How do you download movies to take with you?

[Deleted member 29185]

I now have my wireless 2TB hard drive and was thinking I might put some movies on there, but how? Is there an option with crowds like Netflix to hire a download without watching it immediately? Or are we expected to buy them?

I own a host of DVDs (genuinely bought) which I'm assuming I can copy somehow, so can anyone suggest a good (preferably free) copy program that will do that?

 

[Conrad_S]

I use DVDFab but it's paid for software not free. Works well and is simple. Lately I've also been downloading YouTube videos and watching in the air. We get YouTube red with our Google music subscription.

 

[anat0l]

A lot depends on how you are sourcing the videos, how you are playing them back and on what platform. Oh, and how comfortable you are with getting your hands dirty (technically, that is, not literally).

Also, not all methods are exactly legal, so discussing them on this board in the open may not be wise... ish. For example, videos from Youtube (or other video sites).

"Copying" DVDs has its own issues, not just legal (not a discussion for here) but the process itself isn't a piece of cake either, even for moderately literate users. I know in Windows (should be the same for Mac), you can easily open up a DVD in File Explorer (on Mac, Finder) (file view) and copy all the folders that are on the DVD, then use a player like VLC (free of charge) to open up the VIDEO_TS folder and your DVD works like a charm (complete with menus and so on). That is one of the easiest, if inelegant, ways to get DVDs onto your portable HDD. It may not work if the DVD has been specially formatted in a non-standard way, e.g. multiple tracks, deliberate errors...

I don't have Netflix or Presto so I don't know how these work or how you can capture them.

 

[irv]

I now have my wireless 2TB hard drive and was thinking I might put some movies on there, but how? Is there an option with crowds like Netflix to hire a download without watching it immediately? Or are we expected to buy them?

I own a host of DVDs (genuinely bought) which I'm assuming I can copy somehow, so can anyone suggest a good (preferably free) copy program that will do that?

Download Handbrake

 

[Renato1]

Just Google "DVD Decrypter" and find a download site. It copies DVD's to a hard drive for easy viewing.

I know of a very long-winded way to get movies off Netflix onto one's hard drive.
Firstly, in your account set Netflix to autoplay at the end of each movie.
Then use the yellow/red/white video and audio-out sockets on your TV, connect wires from them to a DVD/Hard Drive recorder's video/audio-in sockets, like my LG unit.
Start playing Netflix on a movie you want to see, and simultaneously set the recorder to record on the hard drive. Go to bed.
When you get up, stop recording at the end of a movie.
Then go into the recorder, and edit the BIG file into individual movies.
Then, one at a time, record a movie to a DVD-RW disc.
Then use the DVD Decrypter program to get that DVD to your hard drive.
Then take the DVD-RW back to the DVD/Hard Drive recorder, format the disc, copy another movie onto it, and repeat the process.

I'm sure this process could be done more quickly by using video capture software on a computer which captures the video/audio-out signals from your TV set. The video could then be chopped to divide the movies, and saved to hard drive where VLC player (which seems to play everything) could be used to watch the movies. But I'm not set-up to do this process.

Regards,
Renato

 

[dodgeyhack]

Grab torrents from your favourite pirate source. Much easier than ripping them yourself. It's ridiculous how hard they make it to watch content you've paid for.

 

[Renato1]

Grab torrents from your favourite pirate source. Much easier than ripping them yourself. It's ridiculous how hard they make it to watch content you've paid for.

I now know several people who have received letters from US companies demanding $5000 for the torrent download of some movie or other.
Regards,
Renato

 

[TheRealTMA]

Grab torrents from your favourite pirate source. Much easier than ripping them yourself. It's ridiculous how hard they make it to watch content you've paid for.

There are plenty of programs for a PC to rip DVDs to video (MP4 or AVI). It's worth paying a few dollars to get one that's efficient. Or, as suggested, use a torrent site to download the video file. (With proxy or VPN if you are concerned.) Then it's a small matter to copy the video file to your laptop or iPad (iTunes).

If you take a laptop or tablet with you, grab an HDMI cable to connect your device to hotel TV (most have them ability now) so you can watch what you want rather than booring repetitive CNN or BBC. There are many streaming apps such as iView etc these days that work well when OS (although you will need a VPN to avoid geoblocking).

 

[TheRealTMA]

I now know several people who have received letters from US companies demanding $5000 for the torrent download of some movie or other.
Regards,
Renato

Ignore. It's an illegal demand and a scam.

 

[Daver6]

I now know several people who have received letters from US companies demanding $5000 for the torrent download of some movie or other.
Regards,
Renato

So they just pay because they received some random letter? If so, I'd love to know their address to send them letter to pay me too

 

[TheRealTMA]

So they just pay because they received some random letter? If so, I'd love to know their address to send them letter to pay me too

I've just sent you a letter demanding five bottles of Pinot, three Chardonnay and three vintage port. Failure to comply will be greeted with annoyance!

 

[dodgeyhack]

I now know several people who have received letters from US companies demanding $5000 for the torrent download of some movie or other. Regards, Renato

You didn't know them before you read my message? But using a VPN is probably a good idea. And if anyone emails you asking for money, it's probably safe to ignore them.

