What software to make and read DVD ISO files?

[ClamsTheCat]

Originally Posted by Rich A

So I'm thinking that this disk based region checking has problems working with a Title Set that is hard drive based. I haven't checked this yet, but I'm hoping that the "region free" setting in my ripping software can be turned OFF. I'm not interested in making it play in any region. Just the one I live in. Which is the original region the disk was sold in.

Rich,

I use DVD Dycrypter to get my DVDs onto the drive(s) and then play them via the DVD plugin in BM. I have never had a problem once the disk is ripped. When I place the disk in the drive, DVD Dycryper makes me choose the region I want to use if it is a multi-region disk. Obviously being a Southern California white-boy I choose region 1. The ripped data then becomes a region 1 DVD. Only about 1 in 20 or so disks I have seen are multi region capable in the first place so I have probably only ripped 5 or 6 of them. I believe when I tell it to go to region 1 though that the version on my HDD then becomes region 1 and is no longer multi region.

Long winded reply I know, but kinda a complicated subject to explain. I think it may be an issue with your ripping software. How are you removing the encryption?

[Rich A]

Long winded? Indeed, you haven't seen "long winded" until you've seen some of my own posts.

I'm using a program that is called DVD43. I stays memory resident in your tray and automatically works with any kind of DVD copy program that doesn't have decrypting. In my case I'm using Nero Recoder as the main program.

What is weird is that my ripped DVDs DO play perfectly on any stand alone DVD player. And they play back perfectly in any of my three PCs that have DVD ROM drives in them. The Title Set saved to any of those three PC's hard drive also plays. It's only when I move the Title Set to the storage drive of the HTPC that I have problems. I still need to do more testing, but won't have a chance until the middle of next week. But so far, with the testing I've done, I've found the ripped Title Sets do work fine everywhere but not from the hard drive in the Home Theater PC. Somehow I did get several to work ... but I'm not entirely sure how I did it.

I "Think" how I got it to work was by creating a folder with the DVD title's name and just sticking all the files from the Title Set folder directly into that. I may have been making a folder with the DVD name BUT putting another folder in that (the <Video.ts> folder.

I'm in and out of town until next Tuesday so my testing is going to be delayed a bit. I'll get back to this after then. Meanwhile what do you think about the folder tree being a problem ??

[ClamsTheCat]

Definite possibility. Are you sure the program is decrypting right? I am starting to wonder about that software only because I have never had the issue with DVD Decrypter. I just did another multi region movie this morning. Not a single issue. The program lets me choose a region to Decrypt to, and voila!

I would say take a movie you have issues with and rip it with Decrypter just for a little test. I name my folders whatever I want (usually not the same as the volume label of the DVD) and it always works great in BM with the DVD lib plugin.

Next I just need to find a solution to reduce the size of the files a bit. I am going to test Nero Recode today and compare it to the original DVD. My tv is really good for seeing differences in quality so we will see. I like RatDVD but it has a lot of little bugs and quirks, and it also takes a very long time to Ratify a disk. I had the special edition LOTR disk take like 5 hours!

I think I will just keep them all DVD9 and get a few more HDDs. I saw they had a 500GB seagate on sale for $149 at Fry's Electronics. A few of those will hold me for a long while.

By the way Rich I saw you were into ST:TNG and I was wondering if you had seen and/or liked the Firefly series?

[Rich A]

I'll try doing the same DVD with both Decryptor and the DVD43. But like I said, all the rips are fine ... just won't play on the HTPC from the hard drive. BTW, I haven't found any way to change the region with the setup I'm using. I just thought of something though. Maybe the only reason it won't play in the HTPC might be because of the region thing? More investigation needed.

Firefly? Oh my yes. I was really upset when they cancelled the series. I've got the movie which was a tad better than average but worth the cost. I'm waiting for the series to start playing on one of the OTA HD stations so I can archive the series. Right now the CW network in our area is running the Farscape series in 1080 HD.

If I had to put a list of favorites together I'd have to say they would go like this:

1. Star Trek the original series (just because I watched it live when it originally broadcast, and of course it was the first "Trek")
2. Farscape, and Sci-Fi channel's Battlestar Galactica (tied for #2 slot)
3. Star Trek the Next Generation (IMHO the best of all the Trek series and spin offs)
4. FireFly
5. Star Trek Enterprise
6. Anything Rod Serling did.

[ClamsTheCat]

I didn't watch Firefly until after it was cancelled so I have nothing to be upset about there. Someone showed me the series on DVD and I was hooked. Then I got upset they didn't renew it because it is one of the better SciFi shows I have seen.

On the region thing I think that is your problem. I have not ripped a DVD in multi region to the HTPC yet. I always rip it into region 1 and it always works. Maybe your player does not support multi region or something? Maybe when it rips it as multiregion it thinks someone just copied the disk and it triggers some copy protection?