If you own DVD movies or other media in Blu-ray format and want to copy them to a different format or device, you’re going to need a Bluray ripper software program installed on your computer. Since the format is fairly new, there are only a few programs available that will copy Blu-ray discs, and not all of them will give you quality as good as the original. This article will help you find the best Blu-ray ripper software for the best price and give you some pointers on what to look for.
What Is Blu-ray format?
Blu-ray is the new generation of data storage meant to replace DVD. It features enhanced quality and resolution over standard DVD format. Movies stored in this format can only be played on Blu-ray players. Most of these players are backward compatible, so they’ll play regular DVDs too, but regular DVD players won’t play Blu-ray.
By the way, the correct spelling is Blu-ray, but variants such as Bluray, Blue Ray, and Blueray show up frequently.
What Does It Mean to “Rip” a Blu-ray Disc?
“Ripping” is just geek speak for copying. It can be confusing, because different software manufacturers sometimes use the word to mean different things. If you see a Blu-ray ripper for sale, don’t assume it will copy your Blu-ray disk to all other media formats. Many software developers use tiered pricing for their products, so the lowest priced package will only convert to a few formats, while the most expensive one will convert to any format.
Other formats may include:
- DVD: lets you play your Blu-ray disc on a conventional DVD player, or on your computer if you have DVD player software installed.
- VOB: each chapter of a DVD is one VOB file. Consider DVD and VOB to be the same format.
- WMV: if you use Windows Media Player on your computer, you’ll need to rip Blu Ray to your hard drive in this format. WMV is sometimes called ASF.
- FLV: also known as Flash video, this is the format you want for uploading videos to YouTube, Facebook, and other video sharing sites
- AVI: many low-end video cameras use this format. Unless you want to rip a snippet to your Flip or other camcorder, you don’t really need this format in your software
- MPEG: also called MPG, MPEG-4, or MP4, this format is a universal format for video files. It’s also the file format used by all Apple devices (see QuickTime).
- QuickTime: Apple’s proprietary version of the MPEG-4 file format. MPEG files will always play in QuickTime, and vice versa.
- MP3: the audio-only version of MP4 that plays on the iPod and other music players
- H.264: the format for iPhone video files, along with MP4
- 3GP: common format for cell phones and other handheld devices, except the iPhone
To make things even more complicated, some manufacturers call their products “cloners.” Strictly speaking, cloner software should only copy a Blu-ray disc to a blank Blu-ray disk, but some of these products are actually full-spectrum rippers that will copy your disc into any other format and for any other device. Click the link for instructions on how to rip Blu-ray movies.
How Difficult Is It to Copy Blu-ray?
With its enhanced DRM protection, it’s harder to copy than a regular DVD. The industry has been criticized for its heavy handed use of copyright protection in this format.
Is There Such a Thing as a Cheap Blu-ray Ripper Software?
The format’s extra layers of DRM protection make Blu-ray ripper software more expensive than a basic DVD copier. Pricing starts as low as $35 and goes up to around $65, but you get what you pay for. Many low end rippers sacrifice quality in exchange for economy. That may sound OK to you if you’re just looking to convert Blu-ray to FLV format, but even for YouTube, you don’t want your video to be out of sync with the audio. This problem is common in many cheap Blu-ray rippers.
How About Free Blu-ray Ripper Software?
At this time, there’s no such thing. Hundreds of websites pretend to offer free downloads of these products, but all of them are trial versions. Trial software is always limited in one of two ways:
- you can’t rip more than a few minutes of footage (usually between 2 and 5 minutes), or
- you can rip the entire movie, but the screen will be imprinted with a watermark
Nonetheless, trial versions are very useful for evaluating the usability of a particular software program. You can:
- get a good look at the interface and see how user friendly it is
- find out if the program converts your files into all of the formats you need
- look at the quality of the converted files and see how much is lost during conversion
- evaluate the quality of the full version of the software by evaluating the trial version. If the company can’t even get their trial version to work right (the version they’re using to attract customers), then it’s unlikely the full version will work right either
A Word About Customer Support
It’s highly unusual for software you purchase for under $100 to have good technical support for customers. This is true of any software. The typical approach to tech support for low-end software programs is for you to send them an e-mail, and they take their time about getting back to you. When they do reply, it’s usually a by-the-book response that you could have figured out yourself. If you want good support, spend the extra money and buy high-end software.
If all this sounds frustrating, remember that software you buy over the internet is usually refundable. The key is to use the software as soon as you purchase it. If you run into problems, do a quick search on the web to see if anyone else has experienced the same thing and has come up with a solution. If you really can’t get the program to work, get a refund and try a different program.
Is Blu-ray Ripper Software Legal?
The legalities of manufacturing software that defeats DRM protection are a huge source of controversy in the United States and some other countries, and the situation is unlikely to be settled anytime soon. Most ripper programs are developed and sold from countries where their manufacture is legal. (This explains the poor customer support; there’s usually a language barrier.)
For individuals, U.S. law provides that if you legally own a copyrighted song, movie, or other media, you can’t be prosecuted for copying it, converting it to another format, or ripping it to another device that you own – as long as you don’t share it with anyone else. So you’re safe as long as you:
- Obtained your copy of the material legally – by buying it from a legitimate seller, and
- Don’t share it with anyone else illegally – they also have to buy it from a legitimate seller.