DVD Backup to Hard Drive

Then how does Kaleidescape do it. They are very expensive solution using the enterprise type server which is a level I don?t need. There have been legal issues with copy protection between Kaleidescape and CCA in the past but I think that has been resolved.

My understanding about the Venice system is that like the Kaleidescape it does not remove the CSS license of the DVD but keeps it in the backup so that it can?t be transferred to other devices. So the Venice system is not ripping the DVD like what one would do using a computer which is illegal.

To each of the movies companies and then pass it on too then buyers... I could not find the price on the Kaleidescape but I seen others similar and they run about $8k.

...in the Venice user guide online to indicate that it works with commercial DVDs that are encrypted. Perhaps they skirt some of the legalities by referring to DVD titles as 'authentic' in the manual, but it's hard to tell. Even if it's working with ISOs, something in the process seems to not be described very well in the manual. I have a lot of questions a such. Anyway, considering the product is only $199 plus the cost of the HDD, I'm not so certain it would not still require you to rip & backup your DVDs to a format it can work with. It's likely Kaleidescope got in trouble for the reason you've stated- copyright. Maybe some place like AVS forum has more info on these two devices(?)

Even if you used a HDD that spins at 15K (etc.), how 'instant' will the process be with this (relatively) low priced product?

Have you even thought about using a DVD changer carousel instead(?)

-Pedro

The manual leads me to believe I could backup the commercial DVD to the internal hard drive by a function on the remote. After which I could play the DVD off of the hard drive without having the original DVD in the drive. Anyway, I have a question into the company for clarification.

BTW, the price on the website was $320 and $370 for Venice V36 and V38 respectively. This is far lower than the Kaleidescape System which is about $15,000 to start.

I did visit a neighborhood video specialty store and checked out the Sony DVD changer that can handle 400 disks. This thing is a monster. I wouldn?t know where to put it.

But I'll be honest, at that price point how well will this process work per se?

Personally, I'd pop over to AVS to see if anyone has experience with the device. I'm always of the impression that you won't get the best real-world answers about how a product actually functions from the firm who makes it .

One thing I can guarantee is that even the 400 disc changer will be a lot less bug ridden and nearly foolproof. There won't be firmware/compatibility issues to worry about per se.

-Pedro

Here is the response from divxtech.com regarding the DVD backup capability of their Venice V36 and V38.


?1. The Venice V36 & V38 includes the CSS license which allows for the proper playback of commercial DVD title either from the DVD ROM or the internal hard drive. V36 & V38 does not decodes the CSS (does not remove copy protection schemes) from the original DVD but backs-up the entire DVD to the internal hard drive (to the folder of your choosing) for future playback.

2. Playback quality and experience of backed-up DVD from the hard drive is same
as that of original DVD. Full DVD menu and DVD options are maintained on the
backed-up DVD. Please note that although the V38 does have Samba and FTP server capability, the backed-up DVD contents can not be payed from other network device within the same network.

3. The Venice V36 and V38 will play following format related to DVD: DVD Disk, DVD IFO, DVD ISO, Backed-up DVD. Venice V38 will play non DRM Blu-Ray video (VC-1, M2TS) and audio files. Also, V38 supports all the video format associated with h.264 video codec.

4. Accessing the backed-up DVD from the hard drive is simple. Just navigate to
the folder that the DVD was backed-up in (usually the name of the movie) and
select to play the DVD.?


So, I have to think that Venice units are self contained DVD players that can backup commercial DVDs to the internal hard drive and play them at any time. I think I will be ordering this unit.

There's going to be a world of difference in performance between a $200 product not even including a HDD and the enterprise level Kaleidescope. You'd serve yourself well by getting more feedback on its real world performance before buying one IMNSHO. Peruse their user forum and hit AVS ASAP.

cheers,
Pedro

Took your advice and held off on the purchase and investigated on these types of equipments for all of last week. AVS forum seems to have lots of references to standalone media players. Thanks for pointing me to it. The Venice V36 or V38 seems to be new because there isn?t much discussion about it in these forums.

However, all the media player devices being talked about in those type of forums can not play the commercial DVDs nor able to backup a DVD. You have to rip the DVD using the computer and transfer to the player so it can play the ripped DVD iso file. I really don?t want to rip anything.

So the Venice V36 & V38 seems to be the only device in the price range that can backup a commercial DVD into its internal hard drive for replay. I can?t find anything else.

I think I?m more confused

...how that's the *only* product in its class that claims it works with commercial DVDs. Let's pretend for a moment it does work as described with ISOs, not breaking any copyright laws. Have you worked with ISOs? It really helps to have some processor power hence the likely need for a solution like what you've mentioned earlier w/ Kaleidescope. What I would do is post a question in their user forum to see if you can get feedback from actual users who can amply describe the performance/functionality w/ their ISO feature set. I'm still skeptical, but all ears if it's something new but not well known.

You might try searching/posting at doom9 or afterdawn.org to understand more about the ISO route vs more typical digital files you see supported on the vast majority of the devices in the market.

Thanks for your help. I had put up some posts in other forums but didn?t get any feedback.

I?ve decided to just place the order. I should get it sometime this week. I?ll post my results.

BTW, there are other products that will serve up your DVD collection on demand basis but all are out of my price range. The Venice is the only sub $500 class ( w/ 2 TB hard drive) DVD backup player that I could find. I hope the Venice does what it claim to do.

I received the Venice V38 some time ago but didn?t really get to play with it until recently.

Well, it really works as they advertised. I was able to backup several commercial DVD right into the internal hard drive and it would playback same as though playing directly from the DVD. I have a 160 GB hard drive now for the testing but I will be upgrading to 1.5 TB soon. This is a keeper. BTW, I was also able to play some of my downloaded videos like flash videos, mov, avi, mkv, and some ripped Blu-ray m2ts video files. I specially like the zoom and pan function for the video and picture.

Yea, I don't want to rip my titles with a computer and watch it on a monitor when I have a 56? TV. Didn?t have great success with the DVD Shrink either.

Many commercial DVDs deploy with copy protections so we can't copy such. At least we won't discuss that here.

But this is not why I write. If you notice, many DVDs are coming with "Digital Copy" systems. You may want to pick those.
Bob

Wouldn't the downloading of a movie from iTunes be about the same if someone wanted to have movies on a hard-drive? Even though it may cost a few dollars to download, it would be convenient and it would take a lot of downloads to equal the cost of the Kaleidoscope. I like the digital copy versions, and it's interesting that when I insert the digital disc copy to download, it connects to iTunes and downloads the movie from there. Personally I use the digital copy for my iPod and to watch on my computer, so I have no feedback on how this looks on a large TV.

The iTunes movie resolutions are not so good always, even compared to a typical DVD. Good enough for watching on the iPod or iPhone though. I can 'back up my own DVDs' and get the bit rate/size much nicer with other combinations of software.