321 Studios' DVD Copy Plus isn't your typical disc-copying program. Instead, it's a collection of high-octane, special-purpose utilities that together can be used to copy DVD movies onto CD--either VideoCD (VCD) or Super VideoCD (SVCD). Although all the applications in this suite are available as free downloads, they're hard to use and have limited tech support. DVD Copy Plus unifies the package with an interface, tutorials, and generous support options. While the package is still challenging, it offers incredibly flexible DVD copying--even for newbies. If you want to back up DVDs and don't have a DVD burner (or the patience to deal with multiple freeware utilities), this package fits the bill.
Like 321 Studios' other products, DVD Copy Plus employs a product-activation scheme similar to Microsoft's protection on Windows XP. That means you can install the software on only one computer and you must activate the program (online or via phone) or else it won't run--period. Should you ever need to reinstall the program on a new machine, 321 is flexible about allowing multiple reactivations. Once the software is activated, the company provides unlimited free upgrades.
The DVD Copy Plus interface makes a valiant attempt to combine several very different applications into a seamless package. While the program still feels loosely joined--for example, the various program interfaces aren't standardized, and there's no way to access one program from another--the built-in tutorial saves the day. It does a good job of explaining how to rip a DVD, compress the ripped content into MPEG files small enough to fit onto CDs, then burn the results. Once you complete all 15 short lessons, you can skip the interface (other than to access 321 Studios' Web site) and run component programs separately.
DVD Copy Plus includes two main applications: SmartRipper DVD, for ripping DVDs, and the DVDx MPEG encoder. You'll also get SAG's PowerCDR Express disc-burning application (distributed only in this bundle) and AIST's DVD Photo Pro, which lets you capture analog video and still images and assemble multimedia presentations.
The powerful disc-ripping utility SmartRipper can copy all or part of any DVD-Video disc to your hard drive. It includes some legally questionable options, such as removing region coding and Macrovision, and some flat-out forbidden actions, such as removing CSS copy protection. But SmartRipper also offers many more legitimate features, such as the ability to rip each chapter of a movie into a separate video file. The steep learning curve is worth it.
DVDx can compress SmartRipper's disc-image output into standard MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or AVI files that can then be burned onto VCD or SVCD discs using PowerCDR Express. Its sophisticated feature set includes the ability to translate PAL video to the North American NTSC format, and it automatically selects its compression rate to ensure that the size of its output doesn't exceed the capacity of your blank media.
Programs such as DVD Copy Plus, which need time to compress DVD-Video content to fit onto CD media, can't match the speed or output quality of 1:1 (uncompressed-file) copiers such as 321 Studios' DVD X Copy, as our tests show. Furthermore, the VCD and SVCD formats don't support standard DVD functions such as menu systems, subtitles, or 5.1-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks. Like a VHS videotape, they simply store a movie without any of the intelligence authored into most DVD titles.
DVD Copy Plus required a total of 1 hour and 27 minutes of computer time to copy an unprotected 60-minute DVD to VCD (9 minutes to rip, 56 minutes to recompress, and 22 minutes to burn), which equated to about 1 hour, 45 minutes of total elapsed time. Our 2.5GHz P4 testbed was configured with 512MB of PC800 RDRAM and a 7,200rpm Western Digital Caviar hard drive, and we copied content from a Pioneer DVR-A05 to a Sony DRX-500UL DVD-rewriter.
In addition to an online knowledge base of troubleshooting FAQs, 321 Studios offers unlimited, moderated Web-based forums, and links to software guides, user chat boards, and other online resources. The company also promises to add real-time support via instant messaging. (This feature wasn't available at press time.) However, while 321 Studios' online forums include postings about DVD Copy Plus, they're primarily oriented toward newer products such as DVD X Copy.
DVD Copy Plus
Company: 321 Studios
Price: US$69.99 via download
1%
4%
