Product Review – DVDFab (DVD Copy Software)
This weekend I popped a DVD into my computer to watch and realized I had no DVD decoder! So rather than just search for DVD player software I decide to search for the full boat. DVD playback, copy, record, and convert (oh and removing copy protection is a bonus too). I had an extra challenge, since my home machine is 64 bit windows I had to get something that would run there too. (BTW, the infrequent issue of software not running on Vista 64 bit is FAR OUTWEIGHED by the HUGE increase in stability and performance of Vista64 vs. Vista32.)
People may not know this but when you load windows (unless you have certain versions, like Media Center) you can’t just watch a DVD. This is insane, but true. You actually have to buy a decoder to “read” the data on a DVD. This is because DVD data is encrypted with a crappy (for 2008) encryption algorithm that, if you want to stay legal, need to be licensed by the movie companies (kind of). Typically when you order a PC it comes with this pre-installed so you are good to go, however, if you are like me and reinstall your OS (I like to know everything on my system was put there by me) then you need to reload the decrypting software. The problem is this is usually on some disk that in sealed in the package with the manual, which I don’t open.
So I decided to go find an alternative. I got feedback from people who already had software like this, I looked on internet forums, and I searched Google. I came up with DVDFab. It runs on all flavors of windows, has a small install footprint, and it did everything I wanted it to do. It cost money (boo) but it lets you try before you buy. It will copy DVDs and while it does it the program removes all the copy protection. It also does a nice job of compressing the video so a 2 hour movie will fit on a single layer DVD. (DVD movies are double layer and can fit over 8GB of data, single layer caps out at 4.7GB. A 2 hour movie is like 6GB so you have to lose 15% of the quality.) DVDFab will also just pick out the parts of a DVD you want, no previews, no extra features, no Spanish audio track or subtitles, and it even drops those government warning messages that you can’t skip through.
DVDFab is also able to convert the movie to other formats, like DiVX (for PC playback), MPEG-4 (for iPods and PSPs), and WMV (for windows and X-Box). This was a plus since I have an iPod Touch and would like to put some content on there. This is also nice since DiVX and WMV are great for streaming to other PCs inside my house or to my media center device. Also, if you want to take a movie along with you on a usb device let’s say, you are not going to want the DVD format which is GB of data when you can get the moving in 1GB or less. One more note, spinning my DVD drive on my laptop spends a lot of battery power while reading from my disk spends less, but reading from a USB or SD card spends the least since it has no moving parts and friction is a huge waste of energy.
I should note that DVDFab is questionable legal. What this means is, while you have the right to make a copy of copy written material you own the rights to (fair use) you (maybe) do not have the right to remove the copy protection from DVD data. You see, the crazy courts in CA say you can’t while the federal and most other states haven’t said anything. So don’t be giving away copies of your DVDs. Check out the wiki pages below if you want to know more and the DVDFab website had legal disclaimers too. If you are international, sorry I don’t know every countries laws, but I do know you don’t want to go into Germany with this software (or make sure they don’t know you have it!) as they filed criminal charges against a news paper for LINKING to the DVDFab web site, and that paper has lost 2 appeals so far!
Overall, I like the software and they have different versions with different prices for what you need to do. The full boat platinum edition with the option to convert to other formats added is $70 ($50 platinum + $20 mobile option), while there is actually a free version to just do a DVD copy to hard disk or dual layer disk. The only problem I found is there is no interface to create a menu if you pick multiple items to “merge” onto one DVD. I guess if I really need to do this I can edit the content using other software and then burn it back. I give it a thumbs up.
Links:
- http://www.dvdfab.com
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_Scramble_System
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_Copy_Control_Association
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use
December 4th, 2008 | 
Tags: dvd copy, DVDFab, product review, Review, Technology | 
Category: Post | 
2 comments
As it turns out, this is now a blocker for some people I work with moving to our WordPress install instead of what they’re currently using. They like the category and tag feeds but losing the author feeds is a no-go.
I’ve tried sending email (and xmpp) to the plugin’s author, but haven’t heard back — so if you can manage to figure it out, that’d be fantastic.
It looks like WordPress has a method to use the author ID in a feed url built in. Apparently it depends on how the various templates call the function to generate the feed url as to how the feed url will be built. For example, using the author id, try this as a parameter on your url: ?feed=rss&author=11 and it should generate an RSS feed for that author. Since it seems to depend on the template there doesn’t appear to be a WordPress code fix for the problem you are seeing.
Let me know if it works.
I haven’t looked at that code yet…let me see if I can figure out a workaround for the author feeds.
This actually has a problem — author feeds don’t work. E.g. http://myblog/?author=11/feed is not valid, and simply returns the author page. Do you know how to make this work? Thanks!
The World-Wide-Web being google-normous and the attention span of the average human being somewhat on the skimpy side, I think word-of-mouth (that old chestnut) may remain the best source of readership… unless your website happens to be all about Tiger Woods and his indiscretions(this week).
