Before iCloud commits our DVDs to a life of protecting tabletops from tasty beverages, DVD Ripper HD aims to help us shift their contents to our hard drives to mix with our purchases from iTunes. The app provides numerous options to convert the content of your DVDs to formats compatible with popular devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, and many others. Advanced features include the option to trim the original movie to a smaller section before it’s ripped and also to adjust the aspect ratio. If you try to rip commercial DVDs, however, you’ll hit your first hurdle. Whether through legal necessity or developer laziness, the app can’t convert encrypted discs from the get-go, requiring an additional free app to be downloaded from Leawo.com. Once downloaded, the DvdDecrypter app must be running each time you want to rip a copy-protected disc, making a simple process more time consuming.
Pick your format and let DVD Ripper HD send your disc’s contents to your hard drive.
In comparison to other ripping software like HandBrake, the app really only offers a slicker UI, so ease of use needs to be its selling point, and, fortunately, this is the case. Ripping with DVD Ripper HD is as simple as inserting a disc, selecting individual episodes or a whole movie, selecting an output format, and letting it run. The process is fairly slow (two hours for one 40-minute TV episode with a MacBook SuperDrive), but a faster Mac and more RAM will improve rip speed.
The bottom line. At $14.99—which is billed as a “limited time” discount off the $39.99 regular price—DVD Ripper HD is by no means a value. While it does a good job of ripping discs, is attractive, and easy to use, the price tag is its major flaw, especially when compared to grittier but viable free alternatives.
Mac OS 10.6.6 or later
Simple ripping process. Clean UI. Multiple format options and video customization.
Expensive. Requires additional download for encrypted DVDs.
CeeDub
October 29, 2011 at 8:16am
Like Jesterace said, Handbrake. Handbrake and VLC player are both free, and with those you can convert a DVD, but no Blu-rays. I have a windows machine with AnyDVD on it, which I got before they stopped the lifetime update licenses. So all of my legally purchased movies can be converted. Paired with a 64 gig iPad, travelling can be very entertaining!
clasqm
October 27, 2011 at 10:56pm
You really should take another look at Ripit. It's come a long way since 2009.
Jesterace
October 27, 2011 at 9:40pm
Handbrake is one of the titles than can encode dvd's to different formats/devices.
rustybaum
October 27, 2011 at 11:59am
What are some of the "grittier but viable free alternatives" you speak of?
Engelsstaub
October 29, 2011 at 11:22pm
Make MKV is a really good one. It works cross-platform -- Mac OS, Windows, and Linux (if you know what you're doing.)
It's freeware/shareware. DVD-ripping functionality is always free. Blu Ray is trialware. You can rip BDs for thirty days, but after that you must purchase a key.
I use it and it works great. It only outputs to a (lossless) MKV file. You need VLC (or another) to watch them on your Macintosh. Or you can use Handbrake to mix your lossless file down to an M4V for your iPod/iPad.
There's one for you if you don't mind MKV files. I like them because IMO they are far better than MP4/M4V for retaining subtitles and different streams. I can also never get 1080p video to work right when mixed down to the MP4/M4V format.
