The iPad has become one of the premier video consumption devices on the planet. having access to videos in the palm of your hands anytime, anywhere is a huge bonus. But getting some videos to your iPad isn’t a slam dunk. You have to change formats for some of them – and that can be a pain.

But this freebie that we’re delivering today at Cult of Mac Deals will change all that.

For a limited time you can get MacX iPad Video Converter, the best iPad video converter on the market free of charge!

AC/DC is one of the highest-grossing bands of all time, but until today, you would have struggled to find their music in digital form via any legal means. Why? They were one of the last great iTunes holdout bands, refusing to sell their music online in order to preserve the hallowed “album” format. Looks like they finally realized the battle’s lost, though. Now the Australian hard rockers have finally released their entire back catalog to the iTunes Store.

Thanks to our friends over at Digiarty, Cult of Mac Deals is able to hook you up with a Mac app that allows those of you who are still ripping DVDs – say for backing up data or preparing home movies for the grandparents – to rip DVD to video/audio formats on Mac OS.

With MacX DVD Ripper Pro, you can back up DVDs in multiple formats to ensure you don’t lose precious memories or costly software, and you can even rip encrypted DVD to a slew of iOS devices in minutes without compromising quality!

And the best part is that you can get this Cult of Mac Deals offer for free!

There’s no question that the iPad and iPhone are two of the best ways to watch a movie. But the biggest problem is getting our favorite DVD’s on to the dang things. Sure, you can go to iTunes and buy a digital copy of your movie, again. But that costs a lot of money if you want a digital copy of all your movies, and if you already own the physical disc, what’s the point? Plus, once you download those movies, the iPad only has a limited amount of storage available. Those two hurdles prevent a lot of people from fully realizing the beauty of owning an iOS device by watching their favorite movies.

This week we’re bringing you two solutions to get over your DVD ripping hurdles: the MacX DVD Ripper Pro Stream Edition and MacX Video Converter Pro by Digiarty. MacX DVD Ripper Pro Streamer’s package includes the ability to rip movie files from the DVDs you already own, convert them into iPhone and iPad supported video files, and wirelessly stream them to your iOS device. MacX Video Converter Pro can take those files and convert them to any video format you need, or download your favorite Vimeo and YouTube videos right off the web. Not only is Digiarty’s software awesome, and easy enough for your momma to use, but they’re giving it away, FREE, to all Cult of Mac readers for the next 7 days!

Here’s how to get your copy:

What do you do when you have a huge DVD collection that you’ve been building for years, and combine it with Apple’s resolutionary new iPad? Your favorite movies are stuck in a physical format and you can’t even totally enjoy the awesome new Apple gadget you just bought. Repurchasing all your movies on iTunes would cost more than new iMac, but fortunately there’s a simple answer that is totally free.

This week we’re going to teach you how to take your DVDs, rip the movie files off them, and stream them to your iPad or iPhone courtesy of the folks at Digiarty. For the next 7 days Cult of Mac readers can get a free copy of MacX DVD Ripper Pro Streamer Edition provided by Digiarty, which will help change the way you watch movies.

Once you’ve downloaded your free software you’re going to need to know how to rip your old DVDs. It’s super easy, but we’re here to help you out. To get rip your movies from DVD to your Mac follow these 4 simple steps using MacX DVD Ripper Pro.

BBC executives are said to be planning a new ‘”download-to-own” service that will allow U.K. viewers to purchase TV shows online at around £1.89 ($3) an episode. The BBC is hoping that the scheme, dubbed “Project Barcelona,” will be able to rival iTunes.

Did you miss out on seeing PBS’s fantastic documentary on the life of Steve Jobs when it aired in early November? Well, you’re in lucky: Steve Jobs – One Last Thing is now available on DVD. It’s also free to stream for Amazon Prime members.

I’m not sure whether this guy over on the Apple Support forums is genuine, or whether he’s set up this thread purely for fun, but either way it’s hilarious. Having recently purchased an iPad 2, ‘Michael K. W’ is seriously considering returning his device to the Apple store because he cannot get his CDs inside.

Apple’s line of MacBook Airs never shipped with an optical drive and now the Mac Mini has joined the party. The new Mac Mini, released this week, no longer includes one of these drives either. If you want an optical drive to use with these Macs you have to purchase an external USB SuperDrive. Now the arrival of the new MacBook Air and Mac Mini herald the death of the USB thumb drive.

You might be surprised to find out that neither these systems ship with a set of  DVDs or a USB thumb drive that you can use to restore, repair or reinstall Mac OS X.

Instead Apple has come up with something new.

Netflix has introduced a new pricing structure that doesn’t bode well for those that still watch DVDs. Instead of the very reasonable price of $9.99 for unlimited DVDs and streaming content, you’ll now have to pay a nearly doubled price of $15.98/month for the same package.