Convert DVD to avi, mpeg

[texan]

I just purchased a VHS/DVD recorder so that I can convert all my personal VHS tapes onto DVDs. I would like to put some of the video on my website so that other family members can view them also. It appears that I need ripper software to convert this to the right format, but I am a real newbie to all of this. (Exactly what is the best format to use?)

Can someone recommend some good software to do the job and maybe alert me to what I should be looking for in picking out software. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Rick_E]

Hi, you would want to convert your videos into one of the streaming formats. See below. I believe you can encode your DVD files directly using an encoder.

You can convert your video or audio files to one of the streaming formats such as Windows Media, Real, or Quicktime. There are free or almost free encoders provided for this purpose.

The free Windows Media Encoder can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/create.aspx

The free Real Producer for encoding RealMedia is at
http://www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/index.html

and the Pro Version of the QuickTime player, which will encode streaming QuickTime files is at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qt/

Performance:

You would get improved performance by hosting your streaming media on a specialized media server, but for low-traffic sites you can host your streaming media files on your web site and use http streaming.

Many people encode a broadband version at around 250 kbps and also a dialup version at 28 kbps. Obviously, the broadband version will have better quality and frame rates.

[forkart]

Try yasa dvd to mpeg converter, it works fine for me to convert dvd to mpeg and avi.
yasa dvd to mpeg converter (http://www.yasasoft.com/yasadvdtompeg/)

[damber]

I bought a Capture Card to convert old VHS/analog video to digital. It gives you more flexibility and control. Instead of burning it to DVD, then reconverting it to your PC/Editing it/re-burning it to DVD, then throwing away the original DVD you captured it on. Saves time and money in the long run, and provides much more flexibility. Plus, a capture card is probably cheaper than the device you bought. But if thats what you need/want. Then you've got the right device.

I use an ATI TV Wonder Card. Its ok, the software crashes a lot though.

For converting, I use a wmv format at 256Kbs (2 Meg/minute) Good quality image/sound and nice size to stream over the web. YOu can see my site for some examples hosted on Powweb:

www.emuvideo.com

Advice on S/W ??? So much out there to choose from. If you buy a cheap editing system, you'll out grow it quick if you really love it. I'd go for a middle of the road package and make sure you can convert to a streaming format such as wmv.....

Cheers,

Damien

[youthman]

I use http://www.dvddecrypter.com/ to rip DVD's.