Stuck in codec / DVD ripper hell

Deuterium wrote on 4/21/2008, 10:46 PM
Greetings all,

My objective is simple. I am trying to extract and use excepts from a variety of educational DVDs. The goal is to have clips on hand to use in the classroom so that I do not need to shove DVDs in and out, find the correct position, etc. Non-copyrighted DVDs are no problem, as I just import them into Vegas using the "import camcorder DVD" function. It is the copy-protected ones that have me ready to completely give up. I have searched the forums for similar subjects, and while the issue of DVD rippers has come up, I cannot find the answers I need.

In short, the DVD ripper program / codec combinations I have tried don't produce a file that is usable. With all the ipods & youtube videos out there, I assumed that DVD ripping would be, at this time, pretty easy. But I am stuck. Whenever I try to rip a DVD and import the resulting file into Vegas, I get the following results:

#1. Audio only with no video.

#2. Audio & video, but the audio is not in sync - the audio is "too short" for the video.

#3. Audio & video, and the audio is more or less in sync, but there are chunks of audio missing. It is as if the audio was too long, so someone went in and snipped out words here and there to make it the correct length. Completely impossible to listen to without going mad.

I have tried:

A. Programs that claim to encode directly from DVD to AVI files.

B. Programs that claim to encode directly from DVD to MPG-4 files.

C. Taking the results of A or B above, and using a video conversion program to convert the video file into something that Vegas will be able to import.

D. Copying the DVD with a program that claims to remove copy-protection, then trying to import that disc into Vegas.


I have tried different codec combinations, different output file types, different programs, and nothing has yet produced a satisfactory file. Yes I can get something that will play in Windows Media Player, but I cannot get anything that will work in Vegas. And unfortunately, almost all of the software and codec help out there is aimed for people wanting to rip DVDs to watch on their ipods or whatever.

If anyone has recently been able to take a copy-protected DVD, rip the files, and import them into Vegas while retaining both audio and video at a usable quality, I would really like to hear what setup you are using. Having spent money on several programs to no avail, I am interested in hearing ANY success stories. I can't believe it would be this hard.

Also - does anyone have an opinion as to whether my DVD drive could be at fault for these problems?

I am using Vegas 7.


Thanks for any advice. The only solution I currently have is to run the DVDs through a component player, and convert the analog signal....which seems completely ridiculous but perhaps inevitable.





Comments

PeterWright wrote on 4/21/2008, 11:25 PM
I admire your openness, but the situation is simply that they make DVDs copy protected specifically to stop you doing what you're trying to do, and to expect help from a law abiding community like this is .... adventurous.

Two of your choices seem to be:
1. Hand yourself in to the nearest cop shop and do your time
2. Continue to use the solution you have already found but for some reason think is ridiculous.
UKAndrewC wrote on 4/22/2008, 3:14 AM
As it's for educational purposes, I would go the the copyright holder and ask them if they will supply you with unprotected material.

Andrew
rs170a wrote on 4/22/2008, 4:05 AM
Andrew, I have my doubts as to whether any copyright holder (eg. Disney) would give you unprotected material.
Some of my family members are teachers and they've been forced to use a wide variety of software to be able to do what they're legally able to do.
cdfreaks has an article called DVD Copying - The basics and they link to a number of different programs what should help.

Mike
Laurence wrote on 4/22/2008, 6:03 AM
Check out http://www.slysoft.com/en/Slysoft AnyDVD[/link]. It removes the copy protection from your DVD drive so you can just import the DVD from Vegas.

Not only that, but it will bypass those silly bits of video that the DVD producers want to force you to watch.

I highly recommend it (for non-copyright infringement uses of course).
corug7 wrote on 4/22/2008, 6:14 AM
MPEG Streamclip may work for you. www.squared5.com. The program is free but you will need to pay Apple for their MPEG decoder. The demuxed clips can then be imported into your DVD.

