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  1. I'm setting up a new laptop for somebody who wants to rip movies from DVDs and encode them to mp4 files so she can play them on mobile devices. She's not very technically minded when it comes to computers, so I'm looking for a piece of software that meets all of the following requirements:

    0. It performs both DVD ripping (including cracking the encryption on commercial DVDs) AND conversion to mp4. I want a one-stop shop so that she doesn't have to hop between multiple programs.

    1. It's free.

    2. It has a 64-bit version. I want to take advantage of the full 6 GB of RAM on her machine.

    3. It's extremely user-friendly. The simpler the interface and the fewer the steps she has to go through, the better.

    Is there a piece of software out there that fits all of these criteria? I've seen some of the other threads on this forum about the best ripping/conversion tools, but every one seems to fall short in at least one area.

    Please let me know. Thanks!
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  2. Member steptoe's Avatar
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    Free ripping software that removes ALL disc protection ...... NO

    SlySoft AnyDVD HD WILL rip pretty much ANY DVD/Blu-Ray out, BUT it is updated very frequently as soon as new protections are found they release an update. Sometimes 2-3 a week. That costs money

    DVDFab Decrypter WILL rip 'some' discs for free, but again the complex protections need work, so cost money to keep it updated


    64-bit, doesn't matter for ripping


    There are plenty of software that will happily take your money and give you VERY poor quality rips as they get their speed from doing a fast conversion.


    For the highest possible quality, a good combination is AnyDVD HD and BD-RB

    BD-RB is 'free', but its speed is far from quick. Thats becuase it basically take the source video apart and rebuild it to match the requested birate and profile (MP4) so achieving much better quality than the shareware packages that achieve their speed by removing things they 'thnk' you won't notice


    So, in the end you NEED one piece of software to rip the disc and another to do the actual conversion work



    No doubt others will have their own opinions but a lot swear by AnyDVd HD and also BD-RB for conversion at the highest quality
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  3. Originally Posted by steptoe View Post
    Free ripping software that removes ALL disc protection ...... NO

    SlySoft AnyDVD HD WILL rip pretty much ANY DVD/Blu-Ray out, BUT it is updated very frequently as soon as new protections are found they release an update. Sometimes 2-3 a week. That costs money

    DVDFab Decrypter WILL rip 'some' discs for free, but again the complex protections need work, so cost money to keep it updated
    I'm less worried about how often the software is updated to accommodate new protections. She's mostly ripping older DVDs with older protections, anyway. I'd rather take a defunct piece of software that does everything on my list than one that stays updated but falls short in other areas.


    Originally Posted by steptoe View Post
    For the highest possible quality, a good combination is AnyDVD HD and BD-RB

    BD-RB is 'free', but its speed is far from quick. Thats becuase it basically take the source video apart and rebuild it to match the requested birate and profile (MP4) so achieving much better quality than the shareware packages that achieve their speed by removing things they 'thnk' you won't notice


    So, in the end you NEED one piece of software to rip the disc and another to do the actual conversion work
    Well, AnyDVD isn't free, and I'm trying to do this without spending money.

    Okay, so assuming I need more than one piece of software, let's talk user friendliness. I want to set up a DVD ripping and conversion process for somebody who knows just enough about computers to use Microsoft Office, check e-mail, and browse the web. What combination of software would have the fastest learning curve and result in the least amount of confusion, while still being free?
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  4. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    Maybe the free version of dvdfab passkey(background ripper) and then just convert with handbrake or vidcoder might be easier. Just use default encoding settings.

    (Okey...it can't remove all encryptions so it's not that good)
    Last edited by Baldrick; 12th Feb 2014 at 16:31.
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    Why mp4?

    Good luck finding a player that will handle MPEG in an MP4 container. Good luck finding a player for mp4, period.

    If by "conversion" you mean MPEG to h264 for an mkv container, you're not talking about a "conversion". It would be a lossy re-encode from lossy source media. Translated, that means a quality loss -- the extent of which depends on how it's re-encoded.
    Last edited by sanlyn; 19th Mar 2014 at 07:22.
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    Originally Posted by steptoe View Post
    Free ripping software that removes ALL disc protection ...... NO

    SlySoft AnyDVD HD WILL rip pretty much ANY DVD/Blu-Ray out, BUT it is updated very frequently as soon as new protections are found they release an update. Sometimes 2-3 a week. That costs money
    Well, we still have members here who swear that DVDFab can still be used forever in trial mode to do this, but I and some others disagree. Best we've been able to figure out is that people who installed DVDFab's free version years ago and updated it since then can still use it for free. If the OP wants to roll the dice, he can try it.

    You could not be more wrong about Any DVD. First of all, it is most assuredly NOT updated "very frequently". Maybe every few months at best. 2-3 times a week? Untrue. And "That costs money"? Huh? AnyDVD and DVDFab both allow you to pay for free lifetime updates if you wish, but admittedly it's easier to figure out how to do this with AnyDVD than DVDFab. It costs money in that you have to pay for updates, yes, but you can pay up front to get them forever at no further cost beyond the "forever" charge.

