Copy DVDs to PC....

[jonnie comet]

I have recently copied some old VHS tapes onto DVDs, using my Dad’s old VHS/DVD converter machine thingy....

I now simply want to copy these DVDs to my PC.....ultimately probably copying them onto a separate hard drive.

How do I do it?.......Software?......Compressed files?.....I’ve really no idea.

Any advice gratefully received.....Thank you.....

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Look for a piece of software called DVDFAB. Very good.....

 

[Fanum]

Daemontools Lite will copy them as an 'ISO', which is in effect a dvd image- it fools the PC into thinking that there'a another physical DVD drive on it.

It's free too......a lot of people use it to use 'copied' dvds that they've downloaded illegally, allegedly

 

[cookie]

were i to need to do such a thing, i would use Handbrake to convert thee DVD to mp4 or mkv format. very much smaller file size, which is nice, and i can't tell the difference from the DVD on a 42" tv.

takes out all the menus and anti piracy guff you have to wade through on the DVD too, but you do lose the chapters though. no loss, and a good trade off IMO.

 

[jonnie comet]

As ever, many thanks for the advice gents....I will crack on with this over the weekend...Cheers.......

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

You made these dvd's so they won't be encrypted. You can simply copy the files off the disk onto the drive and they will play fine on a stock windows pc. If you want the smaller file size then use handbrake but a stock windows pc can't play mp4 or mkv. To sort that out you will either have to install a video codec pack or use a different player such as media player classic. Don't know for sure but windows 8 can probably play mp4 since its the modern file format, anything older definitely can't without changes though.

 

[cookie]

VLC will play pretty much anything

 

[stolzy]

If your PC is a Mac then handbrake is an excellent tool.

 

[stolzy]

VLC will play pretty much anything

Pity there isn't an iOS version

Yes I was one of the doubters

 

[jonnie comet]

You made these dvd's so they won't be encrypted. You can simply copy the files off the disk onto the drive and they will play fine on a stock windows pc.

You're right, they're not encrypted, but they wouldn't copy to the drive and play......or at least I couldn't get them to play, you probably could.

Dozy thing about all this is that I have done it all before on a little Samsung netbook, with a plug in DVD player. I downloaded some free software (from God knows where) and everything worked a treat...It's a few years ago and for the life of me I can't remember what I did......Old age is a curse....

I will take in all the advice posted here and give it a go at the weekend...

Thanks to all.......

 

[cookie]

Pity there isn't an iOS version

Yes I was one of the doubters

TBH i don't use it much. it will play the big mkv files i have on my iMac, but they take up so much space on the phone i just use handbrake to convert them to smaller mp4 files and then use iTunes.

 

[rce]

I have had good success with format factory http://format-factory.en.softonic.com/

 

[Pukmeister]

MagicDVD Ripper works well. It only allows 5 sessions before you are meant to pay for it, although someone on that YouTube shows a workaround.