why can't I make a digital recording of a DVD?

Copy Protection. The only way you can make a copy is in the analog domain. Bummer huh.

there are programs available on the web - highly illegal I'm sure - that allow you to 'rip' these discs. the programs enable you to, for example, take out previews, undesired audio tracks etc. (for Macs, there's one called "Mac the Ripper".)

I have made digital copies with no problem using a Marantz pro CD recorder as well as an HHB. Your recorder must have a sample rate converter to work because CD is 44.1 and DVD is 48KHZ.

Rwwear....He is talking about copying a DVD, not a CD.

In the past it was legal to make a "backup" copy of a DVD you already owned. There were various programs you could buy, even at Best Buy and Circuit City. Not anymore.

You can rip this using a PC or MAC using a variety of software.... it is a little time consuming thats all.

I would not regard this as illegal provided you purchased and still own the the original DVD and you are copying it for your own home use and not for re-sale or to give to someone else.

Are you sure Bowbow? He said music DVD and he is using a CD recorder. Why would anyone try to make a DVD copy with a CD recorder? I can make CD copies of the music on a DVD with my CD recorder. Anyone can copy a DVD with a computer and the right drive and software.

didnt there used to be a thread that stated the Samsung HD841 was trying to get pulled from the market and threatned with litigation because it did not block a copy transfer?

I am positive Rwwear. His source is a DVD. Bitrate is does not matter. What digital device he tries to record with does not matter either. The DVD in copy protected and copyrighted. His only course other than analog is the break the law and use a bootlet computer program.

Whether we regard it as illegal or not does not matter. The government considers it illegal. Saying someone on AudigoN said it was OK is not a legal defense in court.

Tvad, I have taken the music from a concert DVD and put it on CD so I could play it elsewhere like in my car.

Thanks everyone! I guess I'll try an analog copy first and see how it sounds. Like Rwwear, the purpose of the copy is to listen to it on CD in my car- it's a concert video. What's so frustrating is that the owner's manual of the CDR says that under SCMS copy protection rules, "you can record digital program sources onto a recordable CD disc to create a first generation digital copy. You cannot, however record from this recorded CD disc to another recordable CD disc." If the sound quality is not acceptable, I will look at other options.

Bowbow, the sample rate does matter. Your recorder must have a sample rate converter to go from 44.1 to 48K. And if you use a pro recorder instead of a consumer model, you can make as mant digital copies as you want. There are also computer programs that let you record the soundtrack from DVDs.

There's a DVD copy program that I use all the time on the WWW for free. It's been downloaded over 18 million times.

Tvad,

Fundamentaly I agree - there are lots of "excuses" for illegal copying - archival seems like one (given CD's durability).

Yet there are good practical reasons to want to copy some material. For example, a handful of burned CD's with selected tracks that came from original CD's (most often) or the occasional DVD are not doing harm to the industry, provided the owner keeps all the originals and there is no sharing going on. In this case, the owner might have the original in a CD Mega changer and another copy on a compilation in the car. The car copies don't last as they get scratched very quickly (often stored incorrectly, floating about in the box under the arm rest). It is harder to change CD's in a car and hence the advantage of a compilation geared to tastes.

Should this kind of use be illegal - I think not.

"didnt there used to be a thread that stated the Samsung HD841 was trying to get pulled from the market and threatned with litigation because it did not block a copy transfer?"

Oh, that little $99 jewel of a universal player I picked up at Best Buy makes me happier by the day...

Maybe the solution is simpler than all that. Do you have the output on your DVD player set to PCM? Maybe the CD player is choking on the Dolby Digital bitstream.

Hudsonhawk, you were right- I had it set to dolby digital and when changed it to PCM, was able to make the digital recording. Awesome! Thanks for the tip.

Ok, new problem. I got the DVD's that were recorded in dolby digital 5.1 to record to CD by changing the player setting to PCM. I've got a few concert DVD's that were recorded in PCM, not dolby digital, and now they won't record. Any ideas? thanks!

Tvad,

I understand how you feel. This is largely the position of the execs at Sony and other major labels.

However, as a user, I am frustrated that I bought and own half of Disney's entire collection in VHS, some in PAL and some in NTSC and that I needed to invest in special costly video players and TV's to be able play them all back on one system and that by the time our second child was old enough to enjoy them I was forced to buy them again on DVD (because the videos have decayed and over half of them won't play anymore)

Did I do anything illegal - no. I just happened to live in two different countries when these videos were legally purchased and had children spaced far enough apart that the videos did not last.

Do I think it is fair that I am now buying DVD's of material I already own at full price - not really. I respect that all these obstacles to consumers are all legal...however, am I a satisfied customer - no, not really.

And if I want to cut a few tracks from original CD's I own for use in the car then I don't feel dishonest in doing so. I think the industry ought to feel ashamed of all the roadblocks they create for their customers.