The world is getting more and more digital every day. And with the introduction of cloud storage, we are looking at a decline in the usage of physical memory like optical disks and flash memory.
So, it is time that you look for ways to convert your photos, videos, and other files to digital content and store them in the cloud so that you can access them anywhere at any point in time. For copying the content that is present in CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, you will need an open DVD ripper tool.
So, we looked for some open source DVD ripper tools (since their source code is public, we can check for ourselves if they are secure or not), and here are our favorites.
DVDFab DVD Ripper
This is our favorite pick in this segment. Once we tried this out, we were amazed by the vast number of features it gives. And none of them felt unnecessary or useless.
Firstly, we liked DVDFab’s ability to decrypt commercial disks to extract the content present in them. Nowadays, every commercial DVD comes with encryptions like CSS (Content Scramble System), APS (Analog Protection System), etc., to prevent buyers from taking backups.
Having a decryption system these days is extremely handy, and that’s what DVDFab DVD Ripper provides. You barely have to wait for five to ten seconds to open up the disk to view and copy its contents.
Have DVD companies developed a new method of encryption? No need to worry. DVDFab uses Cloud Decryption Services to decrypt disks. So, you don’t have to wait for the latest package release to decrypt the latest DVDs.
One problem that a lot of DVD ripper tools face is the loss of quality when ripping the DVD. Plus, they sometimes convert those videos into a format that cannot store multiple audio and subtitle tracks or is heavily compressed.
However, DVDFab DVD Ripper converts videos present in DVDs into MKV files that have 5.1 AC3 audio. So, now you can get the best experience when watching movies in a home theater.
You can not only optimize the videos for home theater, but you can also set the playback mode to mobile, web, and other modes. So, if you plan on watching the contents of a DVD on your mobile or tablet, you can convert the files into a format that is supported by mobile devices.
There are more than a thousand audio and video formats in which you can convert the contents of a DVD using this DVD ripper. There are more than 260 preset devices, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, etc., in which videos ripped using DVDFab are compatible.
By adjusting the Profile Filter and Advanced settings, you can personalize the video output based on your preferences and needs. All those advanced settings are right at your fingertips.
Do you have some high-end hardware? That’s great! DVDFab DVD Ripper has some of the latest and advanced GPU acceleration technologies that work with multicore CPU, NVIDIA CUDA, AMD, Intel Quick Sync, and Video Toolbox for macOS.
How is it beneficial? Well, ripping a DVD generally takes 10-30 minutes based on the content, hardware configuration, and ripping settings. However, a good GPU can affect this time drastically. By using the GPU acceleration of DVDFab, you can rip an entire DVD in just five minutes.
If you have multiple DVDs to rip, you can place all of them in a queue and do something else while DVDFab will do its job.
There are tons of other features, and it will take an entire article just to talk about them. Instead, why don’t you check out their website? This software gives you a trial version as well. So, just give it a try.
MakeMKV
Coming next in our list of best open source DVD rippers is MakeMKV, a simple, thoughtfully designed DVD and Blu-ray ripper which copies the contents of a DVD in an as straightforward way as possible.
It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is still in a public beta state, but is completely free to use (although Blu-ray decryption may become a paid feature later). This tool doesn’t have any flashy features, but it will get the job done without compromising the audio and video quality or making a fuss.
It may look like ordinary software, but it can rip DVDs and Blu-rays with great finesse. Plus, it has ensured that the UI remains simple, and you take backup of your disks without any hassles.
You will retain all metadata of the contents of the disk when ripping DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Although it doesn’t support any hardware acceleration, it does work fast enough for daily uses.
The only limitation it has is that it cannot rip all encrypted discs. It can only rip DVDs and Blu-ray disks that have AACS and BD+ encryption.
If you want to rip one or two disks and want to do it without any hassle, this free open source DVD ripper will be your best pick. Although you won’t get any advanced features, and this tool’s decryption capabilities are limited, it can get the job done.
HandBrake
The last on our list is HandBrake, a free and open-source DVD ripper which was originally on Mac but is now available on Windows as well.
It is a video encoding tool, but it acts as a great DVD ripper as well. And the process of ripping DVDs is simple. You need to load up the video. Then, you can use the presets with various settings that are present in the side panel.
If you don’t like any of the presets, you can customize the output according to your needs. There are several tabs in the Output Settings option, which allows you to customize precise encoding settings, apply custom effects. It also comes with a video editor that you can use to crop videos that are too large. Some other settings include frame rate tweaks, changing codecs, etc.
There is only one drawback of this free and open–source DVD ripper – poor documentation. Using one of the presets to rip DVDs can be easy. However, HandBrake has made few efforts to explain the technologies it has. So, you will need to do some research before you start working with the advanced settings.
Wrapping Up
Open-source DVD rippers are becoming a necessity these days. After all, storing items in the cloud is extremely convenient. That is why we tried out some of the best free and open-source DVD rippers, and the three above are our favorites. DVDFab has tons of features that are great for people who rip DVDs frequently. MakeMKV is great if you simply want to rip DVDs and Blu-ray discs. HandBrake has advanced features, but it requires a learning curve if you want to play with them.
FAQ
Q: Are free DVD Rippers safe?
A: Some free DVD rippers forcefully install some unwanted software. Sometimes, they even install malware. That is why only download a free DVD ripper that has good reviews. You can install the free open source DVD rippers that we mentioned as they have excellent reviews on established review sites and lots of people use them on a daily basis.
Q: Is it legal to rip a DVD that you own?
A: If you are living in the US, it is illegal at present to reproduce any copyrighted work under the Title 17 of the US State Code. However, people are working on making amendments to this law. As for now, if you are ripping DVDs just for your personal use, then you are safe. However, do not attempt to sell any copies of copyrighted content.
Q: Can I copy my DVD to my computer?
A: If it’s an ordinary homemade DVD, then you can. If it’s a commercial DVD or Blu-ray disk, then you won’t be able to break through the encryption and copy the contents to your PC unless you use a DVD ripper.
Q: Can I use VLC to rip DVDs?
A: If you are copying the contents of homemade DVDs, then yes. It cannot break any encryption.