When you first start the application you will notice that the interface can be divided into three modules. A maximum of two sections can be retracted to save screen estate. The left segment displays the program’s core features. Available are the following options:

• DVD Ripper – Copy movie DVDs to your computer
• Universal Converter – Convert video files
• Streaming – Capture videos from websites and applications
• Media Center – Displays video files, synchronization with devices, media player

The middle section changes depending on the application selected by the user, the right displays a media player, a playlist of recent video files and options to browse, sort or search the media collection.

DVD Ripper

When you select the DVD ripper app from the menu you are asked to insert a video DVD into the computer’s DVD drive. A convert menu is displayed here as well to select an output video and audio format for the DVD movie. Only some of the available conversion profiles are displayed directly. A click on the arrow at the end of the line opens advanced conversion options.

Here it is now possible to select the output audio and video format from a wide variety of types. A click on video for instance displays the formats that Audials Moviebox 9 supports, profiles for specific devices and an option to create a custom conversion profile. Supported are Android, Apple, Windows Phone 7 and Nokia devices, gaming consoles and many other devices. And if a device is not supported outright, you can create a profile for that particular device.

The very same options are available when the audio output format is selected. These conversion options are available in all Moviebox modules.

DVDs without copy protection are directly copied, converted and saved on the computer. Protected DVDs are played back in fullscreen and recorded by the application to comply with local laws. This process takes considerably longer as the movie plays back in realtime. You also need to make sure that you do not use the computer during the recording to avoid breaking it.

Converter

The media converter supports audio and video files. You can drag and drop files into the interface to populate the list of files that you want converted, use the file browser to select them or use the search to do the same.

You can play video or audio files that you have added to the conversion queue. The conversion options are available here as well. You can still select an existing profile to convert your media files to, or create a custom profile to suite your particular requirements.

The converter can search for covers, ID3 tags and lyrics automatically and add those to the program’s meta data if that is supported by the output file.

The program is fast when it comes to conversions. Even large files (600+ Megabytes) or files with a long playing time are converted in a matter of minutes. This may vary depending on the PC the program is running on and the output formats and quality selected.

Streaming

The streaming module can be used to capture audio and video streams from websites and applications. A click on the video recording button starts the scanning of the network stream for media files. You have the option to save videos manually or use the automatic save option to store all media files that you open on websites or in applications automatically. You can furthermore use the conversion options to convert the downloaded media files directly to appropriate formats.

A test on popular video hosting sites such as YouTube, Gametrailers and Microsoft properties was positive. The program catches the media files when they are played in the browser or in another application and displays them in the interface.

Moviebox either downloads the streams directly to the computer, or records what is shown on the screen. That’s handy if you need to download a movie from a site where the stream cannot be downloaded directly. A test on the popular Hulu website was successful because of this as well.

It may happen that the video that you want to download is not recognized by the application. You can then switch to manual mode where you define an area on your screen that you want to record.

Media Center

The media center offers two options. It for one allows you to manage your media collection which includes playing, sorting and even deleting files. The second option can be used to import or export media files to devices or locations. It is here for instance possible to export new media directly to iTunes, or import new media files from a smartphone.

Additional options include burning media to disc, creating ringtones, exporting it to a specific folder or to cloud storage providers. The program supports eSnips, Strato and T-Online as well as the WebDAV format (so that popular providers like SkyDrive or Amazon Cloud are supported as well).

Audials Moviebox 9 Verdict

Audials Moviebox 9 is a versatile tool for users who work with videos, movies and DVDs regularly. The program’s easy to use despite the functionality that it provides. Some users may say that other programs are more efficient when it comes to copying protected DVDs. That may be the case, but they are not really an option if you are living in a country where it is not allowed to bypass copy protections.

What I personally like about the program are the little things that make life more comfortable. The option to automatically download streaming media, that your custom profile is available in all program modules and that you can import or export media effortlessly.

Giveaway

Audials sponsored 20 licenses of Audials Moviebox 9 for the giveaway. If you are a Facebook user you could give them a like for that.