    Calling BD-RB a "conversion tool" is really stretching things. It's meant to shrink dual layer BD rips to single layer BD size. I think it can produce DVDs and MKV files from BD rips, but I've got a feeling that the OP does not mean this by asking about a "conversion tool".

    The OP does not say where his sister lives, but if she does not live in the US/Canada, honestly the old DVD Decrypter program can still rip almost all DVDs outside of region 1 (USA/Canada). It's free. I'd advise the OP to not go to too much trouble here as women typically do not stay interested in this kind of thing very long, so don't be surprised if she does 2 or 3 rip and conversion jobs and then tires of it. Handbrake is free and can meet most people's needs for converting.

    I don't know of any 64 bit ripper nor do I think that such a ripper would actually be quicker, despite what the OP thinks. This is a meaningless requirement. Handbrake can do some ripping, but as I do not use it, I cannot comment on how good it is. I can only say that some people use it for ripping and it meets their needs, but I don't know where they live.
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  7. Originally Posted by sanlyn View Post
    Why mp4?

    Good luck finding a player that will handle MPEG in an MP4 container. Good luck finding a player for mp4, period.

    If by "conversion" you mean MPEG to h264 for an mkv container, you're not talking about a "conversion". It would be a lossy re-encode from lossy source media. Translated, that means a quality loss -- the extent of which depends on how it's re-encoded.
    Why not mp4? Isn't it a strong, popular video format that's used for everything from streaming video to mobile devices? I rip video files to mp4 all the time and never have a problem playing them.

    What do you recommend instead?
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    Baldrick is one of the members who swears that DVDFab (this is the DVDFab Passkey he mentioned) can still be used free forever, but he admits that he first installed it years ago. You can always try it and if you get it to work for you forever, let us know, because many of us including me have not been able to do so. But I think Handbrake is probably your best bet. sanlyn's post is not really helpful. Try Handbrake. It can do what you want. I don't know why he posted what he did as his advice is usually good (if not overkill) but he's wrong as you clearly explained what you want and Handbrake can make files that iPhones, Android phones and various tablets can play.
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  9. Originally Posted by jman98 View Post
    Calling BD-RB a "conversion tool" is really stretching things. It's meant to shrink dual layer BD rips to single layer BD size. I think it can produce DVDs and MKV files from BD rips, but I've got a feeling that the OP does not mean this by asking about a "conversion tool".
    Correct. I just want an mp4 file. I'm not interested in shrinking the entire DVD.

    Originally Posted by jman98 View Post
    The OP does not say where his sister lives, but if she does not live in the US/Canada, honestly the old DVD Decrypter program can still rip almost all DVDs outside of region 1 (USA/Canada). It's free. I'd advise the OP to not go to too much trouble here as women typically do not stay interested in this kind of thing very long, so don't be surprised if she does 2 or 3 rip and conversion jobs and then tires of it. Handbrake is free and can meet most people's needs for converting.
    I never said she was my sister, but she does live in the US. Interestingly, I've never had a problem ripping the ISO from a DVD with DVD Decrypter, even ones that were manufactured after 2005.

    Originally Posted by jman98 View Post
    I don't know of any 64 bit ripper nor do I think that such a ripper would actually be quicker, despite what the OP thinks. This is a meaningless requirement. Handbrake can do some ripping, but as I do not use it, I cannot comment on how good it is. I can only say that some people use it for ripping and it meets their needs, but I don't know where they live.
    I'm looking into the libdvdcss.dll workaround for Handbrake.
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    I proved that DVDFab HD Decrypter still works last December in a machine that had NEVER had DVDFab installed before. So, yes the free section still works.

    Has to be mp4? If an mkv would work, MakeMKV will rip and convert to an mkv file in one step, with no compression applied. You will, of course, lose extras and menus. MakeMKV is free to use for DVDs, and is updated fairly regularly.
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  11. If you are happy using iso files you can try BDlot DVD ISO Master and handbrake
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  12. Originally Posted by Kerry56 View Post
    I proved that DVDFab HD Decrypter still works last December in a machine that had NEVER had DVDFab installed before. So, yes the free section still works.

    Has to be mp4? If an mkv would work, MakeMKV will rip and convert to an mkv file in one step, with no compression applied. You will, of course, lose extras and menus. MakeMKV is free to use for DVDs, and is updated fairly regularly.
    I looked at MakeMKV and would love to use it, but it's now out of beta and has to be reinstalled every 60 days unless I purchase it. Does anybody know a way to get around this limitation?
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  13. You don't have to reinstall it. It's still in beta. Just insert the new key every 60 days:

    http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1053

    A new key is published here after the current one expires.

