DVD
X COPY GOLD AND DVD X COPY XPRESS
321
Studios
There’s
a lot to be said on the topic of this controversial software, but if you’re
simply wondering if it works as advertised, the answer is yes. 321 Studios
has done a fine job with this software that allows you to easily make fast,
perfect backup copies of your DVDs, and their commitment to continual improvement
is evident in the frequent updates of the software. I tested the software
with Sony’s multi-format DRU-500A DVD burner on a 2.2GHz P4 system running
Windows XP.
Why
Two Titles? What’s Xpress?
| Features |
Info
|
- Make backups of any DVD movie
- Span DVD-9 movies to two discs
keeping all bonus material
- Compress DVD-9 movies to single
disc (movie only)
- Restores scratched or defective
DVD movies
- NTSC/PAL compatible
- Win XP/2000/98/ME
|
|
DVD X
Copy Gold includes two products – DVD X Copy, which will copy a DVD
movie completely, without additional compression – preserving the quality
of the original -- and Xpress that will compress the movie further until it
fits on a single backup disc.
Many DVD
movies come on a 9.4 GB dual-layer disc, which all DVD players can read –
but there are currently no dual-layer burners (or media) available to the
general public. That means either you will have to use two discs to make a
complete backup of these movies. If the running time of the movie is less
than 120 minutes, DVD X Copy will give you the option of stripping the extra
features (Director’s commentary, trailers, deleted scenes, etc.) from
the disc and backing up only the movie itself.
But if
the movie runs longer than two hours, you’re out of luck – and
that’s where the Xpress version comes in. It will compress and transcode
the video signal into smaller files that will fit on a single 4.7GB DVD. There
is some loss of video quality, but without a big-screen (42”+) HDTV
you’d be hard pressed to notice. On a big screen, the video quality
is noticeably different when doing a/b comparisons, particularly on titles,
but it is superior to VHS. The audio doesn’t suffer at all, and the
Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is preserved, although if you favor DTS surround, you’ll
need to stick to the two-disc backup scheme. Remember that there is no degradation
of video quality when using DVD X Copy, so aside from losing the bonus materials,
this is where a price must be paid for squeezing a long movie onto a short
disc.
Simply
put, if you’re only concerned about backing up the movie itself, DVD
X Copy Xpress is your friend. If you want to make a complete backup, then
you will want to purchase the Combo that includes DVD X Copy.
Do
You Want To Keep The Bonus Material?
When
I first started playing around with making backups of DVD movies, I was only
concerned with backing up the movie itself. I seldom found time to watch the
extra material anyway, and it’s often not terribly interesting. Then I started
using my backup copies and discovered the value of this extra material.
When your
flight is delayed and you’ve got a six-hour layover, suddenly the director’s
running commentary on a film you’ve seen fifteen times becomes pretty interesting.
After that, you can polish up your foreign language skills.
Time,
Time, Time
How
long does it take to make a DVD backup? More than an hour, less than two in
most cases. The slowest process is burning the backup copy, with most DVD
burners limited to 2X or 2.4X speeds. While 4X burners and media are available,
I believe a slower burn speed may create discs that are more compatible with
other players.
Utility
Although
I did not have the opportunity to try this function, 321 Studios claims that
DVD X Copy and XPRESS can restore damaged discs while making a backup copy.
If the original is scratched and it ‘skips,’ the software will attempt multiple
re-reads of bad sections before writing the file.
Performance
During
my review of the Sony DRU-500A DVD burner, I tried some different combinations
of freeware and shareware titles to accomplish what DVD X Copy (and Xpress)
do. That is, making two-disc complete backups, and single-disc compressed
versions of the movie alone. To summarize the experience, it is possible –
but it’s not for the faint-hearted, and it takes longer. I was particularly
pleased with DVD X Copy Xpress’ speed in compressing to a single disc
– it does it on the fly while writing the ‘scratch’ copy
to your hard drive, eliminating a time-consuming step necessary with the alternatives.
