The whole idea behind a "media player" it's too use another digital format and do away with carrying DVD's around
So yes they have to be copied, conversion just means more movies stored in the same space
Some media players do not play DVD folders
My Sony does not directly play the DVD folder, it does play the DVD "VOB" files inside the folder,
but I have to navigate and open the folder and choose the first VOB of the multiple files
One mp4 file keeps the filing system cleaner and operation smoother and faster
And please do Not let this thread degenerate into a copyright vs privacy issue
The question was what is a media player..