How to Copy a DVD With Vista

You can create a copy of a DVD on your PC using Vista. The following steps are written for users of a PC with Vista. Windows burns discs using a process called Live File System, but you can also choose to use a Mastered format. Before burning a DVD, familiarize yourself with the laws of DVD duplication in your country. For example, in the United States, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) has very strict restrictions on the use of DVD duplication software.

1. Keep in mind that these steps are intended for personal use and should not violate DVD copyright laws. Note that DVD copying software, for personal use or not, has been declared illegal. You can still safely burn a personal DVD using these steps on your Mac. An example of a personal DVD is a home movie. Also, keep in mind that for all of the following steps, you will first need to rip the DVD onto your computer using DVD ripping software.
2. Step 2

   Insert the DVD that you want to copy. You will want to use software to rip the DVD files onto your computer. Go to the Windows icon at the bottom left corner, and the select the “Computer” option. You will now see the DVD under “Devices and Removable Storage.” Right-click on the DVD icon and select the “Copy” option. Now, right-click again on the same DVD icon and click on the “Paste” option. You will be prompted to insert a blank DVD disc into the drive. After inserting a blank DVD into the drive, you will see a “Burn to Disc” pop-up box. First, give your disc a title and then move on to the next step.

3. Step 3

   These following steps are for burning a DVD using the Live File System format. First, select Live File System and then click on the “Next” button. The information will now be transferred to your blank disc. Keep in mind that with the Live File System format you will be allowed to add and erase files, like a USB flash drive. Also take note that the disc may not work properly on early operating systems before Windows XP.

4. Step 4

   These following steps are for burning a DVD using the Mastered format. First, select a’Mastereda’ and then click on the “Next” button. The information will be now be transferred to your blank disc. Keep in mind that with the Mastered format your disc will be readable on all computers and some CD/DVD players. The Mastered format requires you write all files at once, and individual files can’t be erased afterwards.

5. Step 5

   The last step and option is to burn a DVD using Windows Media Player. First, with Windows Media Player open, click on the “Burn” tab. Select that you want to burn a DVD. You can drag the ripped DVD files onto your list pane of Windows Media Player. Now, click on the “Start Burn” option. Your DVD will now burn, and Windows Media Play will notify you when the process is complete. You can check the DVD by watching it with Windows Media Player still open.

How to Convert Blue Ray to Regular DVD

Blu-ray discs are devices that are able to store large quantities of data. These can be especially good for storing movies. However, Blu-ray discs can be expensive and difficult to back up. While most Blu-ray discs are not able to be immediately transferred onto DVDs, these files can be compressed and converted. As a result, the files will be small enough and properly formatted to be burned to a DVD, which can be played or used as backup for the files.

1. Rip the Blu-ray to your hard drive. This can be done using the anydvdhd program, which, when you load a Blu-ray disc, will provide a button for ripping the disc to your hard drive. This will allow the subsequent steps to be faster.
2. Step 2

   Run TsRemux and load the Blu-ray files (you can do this even without ripping them to your hard drive). Choose which video and audio feeds you want–in general, you can pick just one of each–as well as any subtitles you would like. Hit the “Remux” button, where it will create a newer, simplified file of the Blu-ray disc’s information containing only the video and audio feeds you have selected

3. Step 3

   Split this file into several files using HDBDSplitGUI. Open up the simplified file you created and select the size you would like to split them into (4,400 MB will work well for standard DVD-Rs) and then select the destination folder. Then click the “split” button.

4. Step 4

   Reconvert the files to the Blu-ray format. You will need to open each of the split files using TsRemux again, and this time select “Blu-ray” as the output format (this option is on the right). Hit Remux.

5. Step 5

   Burn these files to DVD using Nero or any other DVD-burning software.

How to Save Youtube Videos to DVD

Ever wanted to save a vintage commercial or live performance you’ve seen on YouTube? Worried your favorite music video may be taken down? Here’s a way to save YouTube videos for posterity.

1. Find your chosen video on YouTube. There’s a handy search button at the top of the site.
2. Step 2

   In another browser tab (as with Firefox or Internet Explorer) open up www.mediaconverter.org.

3. Step 3

   Go back to the YouTube page with your chosen video, and copy the url (NOT the embed link).

