Unmasking DVD Shrink
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What is DVD Shrink?
DVD Shrink is a free DVD copy and compression program designed to take a large amount of information stored on a Dual Layer DVD and compress it to the size of a standard DVD-R.
What put DVD Shrink on the map was its ability to compress large amounts of information into a small amount of space. DVD Shrink can compress files directly from the DVD drive, ripped files located on your computer and ISO files on your hard drive. You can also use DVD Shrink to circumvent CSS encryptions and re-author your DVD copy.
The latest version of DVD Shrink, 3.2.0, was released in the summer of 2004. In 2005, to comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the official DVD Shrink website was removed. The DVD Shrink software currently found on the Internet has not been updated since the 3.2 version was released.
How does DVD Shrink Work?
***Please take note that DVD Shrink is simply a DVD ripper and compressor. You cannot use DVD Shrink to burn DVDs. You need additional DVD burning software to extract the DVD files on your hard drive to a DVD-R.***
Compressor
When DVD Shrink is launched you can instruct it to locate a DVD in your disc drive or open a previously ripped DVD or ISO image file located on your hard drive. DVD Shrink will read all the files on the DVD including menus, extras, audio tracks and subtitles, and compress them accordingly. Longer movies and those loaded with special features would experience significant compression, resulting in a lower quality copy. Major motion pictures will typically have more than 50 percent compression.
The more a movie is compressed the less quality the copy retains. To lessen the compression you can remove additional audio tracks. This process works the same with ripped files, ISO files and DVDs in the disc drive.
Ripping and Imaging
When you open a DVD using DVD Shrink, DVD Shrink will ignore most common CSS encryptions and display the files located on the DVD movie. Unlike some other, popular DVD rippers, DVD Shrink does not display the .vob files. It simply locates the DVD’s menus, movie and extras. You can then rip the entire DVD or an ISO image of the DVD to your hard drive.
Re-authoring
In re-authoring mode, you can choose exactly which portions of the DVD you would like to keep. The less you choose to place on the DVD copy the less compression the copy requires. For example, if you were to only copy the main movie with only one audio track there would be approximately 15 percent compression, opposed to the usual 50 percent.
Unfortunately, retaining original DVD menus using DVD Shrink is tricky. You cannot retain full menu function when in re-author mode. When burning the menus will act as a image screen. The only way to keep the DVD menus is to copy the entire DVD movie.
The Real Price of DVD Shrink?
Technically, DVD Shrink can be downloaded for free off the Internet using a simple Google search. To an intermediate or expert user the DVD Shrink may seem like an easy to use program. However, to the novice the process of ripping and compressing and burning can be a daunting task. And if you don’t know what you are doing, it’s a frustrating process.
To the average user DVD Shrink is complicated and difficult to use because it uses industry jargon and expects you to know the meaning of terms like ISO, imaging, audio tracks and more.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of DVD Shrink is its inability to burn your ripped DVDs. To get your DVDs on to a tangible media, like a standard DVD-R, you have to install an additional piece of DVD burning software and a have DVD burner drive installed on your computer.
Although DVD Shrink is free, be prepared to spend a lot of time learning to use the software and making a few none functioning DVD copies in the process. Like most free DVD copy software, DVD Shrink is more than three years old, it is no longer updated and there is no customer support.
DVD Shrink may be worth the price, but is it worth your time?
Fortunately, there is some DVD copy software on the market that facilitates all your DVD copy needs including decrypting, ripping, compressing and burning. These software programs may not be free, but they are easier to use and designed with the novice in mind. See TopTenREVIEWS review of DVD Copy Software for a comprehensive list of easy-to-use DVD copy programs that include customer support and regular updates.
©2003 – 2008 TopTenREVIEWS, Inc.
