Best way to rip a DVD!

[djsx2001]

I might be wrong (and I have never tried it) but are we not trying to rip DVDs on this site the wrong way???

surely it would be easier to just set up your external DVD player and connect it to an input and capture the film that way.

I might be talking rubbish it seems to make sence to me.

That way you can break up the film easier?

[setarip]

Different yes, easier no.

1) Not everyone has an external standalone DVD player.

2) Not everyone has a video card with video-in capabilities.

3) Not everyone has capture software that will eliminate (if necessary) Macrovision.

4) Even if you do have all of the above, the software usually splits the captured files at 2 Gigs each (Most systems are not capable of realtime compression on the fly without dropping frames), so you usually wind up with three to five files, each having minor audio capture rate differences (23.97600, 23.97622, etc.) which have to subsequently be adjusted so that you can properly merge and compress the final file.

5) You don't get the additional benefit, that some desire, of having a true playable copy of the DVD on your hard drive.

The biggest reason to capture as you propose, is if you've got a double layer DVD, such as "Apocalypse Now Redux", for which your system or PC's DVD player can't recognize more than the first 7.4 Gigs. Although you won't be able to create a full version of the DVD on your hard drive, you'll at least be able to create a video.

[1 Smelly Fish]

And jsut to add my 2 cents worth in
The majority of DVD Captures i have seen have been of a very low standard when burnt to VCD with NERO, when comparing them to DVD's Ripped with TMPGEnc (when done correct).

Cheers