how to copy this dvd?

[Jonathan Grant]

I'm an actor trying to get a copy of project I was involved in for my demo reel. The problem is that only one person has a copy. He agreed to make a copy for me, but there's a problem. It's an interactive program (flash I think) where it plays a clip and then you make a choice. Sort of like the old "choose your own adventure" books, but on a computer program using video clips.

He can't figure out how to burn a copy. Is there an easy way to do this? If it's too difficult I'm afraid he won't do it. :-/

[Shaughan Flynn]

If he has DVD burning software like Toast (Mac) or Roxio (PC) he can just do the disc copy function in the application. If he does not have one of these, google for free DVD burning software. There are a bunch out there that will do this. The only trick here is that it is a DATA DVD, not a VIDEO DVD (like what you might rent from Netflix et. al.).

Should be very simple.

[Jonathan Grant]

Thanks! That's kind of what I was thinking. Is there any chance that there might be some reason why that wouldn't work? I would assume that's what he tried (I forwarded him your post just in case).

[Mike Beckett]

If you need to capture video from it, you could try a screen capture program like Camtasia, or maybe even Fraps (which I think only works with DirectX apps).

Google for them, they both have trial versions, and will let you capture a specific part of the presentation video rather than copying a whole Flash presentation. If it works, and can capture at a high enough quality, it might result in something better suited to inclusion in your show reel video.

It might also be worthwhile searching through the files on the DVD to see if there are individual video files (FLV or MP4, for example) that you could use directly.

Of course, that all assumes it's legal and you have permission to use the material.

[Spencer Reid]

It is really hard to say the detail reasons. If you need to copy dvd, just download some free DVD copy. Most of the DVD copy software is easy to operate.

[Ervin Farkas]

It might be just a plain old regular DVD and not necessarily an interactive Flash thing.

DVD menu sytems allow for an "intro" video to be played before you get to the menu selection. So a video DVD copy software might work just fine.

[Jonathan Grant]

Thanks, guys. I actually was able to convince the company to send me a copy. I do have legal permission to use my footage in the project, but they aren't going to take the time to give me just my scenes.

Once I get the program I'll have to figure out how to get just my scenes into an editable format. :-/ Sounds like that will be hard!

[Jay West]

Do you know yet what you will be receiving?

If it is a DVD, it may contain only the interactive Flash thing or it might have the Flash stuff plus addtional tracks in regular DVD format.

If you get a disk with actual DVD video, there are several ways to pull the video into another format using an NLE. My old Avid Liquid 7.1 can rip DVD tracks (files with a ".VOB" extension). With Vegas and PPro, I've copied the VOB files and changed the extenstion (mp2 and m2t have worked for me).

If the DVD has only "Flash" files, maybe posting in the Adobe forum might get you an answer. (I've got Flash software but can't help because learning to use it has been on my "to do" list for some time.)

[Jonathan Grant]

Okay, I finally got the copy. There is a list of f4v files. What program would you recommend to convert f4v to avi (or mov)?

[Warren Kawamoto]

Bypass those f4v files and look in the VIDEO_TS folder. Your project should be in there, as .vob files. You can copy those files to your hard drive. If your NLE doesn't read .vob, change the extension to .mpg and you should be good to go!

[Jonathan Grant]

Thanks for the response. However, I'm afraid there is no Video_TS file or folder. :-/

[Ervin Farkas]

Then I'm afraid that's not a video DVD - it's a data DVD.

[Jonathan Grant]

Yes it is. It's an interactive movie. The movie files are on the disc, but they are in f4v format. I know there are programs that convert that format to avi or mov. Anyone have a recommendation for the best one (for the price)? It's probably something I'll only need to use once

[Ervin Farkas]

FLV is a delivery format, normally not used for editing.

If you insist, you will find a converter (Google for flv to avi) but you should be aware that the quality will likely be low.

[Warren Kawamoto]

Does your computer have an "S" video output? (Most laptops do) Is it possible to somehow play back your video full screen? If so, connect a camcorder or dv recorder and record the program as you play it back.