    Edit: always free for DVDs (not so for blu-rays once it goes out of beta).
    Last edited by transporterfan; 12th Feb 2014 at 19:58.
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  14. Originally Posted by transporterfan View Post
    You don't have to reinstall it. It's still in beta. just insert the new key every 60 days:

    http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1053

    A new key is published here after the current one expires.
    I'm curious as to why there's now a "Buy" option on the MakeMKV website, then (http://www.makemkv.com/buy/). Regardless, I don't want to have to ask her to reset the key every two months. Not very user-friendly.

    I tried the libdvdcss.dll workaround for HandBrake, and that seems to be working so far. We'll see how it goes.
    Last edited by Spiralagnus; 12th Feb 2014 at 20:03.
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  15. Originally Posted by Spiralagnus View Post
    I'm curious as to why there's now a "Buy" option on the MakeMKV website, then. Regardless, I don't want to have to ask her to reset the key every two months. Not very user-friendly.

    I tried the libdvdcss.dll workaround for HandBrake, and that seems to be working so far. We'll see how it goes.
    Guess the guy likes money, and it's probably going to be more expensive once it goes payware.
    Take a look at the full package price of DVDFab products on their website sometime.
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    Originally Posted by Spiralagnus View Post
    Why not mp4? Isn't it a strong, popular video format that's used for everything from streaming video to mobile devices? I rip video files to mp4 all the time and never have a problem playing them.

    What do you recommend instead?
    I don't know what you mean by "most popular". How many mp4's have you found on commercial BluRay disc? If your viewing is limited to streaming video and mobile use, then you've already lowered the quality bar to the point where you don't really need the "best" free stuff because the medium and the processing itself -- not to mention the size of a mobile's display panel -- would be a waste of time with the "best" software. What has been recommended so far, however, will do the trick.
    Last edited by sanlyn; 19th Mar 2014 at 07:22.
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  17. Member steptoe's Avatar
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    I was going to suggest DVD Decrpyter as you can still find it, even though it stopped development years ago, and is/was pretty good

    Yes, you can use AnyDVd HD in 'free' mode but its nag requester is realllly annoying so thats why its better to buy it


    I know what BD-RB does, BUT it can also output MKV or other mobile profiles in movie only mode


    I forgot about VidCoder. Thats 100% free and really easy to set-up, pretty much ready to go after installation once you choose your profile it should do what you want

    The one problem is decrpytion of the DVD source, plain AnyDVD will do just DVD's but AnyDVD HD is future proofing and will do almost 99.5% of any DVD/HD/Blu-Ray thats ever been released in any country and any region. Not an easy thing to achieve


    So, my suggestion now could be :

    VidCoder (64-bit version as well)
    AnyDVD or DVDFab Decrypter

    Both AnyDVD or DVDFab are technically 'free' but won't do everything the paid version will. Otherwise nobody would buy it .....


    http://vidcoder.codeplex.com/downloads/get/763231 (32-bit)
    http://vidcoder.codeplex.com/downloads/get/763232 (64-bit)

    http://www.dvdfab.com/passkey-lite.htm

    http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html
    http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvdhd.html
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    ^You are getting into the craptastic video converters with that choice. There are about thirty of those, of varying quality.

    If you are going to spend money, why not buy MakeMKV? Or buy AnyDVD to run in the background all the time and use a real converter, like VidCoder? When you purchase AnyDVD and install it, the default configuration is to run whenever the computer starts up. So, this girl would not have to deal with it unless it tells her to update, which is fast and easy. And VidCoder is not difficult either.
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  19. MakeMKV is still free.
    Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence -Carl Sagan
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    ^Yes, but the OP didn't want this girl to have to deal with installing beta keys each month or so. Buying the program eliminates this issue.

    And I'd rather spend money on a good program than the crud you get from Digiarty, Leawo, Aiseesoft, and others of their ilk.
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  21. Baldrick mentioned DVDFabPasskey Lite (the free version).

    Why not? It's driver level and can be set to load automatically on startup if it's like the pay version. From the description:

    "It doesn't support CPRM for DVD, and PathPlayer is not enabled, so ARccOS, RipGuard, FluxDVD, and CORE X2 can't be removed. As a result, you can't copy those still protected DVDs , but you are able to freely watch them."

    Notice that it says you can freely watch them. Tell you what, if you can watch the main movie, you can run one of the other programs mentioned to convert or repackage to the desired MP4 or MKV output, whatever. What the free version apparently *cannot* do is copy to hard drive with a navigable structure one of those discs with advanced protection. Again, if you can watch the movie, surely you can use Lite with another program to strip out main movie and convert it.

    I did precisely that for, oh, 3 years (?) with the pay version of DVDFabPasskey, set to never update itself. (I used it with Clown_BD for stripping out main movie from Blu-Rays.) I deliberately set it to not to update, just to see. It was only a few months ago that I updated, having gotten a notification from the program that the version had finally expired. In all that time I never came across a BD that I couldn't extract main movie from. And I ripped plenty of BDs with MKB (master key block), AACS, BD+, versions later than that version of Passkey could remove.
    Pull! Bang! Darn!
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