Copying DVDs in Linux

[LieMfB]

This one's for Linux buffs...

I got some silver DVDs I want to copy in Linux. I can burn DVDs just fine, but never done a copy from DVD. So I'm wondering:

Is it possible to simply mount the source DVD, copy its contents (the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders) to the harddrive, then run mkisofs on the tree to build a video ISO file and then burn it with dvdrecord like usual?

I don't have two DVD drives, so I can't do any direct copying, unforntunately.

Thanks in advance!

[taygan]

This one's for Linux buffs...

I got some silver DVDs I want to copy in Linux. I can burn DVDs just fine, but never done a copy from DVD. So I'm wondering:

Is it possible to simply mount the source DVD, copy its contents (the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders) to the harddrive, then run mkisofs on the tree to build a video ISO file and then burn it with dvdrecord like usual?

I don't have two DVD drives, so I can't do any direct copying, unforntunately.

Thanks in advance!

Yes, if it's not copy-protected.

But, if it's not copy-protected you can make and exact copy iso from gnome, assuming you've got gnome, by right clicking on the dvd icon on the desktop and selecting "copy disc" to "file image." In KDE I would open K3b.

I always run an md5sum on the iso and then run a one on the burned dvd (and original if you're really concerned):

dd if=/dev/dvd | head --bytes=<enter iso byte size here> | pv | md5sum

Of course, I've got pv installed, all it does is give me a visual on how much has already been processed.

[spiritinaphoto]

This is presuming he doesn't have libdvdcss installed. If he does, I think it is literally as simple as copying the files over to the hard drive, regardless of whether or not the disc is copy protected. I'm not exactly certain if this is the case, since I've always had libdvdcss on my system (VLC usually requires it), and I'm not certain if any of the silver DVDs I've put in my computer were actually copy protected, but I've heard that it is supposed to let you access DVDs like a block device (i.e. like a normal data disc or your hard drive).

[taygan]

I've got libdvdcss installed, and although it will play and rip encrypted dvds it won't let me copy the files directly. DVDShrink under wine works quite well for shrinking dual layer discs down to single layer, and will allow the copying of single layer discs. However, the md5sums never match the original, so I'm thinking it must play and re-encode them.

[LieMfB]

Thanks a million for your responses, all! Great to see some people using Linux over here (although it's not a huge surprise considering the free nature of boot sharing and Linux sharing). :)

I have libdvdcss, but the silvers I'm copying are bootlegs to begin with, so there's probably no need for it. (The discs might even be DVD-Rs, when I think about it).