14 DAY TRIAL // I know we live in the revolutionary era of the DVD and that everybody runs like mad for the quality of the videos they watch. But sometimes there are some features on the DVD that you want to separate and the easiest way to do that is to compress them into .avi format.
An interview with the director, the inside stuff during the "making of", etc. ?well, this is what I would like to keep on my computer for further viewing. For all this, I convert some of my DVD chapters into AVI files.
One software that does a pretty good job is 123 DVD Converter. The developer of the software has the same name as the application itself. The installation file will deprive you of almost 5MB of hard disk space. Installing the software is piece of cake and it will also ask you to install the DivX codec which is also provided with the installation (but it is the lite version).
The user interface will shock you with its simplicity, but you will soon discover that it will provide all the necessary tools for converting your DVD video or just parts of it. In the upper part of the application window, there are only five buttons, out of which two are the Help and Exit. The other three are Load DVD, Delete and Settings.
We will dive directly into the Settings menu, as this is the most important one. In the lower part of the main window, there are Copy Mode specifications (Entire Movie, DVD Clip and DVD Chapter).
In the Output format settings, the user can choose between AVI compressed with different codecs, VCD (MPEG-1), SVCD (MPEG-2), WMV format. You may want to extract only the audio file from the DVD, in which case you have to select Extract Audio. I must warn you that the audio file can be saved only in WAV format (which is great, as it is a lossless audio format).
In audio track, the user can choose between the various tracks available on the DVD. The default output directory is C:ConvertedDVD. Don't worry if you do not have the folder created. The software will automatically create it.
The Settings menu is where you will spend most of your time. The System tab will allow you to set the size of the temporary folder. You can also set the splitting mode: 74 or 80 minutes for VCD or ISO Data CD or you can leave the Infinite default option.
The Output tab allows the user to specify the output framerate (23.976 or 29.97 for NTSC and 25.0 for PAL). The aspect ratio can also be set in here: PanScan (4:3), Full (16:9 or 4:3), Medium (4:3) or None (which is Letterbox 4:3). As you know, the hight and width of the resolution must be a multiple of 16 so, keeping in mind this aspect, you can change it to what values you want.
The audio quality can be set to Normal or High and the user can also choose the default audio volume. I advise you to stick to the default value, as it is acceptable. The default audio volume is directly proportionate with the audio level, so the higher the value, the louder the file will be. You can also check the Dolby Surround box if you want surround effects to be brought into a stereo image.
AVI Settings deals with video options, and here you can choose a video codec from the drop down menu. The recommended codec is DivX due to its high compression rate (better viewing on a monitor). You can configure the codecs by pressing the Configure button. For audio compression the default codec is Lame MP3.
In Advanced Options tab, the user can choose the settings for CPU Optimization, the deinterlace filter (I recommend None). Some other options in here are Audio/Video Synchronization, Checking the main movie for IFO file and Force the Output Framerate.
That's all there is to it.
The Good
The software is easy to use and it does not require special training or knowledge. You can extract only the audio track of the DVD if you want to.
The Bad
I hope you are not hoping to find a super professional tool in this software, as you would be disappointed.
The DivX codec provided is the Lite version.
The Truth
The software covers the basic DVD converting needs. You can do a pretty good job in a very short time. The compression rate is great if you use the DivX codec.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