You will be included in the drawing when you leave a comment below. Make sure you use a working email address so that I can contact you in case you have won one of the licenses.

DVD Ripper is a Windows DVD ripping software that is part of the DVDFab collection of applications offering DVD and Blu-Ray ripping and copying tasks.

DVDFab DVD Ripper Review

DVD Ripper is installed as part of the DVDFab DVD and Blu-Ray tool collection which offers tools to copy and rip DVD and Blu-Ray movies among other things. All programs use a unified interface which can be confusing on first startup. DVD Ripper users need to switch to the DVD Ripper entry in the left sidebar to access the modules functionality.

The DVD ripping software does not need to be configured, it works immediately out of the box. Users start by loading a DVD into the DVD drive of their computer or pointing the software to a Video_TS folder on the local hard drive.

DVD Ripper will scan the DVD video and display information about titles, languages and subtitles in its interface. A small preview window is available that can be used to preview the selected track. The DVD ripping software did select the right video track on the DVD all the time during our tests. It is however possible to manually change the title selection by adding or removing titles from the ripping process.

Here it is also possible to change the start and end settings of the selected title (by skipping chapters), the audio language and subtitle that should be included in the rip.

Selected titles are added to the queue. The profile selection pulldown at the bottom of the screen is used to select the output file format for the ripped videos. That’s however not the only option for users. The left sidebar DVD Ripper menu lists several available conversion options. This includes converting the DVD video to formats readable by devices such as the iPod / iPhone, iPad, Zune, Apple TV, gaming systems like the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, or formats such as MKV, Avi, MP4 and audio only.

It is necessary to make the selection of the output device first, as the queue might get filled up with duplicate tasks otherwise. If that is the case it is still possible to remove jobs from the queue.

The DVD conversion profiles can be edited by clicking on Edit next to the selected profile in the application interface. This opens a new screen with conversion settings. Users find options to change the file name, title and author, the video and audio format and several related settings such as the framerate and resolution, bitrates, encoding method and video effect settings.

DVD Ripper can remove protections from ripped DVDs. This includes removing copy protections such as CSS, RC, RCE, APS, UOPs, structure protections like RipGuard and layer breaks. Please note that it is illegal in some countries to bypass copy protections.

Video Effects are available to resize or crop the video. Here it is possible to change the source aspect ratio, select a custom size for the selected video or define how black bars should be processed by the DVD ripping software.

Some options are also available in the formats profile settings. The difference is that Video Effects is a temporary selection used only for the selected video, while the format profile settings are valid for all conversions into that format.

A click on start will process all tasks that are currently in the DVD ripping queue. The program displays information on the task at hand and statistics on the video ripping process.

The speed of the conversion depends on several factors, the source of the DVD movie and the speed of the computer. DVD Ripper supports CUDA, which is a technology for NVIDIA video cards. It basically speeds up computing performance of a system by utilizing the graphics processing unit.

Users with CUDA compatible hardware can expect halving the processing time of video conversions on their computer systems according to information posted on the DVDFab website.

The ripped DVD videos are saved in the target folder from where they can be played or transferred to other devices.

DVD Ripper feature overview

• Rip any DVD – All known DVD copy protections, like CSS, CPRM, CPPM, RC, RCE, APS, UOPs, ARccOS, RipGuard, FluxDVD, CORE X2, etc are removed. Thus, any DVD can be ripped.
• Rip DVD to video formats – Rip DVD to almost all popular video formats such as MPEG-4, DivX, Xvid, H.264, AVI, FLV, WMV, etc. compatible with DPG / iPod / iPhone / iPad / PSP / ZUNE / NDS / Xbox 360 / PS3, and other specific format supported by Cell Phone, Apple TV, PVP and PDA.
• Rip DVD to audio formats – Apart from video formats, DVDFab DVD Ripper can also rip and convert DVD to all audio formats such as MP3, MP4, M4A, WMA, WAV, AC3 and DTS, or extract DVD audio from video.
• Support various devices – There are more than 10 output modes and 50 preset profiles from which you can choose to suit your device and application. New presets are being constantly added.

