How to copy DVDs to your PC or iPod (er, legally)
J. Vincent from Vancouver, B.C., asks “Is it legal to copy DVDs to my computer or iPod?”
While using software to circumvent a DVD or Blu-ray Disc’s copy protection technology isn’t legal, many movie studios today recognize people want a legitimate and easy way to copy a film to one’s hard drive (which is far less taxing on a laptop’s battery than spinning a disc) or to a portable media player (such as an iPod or iPhone).
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Disney Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are now offering a feature called Digital Copy on many of its new DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. With a couple of mouse clicks — which includes typing in a 16-digit code inside the DVD case — you can transfer the movie to your computer or portable media player or smartphone – and then put the disc away for safe keeping.
Usually, the “Digital Copy” version of the flick will be on a bonus disc, and you’ll be able to copy the disc twice: to one PC and to one portable media device.
Look for the “Digital Copy” sticker on the DVD or Blu-ray Disc box.
Have you tried this feature? Or do you prefer to only watch your flicks on a television? Or maybe you download your movies for free from illigitimate sites and file-sharing services? Do tell.
Filed Under: Featured Posts > PC > Utilities > iTunes
Tags: copy, digital, Film, flick, fox, iPhone, iPod, movie, rip, SONY
My idea is that since Pure Track is doing well with selling albums and single songs on the web, there should be a website primarily for movies and maybe old and discontinued tv series.
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The only problem with this system is that you can’t put it on one computer and watch the movie on another within your home network. Most video players will only work with a digital rights encoded movie on the original computer, they can’t play the movie on another computer within a home computer network or from a home server computer.
Another complaint is that the distributors network may not be able to grant the digital license after a year, after which the digital copy is useless – if your current computer or HD crashes, or you upgrade the computer/OS you might loose access to your digital copies – you now have a directory of useless unplayable videos.
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I agree with donald on both cases.
My opinion is This digital copy thing is just another grab at control by the industry.
Now i don’t condone in anyway the copying of movies for distribution in anyway, but i do think that mking a copy of your own movie for yourself ( not to give to your friends etc.)should be permitted. Even if the industry came out with some ISO software that grants you a code (that the code is stored on thier servers and you copy down) that permits you to copy a movie so many times that is encoded with a serial number. THAT way your copies are legal, but if you publish them online or such, the embedded code shows who owns the movie and who is responsible for publishing the movie online. This would also ensure that law abiding people will not loan out thier movies to friends. ( because if John loans Jane his movie, and jane publishes it online, then john will get into hot water because the movie jane published, will be encoded with johns serial code labeling him as the owner)
Its not perfect, but then we would get to copy our own stuff legally.
my 2 Cents.
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Yo – for sure!
I bought WALLE with a digital copy & my daughter has watched the original DVD so many times that it freezes & stops at too many points. But I don’t think having the digital copy even allows me to burn one for our DVD player in the car. BUNK. Definetly should be allowed to copy a couple times.
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This reply is to steve…. you are giving them too much info that is a billinn dollar industry. Why do actors and musicians make more money then the people who save lives? Screw the industry they have screwed the people long enough. This is not a free country as the law makers claim we live under dictatorship and it is only getting worse as we grow older. If I bought my movie then I will copy it 1000 times if need be. I carry copies in my vehicle all the time. If they dont want people making copies dont make the blank media for us to use…. A blank DVD has no other purpose as there are too many higher capacity smaller devices on the market for an individual to need a blank DVD.
SCREW THE INDUSTRY…… People are too easily pushed over… Stand up for your rights…. Problem with people is the let Johnny law control them… If you find a way to make it they will make a law to tax it or make it illegal. They protect the people that make billions every year but what about the people next door that work hard all thier lives. You want to give them a 200000$ dollar fine for downloading waste your resources on the real criminals…. Pedophiles and rapists and people like that… Geez all you people piss me off
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I agree that these big a/v industry people are just plain greedy. To paraphrase one of two great lines from a popular movie, They are so greedy and excited about what they COULD do (for more $$$), they didn’t stop to consider if it SHOULD be done. We all must take the good and bad when choices are made, right? If you purchase a DVD, a DVD player…AND A COMPUTER…you should be well within your rights to make as many copies of them for your personal use as you feel the need to, period! If you do this to bootleg and you get caught then you’re an idiot. If I want to give a family member their own copy of a CD of mine I don’t want them to damage, this should not be wrong, no question. We did it with cassettes, remember? They (the bigshots) dealt with it fine. But via the digital age and at the risk of losing our privacy we put up with what they now try to say is dishonest. I’m sorry, don’t their own artists file law suits against them???
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Unfortunately, studios and the law still lags behind technology. I think that many of us are getting impatient with waiting for studios and music companies to figure out how they are going to protect their interests. We would like to respect the law, but we also want to be able to take full advantage of our available computers and HD televsions to enjoy our movies and music. Two copies of a movie??? I am not exactly getting down on my knees and thanking the studio for this.
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The best thing to do so far is to get the Movie Network from your cable or satellite provider and then you will be able to copy the movie for your own use on a dvd that will work on all dvd player of this world.
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Francois: Because of various anti-piracy techniques encoded on the movie, I don’t think you can do a copy onto a writable DVD, at least not as a digital copy. An analog version may still be Macrovision encoded as well.
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The solution is simple
Get DVD Shrink
or the more complicated Clone DVD + Any DVD
Copy DVD
use a freeware to convert it to the format you need if you need to convert.
The entertainment industry has been wrong about everything since 1909 when it tried to stop a guy from playing records on his crystal radio set because it would “kill the music industry”
The music industry tried to ban records because it would “kill the music industry aka sheet music”
The studios tried to stop TV stations from showing movies because it would “kill the movie industry”
The movie industry tried to ban the Beta and VHS because it would “kill the movie industry”
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Is it not true that the music and movie industries all ready get a portion of the profits, from the sales of blank media ie: vhs tapes and DVD’s
that started with some poor smuck recording songs from his radio
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I know this is not the same thing, but I really need to know how to get something off of my PVR and onto my computer (in order to put it on a website). I don’t know where else to ask this question. Can anyone help?
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just hook up your pc or lt to your pvr via the video card,then using a softwrae like Roxio capture it like u would with a home video.
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shrink freezes up time to time on the newer movies but send me a message and i will give you DVDFab that works like a charm and it is vry simple to use…. One or two clicks and you are on your way…… Just so people know this it is NOT ILLEGAL to DOWNLOAD music in Canada YET! Yes the industry does get a kick from blank CD sales not DVD’s yet…. that is why blank CD prices have shot up so high.
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http://torrentfreak.com/canada-increases-music-industry-subsidy-on-blank-cds-081213/
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i thought it was legal here in canada. i looked it up everywhere else. google it.
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Here is the best ipod transfer software.
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that is a very good software !
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I can do it.
Great, I like it.It’s uesful.
dvd to ipod touch
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that is a very good ipod transfer software !
isn’t legal? where ?
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