DVD Won't Import Into iMovie HD

Maybe try ripping the DVD with Handbrake or something similar and then importing the end product.

crees! said:

I thought of Handbrake but used MacTheRipper instead but seeing that it was around 1:30AM it didn't hit me that MTR was the wrong application for the job. I'll try Handbrake this evening and report back.

Thanks MD!

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Yeah, you can't import a DVD directly into iMovie - the video has to be in a format the Quicktime can play (one reason why video cameras that record directly to DVD are such a hassle at the end when you want to edit your film).

Your best bet would be to rip the DVD using Handbrake to a .mp4 file (MPEG-4 encoding) at 100% quality. Then import into iMovie and go for your life. The initial Handbrake rip will be huge but the quality will be the same as the DVD - MPEG-4 at ~8mbps. I haven't tried a 100% quality rip to .mp4 with H.264 encoding but if you've got a decent machine you could give it a try. MPEG-4 works for me though.

imovie hd won't let me import mpeg 4 files

i tried using handbreak to convert a dvd into mpeg 4, that worked but when i went to impert it into imovie hd i get this error message,"The file could not be imported: The file “Macintosh HD/Users/chief/Desktop/A080904_00.mp4” can’t be imported; QuickTime couldn’t parse it: -2048. anyone know what i should do?