Official DVD backup policy?

[otheos]

So I cannot backup my DVD movies! Now that my 4 year old smashed the disc, what am I going to do?

What's the official position for this?

Specifically this DVD has no "proof of purchase" cut outs.

Thank you in advance.

[Gomer]

I think the official position involves grabbing your ankles while bent over =)

The only thing I can think to do is collect all the pieces and give them to the manufacture maybe. Perhaps they will replace it for you.

Meanwhile... time to get those DVD's out of reach of the four year old.

[daveleau]

Yeah, the only way I know to make backups is to rip them to MPEG1 or 2 and create VCDs or SVCDs, which typically takes up 2 disks at a quality lower than DVD. This is time consuming in bioth learning how and in the ripping/ encoding process (takes 15-20 hours to encode a movie with a PIII 800 with 512MB SDRAM).

So, sorry to say that, while it is possible, it is a pain in the ****.

Dave

[otheos]

Gomer, I admit, that position was the one I had in mind! lol, I'm glad you got the pun!

I know you can "back it up" with either VCD or DivX, but the official position (no pun) is that you should not, so I go by the book and don't. Now what???

I'll try to contact them. I know software discs work like this but DVD movies?? We'll see.

By the way, 4 year olds can now load the DVD movie themselves to the player, switch on the TV and watch unattended!!! I remember I was proud (when I was 4) to climb higher than other (4 year olds). Shame!

[eagle1]

Yeah it really is a pain.! My friend has a huge collection of dvd's and he has a back up for his fave movies.! He just starts the encoding process at night, goes to sleep and wake up the other day and sometimes, the thing hasn't finished it's business.!!

Now that sucks./.!

[DanU]

I don't know how it is in the Wales, but in the US, the consumer has the right to make an archival backup of any piece of software, movie, book, etc. that they purchased.

In the event that the original copy is destoyed, the archival backup becomes the primary copy and you are then free to make another copy for archival purposes.

If you transfer the software, movie, book, etc. to another person, then you must destroy all of the copies associated with it.

[edit]
one more thing... Your right to make backup copies does not translate into a requirement by content providers to enable you do so. Otherwise, copy protections schemes like Macrovision for tapes or SafeDisc for CD-ROMs would be illegal.

[This message has been edited by DanU (edited 07-25-2001).]

[smartxtai]

i have a solution!!!!! buy the dvd movie again!!! wow!!! what a concept....

[RobRich]

I backup to VHS myself, as I don't often have the time to create digital copies. Even then, I use a macrovision disabling process so I can utilize real-time MPEG capture with my TV-in card. Requires 2 computers, possibly a VCR, and a little effort.

You could just what a friend of mine does. He dumps DVDs directly to his LAN storage array, in native DVD format! I guess he had to fill it up with something, considering he has 640+ GB of RAID storage across 8 IDE drives.

Robert Richmond

[daveleau]

I would have to go by the stance that if you own it and you bought it from a store that pays royalties to the movie companies, then you can make backups as long as they are for legitimate reasons. Distributing "backup copies" is not the way to go. Ripping SVCDs is a legitimate, yet slightly lower quality of backing up your movies. It is rediculous that you should have to buy two copies.

Dave

[Apostle 83]

Copy protection is not exactly exciting me lately.

But I do know that if companies truly care about their customers, they'll help you out. I know a friend of mine was trying to back up WestWood's Emporer: Battle for Dune, and WestWood has excellent protection on this game.

He called them, as their liscense agreement gives you the right to a backup, and what they're doing is sending out an original copy to you if you break the disk. I think that's pretty cool, unless you're a chronic disk breaker.