DVD Cloner is software program that lets you make backup copies of your movies, music and purchased software from your original DVDs so you can protect that original from damage, loss or theft. The DVD Cloner 5 program won a gold award from the TopTenREVIEWS website as being one of the best DVD copying software packages available today. Below is a screen capture of the program.

DVD Cloner Features

This program comes with just about any feature that I would want in a DVD copying program. The following features are available in DVD Cloner 5.

Supported Formats - DVD Cloner 5 makes exact 1:1 copies of DVD-5 disks and allows the user to copy their DVD movies to both ISO and NRG files on a blank DVD or directly to your hard. The program can also copy CSS-encryption without needing to download a helper plug-in. The state of the art decryption engine can also copy region-protected, Sony ARCCOS protected and Disney movies.

The program supports dual-layer burning so compression is unnecessary if you have a compatible dual-layer burner. If not, you can compress DVD-9 to a single DVD-5 disk, use the movie only feature to minimize compression, or split the movie to two DVD-5 disks. While the quality of the compressed movie is very good, using two disks prevents any loss of movie quality.

Format Selection - The product includes technology that automatically scans the original disk format and provides the correct copying mode and options to the user.

Format Conversion - DVD Cloner 5 can convert your DVDs to multiple formats such as AVI, MPEG and SVCD. These are bonus features and must be downloaded from http://www.dvd-to-divx.com . As long as your copy of DVD-Cloner 5 is registered, all you need to do is install the downloaded bonus software after you have installed and registered the program.

Multiple Copies - DVD Cloner 5 has the ability to select the number of burned copies you want to make so you don’t have to go through the entire copying process again to make a second copy. All you need do is select the number of copies you want to burn and then the program will prompt you when it is ready for a new blank DVD.

HD-DVD and Blu-ray - With the use of a free downloadable helper plug-in available at (http://www.copyhddvd.net), you can rip HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies and then copy directly to your hard drive. However, you can only use this feature if you have an HD or Blu-ray player installed.

Supported Burners - DVD Cloner 5 supports most PAL, NTSC and DVD+-R/RW drives and is compatible with most stand alone DVD players.

Audio and Video Quality - the program has excellent audio and video synchronization, picture and sound quality. If you use the 1:1 copying option, the software creates and exact duplicate of the original disk with the exact same quality.

DVD Recovery - Probably the best feature of this software program is the ability to recover damaged data from scratches or bad sectors on a DVD and restore the lost data to your burned copy. The best part is that this feature is integrated into the full copy selection.

Language Compatibility - DVD Cloner 5 supports several different language including English, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Greek, Hungarian and many more.

DVD Cloner Usability

Installation - The program is easy to install and doesn’t require downloading anything to use the standard features. However, to use the format conversion or HD-DVD and Blu-ray capabilities, additional software downloads are required. The downloading process should be easy for anyone who has ever downloaded and installed software from a website.

User Interface - Even the most technically challenged should have no problem using this software. There are two user modes: an Express Mode and an Expert Mode. In express mode, copying a DVD is pretty much of a one click operation. Even in the expert mode, there are software guides to walk you through the customization process so you can produce professional grade copies. The expert mode allows you to select which chapters, language, audio tracks and other features to use for your project.

Embedded Help File - There is a good help section but this product is so easy to use, most people will never need it.

Summary

With the inclusion of the automatic format discovery program, CSS decryptor capability and the bonus conversion software, DVD Cloner overshadows it competitors. This easy to use software finally makes backing up your original DVDs easy enough for anyone to do it. With a street price of under $60, this is a must have program for the video and music hobbyist.