I have MTR and Handbrake - Do I need Toast?

[ksmith80209]

I've searched and I can't figure this out, so I'm hoping someone can help me out a bit.

I have some foreign DVDs (region 2, PAL format) that I'm trying to copy so I can watch at home (on a DVD player). I've been using Mac the Ripper to rip the DVDs, then Handbrake to turn them into MP4 format, then iDVD to burn them to disc. It takes a while and the quality seems to be lower than normal (perhaps due to the PAL - NTSC conversion) but it works and is free.

Am I going about this he wrong way? Should I be using Toast? I can't figure out if Toast offers anything beyond what I can do now and would rather not spend the $99 if it only does what I can do today (free).

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Eidorian]

Toast can burn the VIDEO_TS files you get from the DVD's after you rip then using MTR.

It's one less step and the quality is great since it's rather intelligent with compression.

 

[ksmith80209]

Toast can burn the VIDEO_TS files you get from the DVD's after you rip then using MTR.

It's one less step and the quality is great since it's rather intelligent with compression.

Thanks for the fast response. Another question is - since I've been putting 2 ripped videos on each burned DVD, can Toast do that also? I mean, can it take 2 VIDEO_TS file set and combine them into one DVD?

 

[Eidorian]

Thanks for the fast response. Another question is - since I've been putting 2 ripped videos on each burned DVD, can Toast do that also? I mean, can it take 2 VIDEO_TS file set and combine them into one DVD?

Sadly I believe it'll only take one VIDEO_TS folder and make that into a DVD. I have Popcorn 2 and that's how it works. I don't know about Popcorn 3.

I found it useful for making copies of foreign language DVD's for classes. No one has a region free player around here.

Looks like Popcorn 3 might handle it.

http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/popcorn/standard/overview.html

 

[bmcgonag]

Rip them with Handbrake to .avi format, then use Burn (free) to make a DVD of them.

Once you download and install Burn, open it, and drag the two .avi's to it. Then select the Video Tab, and then from the dropdown select DVD.

It will ask if you want to make them DVD friendly formatted .mpg, and yes you do.

Then, if it doesn't continue onto the burn step once it has converted them, just drag them back in, and tell it to make the DVD. Sometimes it works all in one step, sometimes not.

Brian