I own some DVDs (doesn’t everyone).

I’d like to transfer them to my iPad for journeys etc.

This doesn’t as I understand it contravene any UK copyright as it is for my personal use.

I can’t find any PC software that does this reliably and easily.

Suggestions? (Yes Google is my friend, but so far the results haven’t been great)

Someone out there has done this.

Please move to chat forum – sorry.

Handbrake

Handbrake doesn’t do any DVD with DRM – how do you get round that?

It is technically illegal – you are circumventing the copy protection that’s on pretty much all commercial DVDs and that is still illegal. See: Link to an article

Having said that, there’s no way you’ll actually get into trouble if you’re copying DVDs you own, and not sharing them. (Caveat – I am not a lawyer).

Software, no idea on PC I’m afraid.

A friend apparently used DVD Catalyst successfully to copy is DVDs to laptop/tablet format.

Probably needed entertainment on long flights to Serre C, eh CFH?

Thanks.

http://www.slysoft.com/en/

Handbrake will do it, you need to point the application towards the “libdvdcss” library, which you will need to download and acquire separately. Instructions are available online.

It was more for when he was on long hauls so often that he’d watched everything worth watching on that month’s BA in flight entertainment schedule and needed something else. So he told me, anyway. Ahem.

You will need Handbrake to re-code the movie for your iPad.
As for working round the DRM try this Any DVD. It is a good easy to use piece of software, not free though. It does have a free trail from memory though.

Edit: beaten to it 🙂

Handbrake works fine, it can unlock the files using the same encryption package the Mac’s DVD player uses.

I use AnyDVD(HD) and Handbrake.

1. copy the DVD to your computer’s hard drive with AnyDVD running on your PC *

2. Select the files in handbrake and the ouput device and click on “start”

* You can skip step 1, but if you do copy to the hard drive you can queue up multiple DVDs in Handbrake and leave the PC to work its way through converting them all.

iVI on the Mac – http://www.southpolesoftware.com/iVI/iVI.php

If you want a one stop shop, dvd fab (now called blue fab I think) is pretty good. It is an app that you need to pay for though.

dvd fab +1 Pretty sure it’s still free though it always comes up with a warning on mine that it’s expired but still works fine.

I use AnyDVD for any DVDs that DVD fab can’t manage without.

I use handbrake to convert for use on my tablet

dvdfab free version puts water marks into the output. Well, the version I used as a trial did.

Interesting. Doesn’t on mine.