DVD to AVI

Pretty much as the title says ..

I have a DVD I would like to copy onto my computer in a PC format either:

AVI

DIV X

MPEG

those are the ones I most frequently come across and like the quality of, codecs sometimes mess me up but thats ok .. I basically have some DVD's I would like to show to some friends so I was thinking about FTP'ing them to them but I can't easily find any FREE software to use ... anyone got a suggestion for me ..

Giles

Hey Giles.

This is what you are looking for.

http://www.clonead.co.uk/

It's very simple. The DVD movies ARE MPEG. All you have to do is open the disc in explorer, copy the VOB files and rename: change the extentions from .vob to .mpg and you're done.

Sorry, but it's not quite as simple as what herb said. Yes, DVD are in MPEG format, but depending on the source of the DVD they are most likely encrypted.

This website has some great information on how to do what you want. - Divx Digest

I would reccommend DIVX or XVID for a codec as they are the two most widely used and both offer very good quality vs. size.

If you follow this guide DVD 2 DIVX with Gordian Knot, it will walk you throught everything you need to know.

If you need any help along the way let me know, I used to do this frequently.

Try the easy way first. If it's a "home made" DVD, it's probably not encrypted. If it's a big time production then you'll have to decript it.

If you want a one-click solution (or, three-step, as they advertise), try Dr. Divx.

Use DVD Decrypter to decrypt the DVD. Its future development has been shut down, but you can download the last version pretty easily.

Apple folk will want you to use H.264, but PC-based tools for Divx are easier to use and better, at the moment (as far as I know).

And it's all legal, right?

Joe

Basically all of the software is legal. It's what you do with it that can be illegal. You are allowed to make back-up copies of commercial DVDs that you purchased.

Those copies can not (unfortunately) be legally traded for beer.

thanks guys ... that should get me started. I had had some other software I had tried that was really really bad ... I am not selling any bootleg dvd's for money or beer ... so I should be alright although I have always been told there is no copyright law down here in cayman.