Capturing DVD screenshots

[BebopChamploo]

Please excuse my ignorance, but what's the best way(or best software) to capture screenshots from a dvd?

[anonymez]

ease of use, media player classic-- play the dvd, pause, go file-->save image.

for frame accuracy, virtualdub-mpeg2

[drfsupercenter]

virtualdub-mpeg2 however opens it as 720x480 and interlaced.

Nero ShowTime also has a screenshot feature.

[anonymez]

virtualdub-mpeg2 however opens it as 720x480 and interlaced

?

[Steve83]

What about for the highest quality & resolution captures in a free (or cheap) program?

[photo_angel2004]

I use Pgcedit for screen shots on video.

Pgcedit is free.

[anonymez]

What about for the highest quality & resolution captures in a free (or cheap) program?

guess you mean which is most accurate, that would be dgdecode. iirc vdub-mpeg2 uses it

[Steve83]

I use PGCEdit or VOBBlanker to snag little screenshots, but have you ever seen this site? I'd like to get screenshots half THAT good.

anon
You got a link for that? How about a guide on how to use it, or is it intuitive?

[anonymez]

have you ever seen this site? I'd like to get screenshots half THAT good.

they're just scans, pretty easy to make those. all you need is the dvd cover and a half decent scanner

You got a link for that? How about a guide on how to use it, or is it intuitive?

virtualdub-mpeg2 http://fcchandler.home.comcast.net/stable

no guide cause none is needed. open the VOBs, seek to the frame you wish to capture, hit ctrl+1 and paste into any image editing app such as xnview (or MS paint if you have low standards )

[Steve83]

No, those are custom-made. Most of the original covers look nothing like those. I'm pretty sure he uses screenshots for them, but I think he collects posters, so he might be scanning them.

I have an excellent scanner, but I'd like to be able to make covers like that from screenshots.

I normally use MSPaint because it'll do things many others won't, and it's pretty quick, easy, & free, but what are the advantages of xnview? Is it free? Got link?

[anonymez]

I normally use MSPaint because it'll do things many others won't

nope. compression (especially png), input and output formats are hopeless. no decent resizing/cropping and other basic functions one would expect from an image editing app. worst app of its kind imo.

but what are the advantages of xnview? Is it free?

freeware, cross platform, lightweight, versatile. google it

[drfsupercenter]

anon I mean 720x480 is not 4:3 like it gets resized to, and since it does not deinterlace, every other frame has horizontal lines on it.

[anonymez]

anon I mean 720x480 is not 4:3 like it gets resized to, and since it does not deinterlace, every other frame has horizontal lines on it.

720x480 gets resized to 4:3 or 16:9 on playback, that's the case with every dvd. as for the interlacing artefacts, you'll only see them when the source is interlaced (or should i say 'not progressive'). the fact that vdub doesn't automatically deinterlace them is a good thing, ensures the content is being accurately decoded. if need be you can apply a deinterlace filter and hit ctrl+2 instead to capture the output frame

[drfsupercenter]

Yes, but the program does not resize, at least for me.

[anonymez]

again, a good thing. it's decoding the source "as is". not that difficult to apply a resize filter or do it afterwards with xnview