How to download a purchased DVD movie onto my MacBook

I'm going on a trip and want to download a couple of my purchased DVDs (movies) and a knitting DVD onto my MacBook before I go. Is this possible? I have Snow Leopard and not real tech savvy, but didn't want to bother with carrying my DVDs with me.

The purchased movie DVDs are probably protected and can not be copied direct to your MacBook - at least legally here in the US. Whether you agree or disagree with that, it is unfortunately the law until our Congress changes it. I have no idea about the knitting DVD.

You may be better off carrying the 3 DVDs with you.

bluebonnet said:

I'm going on a trip and want to download a couple of my purchased DVDs (movies) and a knitting DVD onto my MacBook before I go. Is this possible? I have Snow Leopard and not real tech savvy, but didn't want to bother with carrying my DVDs with me.

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Hi Bluebonnet - welcome to the forum!

Since you did not provide the specs on your MBPro, not sure if a CD/DVD drive is built into the machine? If so, then just bring the DVDs along but use a more convenient storage option - when wife & I go on the road and know that a DVD player will be available (I now just take my iPad for email/browsing), e.g. a condo rental or a hotel, I simply put the discs in 'slim' jewel boxes (like the one shown below) which are quite thin & protective - a half dozen w/ a few rubber bands takes up virtually no space. I used to carry CDs in a small zippered case w/ about two dozen plastic holders. Dave


.

If not having to take the DVDs with you is worth a few bucks to you, you can rent them from iTunes (or, if you are an Amazon Prime member, Amazon Prime Video) -- obviously dependent on whether they are available from either or both services.

You can also check to see if the movies are available via Vudu's disc to digital service, where for $2, you can own the digital version instead of renting and be able to download it to &/or stream it from practically any device capable of installing an application - including: iPod, iPhone, iPad, Android phones & tablets, Xbox, Playstation, practically every internet connected DVD/Blu-Ray player and TV on the market today, the Roku, Chromecast, via your computer with OS X or Windows...

And $2 is much cheaper than the time and energy it takes to rip a movie to your hard drive and it's legal.

They will even give you 5 movies for free (a short list to pick from, but some decent choices) just for registering.

Well, since I am flying and limited with baggage restrictions, I was hoping to be able to put some of my movies/DVDs on my laptop rather than trying to carry them with me and then trying to get them out to view them when I'm on the plane. So, you're all saying that all my DVDs that I own are not transferable to my laptop or other Apple products? I now have to spend more money for the same movies that I already own in order to view them on my trip (if I don't want to sacrifice something else in my luggage for the DVDs)?

Disregard

There's no way to download my movies to my laptop?

Downloading would not be the correct terminology. "Download" implies the transfer of data from somewhere out there on the web to your computer and from your computer to the web would be "uploading". The correct term here is "ripping" from a CD or DVD.

While making a backup copy is legal - commercial DVDs are encrypted. The breaking of that encryption, even to backup DVDs you own, is not legal in the U.S. As this forum is located in the U.S., it has been decided that the forum will follow U.S. law related to the ripping of this media and it's discussion is not permitted here.