Ripping DVD's just isn't worth it. And with their intransigence on the issue, the studios are handing even more power to Apple

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to rip all of my DVD's. The thought was, I'd have my library to enjoy wherever I go. Or more specifically, my kids would. The killer app here is the ability to view the movies you own on a portable device like an iPod.

Well, it didn't work out. Put aside the obvious issue that, despite a tradition of "fair use" in our copyright laws, most agree that ripping DVD's isn't legal in the U.S. Since I wasn't planning to share my DVD's with anyone digitally, or rip rented DVD's, I wasn't deeply worried about that. The larger issue turned to be that since the studios aren't cooperating (yet), there is simply no consumer-acceptable solution today. I tried Handbrake, 1Click DVD copy, and Movavi as the video converters, and DVD43 and DVDDecrypter as the DRM removal tools. My verdict? Not worth it, not even close. It takes two apps (a decrypter and a copier) to rip a DVD, and they have to work in concert. Some disks fail to copy entirely, others take up to two hours even on a fast machine. And, there doesn't appear to be a setting that will both look good on the big screen TV, and play back on an iPod, which means that each disk must be ripped twice. So I uninstalled the apps and gave up. Have you had a better experience?

Instead of new DVD's, I have started to buy more movies from iTunes. They automagically play on our family's various iPods, don't cost all that much, and look (barely) acceptable on the big screen. So if my case is typical, then the studios have, through their total insistence that nobody be able to copy DVD's, handed even more power to Apple. Haven't they been watching what is happening to their friends (and affiliates) in the music business?

I have been watching Real Networks' dispute with the Studios with interest. Their proposed product, RealDVD, would be the first mass consumer legal DVD ripping software. The idea is that a single application would backup your DVD's to your computer hard drive, and then make them available for playback on up to five computers (and perhaps other devices), while still respecting the DRM. The product reviews were good and I am anxious to personally try the product when, and if, the dispute is resolved. In certainly agree with the insights (simplicity, portability) that have apparently driven Real's product.