14 DAY TRIAL // Although I am a fan of huge DVD collections, I cannot help myself wondering how long it will take for them to become as obsolete as a floppy disk. In fact, not only are floppy disks out of date but the floppies themselves since some companies have even stopped their production. And if it takes some time until their memory fades, the new data storage trends are already heading to a new norm: the Blu-ray.
Taking all this into account, any DVD owner will eventually find themselves in the situation of having spent, in some cases, a small fortune acquiring media content that cannot be viewed on newly developed devices since they don’t provide optical units (like the iPad, for example), and will also deteriorate in time.
Even though DVD ripping is a controversial subject due to copyright limitations, it is the best solution for preserving the content of your original DVDs even if the actual disks become unusable, not to mention the physical space that you will gain around the house.
When it comes to backing up your DVDs, there are two steps to be followed: decrypting and encoding, and for each, there are several applications designed to make your work easier.
In a DVD, the video content and all the general data that make it run properly can be found in the VIDEO_TS folder. The name comes from “Video Title Set” and the folder contains three types of files: .VOB, .IFO and .BUP.
The first type is used to store the actual video, audio and any additional data (multiple files are required since each .VOB cannot be larger than 1Gb), while .IFOs provide general information about the files order and allow you to navigate the DVD. .BUPs are exact copies of .IFOs files and their purpose is to offer a backup solution in case the corresponding .IFO is damaged. Usually, the DVD also includes an AUDIO_TS (“Audio Title Set”) folder that will remain empty in case of DVDs with video content and will contain the main data for audio DVDs.
If you are dealing with a video DVD to create a backup, you will need to copy the VIDEO_TS folder on your hard drive first of all because it will increase the processing speed; second, it will prove to be a very good idea in case you want to experiment several encryption methods. If the DVD is encrypted (and most are), you will not be able to create a copy and this is where Fairmount comes in.
Fairmount unmounts the original disc and starts a web server that is only available locally and contains the folder that can be easily copied on the hard drive with a simple drag and drop. The data is decrypted in the process and will be ready for recompression. Fairmount uses VLC in order to decrypt the DVD, so you will have to make sure that you have the application installed and that it is compatible with the Fairmount version (32bits or 64bits).
Fairmount is a good solution and can be used free of charge. In fact, it is a free tool included in the DVDRemaster package designed to improve its performance.
One of the most popular solutions to the decryption problem is MacTheRipper, an application that provides extensive features and allows you to remove the CSS protection, Macrovision protection, adjust the region code, or the User Operations Prohibitions that consist in DVD browsing limitations, warnings, logos and so on. The User Operations Prohibitions removal can break the navigation on certain DVDs though.
Here are some snapshots of the MacRipper application in action:
If you don’t want to know so much about the ripping process and all you need is an exact copy, you may use a very simple application that basically reduces the entire process to two distinct buttons: rip and compress (the feature is currently in Beta). The software is called RipIt, will process the entire DVD and put it on your hard drive with the extension .dvdmedia that is compatible with Apple’s DVD Player. This way, the entire disk will be available but the data is not compressed in any way and you will not be able to customize the process either (you cannot rip only a specific title set and so on).
What you can customize though is the output location and format: in the Preferences window, you can uncheck the “Use .dvdmedia Extension” and it will rip the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders unbundled. Still, if you have forgotten to uncheck it before ripping, just choose to see the .dvdmedia package contents and you will have immediate access to the folders.
If you are looking for more complex options, DVDRemaster could be the solution although the price difference is noteworthy: RipIt costs $19.99 (provides a trial that allows you to rip 10 DVDs), while the standard version of DVDRemaster is $39.99 (the demo is applying a logo on the output and cripples the video for a few seconds every minute).
On the other hand, DVDRemaster offers a wide range of options when it comes to the video quality and more, allowing you to extract exactly what you need (only certain chapters, scenes or sound tracks). For example, you can choose to process the entire DVD or only the movie, choose the recompression module (fast, high quality, best quality), choose to remove the User Operations Prohibitions, recompress menus, keep subtitles (one or several), set the target size (can also deal with Single Layer - Double Layer conversions), set the exporting format and choose exactly which data you want to extract. A great feature is the fact that on the bottom of the main window, you have the possibility to preview the currently selected media file.
If you are looking for a freeware application able to provide support for different compression formats, HandBrake is a very useful application released under GPL license that allows you to export the media in MP4 or MKV format, set the output quality, the video codec, framerate, specify the audio tracks, select the subtitles, adjust the picture settings, preview the source and much more.
Here are some snapshots with HandBrake in action:
These are only some of the most popular applications designed to deal with this subject that are still in development, receiving fixes and new features every day. Even if each tries to offer the best solution for every situation, the results vary from DVD to DVD and the best choice is to experiment by yourselves to see which one better suits your needs.