Digitizing Your Media Life

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Lossless Blu-ray to M2TS Backup vs Blu-ray to MKV Backup: Which one is the best backup method?

The article mainly introduce two different ways to backup Blu-ray without any quality loss: Blu-ray to M2TS backup and Blu-ray to MKV backup, which one is the best lossless backup method? Display their features for your reference. Go to find the one you like.

Backup Blu-ray collection has become a prevailing method to keep Blu-ray from being scratched and make it easier to manage and access. There are various ways to backup them, such as backup intact Blu-ray main movie into M2TS,Blu-ray to lossless MKV backup, backup the entire disc and so on. You may be confused about what is the differences among them and wonder which on is better. Here I will introduce two main methods to backup Blu-ray: Blu-ray to M2TS backup and Blu-ray to MKV backup.

Now, we need to find a best Blu-ray backup program for help. Many programs can do intact M2TS backup or lossless MKV backup, but it is a little hard to find an all-in-one too with both of them. Recently Pavtube studio released newPavtube ByteCopy, which can meet almost all your needs for backup. It can backup the 100% intact Blu-ray main movie into a M2TS file and meanwhile it support to output lossless multi-track MKV with chapter mark from original Blu-ray.

Free download a trial version and install it on your PC or Mac:

When you have inserted Blu-ray disc into Blu-ray drive, run the application and then import the Blu-ray source into it. Now let’s go to find the two different methods to backup Blu-ray.

Method 1: Directly Copy Blu-ray to M2TS with original quality

Go to “Format” menu you will find “Copy” option; choose the only “Directly Copy” there for output. Then hit “Convert” button on the main interface to start Blu-ray main movie to M2TS backing up.

Once completed, you will get a M2TS backup keeping the same quality with original Blu-ray.

backup blu-ray to m2ts with best quality

Method 2: Lossless Multi-track MKV backup

In the same dropdown list of “Format” you can find “Multi-track Video” option, choose “Lossless/encoded Multi-track MKV (*mkv)” for output. Then go to start conversion by clicking big red “Convert” button.

In this way, you will get a MKV backup without quality loss.

backup blu-ray to mkv without quality loss

However, which one is better for backup backup, Directly Copy for M2TS backup or Lossless Multi-track MKV backup? I will show you some similarities and differences for your reference.

Similarities:

Multiple tracks preservation: Both of them are capable of retaining all the multiple audio and subtitle tracks from original Blu-ray in output files. So you can select any desired tracks in backup file when you playing or editing them.

High quality: They all keep the high quality picture of original Blu-ray, which will bring you the same visual enjoyment as Blu-ray.

High efficiency for conversion: The high speed for conversion is their common features, which will help to save more time than converting to other recoded videos. With Directly Copy, to backup a Blu-ray main movie only takes 30 minutes. It is an incredible speed for backup high quality Blu-ray

Differences:

Directly Copy creates 100% intact Blu-ray main movie except for menu and the M2TS backup contains all the multiple audio and subtitle tracks, which is exactly the same as original Blu-ray. What you get is a complete decrypted Blu-ray main movie without any recoding.

Lossless Multi-track MKV is able to select any of multiple audio and subtitle tracks for output according to your different requirements. Moreover, it will remain the chapter mark from original Blu-ray, so you can choose the chapter as you like when playing it in media player. The limitation is that MKV file is created by resealing M2TS file, so the quality won’t be the same as original M2TS files.

Above all, I personally think Directly Copy is the best way for Blu-ray backup and it is the 100% intact backup. Everybody has different needs. If you need chapter mark or want to remove undesired tracks from original Blu-ray, Lossless Multi-track MKV is also a good choice. Just go to choose what you like.

Tips: Not all media player can support M2TS and MKV with multiple streams. You are recommended to try powerful Free VLC Player if you haven’t found a suitable one. And the chapter mark selection can be supported as well.

How to play ripped Blu-ray movies in VLC Media Player by chapters

More highlights in ByteCopy:

Full Disc Copy will help to 1:1 backup the whole Blu-ray with original structure;
Rip latest Blu-ray/DVD including 3D/2D Blu-ray;
Backup Blu-ray/DVD main movie with original quality;
Support rip Blu-ray/DVD to multitracks MKV, MOV, MP4 and Apple ProRes(only for Mac);
Convert Blu-ray/DVD movies for Android, iOS, Windows 8 devices;
Blu-ray/DVD movie before conversion, like trim, crop, add watermark, add subtitles, etc.

Surprise! Welcome to Money Saving Software Bundles to find big special sale on much software bundled with ByteCopy, like ByteCopy + Video Converter Ultimate, ByteCopy + DVD Creator, ByteCopy + VidPie, ByteCopy +MXF MultiMixer etc. And it will help to save up to $35.1. Now go to find the preferable one and get special price.

