Hi all,
Been a long time since I was a regular here... stumbled across this place when it was vcdhelp.com (that's what my bookmark still is!) and it was an invaluable resource for me when I was learning how to make VCDs and later backing-up and authoring DVDs.
Back in "the good old days" you had to use tools with very little GUI and you had to know how to really dig into the IFOs etc in order to make a copy of a DVD or be really brave and try to author one of your own - but the tools got better and better all the time until it eventually got to the point where all you needed to know was how to use a mouse.
Unfortunately, I'm a "use it or lose it" kinda guy - getting all those nifty tools that do all the thinking for you has pushed any/all previously learned skills and knowledge right out of my brain in favor of worthless crap like "Friends" trivia and how to *gasp* do my job...
Now I'm thinking about getting into Blu as the price of both burners and media has gotten to the point that I consider reasonable.
My primary desire is back-ups: main movie-only back-ups of Blu-Ray discs (I just don't care about special features &/or the 30 different audio and subtitle options) and multiple DVD to Blu-Ray back-ups.
With the DVDs, what I'm looking for is putting multiple discs onto one BD at full DVD quality audio and video. Examples would be a 2 or 3 movie 'series' (Mad Max, The Road Warrior, Thunderdome) or a 3 disc season set of a TV show.
Secondary desire: if possible, multiple movie Blu-Ray to Blu-Ray back-up. For example RED and RED 2 on one multi-layer disc.
Currently I use DVDShrink, DVD Decrypter, and ImgBurn and those 3 cover all my DVD needs.
I'm looking for similar tools for Blu.
From what I've seen so far, ImgBurn already has me covered on one front, and BD Rebuilder has a feature-set similar to DVDShrink.
I've also gleaned that an item of key importance is your burner must include binding nonce generation capability.
My only Blu-Ray player is an old-school CECHAxx PS3 (yup, the "big" one that plays PlayStation2 games).
My system specs are updated here on my profile.
What I'm looking for at this point is information - not every little detail, but pointers on good places that I can go to find out what I need.
I'd like to learn from your own mistakes and experiences if possible.
Is multi-layer media really worth the time, money, and effort? The burners are certainly pricey, and the media hasn't come down in price like the single-layer has. Both burners and media seem to be only 'kinda sorta' reliable... multi-layer seems problematic and maybe more trouble that it's worth.
Does my rig have what it takes? Do I need more RAM? Faster CPU?
Which burner? I've been eye-balling the LG WH16NS40, LG WH14NS40, and Pioneer BDR-208D but can't find for certain anywhere that these can do binding nonce generation.
Will I need anything special (software, drive, media) to make sure my discs will work on my PS3?
What am I not even taking into consideration because I've been doing DVD forever and the intricacies/nuances of Blu are a whole new realm?
I feel like there's something big that I'm missing - it can't just be as easy as buying a burner and some discs, installing a few programs, and away you go, can it? (getting into DVD sure as hell wasn't!).
TIA!
Been a long time since I was a regular here... stumbled across this place when it was vcdhelp.com (that's what my bookmark still is!) and it was an invaluable resource for me when I was learning how to make VCDs and later backing-up and authoring DVDs.
Back in "the good old days" you had to use tools with very little GUI and you had to know how to really dig into the IFOs etc in order to make a copy of a DVD or be really brave and try to author one of your own - but the tools got better and better all the time until it eventually got to the point where all you needed to know was how to use a mouse.
Unfortunately, I'm a "use it or lose it" kinda guy - getting all those nifty tools that do all the thinking for you has pushed any/all previously learned skills and knowledge right out of my brain in favor of worthless crap like "Friends" trivia and how to *gasp* do my job...
Now I'm thinking about getting into Blu as the price of both burners and media has gotten to the point that I consider reasonable.
My primary desire is back-ups: main movie-only back-ups of Blu-Ray discs (I just don't care about special features &/or the 30 different audio and subtitle options) and multiple DVD to Blu-Ray back-ups.
With the DVDs, what I'm looking for is putting multiple discs onto one BD at full DVD quality audio and video. Examples would be a 2 or 3 movie 'series' (Mad Max, The Road Warrior, Thunderdome) or a 3 disc season set of a TV show.
Secondary desire: if possible, multiple movie Blu-Ray to Blu-Ray back-up. For example RED and RED 2 on one multi-layer disc.
Currently I use DVDShrink, DVD Decrypter, and ImgBurn and those 3 cover all my DVD needs.
I'm looking for similar tools for Blu.
From what I've seen so far, ImgBurn already has me covered on one front, and BD Rebuilder has a feature-set similar to DVDShrink.
I've also gleaned that an item of key importance is your burner must include binding nonce generation capability.
My only Blu-Ray player is an old-school CECHAxx PS3 (yup, the "big" one that plays PlayStation2 games).
My system specs are updated here on my profile.
What I'm looking for at this point is information - not every little detail, but pointers on good places that I can go to find out what I need.
I'd like to learn from your own mistakes and experiences if possible.
Is multi-layer media really worth the time, money, and effort? The burners are certainly pricey, and the media hasn't come down in price like the single-layer has. Both burners and media seem to be only 'kinda sorta' reliable... multi-layer seems problematic and maybe more trouble that it's worth.
Does my rig have what it takes? Do I need more RAM? Faster CPU?
Which burner? I've been eye-balling the LG WH16NS40, LG WH14NS40, and Pioneer BDR-208D but can't find for certain anywhere that these can do binding nonce generation.
Will I need anything special (software, drive, media) to make sure my discs will work on my PS3?
What am I not even taking into consideration because I've been doing DVD forever and the intricacies/nuances of Blu are a whole new realm?
I feel like there's something big that I'm missing - it can't just be as easy as buying a burner and some discs, installing a few programs, and away you go, can it? (getting into DVD sure as hell wasn't!).
TIA!