Copying a DVD

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harvey

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I have 2 optical drives:
PHILIPS DVD+-RW DVD8701 [CD-ROM drive] (e drive)
TSSTcorp CD-ROM TS-H192C (d drive)

I have a number of dvds that I am trying to copy but cant work out how to do it.

The dvds were burned on other peoples machines using different software, eg Windows Movie Maker. They are all on dvd+r or dvd+RW. They are dvds with .avi files that were downloaded onto pc from a digital camcorder so there is no issue with copyrighted material.

Sonic & CD Burner XP PRo are 2 available programs.

I presume that cd-rom doesnt recognise any dvd or any blank dvd. I thought that the 2 drives would mean that i could put a dvd in one and blank in the other and away I go.

I have made a DVD using Movie maker myself and burned successfully. I deleted the movie though from my pc and also dont know how to make copies of the disc.

By the way when I burned the DVD , there was a serious crunching sound for a couple of seconds - is that normal ?
 
harvey said:
I presume that cd-rom doesnt recognise any dvd or any blank dvd. I thought that the 2 drives would mean that i could put a dvd in one and blank in the other and away I go.
Click to expand...
No, a CD-ROM drive won't recognise a DVD. But you can copy CDs that way (presuming no copyright issue).

harvey said:
By the way when I burned the DVD , there was a serious crunching sound for a couple of seconds - is that normal?
Click to expand...
No...

I googled your model of DVD-/+RW drive, and it would seem that others are having problems with it too — see this long thread on the afterdawn forum (which also some very good guides). If you have Sonic Record Now!, that's usually pretty straightforward to use, with the 'exact copy' function. But check whether you have a hardware problem first.
 
WOW ! That is some serious amounts of problems with Philips on a DELL. That is one of the problems with DELL. They don't tell you model and make of any of their hardware. I reckon I am going to regret buying a DELL.

Thank you for your help doc.
 
My Dell came with the NEC alternative mentioned on that forum, and I've had no problems. Is your machine still in warranty?
 
Yes it is but before I start calling India I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Assuming that the dvd does work, how do you burn a dvd ?

Do you put the original or blank into the dvd+/-rw drive ? I presume the software will tell you then to put in the blank ? The one that I burned (with considerable noise) was with blank in the drive and recording from saved file on PC to DVD. Am I right to say that cd-rom is irrelevant to this discussion unless I am burning or playing a cd?
 
Yes, to answer your last question first. In fact, strictly speaking you don't need a CD-Rom drive, if you have a DVD
one — although it will allow you to copy a CD 'on-the-fly'...

Start Sonic Record Now! and choose 'exact copy'; it'll ask you to insert the source DVD. It then copies a temporary image file to your hard drive, spits out the original DVD and tells you to insert a blank. The whole process should take about 20/25 mins, depending on processor speed — and it shouldn't make any 'crunching' noises! If it does, then you have a hardware problem and you should get Dell to replace the DVD drive — specifying that you'd prefer the NEC to the Philips.

Bear in mind —
(a) that this won't enable you to copy protected DVDs (e.g. rented movies or games), and
(b) that if your original files are in .avi format, they won't play back on a standalone DVD player, unless it's DivX compatible. You'll basically have an exact copy of a data DVD which will only play on your PC.
 
It simply means, when you've two optical drives, copying from one disc directly to another, without the need to burn a temporary image file to the hard drive. It's a minor time-saver, that's all, and I usually wouldn't bother because the risk of getting errors is higher.
 
No it doesn't work.


Why does it not allow you to copy protected DVDs - is this because the particular software, Sonic, doesn't let you or is it becuase of the hardware ?

When I made the movie with movie maker I thought it was an AVI file but it says that it is a Sonic file, is this why is wouldnt play in my ordinary dvd player. Again would alternative software do a better job. What type of file should I be saving ?

Thanks for your help.
 
You've lost me now! I thought from the above that you were trying to make straight copies of DVDs containing .avi files...?

