Five Best DVD-Ripping Tools

You pay good money for your DVDs, but they're hardly the only format you need these days. These five ripping tools ensure you can back them up, keep them on your media server, and load them on your favorite portable player.
Photo by jonasj.
Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite DVD-ripping tool. We tallied up the votes, and now we're back to highlight the five most popular tools used by Lifehacker readers to rip, backup, and encode their DVD collections.

DVD Shrink is a free and capable ripping tool that excels at, as the name would imply, shrinking DVDs. DVDs come in two common formats: DVD-5 (4.7GB) and DVD-9 (8.5GB); the Reauthor mode in DVD Shrink helps you to ditch disc extras and strip most larger DVDs down to fit into a standard (and less expensive) DVD-5 disc. DVD Shrink does a good job handling many protection schemes, but hasn't been updated to remove some of the newest schemes.

DVD Fab is a commercial DVD ripper that supports the removal of all current DVD copy protections. In addition to being current on protection schemes, it boasts a large array of options for stripping and repacking your DVDs once the copy protection is removed. You can rip the entire disc, rip only the main movie, or split it into pieces—among other options. Like DVD Shrink, DVD Fab also supports compressing DVD-9 discs to fit on DVD-5 discs.

Handbrake is a DVD-ripping tool with a strong emphasis on not just ripping media but recoding it for playback on computers, portable devices, and other non-disc based systems. Handbrake can help you convert DVDs and other MPEG-based video into MP4 and MKV files. You can tweak settings like video frame rate and audio codec playback to your heart's content with Handbrake, and even batch encode all your media at one time to make filling up your iPod or other device relatively painless. The one major shortcoming of Handbrake is that it doesn't have any copy protection removal tools built in, which means you may occasionally need to use a 3rd-party stripping tool to prepare your DVD for conversion

AnyDVD is another commercial entry in this week's Hive Five. It's not cheap, with a one year license running $60—although the multi-year discounts quickly stack up—but it can boast that it stays on top of current protection and encryption schemes to make sure you're never locked out of your own discs. In addition to stripping protections from the disc, it also has the ability to control DVD playback speed so that DVDs played on media center computers will play slower and quieter, and it allows you to remove things like forced subtitles, warning screens, and disc material you don't want.

Although DVD Decrypter hasn't been updated since 2005, it still works on a significant number of DVDs and has a strong following resulting from both its original user base and new users who find it cuts through the copy protection on their current DVDs protected with CSS, Macrovision content protection, region codes, and other hindrances.

LIFEHACKER

USB 3.0 Finally Arrives

BY Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

When you're in front of your PC, waiting for something to transfer to removable media, that's when seconds feel like minutes, and minutes feel like hours. And data storage scenarios such as that one is where the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0's greatest impact will be felt first. As of CES, 17 SuperSpeed USB 3.0-certified products were introduced, including host controllers, adapter cards, motherboards, and hard drives (but no other consumer electronics devices). Still more uncertified USB 3.0 products are on the way, and they can't get here fast enough.

Compatibility Guarantee
And this time around, the way the USB spec is written, says Jeff Ravencraft, consumers should have an easier time finding products that are truly USB 3.0. Before, in the transition from USB 1.1 to USB 2.0, the USB 2.0 spec was written in a way where it "encompassed low, full and high-speed USB," explains Ravencraft, president and chairman of the USB Implementers Forum. "Since those are all encapsulated in the USB 2.0 spec, [vendors] could have a certified product that's low-speed, but still call it USB 2.0.
"We don't have that issue with USB 3.0 To claim you're USB 3.0, you have to deliver 5Gbps. There's no other way to get the certification."
Ravencraft adds that the group is prepared to protect the USB 3.0 logo, to make sure that only manufacturers who go through certification use it. "We'll take legal action if anyone infringes on our marks."
By end of year, Ravencraft says the loggerjam of products awaiting certification should be past, and the organization's network of worldwide test labs will be handling USB 3.0 certification.
According to In-Stat Research, by 2013, more than one-quarter of USB 3.0 products will support SuperSpeed USB 3.0.
Ravencraft says this is the fastest ramp up of USB products he's seen in the past ten years, across the previous versions of USB.
I say the change can't come fast enough. The trick, though, will be getting the interface into our notebooks (without requiring a kludgy ExpressCard adapter). So far, though, only HP and Fujitsu have announced limited USB 3.0 support on notebooks. And Taiwanese notebook and desktop maker MSI indicated that it wouldn't have USB 3.0 until, at the earliest, the third-quarter of this year; product managers for both notebooks and desktops cited manufacturing concerns like chipset availability in large quantities, and the need to test USB 3.0 chipsets.
And in the meantime, the only announced peripherals remain storage devices. At next year's CES, it's likely we'll hear more about specific consumer electronics devices such as digital cameras and camcorders and video cameras moving to USB 3.0. Hopefully by then we'll start getting a critical mass of PC hardware with USB 3.0 integrated, too.
PCWORLD

Samsung to showcase its Android-powered device 'Behold II'

LAS VEGAS, USA Samsung showcased its Android-powered device 'Behold II' at CES 2010.

