How to Rip a DVD to my Computer

You may want to get DVDs ripped to your computer due to several reasons such as playing the DVD videos from the hard drive itself without putting in the disc, or simply for the sake of transferring the video to your Apple iPod or any other MP3 player. DVD ripping is a very simple process that needs some essentials; such as a good amount of storage space on the hard disk, a DVD ripping software, the DVD disc to be copied, and a computer. If you are wondering how to rip a DVD to My Computer, there are two standard methods of ripping DVDs. First is the direct copy-paste one and the second is by using a DVD converter and changing the file format to use it as a different media.

Note that if the DVD video .vob files are copied on the hard drive directly as they are in the disc, the format will remain the same. You will not be able to use files with this format on other media devices. If you intend to use the .vob files on your iPod or any video media player, you will have to use a DVD ripper which will not only copy the DVD files but also convert them to a compatible format. Following is a general explanation on how to rip a DVD on a Mac and Windows using different software.

How to Rip a DVD to My Computer: Mac and HandBrake

HandBrake is probably considered the best DVD ripper for Mac operating system. You can convert DVD files to MPG, AVI, or MOV file formats. Insert the DVD into the drive, start HandBrake, and select 'Detected Volume' and then 'Open'. Select the longest title in case of a movie DVD, or another individual title if it is a list of episodes or music videos. Then set the codec to MPEG-4 Video/ AAC Audio. Also set the folder where the converted files are to be saved. Select the video quality by clicking on the 'Average Bitrate' option and setting it to '400', and check the '2-pass coding box'. Set the audio track in the 'Language 1' to 'English (MPEG 4)', the Audio Sample Rate to 44100, and the bitrate to 128. Set the width in 'Picture Settings' to 320 and height to 240. After all is set, click on 'Rip' to action the file conversion.

How to Rip a DVD to My Computer: Windows Vista and Nero Recode

Insert the DVD to be ripped and open the Nero recode application installed on your system. Click the 'Recode an Entire DVD to DVD' option visible in the software's interface, which will do a data backup of the DVD you want to rip. Now you will have to click on the 'Import DVD' option and click 'OK' after selecting the DVD drive. You will have to take out the original DVD from the drive and insert a blank DVD. Click on 'Next', select the DVD burner from the 'Destination' option, and finally click 'Burn'. This is how to rip a DVD to My Computer using Nero recode.

This was some general explanation on how to rip a DVD to My Computer. Note that the above mentioned procedures may slightly vary according to the versions of the software released. You can use some good software such as DVDFab HD Decrypter, MacTheRipper, DVD Decrypter, Clone2Go DVD Ripper, Tipard DVD Ripper, iSkysoft DVD Ripper, and similar others. Also remember that the files from original DVDs are strictly to be used for personal purposes and for creating backup discs for your movie collection. It is illegal to rip data from original DVDs for the purpose of distribution or public airing.