Copy Any DVD To Your Mac [How To]

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Screen shot 2010-08-26 at 11.34.10 PM

With the announcement of Apple TV it’s never been more apparent that physical format is dying and your collection of DVDs is becoming more obsolete by the day. However, that doesn’t mean you have to purchase all your favorite movies again just so you can enjoy streaming them to your iOS devices. Here we’re going to show you how to take your encrypted DVDs and rip them onto your Mac.


The biggest problem with ripping a DVD to your Mac is that most DVDs contain CSS encryption, thus preventing your computer from being able to copy the data. Due to the litigious nature of the MPAA and RIAA, most major software companies don’t include features in their programs that can break the CSS encryption due to fears of being liable for copyright infringement. So when you try to rip your DVD you may get a message like the following:

Luckily there’s some pretty decent software out there that can be downloaded for free. I’m going to be using an application called Handbrake which can be downloaded at https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

From here out I’m going to assume 2 things: 1) that you have your DVD in the DVD drive. 2) That you’ve already downloaded and installed Handbrake.

Handbrake is a really simple app, and as Steve would say, “it just works.”

First: Choose your source. As soon as Handbrake opens up the first thing it asks you for is for the source file. On the left hand side simply click on your DVD so that it’s highlighted. You don’t have to worry about finding the right file on the DVD just click the DVD and the click open.

Second: Adjust your Output Settings. By default Handbrake is set up to copy your DVD using “constant quality,” meaning that the output file will be close to the same size as that on your DVD. Personally, I don’t like my movie files to be much larger than 750MB, So under “Quality” I select the radial option for “Target Size (MB)” and put in my target size. Handbrake will then average out the bitrate with the length of the film so that it’s only 750MB (you can go lower or higher). That’s usually all I change for my files because the default settings transfer nicely for playback on my iPhone. You can adjust the settings to your own desire.

Third: Click Start.

Fourth: Wait for the encoding to finish. Depending on the movie, sometimes it can take over an hour for Handbrake to encode everything. So maybe you should go grab a drink, and play some AngryBirds on your iPhone while you wait.

Fifth: Handbrake is done encoding (finally)! The file is saved on the desktop and is ready for viewing on your Mac. If you can now drag and drop it into iTunes and sync it to your iPhone/iPod so you can watch a movie when AT&T’s service isn’t able to stream Netflix.

Sixth: Enjoy the show.

For more information on using Handbrake, refer to their online manual which is available here.

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