Up [DVD] [2009]

Product Information

Our current pick for the top free DVD ripper is Handbrake, an open-source tool that can save movies in virtually any format. Much like CDs, there are no international copyright laws that cover free DVD rippers, so make sure it's legal where you live.

You can choose to rip the built-in subtitles or embed your own, and you can select which audio tracks should be included; it's all beautifully simple and pleasingly fast.However, it also requires a bit of a learning curve to use, which makes it not as friendly to first-time users and those who want the best way to rip DVDs quickly. If it doesn't play, or if you want to play a disc that is already inserted, open Windows Media Player, and then, in the Player Library, select the disc name in the navigation pane. During testing, we found it to be an utter delight to use with an easy-to-understand interface that shouldn't feel intimidating to even beginner users. A stretched cable could cause interruptions in your audio or video output, so make sure the cables between the DVD Player and the video capture card and between the capture card and your laptop aren't pulled too tightly. If you're using an external DVD drive or can't find any already installed software for DVD playback on your computer with an internal DVD player, you're never out of luck.

This means that the free version is nowhere near as versatile as the other programs we've covered here, but it still has its place.You can also play video CDs (VCDs), which are similar to DVDs, although the video quality isn't as high.