Ripping DVDs and software required

[plonkah]

OK will finally be getting new computer soon, and hopefully joining a movies DVD rental place.

Can one of you pros here provide an idiots guide to making good DVD Rips please ? Also, what software is best to use, and what problems can be encountered ?

Finally, I know there was a similar post some time ago, but maybe time to update this. What software do members have on their computers which is used for copying/converting audio/video, playing audio/video/DVDs, and editing (including versions) ? I ask because there is a lot of crap I almost never use on mine, so don't want to go down the same road and bloat out new computer before I start !!

Thanks to all who take time to reply.

[loverboy]

Most here will have their favourites which they swear by so my recommendations can only be based on what works & gives good results for me.
Surprisingly, most of what I use is genuine free software so no expense necessary on stuff that ultimately doesn't give satisfactory results.
First of all, you need software to strip the encryption out of commercial DVD's. DVD Decrypter works well & is available as a free download on the internet although you'll need to search a bit as it's somewhat buried due to predictable copyright issues. If intending to rip a rental DVD, do the decent thing & archive a DVDR for yourself first! If the source is a DVD5 you can simply use ISO mode in DVD Decrypter & then burn to disc with your chosen software. I use Nero, not through any fondness of the Nero suite but simply because I find it a reliable & error-free burning application. If your movie is a DVD9 (& a lot are these days) you can archive to a standard DVD5 using DVD Shrink (& yes, it's free!) This application compresses the original to fit but also has the option of selecting or discarding various menus/extras of the source DVD, thus reducing the amount of compression necessary. DVD Shrink contains software for removing encryption also but sometimes will fail. If this happens simply use DVD Decrypter first.
I mostly use AutoGK for ripping decrypted DVD's to avi's. Another free download although I personally prefer an obsolete version that can be a little more difficult to source as it seems to produce more consistent file sizes. Very easy to use with good results after a bit of experimentation. It sometimes fails to crop enough in autocrop mode which will require some trial & error to produce satisfactory results. If you're feeling braver you can use GordianKnot (GK) which is the big brother of AutoGK. More difficult to use but with far more user control over variations. Both produce avi's only in the XviD/divx format. I've also used Avidemux with good results although no better than AutoGK/GK.......it does however give you the opportunity of producing avi files in other formats to XviD/divx. (& once again free!)
For editing I use VirtualDub. Free, but horrible & cranky to use. Being open source there are many variations & mods for specific requirements with 100's if not 1000's of third party filters available. Although nasty to use this is software worth persevering with........you can produce the results you want & it will give great satisfaction to use.
I'm quite often unhappy with the audio stream in rips. Goldwave is an excellent audio editor I use to produce a better stream to then replace in VirtualDub. It's also an easy way of correcting out of sync audio. It's not free but I can always point you in the direction to make it so!
Subtitles can be created using SubRip........see FLL's excellent guide on this forum.
Two points to end with........the latest version of an application is not necessarily the best & be prepared to experiment to get the results you want..........software that works 'straight out of the box' rarely gives anything better than average results.

lb

[Guest]

Thank you for your very professional tutorial.

[plonkah]

Indeed and I second this. Thank you.

[plonkah]

OK one last (I hope) related question. On my old computer - the only one I currently have, some of the rips here simply will not play in VLC (usually MP4/AVC1/H264), and play so slowly in MPC. I believe this may be due to the resolution in which they are packaged, so is there any way I can play these back in a lower resolution - or am I totally misunderstanding the problem here ? The comp has two old XEONs 500MHz, with half gig RAM.

Thanks to all.

[Guest]

i fear your loved old computer is the reason. He is just not capable to play movies with high resolution.

[plonkah]

(desperately) so any way to PLAY them at lower res ?

[FLL]

As far as I can tell reducing the resolution would itself take enough processing to minimize the benefits.

I haven't specifically looked for a way to play mp4s on older hardware though, I will do that and report back if I find anything. I am in the same boat to a lesser degree, I don't usually grab mp4s if they are unlikely to be playable for me. I know at some point I will upgrade (maybe soon, want to wait for Windows 7 to be fully out and working, don't want to use an interim Vista step) so the problem will disappear someday.

[loverboy]

Agreeing with willow & FLL.........my old crappy notebook I use at work struggles with mp4/mkv etc & has a bit more processor speed & considerably more memory than your old PC......it even stutters sometimes with DivX/XviD's
Not only will processing to reduce resolution take an age these formats are not always the easiest to work with. I'm sorry, but to do anything meaningful with video you really need a fast processor, lots of memory & cooling akin to a fridge! Then you'll be able to enjoy the superior quality most of these other formats offer.

lb

[ptguardian]

if i was in your position i would convert the files. using a simple program such as any video converter. it gives you the option to change container to a much smaller and not so resource hogging file. you will at least be able to watch the movie. in the future when you get a new computer you can play the original file and marvel at the difference. i have a very nice copy of bugsy malone that i did in 1080p but did not post because only a few would be able to watch it. any one who has a computer less than 2years old all my files posted should be watched just fine. also graphic cards and memory are way cheaper than a new computer. depending on your computer this may be an option to.

good luck