Software to back up DVD's to a Mac Pro

[TechStuey05]

Hi I'm a newbie. I want to make backups of some of my dvd's for personal use and store it on my Mac Pro. What program's do you guys use to accomplish this? Thanks.

 

[Joe Average]

Uhmmm... do you mean making an actual bit for bit image (Disk Utility can do that easily) or converting the DVDs to something more manageable (and smaller) like Divx/Xvid type files, or even h.264 content? Typical size is roughly 700MB for most "single CD" movie rips, but some go higher towards about 1.3GB ("two CD rips") etc...

Define what you're looking to do and then you can get more info.

 

[TechStuey05]

Thanks for the response. I want to rip the movies off the dvd's and store it on my computer. I'd prefer it to be as close to the original as possible, How much space would an exact bit for bit take up? Isn't there copy protection built into the dvd's? 1.3 gb's would be a good size for me. Is there software on my Mac that could do exactly what I'm looking to for?

 

[Joe Average]

HandBrake can make 1.3GB files easily, as a bit for bit copy would be anywhere from 3.5GB to 8GB or so (the relative size of most single layer or dual layer DVD movies). Get HandBrake and learn how to use it, read the guides, do research, etc.

There are presets for use with Apple products (iPhones, iPods, Apple TV, etc) that should work just fine for your intentions. The Apple TV preset should be just fine. You'll need something to "rip" the DVD content to the hard drive so HandBrake can process it, however - on OSX, that's MacTheRipper.

 

[TechStuey05]

Thanks for the help. Which version of Mac the Ripper should I download? Handbrake basically compresses the movie so it takes up less space? Does compressing the movie effect the video quality? Last Question, can using Mac the Ripper cause any issues to my computer and Is this considered legal? Thanks again