have everything as an ISO (backup on disc and then on a compatable ISO streamer)

[signals]

The trend is clearly toward magnetic (or silicon) storage, I can't remember the last time I bought blank optical media. A good player and a big HDD just work so well.

The format you use is up to you and what your player handles well. I don't even make ISOs, I stream from VIDEO_TS folders for DVDs, but I convert to high bitrate MP4s for Blu-ray. I would use MKV, but I can't use them in my iStuff so it would mean an additional conversion for iPhone/Pad.

[mdabacon]

To Signals,
So then, what would you suggest is the best format to rip DVDs to external HD, that will also work with all my "iStuff" I have been using generic mp4/aac. I did quite a few of our kids movies this way, and the quality seemed fine, but I just ripped my first "grown up" live people, not cartoon, movie, and I can see the quality is not as good as the original DVD. We are using WD live ext HD, and WD live TV for streaming it to our TV. I love that I can use the WD2go app for my iPhone and stream to my iPhone on the go!!

[signals]

I use the iPhone4 1080p profile, it has more choices for frame size and works for Blu-rays and DVDs and my media player likes it, so it is the one type of output that suits all of my 'stuff' well, but it may not suit yours (but I think it will). For watching on a large TV, rip DVDs using a 720xXXX frame size and set the bitrate slider to get a bits/pixel reading of .25-.35 or so and see how it looks. For Blu-rays, start with 1280xXXX and the same B/P numbers. These settings will produce reasonably sized files and conversion times and still look pretty good. The output quality is subjective, so try one or two and see how it looks to you.

[mongo98]

Ripping DVD's to MP4 OR AVI ? and other newbie ?

Ripping DVD's to MP4 OR AVI does it make a difference? My player plays both. Also, I have i7 3770 with Ivy Bridge and a GTX 680 should I set DECODER to software, cuda or quick sync ? ENCODER to software, cuda or quick sync ? Frame size 720? Bit Rate Slider setting? This information should get me started. When I bought this PC last week I wasn't sure if I needed the GTX 680 so I added it. I don't cry over spilt milk but was that a mistake on my part?

[mdabacon]

Thank you!!

I use the iPhone4 1080p profile, it has more choices for frame size and works for Blu-rays and DVDs and my media player likes it, so it is the one type of output that suits all of my 'stuff' well, but it may not suit yours (but I think it will). For watching on a large TV, rip DVDs using a 720xXXX frame size and set the bitrate slider to get a bits/pixel reading of .25-.35 or so and see how it looks. For Blu-rays, start with 1280xXXX and the same B/P numbers. These settings will produce reasonably sized files and conversion times and still look pretty good. The output quality is subjective, so try one or two and see how it looks to you.

Thank you for the help I really appreciate your response. OK, great this helps. Next questions, and forgive me for being a beginner. When I go to that profile, the option for multichannel 5.1 is gone. Isn't that the best choice for the best audio quality? Next question, so the higher the bit/pixel reading the clearer the picture? Will raising the B/P rate also solve some of the choppyness in higher/faster action parts of the movies? I also have trouble with the sound and video being just a little out of sync…but the WD live box has a fix for that. I can move the audio forward or back by .100 at a time. It is just a bit annoying to have to adjust it for every movie you start playing. That may have more to do with the fact that the WD live drive and TV box are wireless. So the lag may come from that and not the rip itself. But have you heard of that too in case it is not my drive/player?

[signals]

A/V sync problems seem to be more common with multichannel and none of my portable devices support it, so I just set the audio controls on the Edit page for Stereo and 128 kbps AAC audio. Sync problems can be related to many factors including problems with the encoding, quirks in the playback device and the authoring of the original content; a recent example of that was Adventures of Tintin Blu-ray.

Bits/pixel is just a way to judge to encoding quality. It takes frame rate, frame size and video bitrate into account in a single number. It will probably not improve choppiness, but it is worth a try. Choppy or jerky video is often a sign that something in the playback chain is working too hard or is dropping frames for some reason, but it can also be an encoding issue. Setting the encoding framerate to "same as source" can help with that and sync issues also in some cases.

[signals]

You have a fine PC and the GTX 680 will be a plus. I would use MP4 or MKV if your player supports them. Experiment with the other settings to see what looks good on your particular player.

These questions and those from mdabacon should be discussed in the DVD/Blu-ray Ripper forum in the future, you will get a faster response. I am closing this thread, it has wandered everywhere.

Ripping DVD's to MP4 OR AVI does it make a difference? My player plays both. Also, I have i7 3770 with Ivy Bridge and a GTX 680 should I set DECODER to software, cuda or quick sync ? ENCODER to software, cuda or quick sync ? Frame size 720? Bit Rate Slider setting? This information should get me started. When I bought this PC last week I wasn't sure if I needed the GTX 680 so I added it. I don't cry over spilt milk but was that a mistake on my part?