Caveats
– Mainly Media and Hardware
My first
impression of both products was a bit worrisome. There just aren’t very
many options, and being an experienced computer user, I was skeptical that
it would work without checking and selecting endless options and inscrutable
functions. But it did! Basically, you insert a movie DVD, click on “Start,”
then insert a blank DVD-R (or -RW, or +R, or +RW) when it asks. Typically,
the process is completed quickly and flawlessly. Go figure – when it
works, simplicity is a beautiful thing.
One area
the software seems to have problems is with ‘episodic’ DVDs –
DVDs with episodes of television shows instead of one long movie. There are
often suggestions for workarounds on the web site forum. DVD X Copy XPress
sometimes requires custom “.tdf” files to get the desired audio
and video content recorded, also available for many specific titles on the
web site. These snags are what keep this software from getting a 10/10 rating.
(Note: 321 Studios has recently released a new product, DVD
X Copy Platinum, which allows you to create and share .tdf files)
There
are a limited number of burners that don’t get along with this software.
You can find them listed on the 321 Studios web site’s FAQ under “Most
Popular Questions.”
Aside
from understanding that you’ll almost certainly need two discs if you
want to preserve the bonus features of your DVD, the caveats of using this
software have nothing to do with the software itself. (To be fair, that isn’t
the software’s fault, either!)
The caveats
have to do with your playback equipment, and the brand of media you choose.
Not every DVD burner will work with every brand of DVD media, particularly
the low-cost ‘no-name’ brands. In other words, don’t buy
a large spindle of blanks without testing a sample or two first. Additionally,
standalone DVD players can be similarly fussy about what they eat, besides
being fussy about + or – formats.
Some DVD
players will like DVD-R better than DVD+R, and some the other way ‘round.
I have an older Toshiba player, which is claimed to be compatible with +R
and +RW is not, nor will it play –R discs created on the Sony burner.
It will, however, play discs written on a standalone Panasonic video DVD recorder
(albeit with quirky behavior when navigating the disc).
Unfortunately,
when it comes to answering the question of whether the discs you create will
play on your equipment, the bottom line is that there’s only one way
to find out. The newer your equipment, the more likely it is to work. Should
you have compatibility problems, try several different well-known, name-brand
discs first. Personally, I wound up buying a new DVD changer (Sony) for my
home theater system that plays anything I throw in it, even rewritable media.
Support
321
Studios deserves some sort of award for their commitment to improving and
supporting their products online. Updates are released frequently, and they’re
kind enough to let you know by e-mail every time there is a new release available
for download.
Their
web site features a comprehensive FAQ for each of their products, and there
is a lively and active support forum as well. Many software publishers could
learn something from 321’s online example in this area.
Legal
Issues
Doesn’t
it go without saying that you may only legally copy DVDs that you own? Renting
or borrowing them doesn’t count, and while you can argue all you want that
the studios get more than their fair share of the profits, the artists don’t
make a dime from pirated copies. Intelligently, the 321 people built in their
own brand of copy protection, so that your backups are an ‘end of the line’
copy – you can’t make a copy from a backup made with either DVD X Copy or
XPress.
Summary
Both of
these products work as advertised, they’re simple to use and do their
jobs quickly. The caveats listed above show that they’re not quite perfect,
but close – and that your hardware is your first concern.
It
is important to understand that there are often compatibility glitches between
burners, media, and playback equipment. It’s probably not as
bad as it sounds, particularly with newer equipment -- but be aware
that finding the correct combination is up to you, and you alone.
I stress that because most of the complaints I hear on this topics are discs
that cannot be read on a standalone DVD video player, but work fine on the
computer, and often, in a buddy’s DVD player, too.
Once you
verify that your hardware will play nicely with each other, the 321 software
will make you smile. 321 Studios not only offers a money-back guarantee, but
a 14-day evaluation copies are downloadable from their site, so you can be
sure the software will work well with your existing hardware.
Scott
Salveson
03.09.05
