Backing up DVD's

I have a strange question... If you wanted to back up a DVD, and you really didn't care what format it was backed up in. Could you somehow copy the movie much in the same way you can tape a TV show? I mean capture what is playing in the DVD decoder as it's playing. You could in theory set up a video camera zoomed in and focused on the screen, but thi would give you horrible playback quality.

I posted this in the General tecnology forum, but if there is a better place let me know, I'm still new to this site. Thanks for any enlightenment.

I backup quite a few of my dvds...

The easiest way I've found to do it is to use DVDShrink.

Often have to remove content from the dvd though, so I don't loose quality in the movie.

I normally remove legal warnings, credits, non-english subtitles and extra features.

I have a dvd burner though, so I shrink and burn to another dvd.

I'll attach a good guide I found somewhere...

Thanks PhishPhreek80, I like your name... I got mine from the Phish song Stash.

Well I don't know if this helps. I need something that doesn't require that you burn the CD. This is because most of the new DVDs I have are copywrite protected, so I can't back them up. I'm sick and tired of buying DVDs/CDs that I already have, because they are scratched on my favorite part or song. I need something that copies whatever I happen to be playing on the screen, without trying to "BURN" the disk.

Something sort of like the print screen button. I don't know...

Look at the guide... it helps you bypass the protection to backup your legally purchased DVDs...

I haven't come across a dvd that I can't burn yet... even ones that I purchased yesterday. They can't go changing the CSS code because of the standards... if they change the copy protection code... everyone's dvd players would have to be thrown away... or firmware updates... etc. something they're not going to make consumers do.

DVDShrink will "decrypt" it for you... but also look into "anydvd"...

Glad to have another phish phan around here. I take it you didn't make it to their last show in VT?
I went to limestone last year... so I figured I go to Moe Down this year instead. :)

Oh, if you are ever interested... I have about 300 or so complete phish shows in .mp3.
Each has 2-3 sets... and can take up to 5 cds per show not including festivals... they are much much longer as you probably already know. :)