AVING

Motorola to showcase its social skills smartphone 'CLIQ'

LAS VEGAS, USA (AVING Special Report on 'CES 2010') -- Motorola introduced its social skills 'CLIQ' at CES. It has a full HTML browser, 3G/HSDPA and Wi-Fi and features syncs contacts, messages, feeds and updates from today´s most popular social sites.

AVING

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics

The Vision EfficientDynamics is a concept vehicle for future by BMW which is a low carbon hybrid supercar aiming to achieve the premium end of the auto market with its fuel-efficient design. A three-cylinder turbodiesel engine is empowering this vehicle supported by a couple of electric motors. This car can go 0-100 kilometers per hour in just 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 250 kmph and consumes 3.76 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers. It features an electric mode for day to day use that can be charged through plug-in module. The vehicle stores the power it lithium polymer cells, allowing it to drive for roughly 50km on a single charge, which can be extended through its regenerative breaking system.

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The Honda Native concept powered by heavy-duty lithium-ion battery

The Honda Native concept comprises an electric engine which is powered by heavy-duty lithium-ion battery and can house 3 persons including the driver. This ultra compact car with great aerodynamic features has been designed for the massively congested future traffic where speed will be ignored over low space riding efficiency. Its down to the ground design will allow the car to offer smooth riding experience to the riders. The exterior parts of the vehicle are made of photocromic materials that make it possible for the car to change its color according to the light, temperature and other surrounding environmental factors.
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Solar Charger for your iPhone

The iPetals is a solar charger concept that has been specially designed for charging an iPhone through solar power. This innovative design resembles a lot with a sun flower and was inspired by the great Sunny Flower design from Fandi Mang. iPetals has been envisioned as a bunch of petals that can be folded and unfolded with different color lightness which can be used as an iPhone stand too when all the petals are folded. Aside from the petals, the only peripheral it has is a connecting cable with iPhone charging port, allowing maximum convenience for the users. This gadget is ideal when traveling.
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grace e motorbike the worlds first street legal motorbike

A German based company named GRACE has created the world’s first e-motorbike which may however seem a futuristic version of a usual bike, but in fact, this e-motorbike can be run on today’s street. GRACE has handmade this bike using parts from formula one and euro-fighter planes which will be launched for test purpose shortly. The handlebar contains all the controls of the bike such as light, alarm system, battery management and other necessary stuffs which have made it easier to ride than any other conventional bikes. The indestructible frame gives the e-motorbike enough durability to sustain in rough surface and bad weather condition.

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redesign lamborghini countach ev as tribute to marcello gandini

The design of the Lamborghini Countach EV, a 3D concept electric car, has been inspired by the fascinating Countach by Marcello Gandini which is an unforgettable piece for every Lamborghini fans. This redesigned car features more clean curves without changing the standard appearance such as doors, wings, front lights, etc. The sleek and cutting-edge design of the car has been polished with unique headlights and great color combination of the body and the glasses. Aside from the outstanding design aesthetics, another major important point of this concept car is the conscience of electric cars in the future world where fuels will be on of the rarest things to get.

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Peugeot BB1 Combines A Scooter and A Car as Future Transportation

The Peugeot BB1 concept is actually an excellent combination of a traditional Peugeot scooter along with a Peugeot car. The key objective of this project is to offer a car that is ideal for city living and driving on busy traffic. Even with this compact shape, this car can make room for 4 passengers including the driver as a result of efficient interior design. The roof structure can easily puzzle a viewer to be a solar panel or something like that. The innovative horn shaped steering wheel has clearly taken this car apart from other traditional wheel-shaped steering mechanism cars.
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Breath-2038 Metropolitan Communication Solution

Breath, being a futuristic car, has been designed to provide complete metropolitan commuting solution for the year 2038 by playing three vital parts of the future city and human life, GPS controlled fast hauling for delivery purpose, public and personal transportation. The T-shaped structure of the design contains 4 wheels that can change the width and length in varied circumstances to provide handy operation. The shell of the concept has been envisioned of a gel filled elastic material that can transform the car into a lower and longer speed-car or a compact public transportation, whichever is required depending on a particular situation.
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Riding Aerok Bicycle? Or Swimming on It?

The innovative Aerok Bicycle concept is inspired by the formula 1 and introduces an extraordinary style of riding the bike by laying down in a swimming position on the chest and cycling the legs to speed up. When it comes about turning, the rider will have to move his arms front and back which will give them better controlling. The aerodynamic outer body of the bike is called the shell, made of sturdy carbon fiber, which not only enhances the visor of the bike, but also helps it to run faster by letting the airflow go smoothly. More importantly, this shell offers complete safety for the rider in case of any accidents.

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