Rip DVDs with VLC

A step-by-step guide on how to extract and convert the files from a DVD to mpeg or other formats using the Videolan VLC media player for the use of uploading them to YouTube, for example.

Steps

Old VLC

1. Open the DVD. Open up VLC and go to File. Select Open Disc... A dialog box should appear. Go to the Disc tab. Under the field Disc Type, select DVD (not DVD (Menus)). Enter the letter of your DVD-ROM drive in the device name box, and 0 in the title box. Click OK to see if that’s what you want to rip. If you only have one optical drive this should already be correctly set.
2. Ripping the Disc. If it is the one you want, select the Open Disc... option from the File menu again. At the bottom of the dialog, there should be an Advanced Options field. Select Stream/Save.
3. Change the Settings on a Windows XP Computer Without Being Detected. Next to the Stream/Save button there should be a Settings button. Click it. Uncheck the Play Locally button if it is already checked (this will stop it playing as it rips). Below this there should be a check box with File next to it. Check this, and in the browse field next to that choose where you want to save the file to. When naming your file, remember to add the file extension such as .m4v to the end, so that you can save it as an h.264 MPEG 10 video file. Below the File box there is a field labeled Encapsulation method, select MP4. Underneath that should be another box called Transcoding Options. In this select MP4V for Video Codec and MP4A for Audio Codec. Click OK, and then OK again on the next box. VLC will begin ripping the disc to your Hard Drive.

VLC 0.9.6 and newer

1. Open DVD. Go to the Media menu and choose Convert/Save.
2. Pick the Disc tab and adjust the Starting Position to the proper Title/Chapter. (You can find the proper Title/Chapter by viewing the disc with Media/Open Disc first.) Click Convert/Save.
3. Enter file name and start ripping. Check File and enter a file name ending in .mpg.
4. Click Start. It will take a while.

Tips

• When you want to watch the file with VLC, be absolutely sure that the Stream/Save box is unchecked in the Open dialog box, or your two hours of decoding will be erased.
• Be prepared for a wait. VLC saves the movie as it plays, so it will take the length of the movie to copy. You can see how far through it is at the bottom of the Viewing screen, where it tells you the time.

Warnings

• Replicating copyrighted materials for commercial purposes other than personal backup or fair use is illegal. Before ripping DVD, you're suggested to refer to copyright laws in your country.
• If you stop or pause the movie at any time the file will stop transcoding, and you will lose the data. Leave it running to prevent this happening.

Related Articles

• Rip DVDs on a Mac with MacTheRipper and Handbrake Software
• Rip Music from a CD to a Computer
• Back Up a DVD Onto a VCD
• Rip a DVD with DVD Decrypter
• Add Subtitles to a Movie/Video on VLC

See also

• Rip DVD Audio to MP3 Using VLC Media Player
• Download Files Using VLC Media Player
• Stream Your GoPro to Your PC Using VLC Media Player
• Use VLC Media Player to Stream Multimedia to Another Computer
• Use VLC Media Player to Listen to Internet Radio
• Convert Video in MP3 with VLC Media Player
• Use VLC to Stream Audio and Video to Multiple Computers on Your Network Using Multicast
• Rip a DVD Using VLC Media Player
• Screen Capture to File Using VLC

What links here

• Copy a DVD Movie
• Rip Music from a CD to a Computer