I've also used handbrake to create mkv files from recorded VHS that was processed through a USB device. You can probably even do this process with a US disk to make an exact copy of it, but I haven't had a need where I have several Japanese Music CDs with bonus DVDs that I want to watch.
Of course you can also then load up handbrake and turn the decoded files into mkv or mp4 files, it's all up to you.
Then you can simply use a DVD burning software (such as Nero) to make a DVD disk and viola you have a Region 1 exact copy of your DVD that you can play on your regular player. DVD Decrypt will try to de-encode it to regular DVD files on your hard drive. This seems a bit spotty and depends on the physical DVD hardware, my work machine works great. I've mostly used it to convert my wife's art lessons to computer format to fit on her netbook so she can watch them while painting, but they seem to work just fine for most any movie.Ī cool use I've found is taking a Japanese Region DVD and converting it to Region 1 (usa). It also lets you adjust all sorts of things along the way, but has a simple default that works well. The second is Handbrake which smoothly makes media files, mostly mkv or mp4 as I recall (the new H.264 format is wonderful). This program simply takes the raw files off a DVD stripping region codes and most protection as it goes: First was DVD Decrypter which was declared bad and stopped, but you can still get and use. I tried DVDx and had bad luck with it, but then I was trying to put MacGyver on an ipod at the time. That would be a violation of copyright law, which can result civil and criminal penalties.ĭo you have something to say about converting DVD to AVI? Post your comment or question below.
While ripping and converting DVD data is legal for making personal backup copies of DVDs you have purchased, it should not be done to make multiple copies for free or profitable distribution. It makes ripping and converting DVDs easy for Linux users who are not comfortable with the command line. RippedWire is a graphical user interface for the HandBrake Linux DVD ripper and converter software. It rips and converts DVD disks to AVI and many other file formats. Mac users can download Mac DVD Ripper for OS X. Then select "use ASPI" in the DVDx options.
If you get the error, "DVD drive could not be locked," download the ASPI drivers from Adaptec and install them. You can specify the format to which you want to convert the DVD data the compression ratio the resolution (size) of the converted file frames and other specifications.įinally, select a destination folder and filename for your converted DVD and let 'er rip.
Select the file VTS_01_0.IFO to load the DVD file structure data and you're reading to rip and convert.ĭVDx supports MPEG and other compressed video file formats as well as AVI. If the native DVD files have been copied to your hard drive, you specify their location and use them instead of the disk. When DVDx loads and user interface windows appears, insert your DVD disk in the drive. With codecs and DVDx installed, run the DVDx program. AutoGK is a free package that installs the necessary codecs for you. But first, you need to install the codecs that enable reading and writing of DVD and AVI data. You can download it from, a repository of open source software. AVI is a well-established standard supported by many video players and editing programs.ĭVDx is a free, open source application widely used to rip a DVD and convert it to AVI format. It also compresses data, removing some bytes to save space at the cost of some degradation of video/audio quality. It stores data in a single file that you can name as something informative and memorable. These drawbacks are overcome to a great extent by converting DVD data to AVI format.ĪVI stands for Audio Video Interleave format.
Finally, you can't easily edit a DVD movie in its native format. Further, DVD data is stored on disc in a complex assortment of obscurely-named files, making it difficult to make copies or transfer a DVD movie over the Internet. In its native uncompressed form, DVD data takes up a lot of disk space 4 to 5 gigabytes for a typical movie. As you have probably already discovered, although you can "rip" a DVD free of its copy-protecton and copy it to your hard drive, this technique has some drawbacks.