After much research I decided on Cisdem Video Converter for the software for ripping my DVD and Bluray collections. (about 300 total) I have 2 Macs (iMac running El Capitan and MBP running High Sierra) I chose this software over the free Handbrake and other software for sale because of the simplicity and ease of use. I was not disappointed. So far I have ripped 40 DVD's with 4 clicks of the pad and the results are perfect. (a click to start the program a click to drag the DVD to the program's screen, a click to choose the output file type and a click to start ripping!! - (if you want to edit and perform special effects those are intuitive and user friendly with the simple layout and obviously require a few more clicks)
There were 2 issues that cropped up and here is where this company showed me I had made the correct choice (for me)
The first issue was there were a couple of my DVD's that would not rip. They were not damaged - they simply would not rip and an error message was generated. (That I sent to Apple) I emailed the company and less than 16 hours later I had a response indicating the issue had been investigated, they had found the cause and were working on an update to correct the problem. Statistically this represented 5% of my library that I was having an issue with. I was amazed at this response. The second issue was a mistake I HAD MADE when purchasing the license(s) I was under the impression that a separate license was required for each of my Mac's. Upon further investigation the license is good for 5 Mac's in my home. After inquiring about this issue I had a refund on the way in less than 24 hours. These people remember what customer SERVICE really means.
Lastly I have had good success with handbrake and VLC ripping home movies - but it was a total PITA. And this was several years ago prior to my OS updates. Handbrake does not seem to play nicely with El Capitan or High Sierra (at least for me)
I am using iTunes as my platform to stream my rips and the movies I have downloaded from Apple to my 5 Apple TV's around the house. It is working perfectly. My issue now is going to be what to do when storage becomes an issue. And of course it will. My Macs have only 1/2 TB SSD's each. (1 TB total) I use iTunes to stream my music and videos & AirPort Extreme as my router and my home is wired completely with CAT 6 cable with 2 (8 port) Netgear gigabit switches so all ethernet capable devices are hard wired . I am unsure of how to proceed with respect to a NAS. But as for my software choice for ripping my DVD/Bluray library I hit a home run. Hope this helps others out there who are not experts with this either.
There were 2 issues that cropped up and here is where this company showed me I had made the correct choice (for me)
The first issue was there were a couple of my DVD's that would not rip. They were not damaged - they simply would not rip and an error message was generated. (That I sent to Apple) I emailed the company and less than 16 hours later I had a response indicating the issue had been investigated, they had found the cause and were working on an update to correct the problem. Statistically this represented 5% of my library that I was having an issue with. I was amazed at this response. The second issue was a mistake I HAD MADE when purchasing the license(s) I was under the impression that a separate license was required for each of my Mac's. Upon further investigation the license is good for 5 Mac's in my home. After inquiring about this issue I had a refund on the way in less than 24 hours. These people remember what customer SERVICE really means.
Lastly I have had good success with handbrake and VLC ripping home movies - but it was a total PITA. And this was several years ago prior to my OS updates. Handbrake does not seem to play nicely with El Capitan or High Sierra (at least for me)
I am using iTunes as my platform to stream my rips and the movies I have downloaded from Apple to my 5 Apple TV's around the house. It is working perfectly. My issue now is going to be what to do when storage becomes an issue. And of course it will. My Macs have only 1/2 TB SSD's each. (1 TB total) I use iTunes to stream my music and videos & AirPort Extreme as my router and my home is wired completely with CAT 6 cable with 2 (8 port) Netgear gigabit switches so all ethernet capable devices are hard wired . I am unsure of how to proceed with respect to a NAS. But as for my software choice for ripping my DVD/Bluray library I hit a home run. Hope this helps others out there who are not experts with this either.
