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moving video from dvd to harddrive - illegal ?

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moving video from dvd to harddrive - illegal ?

hey

i have bought a few special edition dvds
now i would like to have all the interesting parts of it on my portable media device
and even more important: on my computer so i can conveniently frame by frame them with an usb jogwheel and quicktime
also quite a few of them are usa releases and i live in europe
what makes it very frustrating because hardly any dvd player plays them

the question now is
1st - is that legal ?
. i bought all the dvds and have them right here at home
some of them are copy protected so i would have to bypass that via a software

2nd - how to get proper deinterlaced frames
i ran some tests on non copyrighted dvds
. hardly any software produces proper still frames throughout a longer animation
from all tested software only virtual dub with an alparysoft deinterlace filter made proper frames
and virtualdub is VERY tedious to rip a whole dvd because you will have to do it for every title (up to 36 on some dvds) and wait pretty long every one of them to load

every help, hint greatly appreciated

You've probably already tried it by now. I am wondering why you want to? If it's to pirate or trace or use some of the actition from those dvds, then the simple answer is it's illegal.

Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.

some of them are copy protected so i would have to bypass that via a software

Copy protection is there for a reason.

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

You've probably already tried it by now. I am wondering why you want to? If it's to pirate or trace or use some of the actition from those dvds, then the simple answer is it's illegal.

erm

this is an animation forum right ?
i thought every animator frames by frames certain scenes in animation movies
so i have to admit, i am a little surprised by that reaction

yes the copy protection is there for a reason
but that doesnt answer the question

is making hdd backups of dvds you bought and possess illegal ?
especially in the context of research and education

no i didnt do it yet

In the strictest terms, any duplication of copywritten media is illegal.

A looser interpretation is that duplication with the intent of profiting from the duplication is illegal. So it should be alright if you copy it for your self.

What I don't understand is if you have it on DVD already, most, if not all players can frame by frame through a movie. I do that all the time to see timing of things as well as squash and stretch and cheats.

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

yes most dvd players can do that
but not very convenient
and i dont want to get a dvdplayer and a tv for that

also frame by framing a sorensen3 file in quicktime is VERY fast
even backwards
and i have a usb jogwheel so i can do the frame by framing very fast and conveniently

also if i have it on my pc i can cut it and set up a library of great takes, eye blinks, walks, hand animations

plus i can have it with me on my notebook all the time
bring it to work and everything

so it has a lot of advantages over dvds

I have been very fortunate to have a Mac these last couple months. (The ads are true :) )
I have held out and not purchased DVDs of VHS movies I already own (I resent having to rebuy stuff for new platforms every 10 years, resolution be damned!) plus I have the need to show clips to class and get older stuff for my demo reel.
I purchased some hardware called the Elgato 250 ('bout $200.00). It can transfer to file formats from Vhs or a dvd player and can also act as a HD TV tuner! (haven't used that yet.)
For getting scenes off DVD I have freeware called handbrake. Copy protection does work agianst it but it can convert to Ipod low and hi rez when one can do it. (I personally don't have an ipod, just sayimg it can be done.)
I appreciate it is a can of worms but I am of the mind I can't steal what I already own especially if I am copying or backing up for myself for non commercial in home entertainment. ...as I also do with old lps to cds or Mp3s.
Let one who has never hosted or watched an illegal YouTube clip cast the first stone! :)

Might be allowed under license

First of all, I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. I may even be wrong. *gasp!* And you are in Europe so our any US legal precedents would not apply in your case anyway.

In the US, copying copyrighted material (music, books, etc.) for personal use is allowed. It is a long-standing facet of "fair use" of licensed material. What is illegal, in the US, is circumvent the copy-protection on DVDs, although their duplication is not per se illegal. Laws may differ in your country.

So, if there is no copy protection you can rip a DVD _that you paid for_ onto your hard drive for your own use.

There is a certain amount of "don't ask, don't tell" here... First of all, who will know? Second of all, since you are not selling the video you are not profiting from it, and since you won't be distributing it for free to your friends you will not be materially damaging the copyright holder. (i.e., reducing potential sales). Any cease and desist letter would probably cost the copyright holder more to draw up than damages they could claim against you.

The thing to do is to look at the box and all packaging to see if there is some language prohibiting duplication for ANY purpose. Likewise, look at the FBI/Interpol warning to see if it specifies no duplication for personal use.

Again, your country has different laws than the US.

Is there a site that sells legal downloads of the movies you want? That could be a simpler solution.

thanks for your replies

i downloaded handbreak but didnt try it yet

@fraser
i wanted to know how you do that and with what software
cant really do that without knowing if its legal

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