dvd copiers
 

Can anyone recommend a good DVD copier apart from Roxio Toast/ Popcorn (which I cant get a decent dmg/sit of..) These wont rip copyrighted DVDs anyway so whats the point!! I just need a decent program. I've tried everything from DVD2oneX, DVDBackup, to MactheRipper and paired them with DiscBlaze, YuBurner, Sizzle etc. and still cant get results. PLEASE HELP!! DISCOURAGED MAC USER...

Well I use both DVDBackup & Yade X for extracting & if one can't do it the other will. Use DVD2oneX for shrinking down to dvd5 format (4.36 GB) if you only have such a burner. If you can't do it with the above then you've probably changed some settings somewhere. Else search here http://www.videohelp.com/
I backup dvd's frequently so I can watch at a later time if they're on 24 hr loan.

I suspect there's something wrong in your technique. Extract (& shrink if necessary), then within Toast 6 choose Data tab, press the Advanced button, select DVD-ROM (UDF) before burning. This is very important. You cannot burn them as mac & pc format, etc. otherwise your set-top player probably won't be able to read them. Actually I thought I posted a simple tutorial on how to do this at start of year but maybe I didn't give enough details. It's up to you to search it if you want to.

thanks for your help LOTR, I shall perservere thanks to you.... cheers mate

Oh BTW make sure the folder you burn has both an AUDIO_TS folder as well as a VIDEO_TS folder. The audio folder is always empty so if yours doesn't have one you can simply add it manually. I think this is required via dvd specifications however i have come across a few commercial ones that didn't have it.
Also check what your set-top player can play. I am aware some well-known brands of players will only allow their own brands of dvd-r/rw to be playable. Which sucks! lol :D Mine cost a third/quarter of price yet does all the more expensive ones can do plus it's not dvd media fussy.

dang why is it so hard with mac? with windows you can have one program do it all and its very user friendly....???

It's not really so hard on the mac. OK it's 3 steps. But once you've got the technique it's the same. It might take a little time that's all.
With DVDBackup I extract to a folder. OR With Yade X I extract as a dmg. Then I mount that dmg using Disk Copy by double-clicking the dmg or drag & drop. Then I open DVD2oneX & direct it to the mounted image & shrink it from there. I set up a custom size within DVD2oneX because some dvd's shrink differently to others (stick to the preset size .. it's generally very reliable.) I also use Verbatim DVD-RW's which can fit an extra 10 mb or so on (ie: 4.37 GB.)
Only semi-related is Compressing file to fit on one 4.7GB DVD-R But that's burning vids to dvd not to do with extraction.

Okay I got to step 3 - I opened DVD2oneX and now how do I direct it to my disk copy? What do I select for source?

Thanks.

That depends! If you used Yade X disk copy then you'd need to mount the image 1st before you can extract the data from it. If you used dvdbackup then jus direct it to the folder you saved from the original xtract.
Re: mounted disk images you'll find as major volumes mounted on desktop.

Yes, I used Yade X - and mounted it on Disk Copy. But I don't know how to point the source of DVD2oneX to its mount on Disk Copy.??

After mounting the dmg, there's 2 ways:
1. Go to DVD2oneX menu>File>Open or use the apple/command +O keys.
2. Press the button opposite the source with ... on it which will allow you to select the source.

Then direct it to the mounted image select VIDEO_TS folder.

Success, thanks again LOTR...

Thanks - I did this and now I cannot click on Start still? What should I do next?

You don't just select the disk, you need to select the VIDEO_TS folder. The image I provided is only half-way there.

I know! I did select the folder and got back to the main screen, where the start button is not available?

thanks for your patience....

YOU CAN ALSO GET DVDCLONER IT WORKS GREAT, ONLY 59.99

It sounds to me like you haven't selected the folder correctly. The start button will be blanked out if nothing is selected.

Also make sure you chose the mounted yade dmg & not the original DVD. Else try DVDBackup if it won't work for you.

Now my Yade X is not working? Why would it keep quitting? I've restarted several times.... and tried downloading a new version??

Does the DVD Cloner do all this in one step?

I am determined to finally learn to copy dvd's this weekend!! I've had this computer 2 years now :(

LOTR, PLEASEEE help!

Yade X will not copy the img of the disk I'm trying, so I used DVD Backup and created a VIDEO_TS folder. I put that inside another folder called movie and added a blank AUDIO_TS folder inside.

Now, what do I do?

Disk copy seems to only want an img...

DVD2OneX also seems to only want an img...but I have a folder.

Please help me get this this weekend. What is easier? Toast? I feel like I'm finally so close, but just not quite there yet!

OK i've also got Toast - it looks like it will work, but when I hit record, it says "Can not record because Disk is Full"

DVDBackup saves to a folder. So you'd simply direct DVD2oneX to that folder. Depending upon the brand of media you're using, I found Verbatim can generally be used to burn 4.37 GB but some other brands generally only 4.36 GB. So if the reduced size is too big for your disk, you may need to redo it using DVD2oneX.
The default size for DVD2oneX is 4472 (I think it uses 1kb = 1000 bits not 1024 bits.) You may need to set it to User Defined size & reduce it to say 4462 or smaller. I generally use 4482 but on one in 10 disks perhaps need to reduce it much further. Remember you can leave out languages you don't need which will help to save space without affecting the video quality as much. Though almost always DVD2oneX does a good job quality wise. With music disks I've sometimes had to set the user defined sizes to below 4000.

BTW if you're burning onto a DVD-RW (as I almost always do), then make sure it's been erased since it's last use.

Sorry -

I went to the site you linked and found good info, but I'm stuck again. On DVD Backup, I get the error:

Failed to decrypt Video Title Set 3. Skip it and continue, or stop processing?

I went ahead and went thru the whole process, and this error came up for several different Video Title Sets - I just kept skipping them all. But the dvd I burned is messed up.

What can I do?

Start again. Use Yade X, then use DVDBackup on the mounted image, then use DVD2oneX on the extracted folder. It sounds like DVDBackup can't cope with that particular video on its own. It happens with some vids. Try it out on a DVD-RW so you don't waste any disks.

I've tried starting over and yade x is quitting.

I tried using DVD Back up then DVD2OneX and 2OneX is also running into errors - it can't find files or something?

Anything else I can try to copy this movie? I really want a copy....

Thanks.

also, what dvd-r do you recommend for mac? thx

Well I've found that one of those programs will do the job. If one can't completely do it then the other used after it will fill the gap. If you're not having success with the 2 progs, then try another such as suggested earlier in the thread or search here: http://www.videohelp.com/ or here http://www.videohelp.com/tools

As for dvd-r media, it depends upon your burner. Particular brands will tend to prefer particular brands. I use a Pioneer 109, & I use TDK & Verbatim. These are 2 of the 3 best tested with this brand of burner. As for other brands, you'd need to search for the results. There's a site that lists test results for particular brands tested v's media. Media availability is an issue b/c in different places different media is available.

BTW you can extract particular chapters also & later join them using dvd2oneX. But it's something I've never tried. Also, I find that it's generally the Xtras on a disk that seem to have the greatest problems for extracting for some reason. So if you can extract the main chapters then that's all you need.