This Web site claims http://www.net-related.com/dvd/index.html
that they will let me download a software whereby I can copy (Burn)
DVD´s using my CD-R burner. I can also copy all and any videos 
on VHS to DVD.

Is this really true or is it a rip off? How can I know for sure?

Hi pendleton-ga,

The answer to your question is both yes and no.  The software that
Net-Related.com is selling will allow you to "rip" DVDs (in other
words copy them from the DVD disk and on to your hard drive) and then
burn them to a CD-R.  A CD-RW drive cannot burn DVDs as the actual
data track on a DVD is smaller, allowing it to hold 4.7GB, rather than
the 700 MB a CD holds.

However, practically all DVD players will also play Video CDs, in
other words a movie written to a CD-ROM disc.  What the software being
sold attempts to do is rip the DVD movie to your hard drive and burn
it to a CD, at which point the copied CD will play on any DVD player. 
The only problem with this method is that the quality of the movie is
reduced anywhere from moderately to tremendously depending on the size
screen you are watching it on (the larger the screen the lower the
quality).  The method works best when playing the video on your
computer, as the screen is significantly smaller than most TVs.

SEARCH STRATEGY:
None, as my existing knowledge as a computer consultant, except I ran
a search for "DVD-R" to double check the capacity of a DVD-R disc.

I hope this information is of assistance to you.  If you need any
additional clarification please let me know,

rmn-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by pendleton-ga on 30 Dec 2002 09:44 PST

And what about transfering my videos in VHS to DVD?

---

Clarification of Answer by rmn-ga on 30 Dec 2002 11:31 PST

Yes you can transfer VHS tapes to CD-Rs (remember you can't actually
burn actual DVDs) and you really shouldn't notice much different in
quality as converting DVDs.  However, you will need a way to connect
your VCR to your computer.  If you don't already have a way to go
about doing this, Dazzle (www.dazzle.com) sells units that allow you
to transfer analog (VHS) video to your computer so it may be burned in
digital format.

Super answer and explication  rmn-ga!! I am glad you have had
experience.

I was not interested in making copies of DVD movies (I respect their
copyrights) as I was to make DVD's of my videos.

Anyway, you saved me $40 wasted. If it sounds too good to be, it
usually is.
Thanks for a great answer and fast.

God bless you to know and do His will!
John P.

Actually, burning a DVD to a CD does not reduce the quality that
much... The big issue is the DMCA problems of buring a DVD to a CD. If
you are in the USA, using this software might make you a criminal and
liable for fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars (and jail
time!). Even for ONE copy. It's a completely stupid law that makes it
illegal to create a "fair-use" copy of your own DVD.

But, the software does work! (Mind you, you can also do the same thing
for FREE with the right search in Google.. I can't tell you the search
term, but, I can tell you that there has been litigation over a
program called DeCSS recently which seems to be able to break the
encryption on DVD's--and hence violates the DMCA.)

For more information on the DMCA, take a look at:
http://anti-dmca.org/

Legolas-ga