In-flight movies suck. They’re usually not the greatest films to begin with, and then anything that could possibly offend anyone--otherwise known as “the good parts”--gets edited out. Lucky for you, all you need is a MacBook and some headphones to stage your own film festival at 35,000 feet. But spinning a DVD takes a serious toll on battery life, which is where DVD ripping comes in.

RipIt takes the sometimes complex task of getting video off of DVDs and onto your hard drive and turns it into a single-click affair. In keeping with that simplicity, the app doesn’t force you to fuss with video codecs or bit rates, instead creating VIDEO_TS folders that exactly mimic a DVD’s structure are played back with the DVD Player app you use on your Mac to watch actual DVDs.

RipIt skips complicated options in favor of a simple interface.

Playing back the resulting files on your Mac works exactly the same way it would as if you had inserted the DVD itself into your optical drive--except you don’t need to worry about losing or scratching your expensive discs, and you can avoid the noise and battery drain of a spinning DVD drive. All of the menus, special features, and other options of the disc itself are intact. On the flip side, the resulting files won’t play on your iPod or iPhone, and they’re quite large--a feature-length DVD typically weighs in between 4 and 8 gigs--although apps like HandBrake (free, handbrake.fr) can easily convert RipIt’s output to compressed files that will playback on your other devices.

RipIt’s simple interface and reliable output are perfect for serious movie collectors looking to consolidate or back up their collection, or anyone who wants to watch DVDs in all their glory on the go, without the inconveniences of schlepping around actual discs.

There aren't many bells and whistles, but for easy-to-use rips of DVD media on your Mac, RipIt is a winner.

RipIt
COMPANY: The Little App Factory
CONTACT: www.ripitapp.com
PRICE: $19.95
REQUIREMENTS: OS 10.5 or greater, DVD drive
Clean interface. Easy to use. Resulting files mimic all DVD content.
Can't create iPod-friendly files. Due to movie-studio trickery, not all movies will successfully rip.