[MPlayer-users] How to backup a DVD with reduced video quality?

[Gilles]

> >
> >I'd like to make backups of my DVDs using 2 Mb/s i.s.o. 8 Mb/s mpeg2 
> >videostreams while still retaining all audio/subtitle functionalities. On 
> >the suggestion of someone here I recently started using dvdbackup for the 
> >backup of my DVDs, but how can I effectively change the videostream from 8 
> >to 2 Mb/s while retaining the ability to place the data on a DVD?
> >

'tcrequant' (part of the 'transcode' tools) allows to reduce the video rate
of an MPEG2 file.

[In order not to have noticeable loss of quality, the resulting data rate
should probably be more like 4 Mb/s (I didn't not test smaller rates, the 
purpose being to fit a 9 GB DVD on a home-recordable media).]

I can provide you with a script (in Perl), that performs the necessary
intermediate steps.  To use it you will need various programs/tool suites: 
mplayer, transcode, mjpeg, dvdauthor, plus some Perl modules.


Best regards,
Gilles