DVD's as Files

[bodhi]

Hey,

Let me first explain before you just close this thread (although I do understand if you decide to close it!!). I am going round the world with my girlfriend in a few days and she is taking her laptop and I am taking my external hard drive to back all our photos up onto.

What I was considering doing was getting some of my dvds (films and tv series) and putting them on the hard drive as files so we can watch them on boring train/plane journeys etc. Now, I know it's slightly dodgy ground, but I have bought these items and while I don't want to take the dvd's with me, I'd quite like to be able to watch them.

So, my questions are:

1. Is this possible / legal?
2. What software will do this for me?

If this thread is too close to the bone for PC Review, feel free to close it.

Bodhi

 

[JaLing]

It is legal to make a working backup for your own use.
I have a digital catalogue of all my dvds and music on my storage computer which I then stream through my 360.

There's many programs available to convert DVDs to AVIs / MPGs for free, just do a google search.

 

[bodhi]

Hey Jaling,

Thanks for the advice. You got any idea of good converters though? I've done a google search and there are loads all offering differernt things! I just want to turn them into a file I can store and keep.

 

[floppybootstomp]

The best way is to convert them to DivX for hard drive storage.

There is lots of software available to do this, some free, some paid for. I use a paid-for version (about £16.00) of Imtoo's DVD Platinum. The files work out to an average of 1Gb per movie.

However, it won't work if the DVD in question has copyright protection of any kind on it, and most commercial DVD's have that protection.

You'll need other software for that. Search for DVD Shrink V3.2. And that's as far as I'm going here

 

[bodhi]

Thanks Flopps,

Havn't done this before (as I usually have my DVD player and the DVDs which makes things far easier! haha.

What's the best format to save them as? Divx? Avi? MP4?

Bodhi

 

[Madxgraphics]

The best way is to convert them to DivX for hard drive storage.

Herein lies your answer

 

[bodhi]

Haha, oooops, didn't read that properly then!!

 

[Madxgraphics]

Haha, oooops, didn't read that properly then!!

Erm to be onest I had to read it twice....