To copy a DVD to a VCD

Requirements:

Windows based PC
DVD drive
CD burner
at least 7 gigs of free hard disk space(for DVD vob files)
I use: Smartripper 2.26 (included or download newest version at http://www.riphelp.com/downloads/smart-ripper.html)
       DVD2AVI 1.74 (included or download newest version at http://arbor.ee.ntu.edu.tw/~jackei/dvd2avi/)
       TMPGEnc 2.58 (included or download newest version at http://www.tmpgenc.net/)
A VCD burning program(NOT included, go get Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum, Nero Burning Rom, etc.)

Simplified Steps:

1. Copy DVD files(vob files) to hard drive using Smartripper.

2. Make files(d2v and wav) from vob files using DVD2AVI.

3. Make Video-CD MPEG out of d2v and wav files using TMPGEnc.

4. Burn MPEG to CD with a VCD burning program.

Detailed Steps:

1. Play the DVD with your regular DVD player for a couple of seconds. This is done so the DVD gets decoded and the SmartRipper program can read all the VOB files on it. SmartRipper will automatically select the files that look like the main movie on the DVD. Sometimes there's a widescreen and fullscreen version, I'm not sure how it decides, but you may have to test it to figure out which is which if that sort of thing is important to you like it is to me. The other files on the DVD can be copied too, you'd just have to select them instead of the movie files(like Music Videos, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes, etc.)

2. Choose a Target folder to save the files from the DVD to. Be sure the free diskspace is greater than the required diskspace or you won't be able to copy.(Plus you'll need another 2 Gigs or so for the rest of the process)

3. Click on the Start tab on the SmartRipper program. Wait for the files to be copied. It usually takes 20 minutes or less on my computer(AMD Athlon 1.2 Ghz, 512 MB RAM, Win XP)

4. When SmartRipper is done close it. Open up DVD2AVI. Click on File then Open. Find where you saved the VOB files, highlight the first VOB file and click Open. DVD2AVI will add the rest of the VOBs to that one for you, Click OK.

5. Click on File then Save Project. Give the D2V file a name(preferably the name of the movie) and click Save. Note the Aspect Ratio, you'll need that later. Wait for the program to create the two files(a D2V file and a WAV file) you'll need in the next step. It usually takes about 8 minutes or less on my computer. 

6. When DVD2AVI is done close it. It had better be time to go to bed soon because the next step takes forever(usually 8hrs on my computer for the average DVD). Open up TMPGEnc. Click on Browse for the Video Source. Select the D2V file you created in the last step and click Open. Click on the Browse for the Audio Source. Select the WAV file you created in the last step and click Open. Click Browse on the Output file name. Select the place you want to save the movie, give it a name and click Save.

7. Click the Setting Button. 
On the Video Tab you should make it read:
	Stream Type: MPEG-1 Video
	Size: 352 X 240
	Aspect ratio: 4:3 525 line(NTSC)
	Frame rate: 29.97 fps
	Rate control mode: Constant bitrate (CBR)
	Bitrate: 1150
	Motion search precision: Highest quality(very slow)
	
	All other fields don't mess with.
On the other Tabs leave the settings the way they default except the System Tab where the Stream type should be MPEG-1 Video-CD and the Aspect Source Ratio should read whatever you wrote down in Step 5.

8. Click OK on the MPEG setting window.

9. Make sure all other programs that can be shut off are, make sure no one is going to use the computer for the next 8hrs or so(it'll slow the process down if someone does start using the computer), and Click the Start button. Get up in the morning and check the progress of the movie creation.

10. When the movie is done you'll be able to watch it from your hard drive. In order to put it on CDs you'll need to split it in two parts. Typically this file will be around one gigabyte in size. Splitting the movie in the middle is usually the best way to go. To split the movie Open TMPGEnc and click on File then MPEG Tools.

11. Click on the Merge & Cut tab. Select MPEG-1 Video-CD in the Type: box. Then Click Add and select the movie you need to split and click Open. That path and file appear in the window. Click once on it and then click Edit. The Edit merge item window will pop up. 

12. Drag the slider to the middle. Here you have to figure out where to split the movie. I try to find a scene that's not in the middle of something important to the movie and I try to leave an extra 10 seconds on the end of the first part and the beginning of the second part of the split movie so I don't miss anything. When you have the slider at the end of your first part of the movie Click the right bracket button. That'll unselect the part of the movie after the slider. Click OK.

13. Click the Browse Button. Give the first part of the movie a name(I usually make it the movie name with a 1 after it) and click Save. Then click the Run button. TMPGEnc will do the rest. When it's done click on the path and file name again and click Edit. The Edit merge window will pop up again. This time drag the slider all the way to the end of the movie. Click the right bracket button. That'll select the whole movie again. Now move the slider to where the second part of the movie will start. Click the left bracket button to unselect the part of the movie before the slider. Click OK.

14. Click the Browse Button. Give the second part of the movie a name(name of movie 2) and click Save. Then click the Run button. When it's done click the Close button. Close TMPGEnc.

15. Open your VCD burning program. I use Easy CD Creator 5, and it's got a nice wizard that's good for beginners. The first CD needs to have the first movie file put on it. The second CD needs the 2nd movie file put on it. Once burned you are able to watch the movie in DVD players that support CD-Rs and also play VCDs, or on any computer. Goto download.cnet.com and type in VCD to the search to find VCD players for the computer.


Other resources:

http://www.afterdawn.com/articles/archive/dvd2vcd_with_smart_dvd2avi_tmpgenc.cfm --> Nearly just like what I do

http://www.dvdripguides.com/ --> DVD Ripping Guides by KalEl

http://nickyguides.digital-digest.com/index.htm --> Nicky Pages' Digital Solutions -- NO LONGER BEING UPDATED

http://www.mnsi.net/~jschlic1/ --> Freeware MPEG Audio/Video/VideoCD Encoders

http://www.virtualdub.org/index --> VirtualDub(a pre- and post-processor of video)

http://www.ahead.de/ --> Nero Burning ROM

http://www.roxio.com/ --> Easy CD Creator

http://www.gnucleus.com/ --> Good, Free, No spyware File sharing program (what the a former version Morpheus was based on)

http://www.kazaalite.net/ or http://www.k-lite.tk --> Remove Regular Kazaa, Run Ad Aware(www.lavasoftusa.com), Install Kazaa Lite, no spyware

http://www.webattack.com/ AND http://www.download.com --> Software Downloads