Installation

The installation is straightforward and users should not have any problems following it. The only problem they may encounter is on the last option screen which contains an entry to install the VSO Burning Engine.

This is an internal burning engine only needed if contents need to be burned on DVD or Blu-Ray. Nero and ImgBurn users have the option to use their burning software program instead which is a great option, and means that the VSO Burning Engine does not need to be installed.

It is not really clear if the module is needed for DVD Ripper functionality, my guess it is not since DVD Ripper does not burn data to disk.

Verdict

DVDFab DVD Ripper is an excellent software for users who need to rip videos from DVD or Video_TS folders. The DVD ripping software can rip DVDs with just a few clicks and little configuration. Advanced users find lots of interesting options in the settings to optimize the output.

DVDFab DVD Ripper Giveaway

DVDFab has given us 15 licenses of DVD Ripper. Please leave a comment below for a chance to win one of the 15 licenses. Please answer the following question to make it a little bit more interesting: Which DVD would you like to rip with DVD Ripper?

VidCoder is a DVD and Blu-Ray ripping software for the Windows operating system. It makes use of the .net Framwork 4.0 and can therefor only be installed on PCs where the framework is present. The software uses the popular Handbrake as its encoding engine.

Computer users who want to rip a DVD can do so in a few steps. First they need to point VidCoder to a source movie. This can be a DVD or Blu-Ray in a optical drive, or a video folder or file that is already on the computer hard drive.

Once the video source has been selected it is necessary to select a destination for the rip and the video, audio and subtitles that should be included in the rip.

A click on Encoding Settings opens options to configure the output format. The container format used is mp4 by default, which can be changed to mkv. It is furthermore possible to configure the video codec and framerate, specify a target movie size, average bitrate or constant quality as well as audio settings and a lot of advanced options.

Most users of the DVD ripping software can probably keep the default settings while only tech savvy users may want to change them to optimize the output movie.

The main interface has a preview button to preview the selected clip which comes in handy to avoid selecting the wrong title for the ripping.

The selected options can then be added to the queue, which is great for adding multiple titles to it. This is for instance necessary for ripping TV show DVDs which usually come with multiple episodes on a DVD disc.

Feature list

Multi-threaded
MP4, MKV containers
H.264, MPEG-4, Theora video
AAC, MP3, Vorbis, AC3 audio encoding and AC3/DTS passthrough
Target bitrate, size or quality for video
2-pass encoding
Multi-angle support
Decomb, detelecine, deinterlace filters
Batch encoding
Instant source previews
Creates small encoded preview clips
Pause, resume encoding

VidCoder can be downloaded from the project website over at Codeplex. The DVD and Blu-Ray ripper is compatible with all operating systems that support the Microsoft .net Framework 4.

The developers have contacted me again today, letting me know that they rebuild the software from scratch, resolved two of the three issues found in the January version and are running a giveaway until October 28.

That’s reason enough to take a new look at the DVD ripping application. Not a lot has changed if you compare the new application interface with the old one. The new interface looks modern and more professional than the old one.

Ripping DVDs is still a three stepped process. It begins by loading a DVD from disc or folder (discs inserted into a drive will be recognized automatically), selecting an output format and clicking the start button to start the ripping.

Among the available output formats are DVD to DVD copy for 1:1 copies of the DVD, to formats like avi, mp4 or mov, and to devices such as the iPad, iPhone or Zune. DVD copy and conversion into an iPad compatible format are two of the new options in this version of the software.

Selecting one of the available options lists various quality and ripping settings. If avi is selected, it is for instance possible to change the audio and video quality settings, and select the number of cpu cores for the conversion.

Profiles are available if a device is selected. Profiles can be used to pick a quality setting with two clicks. That’s very comfortable. Profiles are unfortunately still not available for formats.

Processed videos are now named based on patterns defined in the program’s options. This is great as it makes the identification easier, especially if multiple videos are processed in short succession.

What else is new?