More related reading:

Friday, August 23, 2013

Convert QuickTime .mov to iMovie on Mac OS X Mavericks/Mountain Lion

This guide introduces the best workflow to import QuickTime mov to iMovie on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks or Mountain Lion for smoothly editing.

Q: “I have some standard MOV files and enjoys playing back them smoothly in QuickTime Player. But when I import them to iMovie and want to edit, now the videos seem to randomly switch frame rates during playback. Did you do anything wrong?”

A: iMovie is really picky on video formats as well as video codecs. For example, normal mov files are not supported natively so that you cannot playback smoothly your quicktime mov in iMovie. The best compatible codec for iMovie is Apple InterMediate Codec(AIC); in this case, you are suggested to use Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mavericks to convert QuickTime MOV to AIC MOV for editing in iMovie.

How to transcode Quicktime MOV files for editing in iMovie?

The above introduced Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac program, which is not only able to convert various HD videos (including Quicktime mov, MKV, MTS, MXF, AVI, VOB, MPG, 3GP, Flash videos etc.) to AIC, but also convert them to Apple ProRes for FCP, DNxHD mov for Avid Media Composer/Xpress Pro, convert to MPG/AVI/MOV for Premiere Pro, convert to various video formats for editing, playback, sharing, storing and burning, etc.

First download a free trial version and install it on your Mac(including 10.9 Mavericks and Mountain Lion 10.8).

Let’s start to quick convert QuickTime MOV to iMovie compatible codec on Mac.

1. Load .mov files.

Run Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac, then click the top left two icons to load individual mov videos, or import the entire folder.

pavtube quicktime mov to imovie converter

2. Choose the proper format for iMovie.

Click the drop-down list besides “Format” and choose “iMovie and Final Cut Express > Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC) (*.mov)” as the best format for editing in iMovie. Click “Browse” to choose output path.

Tips: Click the Pencil-like icon on the top to trim, crop, edit audio, add 3D effect and subtitles.

3. Custom video/audio settings for iMovie.

Click the “Settings” and customize output video size, bitrate (decide video quality and size), frame rate and other specs. You’d better set the video frame rate as 30fps, video size as 1920*1080 to keep the best quality for editing in iMovie.

4. Start Quicktime mov to AIC mov conversion.

Click the “Convert” button to start converting Quicktime mov to AIC mov for iMovie. Wait for moments and you will get the best video. Click the “Open” button to locate the converted video and then import them to iMovie for editing on Mac Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

5. Import video files to iMovie.

Launch iMovie, choose “File” > “Import” > “Movies…” and choose the path above:

Steps: How to import video files to iMovie on Mac?

Related Tips:

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Convert Canon XA20 MP4/MTS files to Final Cut Pro X with best quality on Mac

Canon XA20 is one of the high-end camera which is newly released on mid-June, 2013. This professional camera shoots Full HD 1080 60p/60i/30p/24p footages in AVCHD MTS format and 1080 60p/30/24p as well as 720/360 30p/24p in MPEG MP4 format.

Shutterbugs and professional editors must be very excited to watch these HD footages and see it edited to be the most perfect ones on your own hands.

So here comes the problem you may concern: how do Mac users edit Canon XA20 MP4/MTS files in Final Cut Pro X?

“Can't import short clip recorded on the XA20 into Final Cut Pro X on my mac book pro. Reads mpeg file as imcompatible file. Followed all directions, using their CD loaded software. Any help appreciated.

Problem source: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5172201?start=0&tstart=0”

Theoretically, FCP X supports both of these two format footages as it's said in Apple store. In fact, Final Cut Pro does not prefer to work with .mts and .mp4 for that it appreciates MOV files especially encoded in Apple ProRes. So, if you find it doesn't work and you don't want to bother so much about the further setting of FCP X, you can take my advice into consideration. That is, you can use some third-party software to convert your Canon XA20 MTS/MP4 footages to Apple ProRes 422 MOV, the best supported format for FCP x. If you want to try, use Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac. It has excellent quality of videos as it applies advanced audio and video sync technology, which is a native format for FCP X

People usually use the best Mac HD Video Converter to convert the incompatible format files for editing in their mac editing softwares or transferring to their tablet/phone/tv etc. devices for playback, maybe in your situation, you can have a try as well. If you don't know how to use, here we have an easy way to get it working within a few clicks; follow this guide to see how to convert Canon XA20 MP4/MTS files for editing in Final Cut Pro X with best quality on Mac(Mavericks, Mountain Lion included).

First, You can try the free trial version to test the functions.

Step 1. Load Canon XA20 files.

