Is an .iso clone identical in quality as a full disc clone?

[Frank Angel]

We have been making protection copies of DVDs and BRs for the college's Film Department's Digital Film Library of a few thousand DVDs and BRs. The Library has been using DVDFab to make full disc clones(protection copies) with the files stored on large capacity hard drives. On the rare occasion that a DVD or BR goes missing or gets seriously damaged, we can go back to the clone, and from that bnurn a new disc.
Question: Rather than making a direct clone of all the files on a DVD or BR disc that would in the case of a lost or damaged disc that would later need to be burned to a new disc so it could be played back, would it make sense to instead make an iso copy. My understanding is that an iso copy is also an exact clone of the DVD or BR, same as a full disc clone, the only difference being that an iso file can be played directly by a number of players like VLC or Leawo without the need to burn a new disc. The major issue with using iso instead of a full disc clone burned to a physical disc would be, does the iso file retain full resolution as was on the original DVD/BR, or would there be some loss in playing back of an.iso clone?

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

[Carsten Kurz]

An ISO clone will certainly not alter the media asset quality in any way. Unless the software to create it uses very special functions, e.g. in order to reduce file size (e.g. to allow burning of a dual layer DVD into a single layer DVD). But that should be a pretty rare feature for ISO workflows. Honestly, I don't understand your description of 'full disc clone' vs. 'ISO copy'. My understanding is that both should be more or less identical - with the exception maybe that copy protection could be dealt with in different ways, but that depends on the software. ISO is a standardized container, and full disc clones as created by DVDFab may use a proprietary format. Very often, though, these formats turn out as ISO as well, or close to ISO.

As you say, ISO clones can be played back as they are by many video players, so, they are more flexible than proprietary disc backup formats.

[Frank Angel]

Great Carsten. Just what I needed to be sure off. Thank you.

As far as the "Full Disc" clone -- copies everything that is on the disc as it is, files and folders an root -- everything, which is what I assume an .iso container has copied as well, with the advantage that it is immediately playable.

[Marcel Birgelen]

One thing you should keep in mind is the legality of what you're doing. While you're allowed to make backup disks, according to the DMCA, you're NOT allowed to break encryption, and that's what most of those tools are doing when "cloning" protected DVDs and BluRays. DVDs employ CSS and BluRays mostly a form of AACS. Maybe you should check if you can register for an exemption, in order to protect yourself from the copyright karma police going after you.

In order to be able to play it back without the original media, if the content on it was encrypted, you always need to decrypt it. As such, many ISOs are no bit-copies, but unencrypted versions of the "bit-copied" version of the original medium.

[Frank Angel]

Good point Marcel. The backup protection copies that the library makes uses the "fulldisc" or an exact bit-copy clone which render a exact copy of the original, including whatever copy protection was was used on it. I am only experimenting with the idea of using an .lso copy as the back up as it may save quite a bit of time should a professor call for a title and we find the DVD missing. If indeed that would work for the library, it would have to be vetted way above my pay grade as to ensuring that it does not violate any of the copyright restrictions. I am just looking to see if it will even work first.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Out of curiosity, have you run into any disks that were copy protected and would not allow a copy to be made???

[Marcel Birgelen]

Almost all commercial DVDs and Blu-Rays are copy-protected as they almost always use CSS or AACS. It looks like most publishers have since given up on implementing new AACS keys, which probably would require a few months, weeks or days to retrieve from some broken BluRay player, probably also not to frustrate the still existing user-base with more hoopla's, like the requirement of updating the firmware of your player in order to play new releases...

[Frank Angel]

Yah, we have run into very few discs that resist being cloned.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I have been ripping all my DVD and Blue Ray to JRiver, 200 so far and have encountered seven disks that refuse to rip. Two of course are Disney's. There were disks that I thought would be protected that were not. I also had one brand new unopened DVD that would not even register in the drive I am using.

[Frank Angel]

Yah, I have seen some really odd attempts to confound anyone trying to make protection copies.. A few put totally different titles on the filenames so when DVDFab opens the container, it gives you a bogus title as the film it's about to copy. Remember bogus titles on film cans and reel bands? Same stupidity. In once case, there was actually an old B&W TV show along with the real feature. It only showed up when Handbrake previewed it, but it never actually played on the ripped copy. Lame, but they still went thru the trouble to do that silly subterfuge.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Yah, I have seen some really odd attempts to confound anyone trying to make protection copies.. A few put totally different titles on the filenames so when DVDFab opens the container, it gives you a bogus title as the film it's about to copy. Remember bogus titles on film cans and reel bands? Same stupidity. In once case, there was actually an old B&W TV show along with the real feature. It only showed up when Handbrake previewed it, but it never actually played on the ripped copy. Lame, but they still went thru the trouble to do that silly subterfuge.

So far I've had a dozen or so with the bogus titles, or abbreviated titles...