If your goal is to be found by people you know or whom you have known, homogeneity of photos and user names makes sense, but if you wish to attract new readers… well, that’s a cat of a different character…
The few websites I have discovered and revisited without having been referred to, I have found either by happy accident or by my profile selections on Stumble Upon. Of course, I am not a prolific web-surfer, but my deduction is that content is the #1 most important branding factor and sustainability of content is #2. And a little showmanship doesn’t hurt…
Take into consideration that this comment has been made by someone who blogs faux-anonymously and whose website is visited by only those individuals who have been threatened by her husband…
I just ran into this — thanks a bunch!
Whew, thanks for that. I was running out of things to be paranoid about!
Thanks for the great post on Aardvark! I really like your Aardvark question philosophy: “If I can’t find an answer in 10 minutes on Google, then off to Aardvark to get the answer.” I’d love to hear any other feedback you or your readers have – alison@aardvarkteam.com
- Alison @ Aardvark
http://twitter.com/AlisonatVark
p.s. We’ll be showing recently asked questions on our website soon!
Ummm… I could only make it through the first one. One word comes to mind: “Staged.” If I’m wrong, the next two-words that come to mind: “Prescribe Lithium.”
The best information i have found exactly here. Keep going Thank you
Super post, Need to mark it on Digg
Nice article. With great tips and info. Social networking is something that you need to do your own business with.
Keep the good info coming.
Chris Moniz
VP Marketing, Internet Marketing Professor
http://www.drdavehaleonline.com
I spend a lot of time reading blogs and I have to say I’m impressed with your posts. It’s refreshing to find a blog that has valuable content such as yours. I’ll be a regular reader from now on, you can count on it.
Thanks,
Dennis
Hi. I like the way you write. Will you post some more articles?
Nice review. I was looking for someone who had actually used this software before I spent my money
your review told all I need to know…..I’m sold…..I’m going to download it today.
I agree the fact that it is illegal will not impact the current jailbreaking movement, locking down technology rarely works. The issue I have is the precedent for allowing hardware (or “goods”) manufacturers to limit consumers use of the product they purchased and the justice system supporting them.
they’ve been saying that since the phone was launched. No surprise there. Do you see any jailbreakers stopping? Including the iPhoneDevTeam? Probably not going to happen.
Mike
Really good review. I was in the same boat when I got my new computer a few months ago with vista. I used to use my laptop with XP to copy tons of movies with a different program but stopped about a year ago. A friend gave me DVDFAB and it’s much easier, more features, much quicker, and a large amount of customer support as well as forums to help. I also like the fact that after it cracks the encryption making a second copy only takes 3-5 minutes (a second “back up copy” of course)
[...] comes in. So I am going to try to keep this address for personal use and uncluttered by “bacn” [...]
The infestation of MA liberals into NH is putrid.
Why should we better ourselves when we will get anything we want without working for it?
“The Messiah” has had this lefty-soci-commi views since before college. We do not even know who he is. Heck, I believe that he actually is not a natural-born US citizen.
I hope to get this before our rights are taken away: http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_carbon15_AZ-C15M4PRE.asp
http://www.zazzle.com/dont_tax_me_bro_shirt-235479028750694755
Don’t tax me Bro!
Good words.
So, I didn’t check the list and I still haven’t. But I recommend you do if you use it. Personally, I did a quick check from memory and it all looked right to me. (Maybe B.O. isn’t bumping taxes to 28% on home sales, maybe only 20%, it’s still the wrong direction.)
The fact is Obama is soft on Crime (including terrorists and illegal immigrants) and wants to implement a boat load of programs we (the US) can afford. So that means I’ll be less safe and paying more for it. I won’t even have money left over to buy a gun to protect myself, that is if we’re allowed to own guns under a B.O. administration. (The Constitution is overrated, right? No!)
Anyway, I respect your opinions and I agree everyone should check up on facts but good luck finding a non-partisan source, there is no such thing.
Thanks for the comment and remember, I’ll never censor here so feel free to reply. (Some exceptions for lewd, threatening, and/ or illegal content. Oh, and posts with links to Viagra sites.)
For starters, when something so basic like the other guy’s name (the one you don’t like) is misspelled (It’s Barack not “Barak”) on a purportedly objective comparative piece then an alarm should go off in your thinking head: you are being taken for a ride, you’re being fed propaganda and lies, that you are, as they say, being played.
Voters would do well to take out pencil and paper and go down his fake list but as checked against the non-partisan:
http://www.factcheck.org/
or – http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/taxes.asp
or -
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/aug/04/return-tax-attack-chain-e-mail/
Vote for whom you will but it is awful dumb to go on the basis of a email chain-letter. Psst. The creators of this phony list are probably laughing. They were so brazen they actually dared you to click on CNN, WashPost, AARP at the bottom to verify their lies – knowing full well that you’d fall for their hoax – and you WOULD NOT BOTHER TO REALLY CHECK.
What – do they think we’re stupid?
nice