RipIt is the least configurable of the lot but it rips just about everything you throw at it. Insert a disc and it rips everything on it to a .dvdmovie file. Right-click on that file and you find a Video_TS folder within. Again, you can play that with DVD Player or convert it with HandBrake or Toast Titanium. You can read more about RipIt in Dan Frakes .

Q. I've downloaded the latest version of HandBrake and it won't rip commercial DVDs.

A. In order for the current version of HandBrake to extract movies from commercial DVDs (those that are copy protected) you need to install the free (VideoLan Client). VLC installs the components that work around DVDs copy protection technology. If HandBrake sees that these components are present on your Mac, it will be able to get past the disc's copy protection.

Q. When I rip my DVD and burn a back-up copy to another DVD, will the region coding remain?

A. Let's start by defining what region codes are. Commercial DVDs are protected not only against duplication, but they have region codes embedded on them--codes that many DVD players look for that indicate in which countries the DVD can be played. The U.S. and Canada make up Region 1. Your Mac allows you to change regions up to five times--so play a Region 1 DVD, then Region 2, back to Region 1, over to Region 3, and back a last time to Region 1. On the fifth region change, the Mac's media hardware locks to that last region.