Burn DVD Movies on a Mac

Do you own a Mac and want to make "Backup" copies of your favorite DVD s?It s easier then you think. Of course there are some "Free" not so user-friendly programs out there that can do it for no-cost, but I have found them not up to my usual Mac-like expectations and usually end up quickly giving up on them in frustration.
The solution I found that works amazingly well and at very minimal cost is a combination of:Apple Computer with a DVD Burner (Commonly called SuperDrive)Mac OSX (Free with most newer Macs-Preferably Panther or Tiger)MacTheRipper (Free-Ware but oh-so-good)Roxio Popcorn ($49)Why do I like this solution?It s relatively simple, fast, inexpensive and turns out reliable high quality DVD "Backups" of your original DVD movies.
What is the start to finish process and how long does it take?There may seem like a lot of steps here, it s only because I am including every detail I can think of.
Getting setup: First you need to purchase Roxio s Popcorn at a retail store that sells Apple software or you can get it from this link. Install Popcorn software on your Mac OSX computer. Download MacTheRipper and install it on your Mac OSX computer. Here is a link.
This process should take about 10-15 minutes unless you have to actually drive to a location and purchase Roxio Popcorn. Getting your media Off of the original DVD Movie:Because of Copy Protection, you need to first extract the media from your original DVD movie. Programs like Roxio Popcorn do not want to deal with the politics involved with this so they don t allow copying of any DVD s that have Copy Protection. Copy Protection is on most DVD s, so what do we do??? MacTheRipper to the rescue! MacTheRipper doesn t care about Copy Protection and it s politics. MacTheRipper is our friend. Launch MacTheRipper. Insert your original DVD movie in your computer DVD slot. MacTheRipper will scan/analyze the DVD and show you the available content and size to extract. Before you extract, set your RCE Region to the region you are from, in my case I live in North America and use RCE Region 1.Here is a list of RCE Region Codes and their respective areas. I usually just do a Full Disk Extraction of the entire DVD content to my Mac s Desktop location. You can set the extraction location in MacTheRipper s Preference settings. Press the Go button in MacTheRipper, you may get the warning "No RCE Was Detected" just press continue. Once MacTheRipper is finished extracting you can remove your original DVD movie. A new folder will be created that contains the needed "VIDEO TS" folder that Popcorn will use for burning.
This process should take about 10-45 minutes depending on the speed of your DVD drive. Burning the DVD with Popcorn:What does Roxio Popcorn actually do? This is where your $49 investment will pay for it s self in no time. Most DVD movies are dual layer and end up being around 7 gigabytes in size, a typical DVDR or DVD burnable disk is usually 4.7 gigabytes. Houston we have a problem... Popcorn allows you to deselect media that you do not want or need like out-takes and bonus material, support for other languages and subtitles. Hopefully this will get you down to the magical 4.7 gigabyte mark so you can cram the entire DVD movie on to one 4.7 gigabyte DVDR.
What if your DVD movie is still bigger then 4.7 gigabytes?Popcorn will inform you how much compression is needed and how this will effect the quality of the final movie. my experience with large movies is to try to remove as much of the unnecessary content as possible, Popcorn takes care of the rest very well. Launch Roxio Popcorn. Select the Button "VIDEO TS Folder" from the right side Tray Remember that "VIDEO TS" folder that MacTheRipper made earlier? Drag it to the area in Popcorn that says "Drag a VIDEO TS folder into this area". Select Copy Options. Proceed to customize your DVD content to suit your needs. If you are unsure you can always leave the Copy Options setting unaltered and Popcorn will compress and burn the entire DVD. Press the big red Button on the bottom right, insert your blank DVDR, press the Record button and then sit back and relax with your favorite beverage while Popcorn does it s magic...
This process should take about 30-90 minutes depending on the speed of your DVDR drive. As I mentioned before I have tried a few other Free-Ware DVD Burning programs without much luck or patients. The only other program similar to Roxio Popcorn is Fast DVD Copy. Fast DVD Copy did not require MacTheRiper but in my experience Fast DVD Copy was neither fast or did I have much luck with dependable copies, it was hit and miss. It would actually take several days to compress some DVD movies only to make a very time consuming DVD Coaster.
Does Roxio Popcorn have any room for improvement? The only complaint that I had is that the Copy Options settings could be more flexible for the power user. I think Roxio made the decision to make this as fool-proff as possible keeping this area a bit more generic.
In ConclusionI think this is a great use of $49. It does exactly what it says it will do in an easy to use layout, it s efficient and puts out a very high quality DVD Movie "Backup". All Roxio needs to do now is add an Expert Mode button to the Copy Options and they will have a near perfect program. Maybe it s coming...
And by the way I was Ripping and Burning a DVD "Backup" while I wrote this Article on my PowerBook G4!
Author-Michael Kaye Check out our Free Computer and Technology eBook bernita alica