4. Step 4

   Go back to the tab with mediaconverter.org on it, and paste your YouTube link under “Convert a video directly from various portals.” Click next step (green button on the bottom right).

5. Step 5

   From the drop-down menu, choose the file type you want to save the video in. Common video file types include .asf, .avi, .m1v, .mp2, .mp2v, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpg, .mpv2, .wm, and .wmv. Click next step.

6. Step 6

   It is best to leave the “additional options” settings at “no changes,” unless you are very tech savvy and know the difference between codecs bitrates. If you don’t, don’t worry! Leave them at the default settings and click next step.

7. Step 7

   After the bar is full and the file is done downloading, click the “Download Now” button, name the resulting video and save it to your chosen folder.

8. Step 8

   Insert a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW into your DVD drive and open your DVD software of choice: Windows Movie Maker, for example, comes packaged with Windows operating systems. In the case of that program, go to File –> New Project.

9. Step 9

   Under capture video (still in Windows Movie Maker) choose “Import Video” under “Capture Video.” If you want to copy directly to DVD as is, skip step #2 (Edit Movie) and go to “save to DVD” under “Finish movie.”

10. Step 10

    Be patient! Burning may take awhile, especially if the file is larger. When done, you should get a pop-up message saying whether the DVD was successfully copied and your DVD drive should eject the finished disc. Pop it into your non-computer DVD player, just to test it, and don’t forget to label!

How to Convert 8mm Tape to DVD

Before hand-held straight-to-DVD recorders and camera phones, people captured their childhood memories with a reel-to-reel analog recording system called 8mm. The 8mm camera film was not the most convenient of videotaping formats and could be easily destroyed over time through natural aging or exposure to direct sunlight. There are ways, however, to preserve those memories by transferring them to DVD.

1. Look for a Hi-8 or Digital8 player/recorder that has audio and video output capabilities. The Hi-8 is a more modern version of the 8mm camera with better-quality videotape, while the Digital8 tapes have more narrow film and can record more footage before running out of tape. The audio out jack is typically red, white, or both; the video jack is yellow. RCA jacks may have those corresponding color bands on black connections. If you have a Fire Wire connection, the process is much easier because Fire Wire connections are specially designed to transfer audio and video to a computer.
2. Step 2

   Ensure your computer has video editing software on it that can capture auxiliary sources in addition to a DVD conversion program. Systems like Windows Vista come with simple video editing programs like Windows Moviemaker that can receive auxiliary audio and video. Programs specialized in DVD conversion can sometimes handle both the capture and conversion process. If your computer does not have a Fire Wire or audio/video-in jacks, you may have to purchase special hardware for your computer with those connections on them. See your local computer store specialist and ask him for TV connection hardware.

3. Step 3

   Set up the recording process for capturing by first turning on your software program. Make sure the software is set to record. The commands to do this for software can vary from program to program, but the command typically mentions capturing or importing video. In Windows Moviemaker, for example, the command is “import from a Digital Video Camera.” Bring up the command so that it is ready for use. Turn the camera on and set it up to the “play” position. For advanced cameras there may be commands that auto-prepare the tape for output capture.

4. Step 4

   Plug the camera into your computer via the audio-video cords or Fire Wire cord and then press the “play” command. Then press the “capture” command on your software. The capture process is real time, so if you have an hour’s worth of tape, it will take an hour to capture. Save the file as an Mpeg-2 file; this makes it much easier to convert to a DVD. Save it onto your desktop so that the file can be easily retrieved later. Once it’s saved, you can splice in photos, add effects, or edit the file before setting it up for final burn.

   Insert a blank DVD and follow the “DVD” burn instructions on your particular program. “DVD Santa” is a highly recommended, easy-to-use converting program that costs around $30.

How to Burn Copy-Protected DVDs

Copying DVDs has become a popular trend in the last few years. It provides people with a backup copy of their favorite movies in case something happens to the originals. Making copies of your DVDs is an easy way to help make your movies last.

1. Get software for copying DVDs. Search online using the search words “DVD copy software.” Try to find software that will make perfect copies with one click of your mouse. Some DVD copy software programs have a DVD ripper or a DVD decryption device that will disable the copy protection on the original DVD, allowing a flawless copy to be burned.
2. Step 2

   Download or install a DVD ripper program onto your computer if the DVD copy software that you have doesn’t include the DVD ripper. When the ripper is installed, it will automatically become part of the copy software, which will aid you in copying the DVDs.

