[Macworld]

Post your comments for Beware DVD copying software here

[iSeeXiMac]

HandBrake and MTR cannot rip the newest DVD's in my collection. It seems 2007 and up is the time where they finally got the copy protection on full blast. I tried MTR and some scenes are in the wrong language and no matter what I do it wont cannot fix it. And HandBrake says its done but the quicktime is not readable in anything I try.

[fribhey]

iSeeXiMac said:

HandBrake and MTR cannot rip the newest DVD's in my collection. It seems 2007 and up is the time where they finally got the copy protection on full blast. I tried MTR and some scenes are in the wrong language and no matter what I do it wont cannot fix it. And HandBrake says its done but the quicktime is not readable in anything I try.

that's probably because you aren't using the latest version of mactheripper which is 3.0... and it's also extremely hard to find. i haven't had any issues with version 3.0. the only version of mactheripper available publicly is 2.6.6, dig around and you will find 3.0.

[flosofl]

I just recently invested a few months converting my extensive DVD collection so I could stream any movie I felt like watching to my Apple TV. At first the only two tools I used were Handbrake and mactheripper. However, I came across a couple of DVDs that simply could not be converted (Legend of Drunken Master, Casino Royale, some of the Monty Python DVDs). After some research, I finally settled on DVD2OneX. It's a little pricey, but I have yet to find a DVD it can't remaster.
My current strategy is to rip and encode with Handbrake. If that fails, I run it through DVD2OneX (and unselect any zero-cells lurking in the title) and encode the result with Handbrake. Works like a champ.

[imdylbert]

I have a copy of MTR 3.0 and it does not take care of the incorrect language problem. For example, a couple of my discs that involve a certain boy wizard rip in spanish or french but not english. Incredibly frustrating. what would be nice would be if they allowed the choice of languages when doing a full disc or main feature extraction.

[reclusivemonkey]

...and the MPAA wonder why people go to the Pirate Bay. We WANT to pay for DVDs. We also WANT to rip them to our computer/media stations so we can play them how we want, but measures at put into place to make this increasingly difficult. If you criminalize honest paying customers, are you really surprised when they turn to the easiest (and illegal) option?

[Grapho]

I will say this. Handbrake perform incredibly well on my MacPro. All 8 cores run at almost top speed and it rips a DVD on average of 17 minutes to an Apple TV format. I am sure that it's only a matter of time until they break this new encryption for the newer DVDs,

[tony_d]

FYI HandBrake does not rip DVDs. Its an encoder. If you want to watch a DVD (actually its contents) on Apple TV or an iPod, then HandBrake is the way to go. However if you want to make a "back up " copy of your (emphasis on your) DVDs then Mac The Ripper is perfect. Be forewarned the creator of Mac The Ripper is asking for a donation up front for 3.0 (2.6 is still free) which means giving a valid email address. If you're worried about the legality of said software and don't want your email popping up where it shouldn't be just google for it and you are bound to find a pirated version somewhere. Also you'll need a program like DVD2One to burn it to a blank DVD.

[Hurley42]

RE: MTR 3
Isn't Googling for software, clicking on the link, downloading from an unknown source, and then installing the criticism most people toss at Windows users? I might want MTR 3, but I am definitely not about to Google for and download an executable file from some unknown Web site. Seriously!

[myrmecophaga]

VersionTracker may be a reputable site, but I did by DVD copying software listed there that is absolute junk: Fast DVD Copy. It doesn't work and It's slow too. You'll die waiting for it not to work. After wasting an hour, all you'll get is an error message and a coaster.

I tried getting a refund and their response was to try an earlier version. These guys should be run off the Web.

So, even at reputable sites, try free versions, check the return policy, and read the reviews. It's sad to say that not only is not all software well written and easy to use, but some of it doesn't work at all and the authors may not provide adequate support.

[NaOH]

MTR is still in beta and according to the developer, it will remain in beta until the studios stop messing around with increasingly tricky methods of copy protection.
New versions are released quite regularly, as he figures out solutions to new copy protection schemes. However, he can only make headway if he has an original DVD to work from. This means that people who have trouble copying a certain title will need to donate a copy of that DVD, so he has something to work on.

[Stormchild]

Once again, I'll mention FairMount, a free utility included with DVD Remaster, which unencrypts and mounts DVDs as if they were unprotected (at which point you are free to use VisualHub or any other software that wasn't able to work around the copy protection). You can get it here:
http://www.metakine.com/

[imdylbert]

I've tried Fairmount. When encoding a fairmounted dvd with VisualHub, there is a severe problem with audio and video getting out of sync so that's out the window. And several people have mentioned using handbrake but i've found that handbrake tends to make the rip/encodes a much darker picture. If anyone has found a fix for that, i'll gladly use it when MTR/VH fail.

And yes as with some of the other posters here, i only condone using these tools on dvds that i already own and do not copy movies that i have not paid for. I just want to be able to play them on my apple tv.

[DVDwizard]

Many of these sites selling supposed ripping software are big blog spammers and seem to be related to each other. Here's a site with a little background: http://oncallnerd.com/blog-spam-hunt/