The Good
* Straightforward and easy to use.
* Can by-pass DRM protection.
* Supports DVD -> "general" MP4 (can customize output settings) or iPod
* Has option to use high quality H.264 codec.
* You can pick and choose which part of the DVD to "record".
* "Fast forwards" past the commercials at the beginning of DVDs.
* Has option to automatically shutdown computer after ripping of DVD is done.

The Bad
* Messes up output video resolution/aspect ratio when using H.264 if "aspect ratio" is left to "original".
* Tries to change IE's homepage.
* Needs a third party program to assist it in ripping region locked DVDs.
* Developer (continues) to place ads in the program which lead to developer's website when clicked upon.
* Limitation to 1024 kbps (max) video bitrate makes output quality a little lacking (when creating a "general" MP4 of course).

Free Alternatives
WinX DVD Ripper Platinum

For final verdict, recommendations, and full review please click here.

Ashraf  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+92)

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I will NOT install any products from Extra Software, Inc until they stop with the silly changing my homepage to their website coded into all their software.

Mike  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+37)

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You can do much better than Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper, & I suggest you do so. The program itself is small, at between 15 - 16 MB in 25 files, 1 folder [inside the program's folder], & the only thing headed for the Windows folders is an old version (2004) of the Xvid codec. [I'm baffled why developers will release a new app (8/6/09) & not bother to download & include the latest Xvid version] It uses the free [& std for this sort of app] ffmpeg for decoding/encoding your DVD video. Rather than convert the existing digital video files, it records the video playback to get around any DRM, except for Region Codes as Ashraf points out. [Region codes are only a problem if you use DVDs imported from another country with a different code]

Using Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper you select your output folder & format, import the DVD, & then optionally trim the length by entering the start & stop times in a couple of boxes. Once you click OK encoding starts. However some critical controls are missing: the Aspect Ratio (again as Ashraf pointed out), Variable Bit Rates, & Frame Rate (fps). You can probably make some adjustments by manually editing the .XML files that list all the presets, but I didn't see any reason to try.

Now Aspect Ratios [keeping height & width proportional] can be a pain to wrap your head around, but once you do all it takes is grade school math, so there's no excuse for this *Ripper* getting it wrong in testing. DVDs only have 4 possible frame sizes [Full Screen & Wide Screen in NTSC & PAL] & that info is embedded in the video files. You don't really need to be able to set Aspect Ratio manually, but it is your only option when the developers get it wrong (like they do here). To me this *problem* renders the app useless.

You can usually skip setting the frame rate, unless you're converting video to/for a hand-held player; since that's the sole purpose of Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper [it's a feature limited version of their full app], not being able to set fps is a major flaw. Many hand-helds need a lower fps, plus it makes for smaller video files [why web video including .flv is so often set at 12 - 14 fps].

Variable Bit Rate [VBR] is very important, especially with MP4; it's something Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper definitely should not be missing. When you encode video to a digital file, you set the band width or bit rate... what you're really doing is setting the level or amount of video compression. More compression = smaller files, but it also means lower quality, so your goal is always to strike some sort of balance. VBR has helped to do that since the MPG2 video on DVDs was invented over a decade ago -- VBR uses more compression during simple scenes with little movement, & less when there's a lot, like during action sequences.

Alternatives:
Get & use DVDFab to put the DVD on your hard drive -- that part is free, & while it can do conversion, those features are share-ware. Once the DVD is ripped like this, you can use any one of dozens of methods &/or apps to do the conversion. Some prefer to pay for AnyDVD so they can work with the disc directly. On a DVD the audio & video are hidden inside .VOB files -- some apps will work with those directly, but the audio & video are very easily extracted if not using free software.

For a family member's Zune, I use the free DVD Shrink to copy the VOB files from one folder to another, in the process combining several 1 GB VOBs into a single, big one. Then I import that into AsVideoConv.exe [http://bluesky23.hp.infoseek.co.jp], which uses my ATI graphics card to help encode to wmv... it usually takes 4 - 5 minutes!

mike  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+31)

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#4: "i use Handbrake for DVD-mp4 conversion, but it uses full CPU capacity, and takes about 2 hours per film, so this program would be much better."

Handbrake works, & though it's an oldie but goody, there's better. That said, you seem to think max CPU usage is a bad thing... With video encoding &/or conversion (&/or 3D renders), you've got it pretty much backwards -- you want to use every resource a PC has so you get it done. For those sorts of apps low resource use is taken as a sign of poor programming & low efficiency. Yes, that can make multi-tasking a drag, & the simple solution is don't -- that's why so many of these programs can shut your PC down when they're done, so people can start the process & then go to bed.

Also, I don't want to say that the process is delicate -- maybe very tightly timed would be a better choice -- so that running something else at the same time you're encoding, even certain Windows' services, can crash the process or even the PC, though usually only on single core systems using high efficiency encoders.

As far as time to encode/convert, some code is faster & some slower, so your choice of app does make a difference. Quality also makes a difference, particularly when you re-size the video frame -- better quality usually takes more time. Other apps &/or services running at the same time can cost you [try shutting down A/V software], & the time to read & write to your hard drives is critical -- you can speed things up with the source on one drive & the destination on another, or by going to a RAID setup. Raw horsepower -- the CPU & motherboard -- has an effect, but not always as much as you'd think... I've done a fair amount of encoding over the years, & with everything else remaining the same, I can point to 3 or 4 serious CPU/Motherboard upgrades that at most shaved 5 minutes or so off the time to encode 2 hours worth of video.

mike  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+15)

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#8. The WinX DVD Ripper Platinum (v5.1.1)priced at $17.95 (down from $24.95) is made available free for download till 25th October. Once downloaded you can " you can install, uninstall, and reinstall it whenever you want - just keep the installer safe." as mentioned on the website: http://dottech.org/freebies/9771.

Uday Rege  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+9)

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