Bookmark it:

Spyware Cleaners Help You Say Goodbye To spyware

Every time you log on to the internet, try to think about the people lurking behind the computer trying to steal your information, and install spyware cleaners.
Using spyware cleaners has its negative as well as positive effects. Many free spyware remover programs are offered on the internet, but how genuine are they? You need to understand that some programs may even detect good files to be spyware and intimate you. So while going through the process of cleaning your computer make sure that you go through the detected files before deleting them. Some programs may have the option of undoing the deleted files, but if you make a mistake and it is irreparable, nothing can be done.
To be sure about spyware cleaners and their performance, try running it on a clean machine or a brand new one. If any spyware is detected, it means this spyware removal utility is not up to the mark. While it is also good at times to be very sensitive in nature and pick out many files that seem suspicious, sometimes the task becomes tedious if you have to spend a lot of time scanning all the files and sorting them out.
Spyware writers are similar to virus writers but spyware is naturally more dangerous. If you have spyware problems and are looking for good spyware cleaners, chances are that you will find good product reviews in computer journals. These are more authentic than the internet even. You never know if spyware writers are trying to publish themselves online discreetly. Spyware removal is compulsorily required in government agencies as well as high profile corporate houses. That does not mean that the others are sidelined, but these organizations are likely to have more volatile information.
Spyware programs are mainly written to make money. They squeeze out a lot of personal information and sell them to several marketing companies. These companies will then seize the opportunity to market their products. Sometimes it is quite amazing what techniques people might use to violate a person s privacy. Spyware cleaners come in handy now. They will try to clean up all the unwanted software from trying to reach out to your phone numbers and addresses.
Spyware writers get quite annoyed if they are referred to as trouble makers. Most of them feel they have a talent to cash in on, and generally do not have any ethics. Do not let such things perturb you, but go ahead and purchase a good spyware cleaner and be a good doctor to your computer, if it is your best friend.
Spyware Removal Info is an online resource, providing in-depth information about Anti Spyware software, which is an essential tool to keep your system free of dangerous spywares, protecting your privacy and your PC. Here you will get vast technical information about anti spyware software to delete spyware.



Bookmark it:

Connect Computer to tTV- For Dell, Compaq and all Computer Types

Live TV on PC Information: many folks are unsure of whether this PC TV thing does exist and if does exist, which is the best option to buy or get without loosing your money to scam. Lets get the record straight the live TV on PC works, and very well too. But you have to be sure to get the right quality and best buy software, other wise your trash bin will be filling up too fast with defunct software or ones that give you very limited and restricted choices. To be able to watch cable on your PC, there are some important things you need to know before you buy your TV for pc software.
Live TV on PC- Does Live TV on PC really exist?
Live TV on PC is the coolest thing to happen since sliced bread. The additional plug inn to your computer s PC USB gives you a choice in TV never before seen even in the USA cable and satellite TV conventional TV. When you download the low cost TV on pc software you will get seamless TV channels streaming into your computer with high quality picture and sound never seen before. Live TV on PC is a recent form of work entertainment that is causing ripples in home and work place offices. People are watching TV at work by opening clear picture and sound hence providing affordable form of entertainment.
Live Digital TV on your PC software gives you a very interactive interface that is easy to use and install. The live TV on pc software has the least clickable features to avoid confusing the user; it is therefore very user friendly and easy to use for even computer newbie s. The software gives you the widest range ever of pc entertainment with TV channels in excess of 3000. Even better is the ability to switch between channels on your pc just like you would a digital radio.
Live TV on PC is installed with little effort and works immediately and seamlessly with the least adjustments. The Online TV stream is already flowing and the software simply enables your computer to tap into the audio and video flow. You will be able to access, through your live TV on pc, an endless choice of back live TV channels like the oldies movies, the classic movies of the wild west, music channels, old episodes of action series of the 1980s, among other forms of kid and adult TV entertainment through pc.
Live TV on PC offers very strict copyright issues and ensures that you do not get trashy programs. It is a legal way of making TV accessible to many and across the world. Just imagine the potential of offering TV through the internet. Even producers of goods and services are now broadening their marketing reach objectives to include a global market. A producer of computer software can now advertise on TV to reach the global market knowing they are watching wherever they have an internet connection to online TV on pc.
All in all you will have access to both North American and other countries TV stations which you would otherwise never have seen. Its better sometimes to hear what else is happening elsewhere and told as it is by the people on the ground. That is exactly what sat tv on computer gives to you.
The sat TV on pc is usually available in many countries including Tunisia, Algeria, South Korea, Tibet, Belgium, Italy, USA, UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Vatican City, Russia, Japan, China, India, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam, France, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands among many others. All you will need to do is download the pc software and from the internet and you are ready to go.
Please visit my websites for more reviews and watch trailers of the latest movies in the vendors site.
Robert has worked for a satellite TV Company for many years. He writes reviews on satellite TV for pc software that helps to make easy the choice in purchasing, installation, use and upgrade of satellite to pc softwares. Please visit his website at: http://www.satellitepctv.wordpress.com