• Rebuilt WinX DVD Ripper Platinum with brand-new frame work based on user feedback to maximally conform to common usage.
• Output MP4 video with AAC 2 Channels, AAC 4 Channels and AAC 6 Channels supported.
• Support AVI container, keeping original DVD AC3/DTS 6 Channels audio track.
• Output WMV and MPEG video with original DVD AC3/DTS 6 Channels audio track.
• Improved WMV encoder to fit the requirement of Windows Media Center. Backup DVD to WMV with AC3/DTS audio and stream to PS3 & Xbox 360.
• Significantly increase H.264 encoder speed. Better support for Multi-core CPU.
• Optimized the support for iPhone 4, iPad, iPod 4 and other iOS 4 video players.
• New software UI.

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is an excellent DVD ripping software for the Windows operating system. To grab a free license code users need to visit the giveaway page on the developer homepage to download the application and grab the license code. License codes are offered for the Windows and Mac version of the software, but only the Windows version is linked from the giveaway page. WinX DVD Ripper for Mac can be downloaded here instead. Please note that I have not tried this version and license code.

The user loads a DVD into the program by clicking on the Disc button in the top button row which opens a small drive letter selection window. WinX DVD Ripper Platinum will then scan the disc and display the contents of it on the right side. The program can rip normal DVD video disks but also copy protected DVDs including those protected with CSS, Sony ArccOS and newer copy protections like those used in blockbusters like The Dark Knight or Star Trek.

Each of the titles that are stored on the DVD are presented with information including the title’s playtime, the resolution and format and audio, video and subtitle information. Checkboxes are used to select those titles that should be ripped with the first title always preselected by the DVD ripper.

A small selection interface below the title listing can be used to change the output settings including the audio used in the output (if multiple audio tracks are stored on the DVD), subtitles, an alternative start and end time plus the output folder.

The default audio and subtitle language can be changed in the program’s options so that the preferred language selected by the user will be picked by the program automatically if available.

The lower half of the screen contains the formats that the DVD can be ripped to. This is divided into general formats like avi, mp4, mpeg or flv but also device specific formats including formats for devices such as the iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, PSP, PDA or 3GP.

Selecting a different video output format can change the available configuration options at the bottom of the screen. They usually consist of fine tuning audio and video quality settings but may sometimes contain multiple pre-configured profiles that can be selected.

This is for instance the case if the iPhone is selected as the output device.

A click on the start button after making the selection will start the DVD ripping process. This opens a new window that will display the progress of the operation.

Options to shutdown the computer when the conversion has been completed or to open the output folder are provided in the menu.

Installation and Download

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum can be downloaded for free today at the Giveaway of the Day website. The product, if installed today, will remain free and fully licensed. The website of the developer of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum offers trial downloads of the software and additional information about it.

The software comes as a zip file which will extract a text document with instructions and a setup.exe. All that it takes to install and register the DVD ripper is to double-click the setup.exe and to follow the installation until it completes.

Positive

• Easy to use
• Can rip copy protected DVDs
• DVD ripping does not slow down the computer

Negative

• No preview option
• No custom DVD ripping profiles (only for devices but not general)
• No option to change the output file name

You might also want to take a look at our previews review of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum. The program is a very comfortable easy to use DVD ripper that worked fine with every DVD we asked it to rip.

The developers of the free version were also offering a commercial version on their website called WinX DVD Ripper Platinum. The commercial version provides access to additional features and advanced settings making it worthwhile for some users. The free version could for instance not rip a DVD straight into a format supported by Apple’s iPhone or iPod. Users who wanted that functionality had to use a video converter to do that which usually meant double the work and time.

Why are we writing all this? Because the developers have decided to offer WinX DVD Ripper Platinum for free in September. You can head right over to their website and download the commercial version of this excellent DVD ripping software for free. A quick chat with one of the representatives of the company revealed that minor updates will be available for free as well while major updates, e.g. a version bump to 6, would not be free but could be purchased for a small amount of money. Updates are not mandatory on the other hand which means that users can work with the version of the DVD ripper for as long as they like.

