Converting DVD to MP4

My big DVD conversion project has begun. As an aside, I finally got CloneDVD Mobile to work correctly for me. Based on this article from Slysoft, which isn’t as easy to find as it should be, I disabled the Tablet Input Server, added CloneDVD Mobile.exe to the BlackList inside RoboForm 7 AND set the EXE to run in Compatibility Mode for Windows XP SP3. Bloody hell, that’s just ridiculous.

But after all that, I’ve decided NOT to use CloneDVD Mobile to rip my DVDs to MP4 format. And there’s a couple of reasons despite the fact that the quality of the file is actually quite good with CloneDVD Mobile.

First, it doesn’t allow you to specify your output options like File Size, specific bitrate, audio bitrate, etc. The slide is good, but that’s not enough control.

Second, CloneDVD Mobile isn’t very sophisticated, meaning, it rips a DVD and you move on to the next. What if I have a whole library of ISO images, this is going to take forever to rip one, sit and wait, rip the next.

Third, CloneDVD Mobile seems to be the bastard child of the Slysoft family. It has been updated in eons. New devices, new formats, new features, none of that seems to make it into CloneDVD Mobile. It looks and acts the same as it did four years ago and that’s not good enough. Yes it works, but it’s not keeping up with the times.

So that leaves me looking for other software to handle the project. I’ve decided on Xilisoft DVD Ripper. In actuality I bought the entire Xilisoft Media Toolkit Ultimate. I got the Video Converter Ultimate as a Giveaway of the Day and it’s been awesome. I’ve converted hundreds of files to MP4 for my iPad. I decided to get the upgrade and the Full Monty all at the same time.

I ended up getting DVD Ripper Ultimate because it supports batch conversions. You can open multiple ISO or DVD folders at the same time and have it convert them one after the other. Considering how many discs I have to get through, I can rip dozens of discs to the drive during the day and let them convert overnight.

Plus, DVD Ripper allows me to specify the file size, the bitrate, the audio rate, screen resolution, crop and other functions. Why do you need that? I don’t want an episode of The Simpsons that I plan to watch on my iPad coming out to 1.6GB. That’s just ridiculous.

The Suite was kind of expensive, but the whole bundle is on sale for Valentine’s Day. Considering the hundreds of discs I need to get through, it’s a small price to pay for the convenience. Additionally, for that price I get an upgraded Video Converter Ultimate as well as the DVD and Audio copy tools. I may not use them as frequently, but considering I got all 5 tools for less than two of the tools, that’s a pretty good bargain.

Don’t count Slysoft out just yet. I’m still going to use CloneDVD and AnyDVD to rip all the discs to the hard drive. Since I just have to rip them to a folder it takes about 5 minutes a disc. After that, DVD Ripper will churn away during the night turning them all into MP4s.