, afaik (I've never used it) is for taking uncompressed .avi or .mpeg files recorded on a digicam and turning them into VCDs (see the afterdawn guide, and scroll down to 'VCD and SVCD') This is a digital video format that can be burned onto blank CD-Rs which will then play back on most standalone DVD players. But it's not DVD quality, and I think you'll only get less than an hour of footage per CD. Whereas you can fit a feature-length movie in higher-quality DivX .avi format onto a 700Mb CD-R (or four of five of them on a DVD-R/+R), but these are data discs which will play back only on a PC or on a DivX-compatible DVD player.

harvey said:
Why does it not allow you to copy protected DVDs - is this because the particular software, Sonic, doesn't let you or is it becuase of the hardware ?
Click to expand...
It's a software limitation. There are programs out there that will copy protected DVDs, but for obvious reasons this is not the place to discuss them. Again, check Afterdawn...

harvey said:
When I made the movie with movie maker I thought it was an AVI file but it says that it is a Sonic file, is this why is wouldnt play in my ordinary dvd player.
Click to expand...
Sonic also allows you to make Video CDs, in much the same way as Windows Movie Maker. If you make it with Sonic, the computer will call it a 'Sonic file' and you'll only be able to burn it to CD-R using Sonic. Ditto for Windows Movie Maker, Roxio, Nero, etc.

Harvey, these home movies better be damn good..!
 
I guess I just clicked on movie maker and made a quick movie from jpegs and burned onto a dvd+r and assumed that I could play it on any DVD player. I have no idea which format would be the best to use as the hardware supposedly supports all media. I wasn't aware that you could burn DVD onto CD-Roms. I have hours of kids digital videos that I want to edit and burn onto disks for the family. It looks as if I need a IEEE 1394 card to transfer from video camera. I have tried reading all the help screens and tutorials but my eyes are starting to go wonky reading all the screens.

- The .avi files are ones that are on my brother's DVDs - his kids videos.
- I thought my movie was .avi but in fact it is a sonic file.

Gee, I am trying soooo hard to get up to speed with technology and failing abysmally
 
You'll have to persevere a bit — don't be discouraged! It can look like a bit of a jungle out there at first, between all the different formats, media, programs etc. — not to mention the mind-boggling array of 'techie' acronyms! — but you'll soon figure out how to do what you want/need to. That's how I learned what small bit I know; I certainly never had any formal training. Trial and error is the name of the game!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you should probably start with a little bit of what they rather baldly call RTFM. Sit down with your camcorder manual and figure out what DV (Digital Video) file format it records to — .avi, .mpeg or whatever — before even worrying about what program to use to put the video onto a disc (CD or DVD) that you can play back on a normal DVD player, as opposed to the one in the computer. Look at the properties of those files once you transfer them from the camcorder onto the PC (right-click and select 'properties'). What size are they? If less than 700Mb, you should be able to use blank CD-Rs to burn VCDs from them with , or Sonic, or any number of other programs. Read through the help files. If they're >700Mb, you'll have to learn how to use some other video editing software and make DVDs out of them. Here's a good starter's guide.

Try to be clear about the different media — CDs hold 700Mb, DVDs 4.3Gb. They're both just ways of storing digital data, and either can be made to play back your home movies on a normal DVD player, as long as you use the right format. But you can't 'burn DVD onto CD-Roms', only Digital Video clips (under 700Mb). And a normal digital camcorder is never going to yield the picture/sound quality of a DVD movie you'd rent or buy, although you'll get pretty acceptable playback on an average-sized telly — same as if you connected your camcorder directly to the TV, and certainly better than most analog camcorders.

Remember — these CD or DVD discs, once you figure out how to make them, just hold data. To copy them for the rellies, all you've to do is use Sonic (etc.) to make exact copies. Sonic doesn't care what's on the disc, it just makes a duplicate.

harvey said:
Gee, I am trying soooo hard to get up to speed with technology and failing abysmally
Click to expand...
Think of it as a new hobby!
 
DrMoriarty said:
Think of it as a new hobby!
Click to expand...

Try telling that to my wife

Thank you for your help and assistance. Most helpful. Number of things I was not aware of.
 
If you wish to copy a protected DVD download DVD Decrypter (Google it). This program will allow you to remove the encryption and region protection from the DVD.

It will create a disc image on your hard drive and you can then copy it using Roxio Easy Media Creator - it will make an exact copy or if the disc image is larger that a 4.7gb disc it will compress it "on the fly".

Hope that's of some use to you.
 

Good site for all issues relating to DVD burning
[broken link removed]
 
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