Connect Canon XA20 camcorder to your Mac via USB, or insert your SD card to Mac, browser the .mts files from AVCHD > BDMV > STREAM. Load your 1080/60p .mts or .mp4 files from XA20 or local computer which you have copied from camcorder before into Pavtube HD Converter for Mac. P.S. There are two ways for you to import files: add video directly and add the entire folder.

pavtube canon xa20 mts/mp4 to fcp x converter

Step 2. Click “Format” and choose "Final Cut Pro", you will see several "Apple ProRes presets". The ProRes 422 outputs low quality videos comparing with others, but the converted videos are smaller in size. Usually the ProRes 422 HQ is recommended for its good video quality and perfect video/audio sync settings.

convert canon xa20 mts/mp4 to apple prores 422

Step 3. Click “Settings” to customize output video size, bitrate, frame rate and other settings at your needs.

Tips: You are allowed to adjust output video and video parameters. However, if you have no idea about profile setting, keep it as original recordings will provide you the files with less quality loss, and keep default settings is also a good choice for your to get a high quality files.

Step 4. Now just click the big red “Convert” to start converting Canon XA20 MP4/MTS clips to FCP X preferred format. Click “Open” to locate the converted video directly for Final Cut Pro X.

In this way, you will have no difficulty in importing and editing Canon XA20 MTS/MP4 footage into FCP X with excellent audio and video quality. You can enjoy sharing edited video with friends and taking any individual frames you want.

Wish you can solve your problem soon and good luck~

More Tips:

Tip 1: This Mac Canon MTS/MP4 to FCP X Converter also includes the editing function to let you trim, crop, edit audio, add 3D effect, add watermark and subtitles before conversion.

Tips: In order to get customized videos, you can attach subtitles to your videos.

The free Subtitle Edit will help you to edit your own subtitles then put it into videos.

Subtitle FAQs: How to free permanently attach subtitles to videos/movies?

Tip 2: If you want to burn Canon XA20 MTS/MP4 videos to DVD on Mac, Pavtube DVD Creator for Mac is recommended.

Tip 3: If you are using other Mac editing softwares, like iMovie, FCE, Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects CS6, Apple Aperture 3, Kdenlive, DaVinci Resolve, iPhoto and more, please view the follow guides:

Canon XA20 Test - 60p

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Quick Blu-ray Backup: Only 30 minutes Backup 27GB Blu-ray main movie to M2TS without conversion

As Blu-ray is more and more prevailing, many Blu-ray collectors may encounter the below trouble:

“I needed a Blu-ray Ripper to rip my good collection of Blu-ray for storage - I prefer digital versions that last longer and are more portable, than physical disks.” - Curme

“I’ve set up a NAS at home and wanted to have all my DVDs/Blue Rays readily accessible rather than going through loads of CDs. I’ve also placed them on a portable 2.5” drive so I can take them with me on holidays.” - Austin

Because every time you play Blu-ray in Blu-ray drive, the disc will suffer little quality loss. And it is a huge task to keep it safe and seek the disc when you need. So a digital backup will help to save the storage space of blu-ray collection, and make it easier to access and carry with. For instance, you could keep the blu-ray backup in different according to different years, so you can find the desired movie easily without going through your storeroom.

When searching in google, a variety of programs are listed. You may find DVDFab for assistance. When you choose to output m2ts files, you may need to wait one hour and a half for conversion in a general way. Even choosing output profile with AudioCopy instead of AC3 will take almost one hour to convert. And quality loss is inevitable. So you will face long time for conversion and quality loss from original blu-ray when backup with DVDFab. It is so frustrated when it goes to your collection with thousands of blu-ray.

Now, a fast way to backup 100% intact blu-ray main movie is perfect for you. With it, you can backup 27GB blu-ray main movie only in 30 minutes. It will help to copy the intact main movie with all multiple audio and subtitle tracks from original blu-ray and save an m2ts file without any quality loss. Let me show you how to do it and you will find the workflow is so easy.

Go to get Pavtube BDMagic and install it.

Tips:
1. If you are a Mac user, please turn to Pavtube BDMagic for Mac. (here is a guide)

2. Due to Pavtube Summer Holiday Sale, you can get 30% off for it now, save $15. This discount will expire on Aug.31, 2013, so hurry up to get if you like. Do not miss it!

I will take Windows version as an example and it also applies to Mac version.

Amazing speed for backup blu-ray main movie on Win/Mac

1. Load Blu-ray disc.

When you have inserted the disc into Blu-ray drive, run the Best Blu-ray Copy/Ripper and keep networked. Click “Load file” icon on the top left to import blu-ray.

After successful load, hit the main title recognized automatically you are able to preview the whole movie in the preview windows.

2. Choose Directly Copy.

Click “Format” menu you will find lots of video formats listed. Here you are recommended to choose “Directly Copy” for output because it will copy the intact main movie from Blu-ray to M2TS at fast speed.

