Newby question here, copying DVD to hard drive...

[butlerm77]

I'm wanting to create the highest quality copy of a DVD to my hard drive. I'm working with SmartRipper and FlaskMPEG v78 using the DivX 5.1 codec - 720x480 at 8mbs bitrate. I'm running on a 3.0 Ghz WinXP machine with 1GB ram.

I'm not concerned with file size. I just want the highest possible copy. 4GB output files are fine with me since they are going to my 250GB media drive.

I've got two question about this process...

1. Is there a better way to create the AVI's other than using SmartRipper and Flask? Currently it takes about 10 mins to rip the DVD and about 2 hrs to encode to DivX. Quality is the primary concern.

2. My only real complaint about the whole process is the elimination of all the menu systems and special features available on the DVD's. Without manaully creating menu systems with MenuEdit, is there a way to keep the ORIGINAL menu system entact with all the animated menu's and special features? Is there a special file format/player that will playback such files?

Thanks a bunch!

Mike

[setarip]

"I'm wanting to create the highest quality copy of a DVD to my hard drive. I'm working with SmartRipper and FlaskMPEG v78 using the DivX 5.1 codec - 720x480 at 8mbs bitrate. I'm running on a 3.0 Ghz WinXP machine with 1GB ram.

I'm not concerned with file size. I just want the highest possible copy."

Then why not simply rip the ENTIRE DVD to your hard drive (using SmartRipper to rip ALL files, NOT just "movie files") - and use a software DVD player such as WinDVD to playback "as DVD" from your hard drive?

[butlerm77]

I haven't tried WinDVD yet, but with PowerDVD if I open as a media file, it only lets me select VOB files to open. I don't get the menu system like on a standalone player. Is this any different from WinDVD? I'd like to archive all of my DVD's this way.

[ormonde]

"Is this any different from WinDVD?"

Not sure about PowerDVD, but in WinDVD you can "Open Folder". I think you first need to create a VIDEO_TS folder and make sure all the DVD related files are in there then navigate to that folder and open your movie.