Although video content stored in DVD format is high quality, it is saved uncompressed and bloated in size. Additionally, a single DVD movie will typically be saved in a number of files that require the device playing the content to be capable of direct DVD playback. A common task that arises for end-users is converting DVD to MPEG format in order to save hard drive space and support play-back on portable multi-media devices. The conversion task can be accomplished using commercial or open source software such as the DVDx project.

What is the DVDx Project?

The DVDx project is both an audio and video encoder and DVD copier. Besides support for DVD and MPEG format, the software is also compatible with Flash, MP3, Wav, Ogg, H.264, and QuickTime formats. Unlike other conversion applications, the software is supported on the Linux, MAC OS X, and Windows operating systems.

Steps to Convert DVD to MPEG Using DVDx

Step 1 – Download and install the current DVDx build on your computer.

Step 2 – If unsure what to do after downloading the DVDx setup file on your computer, double-click the file icon and accept the default menu prompts displayed by the application. If downloading to install on a Mac or Linux computer, ensure you choose the appropriate installation file for your computer’s operating system.

Step 3 – After installation, double-click the DVDx program icon located on your computer’s desktop if the software does not automatically launch.

Step 4 – Open the DVD drive on the computer and insert the disc that you desire to convert to MPEG into the drive. If the content is saved in DVD format on your computer’s hard drive, use the program’s file chooser to open the file after clicking the “Open IFO” menu choice.

Step 5 – Select the DVD file in the subsequently displayed window. Both the root file and menu for the movie on the DVD should be selected. If there are multiple movies on the same DVD, you may have to select the appropriate files for the movie to convert to MPEG.

Step 6 – Check the audio section of the DVDx menu and ensure there is an audio track displayed that will be converted to MPEG along with the video content. If you do not select the audio track, the movie will convert without any sound.

Step 7 – Select the “Ok” button and then click the “Settings” and “Output Settings” menu boxes. The video output format should then be changed to MPEG-2 or MP-4 depending on the requirements for the MPEG file that you will be using.

Step 8 – Choose an audio compression format for the conversion. “Lame MP3” is the default encoding with “MPEG” for outputting content to MPEG-2 or MP-4.

Step 9 – Choose the “XviD” video format in the application’s drop-down menu. Then, choose a screen size for the video encoding. Wide screen displays use a 16:9 screen ratio with a 4:3 requirement for normal television displays.

Step 10 – Choose the “Whole” menu choice that is located next to the “Max Frame Number” menu. Then, toggle the maximum file size to “Infinite” in the “Output Settings” menu choice.

Step 11 – Click the “Apply” menu button and then choose the “Destination” location for the file to be saved.

Step 12 – Click the “Record” menu button and enter a unique file name in the dialogue box.

Step 13 – Select the “Save” and “Ok” menu buttons to complete the DVD to MPEG conversion.