Is there a way to copy DVD's I purchased onto my hard drive ?

[brkkab123]

Does anyone on the forum know of any way that I can copy DVD movies that I own onto my hard drive in Windows 7 ?

 

[Fire cat]

Of course

Check out ImgBurn:
http://imgburn.com/

 

[Nibiru2012]

Yes you can, there's several different ways to do it.

DVD movie discs have copyright protection features.

As a Moderator, ethically I can't give you program names.

Just Google "copy DVD movies", believe me you'll find the answer you're looking for on the first page shown. You can also Google "DVD backup software".

 

[Fire cat]

I don't see why we can't mention the software. If it's fir personnal use, it's fine.

One of the best is AnyDVD by Slysoft. Really nice tool. It has a 21 day trial time, but you have to buy a license if you want to continue using it.

But of course, you can also rip ("to rip" is the term used) all your DVDs in the time limit I did

http://slysoft.com

 

[TrainableMan]

The products can be used for perfectly legal copying, such as home movies that you burned to DVD yourself or had transferred from tape.

There are some products that strictly pull the files but maintain the DVD file format such as FireCat mentioned, these tend to leave the files huge 4-8GB and are often used strictly to copy the DVD (or to convert dual layer DVDs to single layer with slight loss in quality) but the files can also be stored to a harddrive and viewed.

There are also DVD Rippers which actually convert the DVD to other file formats, for instance AVI and these files tend to be under 2GB with moderate loss in quality. There are several paid Rippers but if you want to try a freeware Ripper you will find some listed in the DVD Rippers section of this thread. Note: I have not used these myself, nor has the poster made any claims to having tried them either so use at your own risk and always virus scan anything downloaded from the web.

 

[Nibiru2012]

There are several which do a good job.

I always do a "clone" of the disc, because I don't want to lessen the quality of the video.

Using Slysoft's AnyDVD along with ImgBurn does a good job. Also Clone DVD along with AnyDVD works very well too.

DVDFab Platinum has lot of features and configurations. I use it when I want just the movie, not the Director comments, other languages, sub-titles, etc.

 

[brkkab123]

Thanks everybody I googled and downloaded Nibiru2012's suggestion, Fire cat's suggestion of ImgBurn and everyone's suggestion of Slysoft's AnyDVD. Will these work in WMC and is there a specific format I need to use ?

 

[Fire cat]

This is what I suggest:

1. Download and install AnyDVD.
2. Put in a DVD, run AnyDVD and then wait ~20 mins.

You'll end up with an .ISO file that's about 2-3GB in size, but that still has the DVD menus and everything - except all the copyright notices which have been removed by AnyDVD. Just open it up in WMP or WMC, and you're good

You shouldn't need anything else than AnyDVD.
Note that Blu-ray disks will take more space (~10GBs).

I usualy also convert my isos into something smaller, using "Handbrake".

 

[Nibiru2012]

If you want to watch the movies in Windows Media Center or WMP don't save a ISO files!!

ISO images are not playable in those two setups, at least that I know of.

Also, most DVDs will run in sizes of 4.3 to 8.2 GB or so in size, not 2-3 GB. Usually the newer the DVD the bigger it is toward the 8 GB and up.

To be honest with you, if you're new to all of this and never have done it before, I highly recommend that you use DVDFab Platinum. EXTREMELY easy to use for a beginner.

AnyDVD is basically a "driver" that removes the CR protection. DVDFab gives you tons of ways to configure your copy and format.

 

[brkkab123]

Solved. None of the suggestions worked with 12 different 1995 and older store bought dvd movies. They show up in Media Center, not Media Player, but won't play. After wasting from 10:00 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. I'm done wasting mine and your time on it.

 

[TrainableMan]

That's not solved; that's gave up!

 

[TrainableMan]

I've never used AnyDVD but it sounds best suited for copying one DVD to another. Your best bet for copying a DVD to a computer file is a DVD Ripper. Rip the file to an AVI (1st choice) or an MKV or an mp4 or if no choice a WMV

 

[bassfisher6522]

I would really like to see this for myself before I sink money into a software program that doesn't do what it claims it can do. Not saying that it can't just would like to see this for myself.....

 

[TrainableMan]

Well I never used AnyDVD but I used to use some old software to clone DVDs all the time and it always worked like a charm. I also know I could play those files with Cyberlink PowerDVD which is paid software but came preinstalled on this computer. The issue with these is that the files are 4 or 8GB so you would run out of room fast. As I said the primary value as I see it would be to clone the DVD.

That is why I suggest a DVD Ripper because those files are smaller and are generally a format that can be played right in WMP or other media players like the excellent freeware VLC. But I have never tried a Ripper, especially a free one, so I know nothing of the settings or the issues you will face with copy protection etc. to make a good digital copy. I believe it would definitely take some trial & error to get the settings comfortable.

 

[Nibiru2012]

He should have copied the DVDs as VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders to a folder named for the DVD.

He also has to direct the Windows Media Center to the VIDEO_TS folder in order to play the copied DVD. I have done this many times and it works.

It's better to install Corel WinDVD and use it because it has better rendering and such.

 

[TrainableMan]

That would maintain the large 4-8GB size; I personally prefer files ripped to AVIs if I am maintaining them on the harddrive for long periods of time. 700mb-2GB is much better than 4-8GB when you have 100s of DVDs and, except for dark scenes, the picture loss is barely noticeable.

 

[Fire cat]

I still suggest AnyDVD, because:
- It rips the DVD to an ISO
- It removes the copyright notices
- It keeps menus, etc...
- It's fast and efficient.

I don't know about the other members, but I CAN open ISOs in WMP / WMC.

 

[brkkab123]

That's exactly what I did.

Thats exactly what I did. I copied both those folder to my desktop. I created folders for each movie using the movies name in the Videos/My Videos folder. I drug the 2 folders from the desktop to the movie names folder in Videos folder on my 2nd hard drive where my personal files are at (ie: Contacts, Downloads, My Documents, My Pictures, My Videos and Saved Games). Ithen opened Windows Media Player and took a break for 10 or so minutes while it scanned the folders. They didn't show up in WMP, so I opened WMC and looked in the Videos section. All movies were there, but when I clicked to play any of them nothing happened. I Reved them all and went through the process 4 times for each movie following all the software's and this forums instructions. I got the same identical results 4 times per movie wasting all Thanksgiving day. By this point, I'm sick of wasting my time on it.

He should have copied the DVDs as VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders to a folder named for the DVD.

He also has to direct the Windows Media Center to the VIDEO_TS folder in order to play the copied DVD. I have done this many times and it works.

It's better to install Corel WinDVD and use it because it has better rendering and such.

 

[Fire cat]

Have you tried AnyDVD, as I suggested?

 

[TrainableMan]

Thats exactly what I did. I copied both those folder to my desktop.

What product did you use to GET those folders to the desktop from the DVD in the first place?