DVDs get scratched, broken and ruined in many ways. Unfortunately, this is a simple fact of life. Luckily, there are a number of programs that exist to help rip and back up DVDs. One of these programs, and the focus of this review, is Mac DVD Ripper Pro (MDRP).
This app exists not as a jack-of-all-trades application but rather as a master of (just about) one. MDRP decrypts and rips DVDs to your hard-drive. These rips can then be stored, played, burnt to a back-up DVD or even exported as a .mp4 file to play on a variety of mobile devices. Read on to learn exactly how it all goes down.
How it Works
MDRP exists to rip DVDs for the purpose of creating back-ups on your hard-drive and to create copies playable on mobile devices and via iTunes. Basic ripping is a very simple process. You simply insert the disc, launch the program, choose a destination folder and let it rip. You are also able to select an option to rip all the disc content, including menus and special features, or you can choose to rip just the main feature. MDRP decrypts as it rips, so all DVDs may be used.
Basic Ripping Abilities
If your goal is to create a burnable image, this is also a simple process. If you’d like, you can select the “full disk image” at the main screen to create a file playable in DVDPlayer that is also burnable. If you want to burn immediately following the rip, simply select “full disk image and burn a copy” and the program walks you through all of the steps necessary.
Rip and Burn a Copy
At the beginning of the process you can also choose the “rip and convert” mode. This mode allows you to rip the DVD, and then MDRP automatically converts the file. The file is converted to a .mp4 format which is for playback in programs like iTunes and on devices like the iPhone or iPad. To speed up the process, older iOS devices are not automatically supported. If you want to optimize the file for an older device you just have to check the box in the preferences menu.
The Preferences Menu
Playback is a simple process if you have chose the rip and convert option. If you chose the option to just do a general rip or to rip a full disk image, playback is not always so simple. Those files are playable through DVDPlayer which can read .dvdmedia files. If the file is an .iso file it must be mounted for playback with DVDPlayer.
Limitations
What MDRP does, it does really well. It does, however, have a few mildly frustrating limitations. The first is that the program does not support Bluray discs. While this isn’t a common feature for many programs, it’s still frustrating given my mix of Blurays and traditional DVDs.
Another limitation is that, while the program can rip just the “main feature” from a disc, it cannot rip individual episodes. When ripping a DVD of a television show, I would really like to be able to rip the episodes into individual files.
Finally, the application can take an excessively long time if the DVD you’re ripping isn’t a popular DVD. MDRP has a database of popular DVDs that speeds up the ripping process, but if your DVD isn’t in that database the rip can take a few hours rather than half an hour or so.
Final Thoughts
Mac DVD Ripper Pro does a great job of what it is intended to do. It is able to easily rip any DVD and provide you with a file to play on your computer, burn to a DVD or even to convert and play on any iTunes device. It is a master of this trade, with only a few minor limitations.
At twenty dollars for a license it is a fairly comparable price given the other software out there. There is also a free trial with five free rips, so give it a try today. As always, share your thoughts below. Have you tried MDRP or do you have another app that you prefer?