3. Backup/Copy with amazing speed.

Click the “Convert” button to start backing up Blu-ray to M2TS in original format without conversion. When finished, you will get a generated m2ts file and Open button will show you the location of it.

Note: During backup, a conversion box will show you detailed information like exact progress, time elapsed, time left, estimated size, etc. Because of no recoding, 27.44GB blu-ray main movie backup just need about half an hour. Amazing speed for backuping up!

Another way to Backup entire Blu-ray:

Full Disc Copy is a good way to backup the entire Blu-ray disc. It is capable to 1:1 backup the whole blu-ray preserving original structure and chapter marks and you will get one folder containing BDMV and CERTIFICATE folder. If you want copy the entire blu-ray for backup or creating ISO file and DVD, you can try it now and see further reading about how to make Full Copy of Blu-ray

If you have no idea about how to play the generated m2ts files, you can count to the free VLCPlayer, which support various video formats and generated BDMV folder. And it has VLCPlayer for Mac available for Mac users.

Workflow is so easy and quick, and it will provide you intact main movie of Blu-ray to M2TS backup at fast speed. Now just go to enjoy it.

Read More:

Monday, August 19, 2013

Best DVD Copy: Backup DVD discs to Hard Drive keeping original structure

Summary: This guide is for beginners, about a very simple way using Pavtube DVD Ripper or ByteCopy to hack/rip protected DVD and backup DVD to Computer / PC / External Hard Drive keeping original structure (VIDEO_TS) so that you can make a 1:1 copy of DVD.

For those who are good at this, you may as well have a look. Probably, it's the easiest way with the easiest using software you've never met before.

Q1: How to Copy DVD to Hard Drive?

"I have tried to copy DVD to Hard Drive on my computer but find it's impossible to directly copy protected DVD to Hard Drive. Is there any way for that?"

Q2: How to Transfer DVDs to External Hard Drive for watching on TV and PC?

Was wondering if anyone can give me some advice on how i can transfer my dvds (some original and some are on dvdr which have been recorded from tv) onto an external Hard Drive, so i can watch them on a tv and a pc.

Ideally i would like to keep all my dvds on a hard instead of having dvds everywhere.

I also want to keep the quality the same as the dvd.

So please if this is possible to do, can someone give me a step by step guide.

Many thanks in advance"

Most free conversion programs won't work with copy protected DVD discs. First, you need to "rip" or "backup" or "full disc copy" the DVD files to your Hard Drive. When copying DVD collections to PC Hard Drive, most of our want to retain original structure. However, until now, Pavtube DVDAid and ByteCopy are my favorite partners, I have used it for more than 2 years. Especially ByteCopy, found it had the very big change after upgrading, price didn't change, I think I'm so lucky.

The best DVD Ripper software can take everything from the DVD Disc, including the chapters, extras, and subtitles. With it, you can effortlessly full disc copy videos from your DVD discs with original file structure, directly copy DVD main movie and fast ripping speed.

Get the Windows version: DVDAid or ByteCopy
Get the Mac version: DVDAid for Mavericks or ByteCopy for Mavericks

Learn More: Top 5 Best Blu-ray Ripper Review | Top 3 Best DVD Ripper Review

Required hardware: PC with DVD-ROM optical drive, and commercial DVDs

Now download the right version and check out the guide below.

Step 1. Have your computer networked so that the ripper can access key for cracking the copy-protections. Run the best DVDAid.

Step 2. Click “Load Disc” button to load DVD to the program. The CSS and region code protection get hacked when loading DVD. DVD ISO/IFO can be also loaded to convert to VIDEO_TS/VOB file structure.

Step 3. Click the “Full Disk Copy” button to start archiving DVD to hard drive in VIDEO_TS structure. It takes 5-10 minutes to back up a single layer DVD to hard drive and 10-15 minutes to copy a dual layer DVD.

When copying completes, you can click “Open” to find DVD digital copy. The backed up DVD movie is usually saved as a directory file structure within which there are VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folder. The VIDEO_TS folder contains main movies (.vob) and lots of system files (.ifo and .bup).

How to play backed up DVD movies?

VLC Media Player (freeware) is one of the universal players that support DVD menu (DVD navigation) and video streaming to lots of other devices. It is available for both Windows and Mac.

How to further convert the backed up DVD movies?

If your media player does not support DVD navigation, you can drag and drop the DVD directory to DVD Aid again and convert the movie to popular video formats (MP4, AVI, WMV, MKV, etc)

How to copy backed up DVD movie to another DVD?

If you just want to have a DVD copy for playing in your car, use DVD Creator to burn the digital copy to a blank DVD. See How to Burn VIDEO_TS to DVD.