DVD to AVI Conversion

Home theater PC setups have increased in popularity in recent years, and as DVD collections have grown, people have looked for an easier way to store and access their film libraries. One popular way of doing this is converting a DVD connection to AVI files. After converting your collection, watching a movie is as simple as double-clicking on it.

Basics

• First choose a compression codec. A codec is software used to compress a media file, and many different compression codecs can result in a file with the .avi extension. The most popular codecs for DVD backup are DivX and XviD. Choose the DivX codec if you would like to burn your AVI files to CDs, as most set-top DVD players will be able to play them. If you will be storing your archive on a computer, use the XviD codec. The XviD software is open-source and free to use, while the professional version of DivX must be purchased.

Try SimpleDivX for converting your DVD files to AVI files (see Resources). SimpleDivX is a free tool, and can be used with both the DivX and XviD codecs. It is an ideal tool for beginners, as it removes much of the guesswork from the compression process. Simply specify the type of film--low action, standard or high action--and it will optimize the video accordingly.
Advanced Tips

• Be mindful of the original format when you convert your files. Remember that anything released in the United Kingdom and many other regions will be in the PAL video format, which means that the converted video file should play at 25 frames per second. SimpleDivX contains an option to specify the frame rate of the resulting AVI file.

Encode your AVI files using as many passes as possible. SimpleDivX allows you to perform the encoding in a single pass or two. In two-pass recording, the software will encode the video twice. After encoding the video the first time, the software will analyze the result and find the scenes in the original film that are most complex. The second time through, the software will spend more time on the complex scenes to ensure that they are compressed in the best possible quality. On a good monitor or TV, the difference in quality is noticeable.