In this article, we will look at copying a DVD-Video disc (retail movie etc.) to a blank DVD disc (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW,DVD+RW etc.) using a program called DVD Shrink and others if required. The resulting DVD will be of very good quality because it will only contain the main feature (movie) of the DVD, and none of the extras to take up space. This guide has instructions right from compressing the DVD to fit on a 4.36GB (4.7) blank DVD disc, to burning it.
Required: Once DVD Shrink has compressed your original DVD enough to fit on a blank disc, you can use ImgBurn to burn it. It is also completely free. Download!
You will need to have enough free space for this process. The DVD Shrink output will be around 4.36GB in size and if you plan to rip the DVD contents to your hard drive to speed up the process, it could be as much as 8.5GB extra space. To burn, you obviously need a DVD burner and a blank DVD+/-R(W) disc (DVD-RAM will NOT do!). DVD Shrink is very fast at compressing, but this process depending on the speed of your computer might take a little while to complete.
What does DVD Shrink do?
If you are looking to make a backup copy of a purchased DVD disc, then DVD Shrink is a great help. It is the easiest solution for taking a DVD-9 (a dual-layer DVD, most retail DVDs are dual layer) and converting it to DVD-5 (4.3GB or less, DVD-R / DVD+R are examples of DVD-5 in terms of capacity limits). Unless you have dual layer blank DVDs, which are noticeably more expensive than regular blanks, you will need to make sure the resulting copy is 4.36GB or less in size.
In this version of our DVD Shrink guides, we are not going to attempt to save any menus or extras at all. The DVD that we will get for our Output will only have the main movie on it. You can still keep subtitles and extra audio if you wish, but you will need your DVD player's remote control to switch between them. If all you care about is the DVD movie and not the menu or anything else, you will get the best copy, but if there are other things on the disc you wish to keep, such as the menu or extras, then read: How to copy DVDs with DVD Shrink.
Let's begin - Move to Page 2
On the next page, we take a look at DVD shrink for the first time and show you hope to open a DVD in the program and deal quickly with any errors you may receive with newer DVDs.
CloneDVD is a quick and simple tool that can copy an entire DVD in very little time. It has an easy step-by-step interface that makes the entire task much easier.
ConvertXtoDVD can take almost any type of video file and quickly encode it to DVD, ready to be burned and watched immediately, complete with menus, chapters, subtitles and whatever else you want.
Nero is arguably the best suite of CD/DVD/Blu-ray production and burning tools available. Complete with support for High-definition content, it is a true All-In-One multimedia solution for all.
CloneDVD Mobile can convert entire DVD videos, or clips from DVDs, into formats supported by portable media players, including mobile phones, PSP, iPod, iPhone, ZEN, Zune and more.
Have a large collection of digital photos? PhotoDVD will create professional looking DVD slideshows you can impress your family with. It supports almost all image formats and audio formats. Highly recommended.
In this article, we will look at copying a DVD-Video disc (retail movie etc.) to a blank DVD disc (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW etc.) using a program called DVD Shrink and others if required. The resulting DVD will be of very good quality because it will only contain the main feature (movie) of the DVD, and none of the extras to take up space. This guide has instructions right from compressing the DVD to fit on a 4.36GB (4.7) blank DVD disc, to burning it.