Bookmark it:

Make perfect copies of all your disks

DVD and CD disks became a part of our lifestyle, most of us have a significant collection of movies, audio CDs, photos, games, office documents and other disks. And it s very often that you need to make a copy of that disks, for backup purposes or simply to make a couple of copies of your wedding video for your friends. There are many programs that can copy your DVD movies, but very few of those which can copy all your disks, both CD and DVD.
Here we ll test a program called Clone My DVD, which claims copying any kind of DVD and CD disks. "Clone My DVD - a universal DVD and CD copier" is what we see on product s website, and we d like to check is it really can copy any kind of disk?
Installation takes several seconds, the program is designed as a classic step-by-step wizard, it looks slick and clear. Choose disk to copy, it s a DVD movie now, and press "Next" button to go further. We ve got two DVD drives on our test computer so the program asks do we want to copy directly from drive to drive? Yes we do! Press "Next" again and it started to copy. By default it makes one copy, but you can set number of copies as you like.
Come again, now with an audio CD. Clone My DVD does the job perfectly, we ve got exactly the same CD, no quality loss at all! We did the same with a couple of game CDs, CD with photos, MP3 music DVD, another DVD movie, and one more DVD movie. All attempts were successfull, no hassles.
Then we tested how it works with a single CD/DVD drive. First it copies from disk to computer, then asks to insert a blank disk and writes a copy. It takes additional time, but the result is also perfect.
What we also noticed is Clone My DVD doesn t reduce the quality of DVD movies and audio CDs, which is good. In fact, you get a true copy, exactly the same as original. Clone My DVD is really able to copy any CDs and DVDs, and it doesn t matter what disk is in your drive, you get a proper copy with Clone My DVD anyway. We succesfully copied over ten disks, both CD and DVD, which contained video, MP3 music, CD audio tracks, photos, documents, free software and other stuff. It successfully recognizes various CDR/RW, DVD+/-R/RW disks and double-layer DVD movies.
There is only one feature missed in Clone My DVD. Regrettably it cannot encode 9Gb double-layer DVD to the 4.7Gb single layer, so those who re looking for this feature will be frustrated. But anyway Clone My DVD is still one of the best copying software we ever seen.
Free trial version allows you to copy up to three whole disks, the only limitation is copying protected DVD movies, which is available only in full version. Free download from http://www.clonemydvdmovies.com/clonemydvd11.exe
Conclusion
Clone My DVD is awesome, it can make a copy of all DVD and CD disks, even those are region-protected. You just insert a disk, press couple of buttons and get a carbon copy. It can copy to blank disk, make multiple copies if you want, and it allows to copy directly from drive to drive. All these functions are wrapped into a very clear and simple nterface, not overloaded with too many buttons and menus. If you re looking for all-in-one disk copier try Clone My DVD, which is like a swiss knife - easy to handle and universal at the same time.
You can find more information on Clone My DVD and download free trial version at http://www.clonemydvdmovies.com Get full version without limitations at http://www.clonemydvdmovies.com/Order
About the Author: Constantin Bryzgalin is a freelance reviewer and advanced computer user. He love to test and review new interesting software products he found on the Internet.



Bookmark it: