Ripping Dvds on a Mac

Movies on DVDs are generally too bulky to be stored on your hard drive because of the MPEG2 format in which they are encoded. Ripping a DVD and converting it to a less bulkier format is the way out of this problem. In this article, I explain about ripping DVD on Mac using a software called Handbrake which is one of the best DVD rippers you could use.

About Handbrake

Ripping DVDs on a Mac or for any other system is more than just copying it to your hard drive. DVD ripping software programs also convert the video and audio files into a more compact video file format. When performing such encoding tasks and converting video files, the three factors that need to be taken into consideration are size of file, format and quality. Ideally what you want is high quality and as low file size as possible. DVD ripper programs are judged by how well they carry out the tradeoff between quality of video and size, through encoding. Handbrake is a new DVD ripping software program that was launched in 2009. The best DVD ripping software for a Mac is Handbrake.

It is a free open source program that can convert DVD videos and especially MPEG videos into a compact video file format like MPEG-4, while packaging it in a MPEG-4 Part 14 (.mp4) container or a Matroska (.mkv), as well as M4V container. It is ideal for Mac platform as it can convert DVD video data into file formats which can be viewed on an Apple iPod, Apple iPhone or Apple TV. The converted files can be easily viewed using the QuickTime player available with Mac. Let us now have a look at how to rip DVD on Mac using Handbrake. Besides Macintosh, Handbrake can also be used on the Linux and Windows operating systems. Some of the features offered by Handbrake are cropping and scaling, subtitle insertion, integrated bit rate calculator, picture deinterlacing and grayscale encoding.

Ripping DVD On a Mac Using Handbrake

First of all, you need to download and install the latest version of Handbrake on your Macintosh. It is compatible with Mac OS 10.3.9 or later versions. Once this program for DVD ripping is installed, you are ready to rip any DVD.

Insert DVD and Open Drive Volume in Handbrake
Insert the DVD that you want to rip in your DVD drive. Once the file is ready for reading, the DVD player may directly open. Turn the player off and open Handbrake. It automatically detects the DVD in your drive and reads its contents. It will detect all the video titles and chapter files. A window will open with all the details of the DVD contents neatly displayed along with the settings for file conversion. Normally it chooses the longest title on DVD by default. You can choose whichever title you want to be ripped.

Select Destination File Format, Codec and Location
In the main Handbrake window, go to the destination section and choose the file format to which you want the DVD files to be ripped into. Also choose the codec and file destination after ensuring that it has enough disk space.

Choose Destination File Quality & Maximum Size
Next you can choose the quality of video that you want. Higher quality rips will take up more space. You can also set the target size for your ripped file. With these settings, you are now ready to rip. Just click on the 'Rip' button and wait. Depending on the file quality and size of rip, this may take time. Once it is done, you can transfer the ripped files to your iPod and iPhone or watch the movie on your Apple QuickTime player.

The software makes it very easy to transfer stuff from your DVDs to your Apple iPhone. Download the software as soon as possible and enjoy high quality rips on your iPhone or MacBook Pro.