trying to figure out the best software to use..

[_Odin99]

I have been reading this site and sownloading software for about a week now, its all extremely interesting but I must admit on alot of things Im pretty lost. mainly I have been encoding my DVDs to AVI files and I really luv doing it, but I seam to find more problems then solutions. Mainly I am wondering what is the best method to do it. So far I have been trying DVDdecoder, Vstrip and SmartRipper, to strip the DVD then using DVD2AVI, then Gordian Knot for the final step into AVI files that I can watch on my Media Player or burn to a CD. Is this the best way to do this or are there better options that I cant find. I have been reading all the articles I can find on here and I cant seem to put my finger on the easiest way to do what I want.


Any suggestions will be very welcome
Thanks and have a nice day

[rsquirell]

The fastest and easiest way I've found is to set Smart Ripper to "enable streams" and expand the file size to 10GB (to get just one large VOB). Then take the VOB to TMPGenc (if you haven't got it you can download a trial version from this site.) In TMPGenc go to File>>MPEG TOOLS>>Demultiplex...load the VOB in source window...then double click the video stream and save it as a m2v...double click the audio stream and save it. Then go to File>>MPEG TOOLS>>Simple Multiplex...select MPEG2 Program VBR and load the m2v into the video source and the audio into the audio source windows. Click "Start" and Voila...a perfect copy of your DVD, ( A little trick Setarip showed me).

[WildmanJoe]

Click "Start" and Voila...a perfect copy of your DVD

I was under the impression that he wanted to make an AVI out of a DVD... anyway Gordion Knot IMHO seems to be one of the best tools for creating/encoding a DVD to AVI.

[rsquirell]

OOPS...I noticed you're trying to make a VCD and the method I just posted is for a perfect copy of a DVD. VCD's have much lower resolution (they look like cr*p), and I don't mess with those.

[_Odin99]

thanks for the replies
and yeah I know the VCDs are much lower quality, but I dont have a DVD burner, as of yet, and I dont have the hardrive space to keep alot of big movies on it. if anyone else has any Ideas on methods feel free to let me know, I can use all the help I can get.

[rsquirell]

Six months ago my Sony external burner cost me $450...now you can find externals for $200 and internals for close to $100...by Christmas they'll be giving them away at this rate.