How to back up a DVD to a copy DVD or an AVI file
*Disclaimer: you're only supposed to do this for DVDs that YOU OWN. Using these tools to copy DVDs that you do not own is against the law.*
Tools used in this tutorial:
DDTool (note that this tool requires PCGDemux, which can also be found on that link.)
* For your convenience, I've bundled all these tools here.
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Step 1 - Use AnyDVD to create an ISO file from your DVD
1a. Right-click the AnyDVD icon in your System Tray and choose 'Rip to Image...'. (pic)
1b. Click the folder icon to choose where to save your ISO file, then click 'Copy DVD'. (pic)
1c. Even though the warning says to choose 'Rip to Hard Disk' if you want to use DVD Shrink, I don't use that option. (pic) DVD Shrink also processes ISO files (using Virtual CloneDrive). You can use the 'Rip to Hard Disk' option to see if it gives you better results when making a full backup DVD, perhaps it will.
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Step 2 - Mount your ISO file using Virtual CloneDrive
2a. Right-click on the ISO file you created in Step 1 and choose Open With>Mount file with Virtual CloneDrive. (pic)
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If you want to create an AVI file backup of your DVD, skip to step 4.
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Step 3 - Use DVD Shrink to compress your ISO file so you can burn it to a DVD
Most newer DVDs are larger in size than the common DVD +- R sold in stores today (4.7GB). You can use DVD Shrink to compress your ISO file to the standard size.
3a. Click 'Open Disc' from the top menu. (pic)
3b. Select your Virtual CloneDrive drive from the disc menu. (pic)
3c. If you uncheck 'Enable video preview' during the analysis phase, the process will go much faster. (pic)
3d. If you navigate the folder tree of the DVD structure (left pane), you'll see that you can choose to omit certain features. (i.e. - Spanish audio). This will improve the quality of your backup. After you're done choosing what to include, click the 'Backup' button from the top menu. (pic)
3e. On the 'Target Device' tab, choose 'ISO image file' as the backup target type, then click 'Browse' to choose where to save your ISO. (pic)
3f. On the 'DVD Region' tab, enable 'Region Free'. (pic)
3g. On the 'Quality Settings' tab, enable 'Perform deep analysis...' and 'Compress video...'. (pic)
3h. Click 'OK' to start the backup (compression) process.
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Step 4 - Use DDTool to create a VOB file for use with AutoGK (full tutorial on using DDTool can be viewed at the author's site)
4a. You first need to set up DDTool in order to use it properly. Go to the 'Settings' tab and specify the following options (pic):
* Path to PCGDemux (download link)
* Path to mplex (download link)
* Destination base path (where your resultant files will be stored)
* DVD Drive (your Virtual CloneDrive drive)
* Remux options - enable 'Remux to one .VOB'
* Click 'Save as Default', so you don't have to set this up every time you use DDTool.
4b. Back on the 'Job Details' screen is where we'll go next. Make sure you're in 'PGC mode', then click 'Run PGCDemux'. (pic)
4c. Click 'Browse' under 'Input IFO'. (pic)
4d. Navigate to the VIDEO_TS folder of your VirtualCloneDrive drive. (pic)
4e. Sort the files by size, and select the largest file in the directory. (pic)
4f. Use the drop-down list to find the appropriate PGC number. (pic) (each PGC lists the running time next to it, so the one you're looking for should be easy to find.)
4g. Take note of which VTS and PGC correspond to your feature, then close PCGDemux. (pic)
4h. Make sure you're in PGC Mode, then give your project a name under 'Series Name'. (pic)
4i. Choose your corresponding VTS & PGC numbers from step 4g, then click 'Proceed'. (pic)
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Step 5 - Use AutoGK to convert your VOB file to an AVI file
5a. Click the folder icon next to 'Input file' (pic)and select your VOB file (created in step 4) (pic).
5b. Select the file size you want to make your AVI from the drop-down menu. (pic)
5c. Click the 'Advanced Settings' button and choose these settings: (pic)
* Output resolution settings: Fixed Width, 640
* Output audio type: VBR MP3, kbps, 128
* Codec: XviD
5d. Click 'Add Job', then click 'Start'. (pic)
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