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Better way to back up DVDS?

aaronthomas

aaronthomas

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 28, 2008
153
0
Well... Im kinda realizing now that im just getting tired of re ripping dvd to my external every time an up dated version of handbrake or mtr comes out. lol so i think ill just backup on dvd-r's. Ive never done this before... can some one point me in the right direction? Most of my movies are around 5or6 gb and the disk media is like 4.7? Is there a way to use mtr? Whats the best media? Thanks
 
So basically you want to backup your DVDs to... DVDs? If you have kids and are worried that the originals will get scratched and damaged, then sure, back them up. If not, why would you want to create another DVD?

If you are intent on doing it, you have two options: either use dual-layer DVD-Rs and rip and burn away (using Toast or something similar), or use DVD2OneX to compress a dual-layer DVD so it will fit on a single-layer DVD-R. Then burn.
 
This is one of the areas that I hated about my Mac. I finally just installed DVDShrink on my PC and use that. It does it all in one swipe. I wonder why the programs aren't self-contained to do all of this like DVDShrink.
 
spice weasel said:
So basically you want to backup your DVDs to... DVDs? If you have kids and are worried that the originals will get scratched and damaged, then sure, back them up. If not, why would you want to create another DVD?

If you are intent on doing it, you have two options: either use dual-layer DVD-Rs and rip and burn away (using Toast or something similar), or use DVD2OneX to compress a dual-layer DVD so it will fit on a single-layer DVD-R. Then burn.
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Yep its amazing what a 2 year old can do to a dvd box yet alone a dvd.lol Can i use a dual layer dvd-r with MTR? OR is DVD2onex better?
 
Why do you rip and encode your movies everytime a new version comes out? I don't understand...
 
MTR and DVD2oneX do two different things. You'll need MTR to rip the movie first. Then you run the file set through DVD2oneX to compress it so it will fit on a single-layer disc. Then you burn. If you have a dual-layer burner already and don't mind springing a bit more for the media (I haven't bought DVD-Rs in ages, so I don't know what they cost now) then there is no need to buy or use DVD2oneX.
 
kufford said:
Why do you rip and encode your movies everytime a new version comes out? I don't understand...
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Its not that I do ... its that the quality of rips just keeps getting better and better... Quality of rips I did a few years ago im finding myself redoing.
 
aaronthomas said:
Its not that I do ... its that the quality of rips just keeps getting better and better... Quality of rips I did a few years ago im finding myself redoing.
Click to expand...

How so? All you are doing is stripping the copy protection and then copying the data to your HDD. The quality won't get any better or worse with newer software. The only thing newer versions of ripping software do is handle fancier anti-copy measures better.

Now, if you are talking about encoding a DVD to an mp4, that's a different matter. But then you aren't making a copy of the DVD, you are transcoding it. Yes, Handbrake keeps getting better at doing what it does.
 
kufford said:
Why do you rip and encode your movies everytime a new version comes out? I don't understand...
Click to expand...

Probably because originally when the AppleTV came out there wasn't an option to include the full surround sound track in the DVD rip. I did this with a few movies and had to re rip them.
 
spice weasel said:
How so? All you are doing is stripping the copy protection and then copying the data to your HDD. The quality won't get any better or worse with newer software. The only thing newer versions of ripping software do is handle fancier anti-copy measures better.

Now, if you are talking about encoding a DVD to an mp4, that's a different matter. But then you aren't making a copy of the DVD, you are transcoding it. Yes, Handbrake keeps getting better at doing what it does.
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I was doing dvd to m4v
 
aaronthomas said:
I was doing dvd to m4v
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This is where you're wasting your time, if you're that sensitive to quality. Just rip to DVD image using MacTheRipper and stop there. Those copies, as long as MTR can handle removing any encryption / Macrovision / whatever, are perfect. So just keep those. There's no point in re-applying MTR to the files.
 
mkrishnan said:
This is where you're wasting your time, if you're that sensitive to quality. Just rip to DVD image using MacTheRipper and stop there. Those copies, as long as MTR can handle removing any encryption / Macrovision / whatever, are perfect. So just keep those. There's no point in re-applying MTR to the files.
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Thats a good idea... i use an external drive for movies and music as im sure most do... is there away to label a ts folder in front row or somthing like that?
 
mkrishnan said:
This is where you're wasting your time, if you're that sensitive to quality. Just rip to DVD image using MacTheRipper and stop there. Those copies, as long as MTR can handle removing any encryption / Macrovision / whatever, are perfect. So just keep those. There's no point in re-applying MTR to the files.
Click to expand...
Not if you want to play it back on an AppleTV.
 
Right, that's why I suggested it. I think you need / can use a plugin for Front Row to play the uncompressed DVDs if you're pre-Leopard. I'm not sure if you need a plugin for FrontRow or not.
 
aaronthomas said:
What if I dont... any options
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It depends on your setup. If you have the HDD space, just rip the VIDEO_TS folders, label them with the movie title, and play them in Front Row. Depending on the size of your collection, you're probably going to need an external drive to hold them all.

If you want to save space, then use Handbrake to transcode them to mp4 and play them in iTunes, Quicktime, VLC, or whatever you want. Using the latest version of Handbrake (not even the latest snapshot) yields excellent results. Once Handbrake gained the ability to add the 5.1 audio stream I re-did all my movies, but I won't bother doing them again unless a truly earth-shaking breakthrough is made. They look great to me.
 
Hey again... well... cant get sapphire to work... cant even install it actually... its asking me to put sapphire in a folder I dont have. So weird.... So Im wondering is there a way to direct frontrow to my external drives? Or does someone know how to get sapphire installed... Its looking for a frontrow folder in "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/" I dont have a front row.apps folder. ? at least i cant find it
 
spice weasel said:
Make aliases of the movie folders you have on your external drives and place them in your Movies folder in your home directory. That should do the trick.
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Nice! Totally worked.... how about away to put up art? LOL Thanks for the info
 
You could also use RipIt. I have used it a couple of times and its a pretty good software.
 
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