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum will automatically recognize video DVDs. The structure of the DVD is automatically displayed in the program’s interface with the main movie selected by default. The interface looks pretty much like the one used in WinX DVD Ripper with the exception of a few additions. Options to convert the DVD to various formats that are supported by devices like iPods, Apple TVs, PDA or Zune are displayed next to the general format options known from the free version of the software program.

Next to the additional devices that are supported by the platinum version of WinX DVD Ripper are the inclusion of a high definition encoding engine which promises a superior audio and video quality over its free version of the software.

The DVD ripper can rip copy protected DVDs and supports all other features of the free version. Users who are looking for a reliable and easy to use DVD ripping software might want to download this program and install it for a test ride. The offer to download the premium version of WinX DVD Ripper for free lasts until the end of September.

DVD rippers come in many forms and sizes. Three aspects are more important than others when evaluation DVD rippers.

• The DVD ripper should be able to handle copy-protected DVDs
• The DVD ripper should offer popular output formats and settings
• The DVD ripper should be free

There are obviously other criteria that should be analyzed like the ease of use or the impact on the computer system. WinX DVD Ripper is a free DVD ripper that meets most of these criteria. It can rip most (if not all) DVDs as it supports ripping copy-protected DVDs (like CSS protection or Sony ArccOS) out of the box. It supports all region codes and offers to rip the DVD movies into various popular formats including avi, mp4, flv or mpeg.

It actually takes only a few clicks to rip a DVD with WinX DVD Ripper. All it actually takes is to click on the DVD Disc button to pick a DVD Movie from one of the computer’s DVD drives. The DVD ripper will automatically display all tracks of the DVD in its interface with the first track being automatically selected for the ripping process. A click on Start would initiate the process.

The user can make changes to the configuration. It is for example possible to switch the output format, resolution, audio settings and quality or output folder. Everything can be managed from the same window which makes the application feel less complicated to the user.

The DVD ripping process takes time, it can generally be said that it takes between 0.5 to 1 second to rip one second of the DVD movie to the computer system. This figures can vary depending on the speed of the computer system.

WinX DVD Ripper can be downloaded from the developer’s website. It supports most Microsoft operating systems including Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

via DotTech

All you need to do is to put the DVD movie into the DVD drive of the computer and click on Load DVD in the program interface. It will load the DVD contents with the option to preview them. The program has pull down menus for selecting one of the available audio tracks and subtitles that will be included in the rip.

The only other customization option is to select the target size for the output file and one out of three encoding profiles (avi, video CD and super video CD).

A click on convert will start the ripping process and save the file to the computer’s hard drive. The only nuisance of the program was that it did automatically open a website with another DVD ripping tool by the same author as advertisement. A viable alternative without advertisement is the one-click dvd ripping tool Bitripper.

Bitripper [via Freeware Genius] scans the DVD drive of the computer and immediately detects a video DVD that is inserted into the drive. A click on Start Ripping would initialize the ripping process and that’s it. No technical questions about bitrates, formats or resolutions, just plain and simple DVD ripping. The software offers settings naturally, the video can be saved as mpg or avi on the hard drive of the computer.

The settings button leads to a configuration window that allows the selection of the video and audio codec as well as the aspect radio, resolution and language track. Ripping a DVD with a playtime of 1:38 hours took roughly 1:20 hours on my old fashioned AMD Athlon 3000+.

The main benefit of using Bit Ripper is its simplicity. DVDs can be ripped with just a few clicks and almost no technical knowledge other than selecting the right track, video codec and output format. The software supports ripping from both 4.7 GB and 8 GB DVDs and can copy copy-protected DVDs as well.

Since it was designed for ease of use I do not miss the features that Samer pointed out in his article. You cannot use Bitripper to rip a DVD in a format that is supported by a mobile device for instance and can only save them in avi or mpg format. The one thing that I think is missing is subtitle support. There is no option to select subtitles that you would like to take over which is essential if you are ripping an Asian DVD with English subtitles, Vampire Hunter D anyone ?