Author: Isaiah G. Henry

Making a duplicate of your favorite DVD is not as easy as it looks. Forget simply copying the disc to empty DVD in the computer. It will not work. Like a foreign language, the copyright safeguards make the software impossible to read correctly. Even if you are lucky enough to get audio, the video files will probably not be readable. You need the information on how to copy a protected DVD.

At first, one thinks that copying a DVD can?t be difficult. That?s right ? it is not difficult if you have the right program to overcome the protection and to decrypt and shrink the data. Copyright protections exist because many malicious people copy illegally DVDs and because of that manufacturers had to invent a way to stop them from having a usable copy.

There are several things you need to know before you start copying DVDs. First, copyright laws do not allow to make a profit from someone else?s work. Second, the only case when you can legally copy a DVD is for personal use only.

Now when you know the legal aspects of copying a DVD, you can proceed with copying it. For this, you will need a DVD ripper. Until recently DVDShrink did the job but since it is not maintained anymore, there are many recent protections it is helpless with. All these new protections are the response of manufacturers to malicious people who make unauthorized copies.

However, copying a DVD for personal use is OK. Having in mind the prices of movies and games, the budget of many families does not allow to buy new copies, if the old one breaks.

But, when favorite games or movies are in danger of being played until they wear out, you should have the opportunity to make a backup. For example, RipitforMe is a newer tool to shrink playable copies to fit the information on the new DVD. However, even this program stopped development in April 2007. Before shrinking the DVD must be ripped with a program like DVD Fab Decrypter. Unfortunately, as protection programs build new safeguards, new ripper programs must also be authored. So, if one ripper does not work, maybe a newer version will.

The best time to make a backup copy is when the DVD is new. If the DVD has been played a lot, it might be scratched, which could result in loss of data and/or poor quality. So, if you want to make a backup copy of a favorite movie of yours ? i.e. the favorite movies of your children, do it before the DVD is worn out due to frequent viewing.

It is legal to make copies of your favorite DVDs for personal use. You just need to find a program, which can deal with the latest copyright protections and you are on your way to enjoy your beloved movies and games for many years

About the Author:
Isaiah Henry is an expert on dvd software such as dvd ripper and dvd copy. Copy DVDs at www.dvdshrinknow.com with programs like Roxio review.



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