Copying a DVD

Copying a DVD is somewhat more problematic than copying a CD. There are two reasons for this:

• Dual-layer commercial DVDs hold up to 9.4GB of data, where blank DVD-R discs only hold 4.7GB. This means that it's impossible to copy a movie onto a single disc; you either have to break the movie into two halves (on two separate discs) or compress the movie to fit, thus compromising quality.

• Many commercial DVDs are protected by a sophisticated encryption scheme, which prevents copying.

So if you want to copy a DVD, you're pretty much limited by the original material. If you want to copy a DVD you've created, you're okay. If you want to copy a commercial DVD movie even if it's just a backup copy for your personal use you're probably out of luck. (There's no harm in trying, however; not all commercial DVDs feature copy-protection encryption.)

That said, there are many programs that let you make copies of your personal DVDs. With most of these programs, the process is as simple as clicking a button or two; some programs let you compress longer DVDs to fit on a standard blank DVD or break long DVDs into two shorter ones.

Here are some of the most popular DVD copy programs:

• DVD Wizard Pro (www.dvdwizardpro.com)

• DVD X Copy (www.dvdxcopy.com)

• Easy CD & DVD Creator (www.roxio.com)

• EZ DVD Copy (www.ezdvdcopy.com)

• Pinnacle Instant CD/DVD (www.pinnaclesys.com)

• Ulead MovieFactory (www.ulead.com)

The Absolute Minimum

Here are the key points to remember from this chapter:

• If you have a DVD burner in your PC system, you can create movie DVDs from your existing home movies.

• MyDVD lets you create DVDs direct from videotape or from edited movie files.

• You can also create DVDs that contain slideshows of your digital photographs.

• While it's possible to copy your personal DVDs, copying commercial movie DVDs is more problematic because of both file size and copy-protection issues.