DVD media don't last forever, so there are plenty of legitimate reasons for wanting to make a backup digital copy. However, anti-piracy activists claim that ripping DVDs encourages illegal file sharing. Anti-piracy measures make it difficult to create digital copies, and now software that does circumvent these measures are even considered illegal in some countries! While there is stilla huge amount of legal grey area, this tutorial focuses on the technical rather than moral aspects of making a DVD copy. However, owning these copies could be a liability in the future.

Ripping a DVD is a two-step process. The first program needed is DVD Decrypter, which dumps the contents of a DVD to your hard drive. In the process, it all0'1s you to strip out unnecessary data such as a director's commentary, multiple-language subtitles, multiple sound tracks, etc. DVD Decrypter also helpfully removes most types of copy protection and region encoding.

For step two, multiple options exist. We use AutoGK, a simple, point-and¬click program that will get our job done with minimal fuss. For those who are comfortable with calculating bitrates and file sizes, more information can be found at dedicated websites such as.

Step 1: DVD Decrypter

Launch DVD Decrypter and insert your DVD. Switch to IFO mode through the Mode menu, and select the Stream Processing tab which will allow you to select the video and audio tracks.

Step 2: Ripping the disc

Specify an output folder and hit the giant Rip button on the lower left side. The process could take a while.

Step 3: Using AutoGK

The upper-most part of the AutoGK window is where you select the input file (which you just created) and specify a name for the output. You might see
a dialog asking you to choose a PGc. Select the longest one-the others are trailers, warning messages, etc.

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Step 4: DVD Decrypter

Now, you can see a simple listing of the audio and subtitle tracks you ripped. Select the one you want. Lower down, choose the desired output size. The options are conveniently sorted with different media in mind.

Step 5: Advanced options

Foreign-language movies will require subtitles, for which the options reside here. You can leave the audio and

video quality settings at their defaults. These will be determined according
to the target file size you chose. Once this is done, just let the job run. A lot of background programs will run, but it's part of the process. This again could take a while-several hours on older PCs.

Step 6: Only for experts!

Press [Ctrl]+[F9] to see a list of hidden options. You can tweak these once you are more comfortable with video encoding