 

[sausagefingers]

I download torrents from a handful of private torrent sites like passthepopcorn and Broadcasthenet

 

[Daver6]

I've just sent you a letter demanding five bottles of Pinot, three Chardonnay and three vintage port. Failure to comply will be greeted with annoyance!

Well that's it. I better pay up. The cheque, I mean wine is in the mail...

 

[Renato1]

Ignore. It's an illegal demand and a scam.

Australian newspaper articles said it wasn't a scam.

So they just pay because they received some random letter? If so, I'd love to know their address to send them letter to pay me too

They didn't pay, but it scared the hell out of them.

You didn't know them before you read my message? But using a VPN is probably a good idea. And if anyone emails you asking for money, it's probably safe to ignore them.

They didn't get emails - they got formal letters sent to their home addresses, giving dates and details of the downloads. Some of that information could only have been supplied by the ISP.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Thanks for the replies. I've learnt how to copy my movies. Seems to me, there's a big void in the entertinment scene here. surely it would make sense for them to rent out movies that have a "use by" date. I know if I rent a Bigpond movie at home, I have something like a week to watch it before it disappears, so why not a similar deal for downloading to watch in-flight, rather than pushing people to use bit torrent downloads or illegal copies. I certainly do not want to buy every movie I watch and renting suits me, however I have plenty of movies that I have bought legally and they will keep me going for years to come yet!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Australian newspaper articles said it wasn't a scam.


They didn't pay, but it scared the hell out of them.



They didn't get emails - they got formal letters sent to their home addresses, giving dates and details of the downloads. Some of that information could only have been supplied by the ISP.
Regards,
Renato

Sorry it was a scam called "speculative invoicing" that may constitute misleading and deceptive conduct and was ruled against by an Australia Judge.

"But in a win for iiNet and the other Australian ISPs, Justice Perram ordered that any letters sent to alleged illicit pirates must first be seen by him. He said this would "prevent speculative invoicing", which under Australian may not be lawful.

"Whether speculative invoicing is a lawful practice in Australia is not necessarily an easy matter to assess," Justice Perram said, before stating that it may constitute misleading and deceptive conduct as well as unconscionable conduct.

The judge also ordered that the privacy of individuals should be protected, meaning Dallas Buyers Club cannot disclose the identities of alleged pirates.

Justice Perram foreshadowed he would order that Dallas Buyers Club pay the ISPs' legal costs, as well as the costs of searching for documents identifying alleged pirates."

Dallas Buyers Club slays iiNet in landmark piracy case


Plus the OP said he wanted to have copied of purchased DVDs for viewing while travelling. While technically a breach of copyright, it would be a very brave Hollywood that attempted to sue someone for downloading copies of things that had been purchased and were in the possession of the OP because the OP wanted the items in a different format.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Plus the OP said he wanted to have copied of purchased DVDs for viewing while travelling. While technically a breach of copyright, it would be a very brave Hollywood that attempted to sue someone for downloading copies of things that had been purchased and were in the possession of the OP because the OP wanted the items in a different format.

This is about the size of it! I must stress that I do not engage in, nor support, piracy of media. I started my working life (if you ignore my stint as a grocery boy) as a lighting and sound roadie and although I do have some misgivings about artists being paid for ever (as an ex-roadie,those same artists don't pay me forever), I Most certainly believe the degradation in sheer volume of new work (music in Oz especially) is linked to the decline in royalties ... But I digress!

All I wish to do is either have a way of easily converting my (legally) obtained library into a format which is user friendly now, or enable me to watch content I want to ... Legally! It seems ludicrous that I can go to my local cinema ( not upmarket, but comfortable) to watch a latest release for under $10, but to watch an old movie on a plane I'm labeled a thief or a mug (a mug if you think I'm going to pay $20 to buy every movie). Seems to me the industry themselves are advocating piracy, but who am I to say?

 

[TheRealTMA]

This is about the size of it! I must stress that I do not engage in, nor support, piracy of media. I started my working life (if you ignore my stint as a grocery boy) as a lighting and sound roadie and although I do have some misgivings about artists being paid for ever (as an ex-roadie,those same artists don't pay me forever), I Most certainly believe the degradation in sheer volume of new work (music in Oz especially) is linked to the decline in royalties ... But I digress!

All I wish to do is either have a way of easily converting my (legally) obtained library into a format which is user friendly now, or enable me to watch content I want to ... Legally! It seems ludicrous that I can go to my local cinema ( not upmarket, but comfortable) to watch a latest release for under $10, but to watch an old movie on a plane I'm labeled a thief or a mug (a mug if you think I'm going to pay $20 to buy every movie). Seems to me the industry themselves are advocating piracy, but who am I to say?

The problem is that Hollywood is stupidly greedy. If they made it more easy they would actually make more money but the current set of execs can't get their heads around 21C delivery methods.

As for the music industry, the record companies always ripped off the artists. We haven't quiet got there yet, but the indications suggest we are actually moving to a better distribution of monies and the record company middle Third Arc people are in the decline. More money to the artist is the goal. Viny, while a mediocre TV series, seemed pretty true.