DVD Backup Frustration-Mac!

October 20, 2009 1:00 PM

Mac Filter: Backup and Burning DVDs HELP!

Life was so much easier on my Windows machine - DVD Shrink + ImgBurn + about 1.5 hrs...BAM, done!

On my MacBook, not so much. I just got done wasting 3 hours with handbrake for it to spit out a 1.5 GB mp4 which with the help of google appears not to be the best way to go to DVD.

What are the best/easiest backup and burning applications out there for a MacBook? I'm not even looking for free at this point I just want something like the 2 programs mentioned above (enter DVD, backup, replace DVD with blank, burn - 4 steps). And of course any guidance for this Mac n00b would be greatly appreciated.

And lets just assume these are not home DVDs

Thank you for helping me lower my blood pressure and helping me return to some resemblance of a sane person!

posted by doorsfan to computers & internet (6 comments total)

The easiest would be Enter DVD > Mac The Ripper > Roxio Toast ($$$) or Burn (free)
posted by EL-O-ESS at 1:08 PM on October 20, 2009

I use Toast 6 on my mac powerbook and have successfully copied DVDs containing DivX files at an acceptable rate of speed.
posted by bunky at 1:30 PM on October 20, 2009

Mac The Ripper to DeCSS the DVD onto your hard drive.

From there you can go with HandBrake to create movies for the iPod or create a burnable ISO image with DVD Imager, which only takes a minute or two to copy a VIDEO_TS folder into an .img file that DiskUtility would be happy to burn for you (and if you have multiple DVD burners DiskUtility can even manage multiple burns simultaneously).

Alas, DVD Imager doesn't work on 10.6 AFAIK.
posted by mokuba at 1:39 PM on October 20, 2009

As mentioned, MTR is what you want to rip the actual DVD. It will confound macrovision, CSS, Sony ARcoSS, etc.

If this is a dual-layer DVD you are ripping, you may have a 7.5GB file VIDEO_TS, which won't fit on a single-layer DVD. I use DVD2OneX to shrink these to 4.3G before burning. It's very straightforward to use.

Burn with Toast.
posted by cj_ at 3:05 PM on October 20, 2009

Ah, cool, the mkisofs utility that comes with the DVD Imager app still works on 10.6, so you can just pull it out of the app bundle and run it from the commandline on 10.6:

./mkisofs -f -dvd-video -udf -V ((name)) -o ((name)).img ((drag folder of DVD content here))

eg:

./mkisofs -f -dvd-video -udf -V MyDVD -o MyDVD.img /Users/mokuba/Desktop/MyDVD

posted by mokuba at 4:16 PM on October 20, 2009

After using MacTheRipper and, for dual layer discs, DVD2OneX, I'm able to burn DVDs right in the Finder -- insert blank disc, drag the VIDEO_TS folder onto it, click "Burn." No need for Toast or Burn or DVD Imager or anything like that.

Am I doing it wrong? They play fine in my DVD player, but now you guys have me wondering if I'm in for a nasty surprise if I ever buy a new player...
posted by ook at 6:14 AM on October 21, 2009