Forum Discussion

ntar827's avatar
ntar827
Explorer
Nov 22, 2013

Movies

Is there a way to download movies to a hard drive for later viewing?

Thanks

Nick
  • There is an abundance of software to rip DVDs. I rent from Red Box then rip to hard drive on my PC or mac for later viewing. I only watch movies once and have no issues doing this. In fact I have not even watched half the movies I have ripped--nor would I have rented them had I not been able to rip for later viewing.

    I refuse to pay the absurd prices for online rentals, such as from iTunes.

    There are three legal issues here with this scenario. First, you didn't buy the DVD movie, so cannot claim the "fair use provision" in making a backup copy. Renting a movie does not give one license to make a separate copy. Doing so is a violation of U.S. intellectual copyright laws.

    Second, ripping the DVD to a computer is a violation of the "space shifting" provision of current copyright laws.

    And finally, virtually all movies available on Redbox utilize Digital Rights Management(DRM) or copy protection, namely CSS for DVDs and AACS for BluRays. Circumventing DRM by using ripping apps is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act(DMCA).

    You can find a basic FAQ here.
  • Davydd wrote:
    TInmania wrote:
    There is an abundance of software to rip DVDs. I rent from Red Box then rip to hard drive on my PC or mac for later viewing. I only watch movies once and have no issues doing this. In fact I have not even watched half the movies I have ripped--nor would I have rented them had I not been able to rip for later viewing.

    If you intend to watch only on laptop then you can rip to an ISO image file which is an exact replica of the DVD. You mount that ISO like a DVD and watch with normal DVD player app. If you want to watch on an iPad you have to re-encode the ISO image to an iPad friendly format.

    I refuse to pay the absurd prices for online rentals, such as from iTunes.



    Michael

    Ripping Redbox DVDs in a simple word is theft and perhaps why the honest folks have to pay more.
    That sums it up pretty well.
  • TInmania wrote:
    There is an abundance of software to rip DVDs. I rent from Red Box then rip to hard drive on my PC or mac for later viewing. I only watch movies once and have no issues doing this. In fact I have not even watched half the movies I have ripped--nor would I have rented them had I not been able to rip for later viewing.

    If you intend to watch only on laptop then you can rip to an ISO image file which is an exact replica of the DVD. You mount that ISO like a DVD and watch with normal DVD player app. If you want to watch on an iPad you have to re-encode the ISO image to an iPad friendly format.

    I refuse to pay the absurd prices for online rentals, such as from iTunes.



    Michael

    Ripping Redbox DVDs in a simple word is theft and perhaps why the honest folks have to pay more.
  • There is an abundance of software to rip DVDs. I rent from Red Box then rip to hard drive on my PC or mac for later viewing. I only watch movies once and have no issues doing this. In fact I have not even watched half the movies I have ripped--nor would I have rented them had I not been able to rip for later viewing.

    If you intend to watch only on laptop then you can rip to an ISO image file which is an exact replica of the DVD. You mount that ISO like a DVD and watch with normal DVD player app. If you want to watch on an iPad you have to re-encode the ISO image to an iPad friendly format.

    I refuse to pay the absurd prices for online rentals, such as from iTunes.



    Michael
  • I download rental Apple iTunes movies onto my iPad at home before heading out on a trip. Rentals are good for 30 days but once you start watching a movie it is viable for 24 hours and then it disappears. It is easy enough to watch right on the iPad in the confines of an RV but usually we connect to the TV with cables. I also buy movies but not a lot, just the classics that I think I'll watch more than once and kid movies I know my grandkids will watch over and over.
  • There are a number of ways to do this, none of which are perfect but which will provide reasonably good copies. Here's a link to one approach: Play Later TV

About RV Must Haves

Have a product you cannot live without? Share it with the community!8,793 PostsLatest Activity: Feb 08, 2025