transcoding or re-encoding? Which is the best for backup?

[Fetchdaferret]

Hi everybody!

I`m sort of a newbie to creating dvd-backups on dvd. So I `ve got a general question: which is the best technique to use when creating a backup? Transcoding or re-encoding?
As far as I know, most (or even all?) of the commercial dvd-movies are encoded at a constat bitrate of 6000 to 8000. So to fit the movie on a 4.3 gb dvd the bitrate needs to be changed to variable bitrate mode (vbr) and the average bitrate needs to be lowered. So, what I had in mind of what would be the proper way is to use a prog like "TMPGenc" or better "Cinema Craft encoder" to do a multipass re-encoding of the videostream at vbr.

As to read in many tutourials, tests and forums , Cinema craft would give best results here.
Well- but now everybody talks about "dvd-shrink" which uses, as I found out, a far less time-consuming method, called "transcoding". I don`t know what exactly it does, but i understood, that it also changes the bitrate (to vbr?!) but leaves the motion vector-stuff untouched, which would preserve their eh.. high quality at a changed bitrate, or so.

Well and now I really wonder- does shrink dvd do a better job than cinema craft? Gives a re-encoding with Cinema Craft worse results? Can Cinemacraft also preserve the motion vector stuff and do it a similar way to "Shrink-dvd" or "9to5 dvd" ?

Long story short- which is the best way to backup a dvd?

I would be very pleased if anyone could give me a hint!

regards-
Hanz

[fieldcar]

my favorite way is to divx-ize it...
then play it on my divx-modded-dreamcast.

i dont have a new fangled, soon to be outdated, dvd burner...
im waiting for the blu-ray dvd burners.

[setarip]

"Long story short- which is the best way to backup a dvd?"

DVD2One, DVD95Copy, or DVDShrink...

[Fetchdaferret]

I`ve been doing divx-backups for quite a long time now, but I`m annoyed by the lack of standalone compatibility...! Right- it works with dreamcast and xbox, but I`m not gonna buy any damned console as I`ve got a pc on which every game rox the house- way better than on any gamecube, playstation or dreamcast...
anyway- the development of divx-capable standalone players is slow and poor, and- above all- expensive! So I think it is a better solution to by a fancy dvd-writer which serves lot`s of pourposes (backuping any data you want).

So my interest is now in using the dvd as the media for my backups. And that`s how I came to my first question...


Besides- @fieldcar - I`m afraid you`ll be waiting quite a long time for those! The first blue-ray (standalone!) recorder was just recently exposed to the japanese market- at an incredible price. There is no massive introduction planned yet for Europe or America. ...

[Orlando]

BLU_RAY

I hope you've got a lot of time, cause you're going to need it if you want to wait for blu-ray drives to become reasonably priced.

[fieldcar]

Re: BLU_RAY

Originally posted by Orlando
I hope you've got a lot of time, cause you're going to need it if you want to wait for blu-ray drives to become reasonably priced.

I get the feeling that you think im a

lol... you dont even know me.

I may have interpreted your reply wrong... but it seemed cold and hate filled.

edit: Also, blu ray is the planned next dvd format that will carry Hi-Def video (1080i). so it should, in thory, follow the same path as dvd. Over time, it will become affordable and widely available(as almost every electronic product does)...

So, what have we all learned here today children?... It's that it doesn't hurt to look ahead into the future, otherwise we wouldn't accomplish very much.

[Fetchdaferret]

don`t forget the original question...

so isn`t there anyone who can explain the differences and advantages of bothe techniques to me?


@fieldcar

do you remember "CD-I" ? Many jears ago, Philips tried to introduce this standard, which is what we know as VCD- an ordinary compact disc with mpeg1-coded video matererial.
Of course, cd-i didn`t make it! A vcd looks only slightly better than the widely accepted vhs tape so nobody felt the need to buy a new device- in fact vhs was still in the process of being promoted. So what did we learn from this, children? - Never introduce an new standard while the current "best-avalible" is still spreading and fighting for the first rank.

Of cousrse the technical facts of image quality and storage capacy are different with the blue-ray high def. dvds but the situation is the same- The ordinary dvd is widely availeble and pushig the old vhs aside, but many people still haven`t got a dvd player yet. By introducing a new standard, the market would go totally confused as several parts would feel fooled- those who spent lot`s of money on a new dvd home cinema system and/or on a large dvd collection. the video rentals, who slowly change their colelctionm to dvd.. etc.
An upcoming standard always needs a certain amount of time to be established - if in the meantime an even newer one is introduced, it won`t be as succesful as if it came as a "technical revolution"

So I think the blue-ray devices might make it compereably soon into the pc (storage etc) but the high def. dvd will need a long time....

[fieldcar]

Re: don`t forget the original question...

@people

laserdisc also takes the cake for a dead format... this format took that same route that VCD's took.

as for blue ray dvd... i think it can catch on, ill tell you why.

At this moment, the only format used by videophiles and HDTV channel providers alike is the D-VHS (data-VHS) format. It's probably what you see at the local electronics store that sells HDTV's. The problems with this format is the same as its analog counterpart; It's the linear/non-dynamic playback that plagues it. Along with the fact that its information is stored magnetically makes it prone to damage.

Not only did the now dead VCD and laserdisc formats die, but they died in the dark ages of pc's where the computer's sucked at playing video. Fullscreen video was only a dream back then. And now we have Terminator 2 on a dvd encoded with WM9's CODEC in HI REZ... Which proves that today, hi-rez video is coming whether you like it or not. Being either a better compressed video format on current DVD(4.7Gig) or a completely new format (BLU-ray + new compression) allowing unsurpassable quality. The new technology always comes at a high price, but it has to start somewhere.

You, and everyone else are so very right about a couple of things. This format will NOT catch on as fast as DVD did. It will take time for it to widely catch on for the average consumer. I also definitely agree with you on the fact that some people don't even have the current DVD players yet. But hey, rest assured, look at how you all kicked the virtual $hit outa me by trying to prove something we already know.