• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Do you store DVD Movies on a Hard Drive?

Kelemvor

Kelemvor

Lifer
I'm debating storing my backups of my movies on the PC instead of burning copies to a DVD-R. I'm just not sure if it's worth it or not.

I can either use a standard DVDShrink type program to make a backup and burn it to a DVD-R which usually involves at least some compression of the video and cutting out all the extras to get it onto a single layer DVD-R disc...

Or I can rip the movie and use AutoGK or some other program to encode it to Divx/Xvid. If I go this route, I don't want the file to be too big so I can get more on a single hard drive but don't want the quality to suffer either.

Or I can just rip the movie of the DVD to the PC just the way it is but then I end up with a 4gig file which severely limits how many movies I can get on a HDD and is cost prohibitive.

It'd seem I can get DVD-Rs for $.40 each or less depending on what's on sale. A 160gig hard drive can be gotten for around $40 or so on sale as well every so often. So, for $40, that's 100 DVDs. On a 160gig drive to get the same 100 movies, they'd have to be a maximum of 1.5gigs or preferably less.

Now playing the DivX files from my PC I'd be limited to S-Video which might be a problem right there whereas on the DVD player I have component. But since it's being compressed anyway, that might not make as big of a difference.

This is NOT on an HD TV, just a plain old 27" CRT.

Also for sound, I have no way of outputting anything other than the standard red/white RCA jacks from my PC to the computer so any good surround sound at all would be gone. With the DVD Player I'd still get full sound quality. But this isn't a huge deal since our good theater setup is in the basement and doesn't get used all that much since my wife doesn't care about that.

Anyway, just wondering what everyone does and any pros or cons of why you do what you do.

Any opinions?

Thanks.

 
I went the ISO route. Figured that the cost of storage far outweighed the disadvantages of DiVX/XVid (lots of time/effort to compress and if the drives go bad / some other form of file corruption happens, its a lot more hassle to "re-rip").

And $0.40 for each DVD+/-R is way too expensive. You could (can?) get Verbatim discs for ~$0.10 each.
 
I went ISO as well, also you can code them to divx under the Hometheater mode and you lose hardly any picture quality at all, and retains its DD incoding. A 2 HR movie is cut down to around 1.5 gigs so you can fit 2 movies on one dvd, or 4 on a dl dvd and store them away that was as well for back up purposes, or put them to your pc in that format getting a 2.5-1 ratio as far as space would go then doing a ISO. But for full on non compression, and a hell of a lot more space required, ISO and use VLC player to read them, its free video software.
 
What is the ISO route you guys use? Which program do you use to compress/rip etc and then you just use VLC to play them back? Might have to look into that route. THe other problem with more and more movies is they are getting bigger and bigger which means on a SL DVD, sometimes I still end up with 60% quality because of how big it really is which means I have to turn to DL discs which jump up the price as well.
 
I never pirate movies.

But If I did I would use shrink to create a img file that can be easily burned with dvd decrypter/.
 
I was going to do ISO.. but I have mostly TV shows.. take CSI for example... 6 seasons... ~45GB/season.. yeah, way too much space. heh... i just do 2pass xvid@~1300kbps. but then again, I just watch off to the side, and don't have HDTV
 
Originally posted by: Kelemvor
What is the ISO route you guys use? Which program do you use to compress/rip etc and then you just use VLC to play them back?
Click to expand...
Personally, I throw in the DVD, fire up DVDDecrypter and keep the full sized ISO. Minimal muss and fuss (~10-15 minutes to rip). I use Daemon Tools and FastMount coupled with WinDVD 7. Just double-click / hit enter on a .iso file and Bob's your uncle.

I kinda gave up on DiVX / XVid awhile ago after I lost a HDD and had to reencode the lost movies from DVD (would've taken too much time since I always use 2-pass encoding).
 
Originally posted by: tm37
I never pirate movies.

But If I did I would use shrink to create a img file that can be easily burned with dvd decrypter/.
Click to expand...

Neither do I, and I dont think this is about that. I use these methods myself for my HTPC so I can store all my stuff to my pc and dont have to flip though gobs of dvd discs and get up to swap out movies. All can be done with the click of my mouse 🙂
Considering I am disabled this make things a lot easier on me 😉

My kids movies however, I do back up onto a dvd or re-code them to divx and put more then one onto a dvd for them, and store the originals away, for a 6 year old and a 13 year old will destroy a dvd in a matter of weeks. If Im paying $20 for a dvd it needs to last longer and unfortunately I can talk to my kids, ground my kids, what ever with the threat of losing the disk for ever its just easier if I make a back up and let them fvck up a 5 cent disk then the one I just paid $20 for.

For some people they actually back up there stuff for legit reason, not always about stealing.
 
Originally posted by: funboy42
For some people they actually back up there stuff for legit reason, not always about stealing.
Click to expand...
Well, I've been at college away from home for a couple of years now. Rather than repurchase everything, I just ripped our entire DVD collection. Doesn't that qualify as fair use?
 
Originally posted by: funboy42
Originally posted by: tm37
I never pirate movies.

But If I did I would use shrink to create a img file that can be easily burned with dvd decrypter/.
Click to expand...

Neither do I, and I dont think this is about that. I use these methods myself for my HTPC so I can store all my stuff to my pc and dont have to flip though gobs of dvd discs and get up to swap out movies. All can be done with the click of my mouse 🙂
Considering I am disabled this make things a lot easier on me 😉

My kids movies however, I do back up onto a dvd or re-code them to divx and put more then one onto a dvd for them, and store the originals away, for a 6 year old and a 13 year old will destroy a dvd in a matter of weeks. If Im paying $20 for a dvd it needs to last longer and unfortunately I can talk to my kids, ground my kids, what ever with the threat of losing the disk for ever its just easier if I make a back up and let them fvck up a 5 cent disk then the one I just paid $20 for.

For some people they actually back up there stuff for legit reason, not always about stealing.
Click to expand...

I agree I rip every CD/DVD I get as the originals do degrade with time.
keep in mind tm37 that this forum is not a hacker hangout we are for the most part all legal and upstanding individuals here.
there is nothing wrong with making a copy of legally licensed media as a backup.
 
Originally posted by: Tegeril
VIDEO_TS folders are the only way to go.
Click to expand...

How do you access this folder? Can you just browse the dvd movie disc in a drive? I think you'd need to decrypt it, right? How?

Thanks.
 
compression is waste of time.
open video ts folder using dvd software like windvd.. the "open folder" menu option....
or drag and drop to say..media player classic.

personally backing up that religiously is a waste of effort and time. by the time your dvds degrade they will be all bargain rack garbage. if years on that film degrades by some miracle spend 3 bucks and rent it again...maybe even in hd😛
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top