[plissken99]

I see som people do this here. I can't figure out why, don't DVDs take up a large amount of space(5-7GBs)?


I have nearly 850 DVDs, it would take 7 185GB hard drives to back my collection up! Is there a way to keep the file size down without compromising the quality?


Also, what equipment does it reqire(DVD-r drive, CD-RW)?

 

[plissken99]

.

 

[wumagic]

Wow 850 dvd's? How long did it take you to compile a collection that big?


Yes you are right most DVD's take up about 5-7GB + .... Alot of people are doing this for immediate access to the DVD so they do not have to handle their disks. They are doing this also to cut back on the chances of damaging their original, which I know im doing this with my most frequently viewed movies that have the most chance of getting damaged through regualr use/handling etc..


As far as equipment you will need a dvd-rom to rip the dvd and a good ripping software, I use DVD-Decryptor with much success, cracks CSS encryption and all with no problem. If you want more info on DVD ripping/backing up check out doom8.org they have guides and info on the specific software you will need to rip&burn..


Later!



Wu-

 

[plissken99]

I've been collecting since just before X-Mas 97. I remember it well, because I started buying DVDs before Christmas to insure my parents would get me a DVD player for X-Max(I missed LD, no way I was missing DVD). Since then, I buy at least 2 a week fairly consistently.


Thanks for the info, that will come in handy with those out of print titles.

 

[taz291819]

Actually, go to doom9.org NOT doom8.org...

 

[Doc Tonic]

The way to keep file size down is to not include all the DVD extras and to just keep the main track. With 200GB drives now selling for as low as $150, we're approaching the point where you can just make a 1000GB RAID drive for about $1K, which is nothing compared to your vast DVD collection. While you couldn't store your entire 850 DVD collection on that, you could make a very nice DVD jukebox for the titles you most frequently watch.


As far as equipment goes...in addition to the DVD ripping software, you should invest in a good software DVD player like WinDVD plat or TheaterTek. And, if you want to watch them on your TV, you may also want to invest in a solid video card as well. A worthy card of that DVD collection would be an ATI 9700/9800 pro. And a good sound card....

 

[wumagic]

Quote:

Originally posted by taz291819 Actually, go to doom9.org NOT doom8.org...

Whoops!! Sorry I had wrote my response when I just woke up a little cross eyed...



Wu-

 

[sbaillar]

or you can rip the DVD to divx which cuts down on size with a little PQ compromise.

 

[90c4]

I have 2 toddlers and they watch the same 20 movies over and over, and the display in our kitchen keeps them at the table. That's my first reason. Second reason is that I rent movies from Netflix and don't watch them immediately - if you rip them to your HD, you always have a good selction from which to choose.

 

[dandrewk]

Also - you can rip the DVD's, and using IFOedit completely remove the opening menus, FBI warnings etc.


That way, when you start the movie it begins immediately!

 

[FulciZombieFan]

Hello


I rip the DVD to the HDD using DVD Decryptor in file mode and let it do the default, which means it will select just the main movie (not the extra stuff like menus, trailers, etc.). Then I convert to the DivX format. I use a screen resolution of 640x480 (if it is full screen) or you can even cut out the black bars on widescreen movies. If the original is 16x9 I leave it that way. Please note that if you use the DivX setting of 1-pass quality-based with a setting of 100% the quality of the DivX is nearly identical to that of the original DVD. I then mux the video with the original AC-3 soundtrack. Please note that this will more often than not create an avi file that is over 2GB in size. Some people have reported having trouble when an avi is bigger than 2GB as that is the size limit of the avi format. However, you can make an avi bigge than 2GB and it does work (at least for me) as long as you just watch it and don't fast forward/rewind and/or pause ... in other words just let it play from start to finish. You should not have a problem. Sometimes pausing will not screw it up but othertimes it does. Fast forward/reverse almost always screws it up. I use WinXP Pro with NTFS file system.


I output with an ATI Radeon Card to a 27" TV and it looks damn fine to me. I think the "trick" with my method is to use the 1-pass quality-based setting at 100%


- John "FulciLives" Coleman

 

[Ye110man]

if you do that you need a player that can adjust the aspect ratio for divx movies unless you scale it before encoding which i suspect would affect quality. you also loose the ability to play dts.

1-pass quality-based non-scaled divx with ac3...

imho might as well keep it in dvd format and save a few hours.


as for the 2gb limit i think newer versions of virtualdub fix that which a modified avi wrapper.

 

[RichCarling]

The new ATI Radeon 3.2 Catalyst drivers also report to support AVI files larger than the 2 GB limit based on the release notes.