There is also the tried and true method of deck to deck copying. Get a player, a TBC, and a recorder, and don't deal with the hassles and legalities of getting around copy protection. Sima makes a TBC for this purpose (legal backups of VHS tapes) for about $50, and they work well for most home based applications. If you buy a recorder, get one from a well known brand like Panasonic or Pioneer for the best compatibility. One with a hard disc recorder will allow you some flexibility in editing as well.
Konrad wrote on 4/22/2008, 6:58 AM
You need permission to use copyrighted material.

When you get permission and I have (as I was talent on the DVD). Use DVD43 to unlock, right click the DVD and explore, then drop the VOB on the Vegas timeline.
Laurence wrote on 4/22/2008, 7:03 AM
Trust me, AnyDVD is what you want. After you install it, as far as software like Vegas is concerned, all your DVDs are copy-protection free.
BradlyMusic wrote on 4/22/2008, 8:00 AM
AnyDVD is a good option.

Another good option that I've used to do exactly what you described with success is DVDFab.

http://www.dvdfab.com/

I usually rip the entire DVD to my hard drive using DVD Fab. Once it's on the hard drive, it is in the standard DVD folders format. You just point the Vegas DVD extraction to those folders and rip away, since what is on your hard drive is uncopy protected at that point.

DVDfab also has the "DVD Decrypter". It's the same program as DVDFab except it doesn't have the burning to disc features......and the best part....is that DVD Decrypter is FREE. Also....you're good to go for the next generation HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Discs.

Here's where to download DVD Decrypter.
http://www.dvdfab.com/free.htm
baysidebas wrote on 4/22/2008, 10:06 AM
Corug, could you please explain the advantage of using a TBC on a DVD sourced signal?
corug7 wrote on 4/22/2008, 12:03 PM
To "stabilize" the signal.

Yes, I believe I know the subject to which you are alluding.
rs170a wrote on 4/22/2008, 12:29 PM
A real TBC strips out the Vertical blanking interval.
The link tells you why that's important in this particular situation :-)

Mike
Deuterium wrote on 4/25/2008, 6:18 PM
re: PeterWright's comment:


Thanks for your input, but actually copyright law permits this kind of use in educational settings. You just can't distribute it. Copyright law is extremely clear about this. Same goes with photocopying, etc. You can do just about anything you want under the umbrella of "educational purposes" as long as it doesn't leave the classroom or get posted on the internet. You don't need permission nor do you need to pay royalties for anything as long as you own the original. In my case, I already own the DVDs, so there is no problem in converting them into another format and showing them in class. In the 'olden days' we would make VHS tape compilations for this kind of thing.


Why is my current method ridiculous? Doesn't converting digital --> analog --> back to digital --> to another digital format for Vegas to read it seem a little extreme and time-consuming considering it is all a digital signal to begin with? I was hoping for the computer to do all the work for me. You know....that's their job and all. Not to mention all of the compounded degeneration from each conversion step.
Deuterium wrote on 4/25/2008, 6:19 PM
re: Andrew's comment

That seems reasonable, but most of these big distribution companies don't waste their time with single person. I've tried that route in the past. Thanks for your idea though.
Deuterium wrote on 4/25/2008, 6:29 PM
Konrad, Laurence, BradlyMusic, corug7,


Thank you for your suggestions. I'm going to try some of these and see what happens.


Deuterium wrote on 4/25/2008, 6:33 PM
RS170a,


Thanks for the link. It looks useful.

PeterWright wrote on 4/25/2008, 7:17 PM
Yes Deuterium, the reason I was somewhat whimsical was because you were doing this for educational purposes, which is fair enough as far as I'm concerned.

And the digital-analogue-digital way is not ridiculous, because it allows you to by-pass copy protection put there to prevent or deter "real" pirates. The others' suggestions may work for you, but at least this way gives you a solution, so don't knock it!
nolonemo wrote on 4/25/2008, 8:56 PM
Well, the digital-analog-digital method is not illegal per se, unlike the digital copying methods. Even if your use of the intellectual property is fair use, it's stil a violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to break the encryption to make a digital copy, there's no exception for fair use when it comes to breaking the encryption.