Wow. This is so cool, I just have to tell someone. In the past, in order to remember how to compile transcode video for different things, i have maintained some notes for me to refer to. One of the jobs I did a number of times was create DVD’s to play on a standard DVD player. Well it was always a bit of a pain to do. So much so, that for a long time I have just avoided doing it.

Now recently I have been asked to convert some NTSC DVD’s that we own to PAL format so that our old TV can display them correctly. Following a bit of discussion on the Hampshire Linux User Group mailing list, I decided to have a play again.

To cut a long story short, I ended up using dvd::rip to extract the data from the DVD that was required. This program makes it easy to see what is needed from the DVD. Only the required content can be selected. By choosing the option to rip to disk before encoding, then the tool can be used simply as a ripper.

Once the data is on the hard drive, I can then use DeVeDe to turn that into a PAL DVD image file. Once that is complete, all that needs to be done is to burn it to a disk.

To get the best results, I have to remember to select a de-interlacing filter otherwise any fast moving objects look horrible.

The best part is the easy interface. All the options required are easy to find, and a simple but effective menu structure can be build with just a few clicks. Normally, I would rather use command line applications, and if this was a process that was to be repeated lots, then it would probably be better to use the underlying programs directly. However, for me, this program provides a great interface and makes the process almost pain free. I will have to have purchase a new pack of blank disks now! 🙂