3. Step 3

   Use a DVD decrypter if you don’t want to use DVD copying software. A DVD decrypter will allow you to copy and decrypt DVDs to your computer’s hard drive. From there, you can either watch your movie from your computer or burn it to a DVD by using another software program called DVD Shrink. This method is effective, but not as easy as using the DVD copy software method outlined above.

How to Save a DVD Movie to The Computer

DVDs are great pieces of technology that provide pristine picture, sound and extra materials. However, if a disc gets scratched, then all of that could become unreadable. Instead of treating your DVDs like delicates, you can copy them to your computer’s hard drive and create an easy backup that you’ll always have access to.

1. Download the program named Clone DVD (see Resources below). Clone DVD allows you to copy your DVD directly to your hard drive. You can even save space and expand quality by copying only the essential parts of the disc.
2. Step 2

   Install and open the Clone DVD program. A menu will come up right away showing you all of the program’s options. Insert the DVD disc into your computer and wait for the program to analyze and process the contents of the disc.

3. Step 3

   Choose a “target” for your download. This is where you pick where you want the DVD to be saved to. The easiest locations are the My Videos, Desktop or My Documents folders. You can even create a new folder used just to store DVD discs.

4. Step 4

   Label the file. The easiest thing is to just use the name of the movie because if you are copying multiple discs, you may get confused as to which file is which movie.

5. Step 5

   Choose one of the four copying options. These are “Quick Link” options that allow you to skip right to the burning process. “Entire Disc” copies the entire movie but may reduce the quality a little if you do not have a Double-Layer DVD drive. “Main Movie” eliminates all of the extras and provides just the main feature. “Customize” allows users to select their own options, and “Split Disc” keeps the quality but must be burned onto two DVD discs.

6. Step 6

   If you selected the “Customize” box, choose your options. Here you can eliminate foreign audio tracks, subtitles, special features or a mix of it all. The quality meter will showcase the quality of the transition, but in most cases, the difference is hardly noticeable.

7. Step 7

   Press the large red button to begin the conversion of the DVD. A progress bar will show how far you have gone, and the process could take longer than an hour depending how fast your computer is.

How to Convert AVI to DVD & Software

The acronym .AVI stands for Audio Video Interleave, which works as a container of multimedia files. Different electronic devices support .AVI files, such as Play Station Portables, MP3 players, MP4 players, MP5 players, among others. However, DVDs do not support these files, unless they are converted to a DVD software-related file. Nonetheless, thanks to the spread of Internet and the improvement of technology, many different converters have been developed. Amongst them, the Avi2DVD program is the best of them, since its free, and both an amateur and an expert will handle this program without significant problems.

1. Download and install Avi2DVD. Launch the program. A box with different options will appear. Try not to touch or explore the program by yourself without previous instructions. Otherwise, you will get confused.
2. Step 2

   Go to the tab “Step 1: Input.” Click on the button “Load avi/ogm/mkv/wmv.” The Open dialog will appear. Search for the desired .avi file and click “open.”

3. Step 3

   Go to the options on the right side. These are the standard settings. Do not touch the option “Choose Audio stream” for they are already set by default. Go to the options below the button “Load avi/ogm/mkv/wmv.” There is an Aspect Ratio option. Choose the “4/3″ option if it hasn’t been selected for you already.

4. Step 4

   Go to the tab “Step 2: Output.” Select the “DVD or SVCD” option, if it hasn’t been selected already. Choose the disk size. If the .avi file is a very large one, choose DVD-9 8.5 GB. However, if it’s an average size, choose the option DVD-5 4.7 GB.

5. Step 5

   Choose an output folder. This is where your converted .avi file will be saved later.

6. Step 6

   Go to the “Step 4: Subtitles.” You will have three different options to fill with three different subtitles. Click on the “Subtitle 1″ button. Search and locate your subtitles file–it must be a .txt file. You can add more subtitles in the other two boxes.

7. Step 7

   Go to the buttons on the bottom part of the box. Click “Add Job.” Now, your job will be added to the Job Queue. Finally, click on the “GO!” button. Wait for the required time to process, and check your output folder for confirmation when the task is done.

