I've tried many times over the last few days to copy The Skelton Key. Regardless of which programs I use, with AnyDVD 5.9.1.1 on or off, It always craps out at some point in the process--either while initially ripping or when using DVD Shrink.

This is a bit of a trend lately with AnyDVD it seems; at least for me. About half of all the discs I've tried to copy lately have come up with some kind of issue in the process, even though all I'm doing is dragging the video_ts file to a temp directory on my hard drive, then running dvd shrink and finally burning with Nero 7.

Has anyone else been having widespread issues with AnyDVD? Has anyone managed to crack The Skeleton Key without getting into low-level cell deletions or something equally icky?

I had no trouble with AnyDVD in conjunction with DVDDcrypter. My recollection was it was the version prior to 5.9.0.0. Shrink has a lot of problems with pack headers missing. I use CloneDVD as it has no such problem.

Why are people still using primitive outdated programs such as shrink and nero recode2 with Anydvd and then complain of faulty backups . Not using Clonedvd with Anydvd is like Driving a Corvette with a 6 cylinder Shrink doesn't even have a transcoder to compare with Clonedvd's quailty, come on folks clean your hard drives of this outdated junk. It's 2006 , use Slysofts products you get what you pay for, so what do you expect for free?

@ exenx2005
I agree with the clonedvd/anydvd combination, but i would still hear your comment about dvdshrink, if it would be updated again. Shrink's output is very good for freeware if you compare it to other shrinking apps which you've to pay for.

Don't hold your breath waiting for an update of DVD Shrink....

DVD Shrink is very good for a free program and it's still usefull because it has some features that some programs(were you have to pay for) doesn't have.

Plus AnyDVD occasionally makes updates to reflect problems with Shrink so it may remain useful for a while as long as you have another supported program.

Hi

I used to have problems with a few disc's until I purchased CloneDVD2 . Unfortunately programs like Shrink and Nero are not updated frequently hence the problems.

After doing much reading on these forums it seems that CloneDvd2 was the only way. Since then I have not had 1 dvd that I am unable to backup. And I did manage to backup Skelton Key (R2) version.

Regards
Zirc

Your claim is completely false. Shrink's transcoder is capable of producing better quality results than Clonedvd2 when using deep analysis with max smoothness (Clonedvd2 does not have a comparable feature). The tradeoff, of course, is time used to transcode.

Clonedvd2 results:
http://forum.digital-digest.com/show...9&postcount=23

Shrink results:

http://forum.digital-digest.com/show...5&postcount=19

That said, a good encoder is better than a transcoder (and both Shrink and Clonedvd use transcoders).

Of course, Shrink is no longer developed or supported, and I agree that Clonedvd2 is a less headache filled solution for most people; just use Anydvd and Clonedvd2, and try to avoid aggressive compression rates. Instead of running two or three applications to achieve the results you want, you just need to load up Clonedvd2 with Anydvd running in the background (which is a driver, not an application). Ripping to the hard drive is even an optional step here (in other words, you don't need to). What could be simpler?

As far as having problems with Anydvd, the answer is no. Right-clicking the fox icon and choosing "rip video-dvd to harddrive" using Anydvd 5.9.1.1 should address most issues you encounter with Shrink. If not, I suspect your original is damaged, or there is something the matter with your optical drive/reader.

"New: Added "AnyDVD Ripper". This little tool repairs defective DVDs
while copying them to your harddisk. It can be started from the menu of
the AnyDVD fox icon. It can be started as a stand alone application from
the start menu as well, so it can be used even if AnyDVD is not registered
and the trial period has expired.
It is identical to FixVTS (http://www.videohelp.com/~FixVTS/) but instead
of fixing problems "in place" it copies the files to your harddisk directly
from the source DVD. It fixes the problems while the files are copied.
Some DVDs which have severe mastering defects e.g.,
"Menace II Society" R1 (US) can now be copied with all DVD copy tools
(elby CloneDVD, DVDShrink, etc.) Many thanks to the author of FixVTS!"

