Intro

What you need:
1) A DVD Drive.
2) A writer either a CD-R or a DVD-R (DVD+R is covered in a future article). I am using an pioneer A04 for this operation.
3) A relatively powerful processor ie 800Mhz,+ the faster the processor the less time this whole procedure takes.
4) A DVD Movie you legally own and want to back-up. (For Demo purposes we will be using Armageddon)
5) Software: Smartripper, DVD2AVI, TMPEG, Nero and DVD Movie factory. The first two are completely free while the third and fourth are pieces of software you will soon find indispensable.

This guide will demonstrate the creation of VCD and DVD quality movies. SVCD has been left out as they are not as compatible with standalone players and thus will be covered under a separate guide.

Ripping
There are many pieces of software out there on the web for this. However I will focus on Smartripper by Tron as it's the best I found in four years of experience. It is also compatible with Win 9x and XP with no problems.

After Downloading and installing. Smartripper first insert the DVD you want to back-up and start up Smartripper.

A screen like the following should appear:



The important bit being the left hand box (unlock drive)where it says authentication successful. If it doesn't say successful and instead announces that some of the files are inaccessible and still locked, do the following.

While leaving smartripper running load up your software DVD player like Power DVD or WinDVD. Play the DVD for a few seconds then stop the movie, but do not close the Player. Restore Smart Ripper and Click 'reload' to the right of the Smartripper Sign. If when the unlock drive box reappears and says authentication successful. Then you can close the DVD player software and proceed to the next step. If it still says some files are locked then run the DVD player software and leave the movie playing while you click the reload button in Smartripper.

The Next Step



If you are unsure about what format your movie is read the Video-info box on the lower right as this is important in the final stages. It determines frame rate and other encoding variables. But normally this is PAL if you are using a British DVD ie region 2. Then click on Files on the left, between movie and Backup. This takes you to the screen below:



The main movie files are already selected in the source box. So if you want just the main movie without any extras (which would be another conversion process from the bridging section of this guide downwards) You can move onto final settings.

Final Settings
Now you click on target at the bottom of the screen and select where you want to store the files, you would be best advised to create a new folder for each individual movie you back up. ie In this case I created a folder called geddon.



The top right box tells me that the drive I have selected has enough space for the files I selected. If there wasn't enough space it would be red. This would mean selecting another drive or possibly clearing some space.

Now you click on settings to the left of the source box. This takes you to the following screen:



Check that all settings under settings are as above. This will ensure that a movie will play on a stand-alone player. Return to the main screen by pressing OK.

Finally you click the Start button below the settings button. A screen like this appears telling you how long this will take under remaining. So depending on the speed of your DVD drive/computer go grab a coffee or watch some TV.



With the rip complete it's time to make a decision

You must decide whether you want to create a VCD or a DVD disc. The VCD is designed for those of you with a CD writer only. Those who own a DVD-R drive can create either. If you decide to make a DVD you must highlight the files and check that they do not exceed around 4.6gb as a DVD-R is only 4.7gb.

If it fit's go here. If not move onto the bridging.

How to... by Kopyo