DVD Ripping FAQ - DVD Ripping Questions and Solutions

DVD Ripping FAQ - DVD Ripping Questions and Solutions

As often as we write about taking the DVDs you own and converting them to a format you can enjoy on all your media players, people continue to have questions. Here are answers to some of those questions.

I have a movie on a commercial DVD that I’d like to play on my iPod. How do I convert it?

There are a handful of tools available for doing this. HandBrake is one. MacTheRipper is another for Mac User. And Wondershare DVD Ripper is a third. HandBrake and MacTheRipper are free. Wondershare costs $39.
What are the difference between the three programs?

HandBrake includes a variety of presets, allowing you to rip your disc for specific devices —Apple TV, QuickTime, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPod High- and Low-Resolution, for example. HandBrake will automatically detect the main feature of the disc and offer to extract just that main feature. You can also ask it to rip other bits from the disc—previews.

The version of MacTheRipper commonly found on the Web is old and not compatible with some newer copy-protection schemes. You can get an updated version of MacTheRipper by joining the RipDifferent forums and purchasing a copy of MacTheRipper 3.x. It too can rip the main feature or any other portion of the disc you like.