DVD to Avi or MPEG?

Quick question, whats a good easy program to use to save a DVD as an avi or mpeg file on my lappie? Already tried DVDx, it kept crashing.

 

Total Video Converter

I always use it, even gets those darn PAL coded DVDs from Europe and that side of the world.

 

Good question for debate .... I use a three step program. First I use DVDfab to "decrypt", then I'll use DVD Shrink to compress and make an iso file, and last I'll use FairUse Wizard 2 to make my backed up avi file. I was able to get all my movies under 1GB so that I could put more on my hard drive. But it takes a while to create the avi. I'll usually que up 3-4 files at a time, then just walk away from the computer for quite a while.

To play back my files, I used VLC player. It's awesome.

I hope that this helps.

 

Cheers Gruven. Trying that out now.

 

bitRipper is free DVD to AVI software that allows you to back-up your DVD's as AVI files on the hard drive.

 

Making .iso files with PowerISO now, just tried saving them as .avi but got an error from disk protection how can I get around this (If I can ask)? That was with FairUse Wizard 2.

 

Ah. Maybe I should try using DVDfab

 

handbrake
.....

 

I literally wrote a guide for doing it for my family yesterday, gimme 5 minutes and I'll upload it for you - pretty easy and the output files are ~1gig each for 720x436, 25fps avi files. (Ie. perfect quality)

EDIT: Attatched
You'll need two pieces of free software: DVDFab and Handbrake.
DVDFab
Handbrake
There's just one bit in the guide you can ignore: I've set up a network storage as Z:, so your output for the converting section will be different.
Enjoy

 

If you want an all-in-one solution, you can buy DVDFab with the mobile option. DVD in -> avi/mpeg/wmv out.

 

But that costs a lot of money, my guide (above) doesn't cost a cent
(Well, unless you count electricity and bandwidth, in which case it still works out cheaper)

 

$55 USD isn't really a lot of money. DVDFab + Mobile is definitely a good, easy program, just like the OP asked about. Insert disc, select options, come back in less than an hour and have an avi/mpeg/wmv/mkv/etc file - how much easier can it get?

 

There is a way to get it for free. Ya just have to look in the right places. But you're right... I forgot that the mobile option with allow you an output of avi files. I just like to shrink mine down a bit before the final product. Just have to play around with the options that you have.

 

Fair enough, but $55 in my pocket for the sake of 3/4 extra clicks per DVD is fine by me

 

It's also a yearly license if I'm not mistaken.

Check: About $10 per year after.

 

I once recorded some VHS, recorded off the TV by my grandfatehr onto a laptop.
So, TV -> VHS -> laptop -> Me

Anyway - I saved it in MPEG
Basically, while avi may allow a higher bitrate for pictures, its uneconomical unless you need it for professional purposes.
In MPEG a film/video will fill about 3,5GB for 2 hours for me I think

Basically - videos are best saved in MPEG if they are large.

The Windows Media Format obviously vbelongs to Microsoft, but while achieving a good compression rate - the few cases were I wanted some viedos as a WM file for a PDA I ended up with not brilliant technology...

And on the same topic - I believe DVDs are ulteriorly MPEG.

 

Purplegreendave - Just got around to ripping my first dvd using your method, worked a treat. Hopefully this discussion will help others wondering the same question.

 

Why in the world would you do that if your goal is an AVI? Just rip with DVD Fab and encode with your favorite AVI encoder. I use AVI DeMux to encode.

 

I like ripping mine as .isos and playing them with vlc

 

Any reason you couldn't use DVD Decrypter, rather than DVDFab and Handbrake.

 

I tried and it didn't work on other hardware, this method did.
This is easier too IMHO.

Glad I could help

My .avi files are around the 1gig mark for a full film, in perfect DVD quality, why would I want mpegs 3 times the size?
Yes, DVDs are ultimately mpegs, but avi is a more economical format.

 

Hmmm doing the VHS brecording I was speaking off, avi was about - what, I think 10 times larger than MPEG...
????

 

That's weird...
Well videos are strange formats anyway

If you want to experiment by getting a blank DVD, burning the mpegs on and then following my guide, please post the results - it could be interesting
No harm if you don't - a DVD-RW would be ideal as you don't end up wasting a disk.

 

Well, I won't, sorry - reason:
I don't need my DVDs on HDD - I did copy some over onto my HDD - but that was using windows explorer - no fancy software.
And the recording I did at my grandfather's place - well, avi ends up huge...

 

Yeah, explorer works if there's no copy protection on the disk.
No worries, it was just curiosity

 

Even though the box says copy protected

No, but as long as I have the original disc and don't use any software to bypass the copy protection I have a good argument for it.

I believe the tools to remove copy protection are illegal in some contries - however I'm not sure if the actual motion of doing so is.

 

I don't really care, I bought em, I feel entitled to use them however I see fit, short of giving away/selling copies.
If I want to watch a film on the bus/plane (where optical drives are forbidden)/load onto an mp3 player I will - using whatever means necessary.

 

Optical drives are forbidden on a bus, plane?????

 

On planes, yeah.
Dunno why though

 

Well, up until 30 seconds ago.
I moved

 

Hmm, I never heard optical drives were forbidden on planes...strange.

Although, my portable CD player interferred with a portable radio... well, one did...

Anyway, lets stop this.

 

No, bumping finished threads is an age old hobby of mine!

 

Huh, you'd have to link that. People bring laptops on planes all the time.

 

It's in the pre flight safety thing, and on the little cards in the seats in front of you. Laptops are supposedly allowed as long as you don't use the DVD drive, and portable DVD players aren't.

EDIT: It seems I must eat my words - they (at least Ryanair) have changed their policy
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=inf&quest=laptops

Hardly surprising, that stuff is so full of crap - you can even use mobile phones on some carriers now, and nothing's changed only they saw an opportunity to charge you even more!