How to Burn a DVD From BitTorrent Files

BitTorrent is a popular software platform that enables users to download large files such as DVD rips from the Internet. Once downloaded the file is only viewable on the computer. To watch the BitTorrent file on the TV a user needs to transfer the file to a DVD.

1. Download a shareware software package that transfers the BitTorrent files to DVD. The software in use for this example is DVD Flick, which is free and also easy to use.
2. Step 2

   Install DVD Flick software on the computer. Once the download is finished, double click on the downloaded file. Follow instructions on screen to set up the software.

3. Step 3

   Configure the DVD burning project settings in DVD Flick. Open the DVD flick software and click the “Project settings” button. Make sure the default project is correct and will fit on the blank DVD. The default is usually fine but sometimes a specialized DVD can alter the size requirements.

4. Step 4

   Identify the downloaded file to burn to DVD. This file must be a video file. The following are the common file extensions for video files .avi, .mpg, .mov and .wmv.

5. Step 5

   Check the video format settings. Click on the “Video tab” and check format of the DVD settings. If the user is in the US, the setting needs to be NTSC or if the user is in Europe or Asia, the setting needs to be PAL.

6. Step 6

   Add the file or files to the DVD. The simplest method is to open the folder that holds the downloaded files. Then drag and drop the files into the DVD flick software. Be sure to monitor the space left indicator in DVD flick. The amount of space taken up on the DVD will depend on the quality and type of video file.

7. Step 7

   Create chapters on the DVD as necessary. Some users like to divide the DVDs up into chapters for easy access to certain section of the video. To add chapters select the video and click “edit title”. Then change the method of chapter creation to desired length. This step is optional.

8. Step 8

   Click on “Create DVD” in the DVD Flick software. Make sure there is enough space on the hard drive. Typically, four gigabytes is sufficient. Even though a user is burning to a disk, the data is temporarily stored on the hard drive before the transformation is complete.

9. Step 9

   Play the DVD on the TV to make sure the process was successful.

How to Download a Free Program Guide to TiVo

The TiVo is out of the box and the family is sitting around waiting for the latest technology to be unleashed when you notice you left the guide at work while showing off your new toy to your friends. To help you, Tivo also provides all the guide information online and gives you the opportunity to download free copies in case your guide is misplaced or thrown away.

1. Determine which version of TiVo you own, as TiVo has several types of digital video recorders (DVRs) on the market. The type you own will be printed on the front of your TiVo on the top left. This will help you pick the correct guide for your model once you access the TiVo website.
2. Step 2

   Go to the TiVo homepage (see Resources below). This site is very useful, especially when you are just getting started with TiVo. It will help you fix all your setup woes and give you access to the free program guides.

3. Step 3

   Go to “Setup and Support” on the Tivo website. This will bring you to the main support page, where you can preview your different subscription options and choose the right one for your needs. It is also where you will find the link to the “TiVo Guides.”

4. Step 4

   Click “TiVo Guides.” This will take you to a page where you will see pictures of all the available guides. Find your TiVo either through the picture or description and then click on it.

5. Step 5

   Click on guide of choice from the following page, which includes “Viewers Guide.” This guide is what came with your TiVo and will give you all the basic information you need to program your box.

6. Step 6

   Click on “Complete Guide.” This will open up a download page which will allow you to save a download of the guide on your computer. It also gives you the option to print an extra copy as well. The guide is in PDF form, so you will need a reader in order to see it.

How to Make a Killer Set List

So, you’re a great rock ‘n’ roll band and just keep getting better! Having a good set is important. Here are some tips.

How to Make a Killer Set List

1. Step 1

   First of all, you know different people will want to hear different songs. Make a list of the best songs from your albums.

2. Step 2

   Begin arranging them. You should always open with something from your newest album. Make sure it’s something upbeat, captivating, and that it will have the crowd singing along.

3. Step 3

   Now pick the middle of the set. Try to mix it up; don’t have too many fast numbers in a row, or too many slow ones. Sprinkle your “hits” in every couple songs or so.

4. Step 4

   If you have brand new material you want to try out that’s fine, but I wouldn’t recommend doing more than one or two completely new ones. If they’re brand new, say so and let your audience know the name of the song(s).

5. Step 5

   Set aside a few songs you know the audience wants to hear for the encore. If the audience clamors for an encore, thank them again for coming, then send them off with two or three great tunes.