Each user needs to compare the results on their equipment. As has been noted before, there is no point in spending all the time on a slower transcoder unless you can actually see the results. As you said, the real differences show up with a good encoder.

While I agree it's up to the individual user to determine whether the payoff in additional time spent transcoding is worth the wait, the results are not subjective. You can see the difference on your comptuer screen (I can tell the difference from the screenshots). Shrink does offer the ability to produce better quality results (which are more apparent) at higher compression rates than Clonedvd2 (the tradeoff is time spent transcoding with Shrink), provided the user chooses "deep analysis" with "max smoothness". You may not be able to see the difference on your equipment, but if you attempt to play the discs on someone else's equipment, you may. And, again, I do agree it's up to the user's situation.

This is a bit like the argument between mp3 (especially as the bitrate increases) and lossless compressions (and I'm not saying Shrink is lossless or anything like that; I'm just saying there's a difference). Some people claim they can't hear the difference between mp3s and .wav files (or .shn or whatever). And I believe them (some people have worse hearing than others; some people use inferior equipment). But to suggest there is no difference is completely wrong. Subjectivity can't come into play here; it's not like taste in art.

My original point though is that Shrink offers the possibility of producing better quality results than Clonedvd2 (the tradeoff, again, is time spent transcoding), especially at higher compression rates.

never....ever...ever had an issue with DVD Shrink....of course I use FixVTS first and if movie only you can get rid of the funky cells by just setting the start point in DVD Shrink in a bit

Using deep analysis is a feature I would love to see on clonedvd yes this does give a little better quailty with a cost of time , generally if I was to have to use this function to see noticable results I would go DL on certain classics I also am impressed with the preserve menu option that shrink will not allow during reauthoring.bottom line shink doesn't update and is obsolete by todays encryption and structure standards

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm seeing the majority of you saying I should give clonedvd2 a try. I'll download the trial version tonight and give that a go. Hopefully, it will let me copy Wedding Crashers, which I'm having identical problems with. ARGH! I really do hate spending $$ on AnyDVD only to have Nero Burning Rom 7 halt on me due to some error that was seemingly missed by Shrink or AnyDVD.

If anyone has any further advice, I'm all ears!

If you don't need to compress(i.e. 100% in shrink) do you still need to run deep anaysis and if not then is CloneDVD2 better than Shrink? Thanks!

Okay, I tried out some different dvd compressors, and here's what I found out. The AnyDVD/DVD Shrink combination barely works on anything for me any longer. I tried AnyDVD/Nero Recode and managed to finally rip Wedding Crashers. I thought, "Ah-ha! At last!", but too soon. I then tried to copy The Bad News Bears(2005) with the same combination. As usual, during the burn phase with Nero Burning Rom 7, I got the dreaded "cyclic redundancy check" error. So I tried reripping with AnyDVD/ CloneDVD2. No luck. Same error, and another coaster made for my coffee table.

Is this typical? Am I going to continue being unable to copy half of the discs I try? Anyone else dealing with this? In case it's relevant, my DVD+-RW Drive is an NEC 12x drive.

Is there some setting for AnyDVD or CloneDVD that I'm overlooking somehow?

Errors during the burn process have nothing to do with the nature of the files ripped from your original. I have not found SHrink or Clone able to even start processing if there was a file with errors. Your problem has to do with your burner or media. Post the exact media code and burner/firmware.

No

Yes. If you use a lot of compression Shrink's transcoder produces superior results, provided you use deep analysis with max smoothness. If you're not using a lot of compression, Clonedvd2 is (in conjunction with Anydvd), by far, the better program to use (in my opinion, anyway).

Of course, a good encoder will produce better results than a transcoder (and both Shrink and Clonedvd2 use transcoders).

The media that I'm using is Memorex DVD+R 16x Single-Layer. My DVD-R drive is the NEC DVD_RW ND-3520AW, with driver version 5.1.2535. I'm not sure how to check the firmware version.

always use the latest anydvd 5941 for removing dvd protection