Here’s how to copy a DVD to your hard drive and then convert it to a movie that will play on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or even in a Keynote presentation. You need to convert the movie from DVD format into Quicktime (mp4) movie.
STEP 1. Copy the DVD to your computer using Mac The Ripper.
Firstly you’ll need to copy (rip) the DVD to your computer using Mac the Ripper.
1. Download Mac The Ripper.
(Click here to go to the mactheripper page to download it. Otherwise click here to download an old free version. It used to be free but the newer (and better) version you need to buy.)
2. Mac the Ripper will copy a DVD from your DVD player to your computer, removing any copy protection, and save it on your desktop as a ‘VIDEO_TS’ folder. You can watch this ‘VIDEO_TS’ folder using Apple’s DVD Player App.
Is this legal? It depends on which country you live in. For example here’s the relevant Australian rules. Before you rip a DVD to your computer I suggest you ring the person who made it and ask if it’s OK.
STEP 2. Convert the DVD to a Quicktime (mp4) movie.
Secondly, you most probably want to convert this VIDEO_TS folder to a different format to make it more useful. For example so you can watch it watch on your iPad. A good app for this is handbrake.
1. Go to http://handbrake.fr/ and click on ‘download it now’ to download the latest version of handbrake.
2. Instal and run Handbrake.
3. In Handbrake select the ‘source’ in the top left of the toolbar – select the VIDEO_TS folder you have just ripped.
4. Under ‘Source’ select the title and chapters that you want. (Or select the whole movie) You can work out the chapters by opening DVD player and looking in the information window. To verify them you can check the duration.
5. Click ‘toggle presets’ in the toolbar and this will give you a pull out window where you can select the output quality that you want. AppleTV is better quality, iPod is lower quality and a smaller file.
6. Select a destination directory (eg desktop) and press the start button.
It can take quite a while, allow a few hours!
That’s it – you can now copy this new movie file to your iPad, or iPhone (via iTunes) or even put it into a Keynote presentation.
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