IMBRAT’Z MULTIMEDIA

How to Copy a DVD

If you do a simple search engine search, you will find that there are many websites dedicated to teaching you how to copy DVDs and also on selling software to help you copy DVDs. There is software designed to copy DVD to DVD, VHS to DVD and even video games such as the Playstation 2 games.

Copy Software

There are so many different types of copy software out there. There are also chips that are sold that can be installed into your device to allow you to read the versions of the DVDs that you copy. This over rides the security features that the manufacturer had placed on the disc. Some of these software programs can run for up to $149.00 or more. But many people consider this acceptable when you look at DVDs being about $19.95 and up each. You can make as many copies as you want of DVDs with the one time purchase of the DVD copy software. You can also make copies of DVDs that you currently own. Since DVDs are sensitive to heat, they can wear down over time after being played and getting scratched and they will no longer work. If you make backup copies of your movies, you don’t have to worry about this.

DVD Piracy

One thing that confuses many people is what is legal and what is illegal when it comes to copying DVDs. The same as copying CDs or downloading music from the internet, this can be a very confusing topic. You may wonder why if copying DVDs is illegal, why there are so many sites that advertise how to do it. If you take notice, most of these sites advertise as how to make a “back up copy” of your disc. This means you are simply making a copy for your own use in case one copy was to become broken. This is legal. You can make as many copies of your own movie as you want. You are not, however, allowed to distribute those copies in any way. Many people think that as long as they are not receiving money for it, then it is okay to share them. This is false information.

If you buy a legal copy of a DVD movie, copy it yourself, then give that copy to a friend that is piracy. Even if you get no profit from it, you are cutting into the profits of the movie industry.

About the Author

If you would like to get started with DVD copying then go now to http://www.dvd-burning.org to discover how you can quickly and easily make your first dvd in minutes!

1. Pocket DVD Wizard - Handheld Owners Rejoice!
www.deprice.com/pocketdvdwizard.htm

The Pocket DVD Wizard allows you to make backup copies of your personal DVDs, Mpeg, Avi and DivX® video and then play them on your Windows Mobile™ Pocket PC or Portable Media Center. Imagine the possibilities! You can now record your favourite TV program with your DVD recorder and transfer it to your Pocket PC, then watch it later in the office, or on the beach!

2. DVDFab Platinum - 3 Day Sale
www.deprice.com/dvdfabplatinum.htm

DVDFab Platinum is all you need to backup DVDs. It combines the one-click convenience of DVDFab Express with the power of DVDFab Gold. New Feature: DVDFab Platinum now can copy DVD-9 in 1:1 mode, and remove all the protections (CSS, Region Code, RCE, Macrovision, UOPs), then burn to a double layer DVD-DL. This creates a perfect copy without any restriction.

3. dvdSanta - Insanely Cheap
www.deprice.com/dvdsanta2.htm

dvdSanta is an All-in-One software that lets you copy, create, convert and burn your DVD movies. It can copy 9GB double layer DVD movies into a 4.7GB DVD-R disc, can turn your photos into DVD movies with Hollywood style motion effects, can convert other video formats(avi, wmv, vob, asf, DivX, Mpeg,…) into DVD video, can transfer miniDV camcorder tapes directly to DVD video.

4. WinAVI Video Converter - Educated Pick
www.deprice.com/winavivc.htm

WinAVI Video Converter is a nice tool for converting video clips to an assortment of formats. The attractive, modern interface features large, clearly labeled icons, so you won’t have to dig through the menus very often. You can convert a variety of file types to WMV, AVI, MPEG, and RM. Other notable pluses include a built-in DVD-burning utility, a batch-conversion tool, and a preview pane.

5. VideoCharge - Price Slide
www.deprice.com/videocharge.htm

VideoCharge is a full-range editor, which allows users to perform practically any operations with incoming files such as: splitting files up into several scenes, merging several files into a single file, cutting scene(s) out of video files, creating video file(s) based on selected scene(s), creating thumbnails for video files in manually or automatically mode, addition Watermark to movie(s) or thumbnail(s), Solving Interlace Video problem.

About the Author

David D. Deprice sells DVD software for pennies on the dollar at http://www.deprice.com/multimedia.htm

It is the age of the digital camera, a wonderful device that not only allows you to take great pictures but also allows you to digitize all that is sacred to you. But even if you don’t own a state of the art digital camera and are still using film you can use your film camera to digitize all that is important to you. Cameras are used to take pictures and most people take pictures of other people, places and events but if you think outside the box you start to move beyond the obvious uses and begin to realize the true potential of this versatile device.

For example you can take pictures of documents, artwork, musical instruments, your valued collections, the toaster; anything that has sentimental value to you that may not endure the test of time.

You may be asking yourself is the author nuts, why would I want to take a picture of my toaster? We’ll get to that later. In the meantime let’s look at some interesting ways to use your cameral as a digital archiving tool.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a collection of your most important personal documents; wills, living wills, insurance information, investment information all in one safe and secure place? If you take well lit, focused snapshots of documents with your camera at high resolution you can then import the images to your PC or Mac and burn them onto CD or DVD media; that way your documents can be stored in one place and easily accessible. If you don’t own a digital camera or a computer for that matter don’t worry, you can simply ask for your images to be put on a CD when you get your pictures developed. Once your pictures are on CD they can be saved and output later if needed. Photos that have been digitized in this manner remain intact and unchanged. They do not fade, yellow, or degrade with age. And since CD media is said to have a shelf life of 50 years or more when stored correctly you are basically future proofing your images as well.

This same logic applies to other physical items such as artwork, posters, furniture, trinkets, etc.

Now about the toaster; taking pictures of all of the items in your house can be a great way to recall what you actually own in the case of theft or vandalism, fire or other such disaster. It is often hard to remember all of the items you own and this is especially true when under a great deal of stress. My insurance agent told me once that claims can be settled much quicker with this kind of documentation because you have proof of what you owned.

I strongly recommend having a number of copies made and storing two copies in a safe deposit box at your local bank. These storage facilities are generally fire proofed, temperature and humidity controlled but you should inquire just to be safe. Another option is to give a friend or family member a copy. They should store the CD in its case in a cool, dry place in the home; the more people who store a copy of your digital archive, the greater the chance that it will remain undamaged over time.

There are definitely more uses for your camera as an archiving tool than have been covered here. If you use a little imagination and ingenuity you will find yourself coming up with all kinds of ways to put your trusty old or new camera into service.

About the Author

Jay Corrao is the founder and president of Memory Archivers, a video production company based in Apple Valley Minnesota. His company specializes in wedding and event videograpy, video biographies, and consumer digital archiving.

www.memoryarchivers.com
jay@memoryarchivers.com