I don't understand why iTunes doesn't have a way to rip movies... much like you rip mp3s from your cd collection. It would make sense to me.

Am I the only one that thinks that digital copywrite is needlessly complex and often makes things that should be legitimate fair use illegal? To me it seems perfectly fine to be able to rip your own DVDs that you purchased for viewing on an iPod or similar device.

Interesting note: if they did decide to release Buffy episodes at $2 per download on iTunes, a full season of 22 episodes would come to $44.00. In the end you would be paying roughly the same price for the DVD season set for very low-res digital downloads of the episodes. I don't think that $2 is an unreasonable price... maybe we're just incredibly lucky with how inexpensive our season sets are! (And even more so with the new complete collection)

[ edited by AnotherFireflyfan on 2006-01-13 15:23 ]

AnotherFireflyfan | January 13, 17:19 CET

My question is: "Why the hell do I want to try to watch video of any kind on a bitty little iPod screen?"
Just wonderin'.
: )

[ edited by AmazonGirl on 2006-01-13 15:34 ]

AmazonGirl | January 13, 17:32 CET

Their math is wrong too. 20 episodes at 300MB each would be 6000MB, or 6 GB. The 60B ipod could hold 200 episodes of a tv show.

I currently have every episode of Firefly, the second season of Veronica Mars, the second season of Battlestar Galactica, Serenity, the Matrix, and all the Star Wars movies on my iPod, plus about 200 CDs, and all my digital pictures from the last 4 years, and I've only used about half the space available.

I love being able to show people Firefly and Serenity anytime I want!

Kelric | January 13, 17:37 CET

AmazonGirl - I would assume it would be when you don't have a bigger screen handy, while traveling, or something like that.

Cause lord knows we can't spend a minute away from a tv screen. ;-)

AnotherFireflyfan | January 13, 17:38 CET

AmazonGirl,
I thought the same thing too until I actually saw something playing on an iPod. The screen looks amazing. It's much more watchable than I ever though. I use it mostly when I'm in the car/bus (and others are driving), in waiting rooms, at the gym, etc.

Kelric | January 13, 17:40 CET

Bigger TVs, smaller TVs, TVs everywhere...always on...
Blipverts!!
Is it me? Or is there something vaguely disturbing about that?
The somnambulant public always watching addicted to the puppet theatre.
Me? If I'm somewhere waiting, I read a book. Or knit. Or read and knit.
I'll have to admit, sometimes on the treadmill I try to find a movie on the TV set, but fer cryin' out loud, not all the time.
It's like little kids I see out with their parents. Kids got their nose buried in a vid game or something, rather than interacting with their surroundings.

AmazonGirl | January 13, 17:57 CET

It does seem perfectly legitimate to rip DVDs you purchased (with Handbrake, Mac the Ripper or some such ripping software). That's fair use. You bought it, you should be able to view it on any of your devices. Ripping things you rented from Netflix, not so much.

chickenbird | January 13, 18:56 CET

I would like to say- that at first I felt the same about how awful it is to be watching TV all the time, and how we should just read a book when your waiting somewhere. But then I went... well, there was a time when books were the only entertainment we had- and then they were looked down upon as a waste of time, and trash- about the same way some people view TV. Books only became legitimate when we got other forms of entertainment.

(Edited to capitalize letters)

[ edited by SoddingNancyTribe on 2006-01-13 19:40 ]

Drusillaloveskyo | January 13, 20:15 CET

kate - true, there does tend to be an inappropriately condescending attitude towards newer media. As we Whedon fans should know, television can be as intelligent as any medium.

However, it is a good idea to diversify your entertainment intake, and expose yourself to different things.

AnotherFireflyfan | January 13, 20:46 CET

I can't figure out for the life of me how to get videos on my iPod either....which is a shame, cause I bought it for that reason.

Anyone wanna help a girl out?

Rogue | January 13, 21:00 CET

It's not that I railing against TV. And I love new media and technology. I just feel like there's something unhealthy about needing to be...entertained...all the time.
When you can't go anywhere or do anything without being attached to a media nipple--a flickering screen or someone talking/singing/whatever in your ears--there's something wrong.
iPods are cute.
But it seems that we're being "entertained" to sleep.
Just my humble opine.

AmazonGirl | January 13, 21:39 CET

I have a program (paid about $20 for it in sharewareland) which rips and PSP-izes my dvds in about 30 min. It's really cool!

Mort | January 13, 22:26 CET

My brother uses a program call Fair Use Wizard (I think) to rip his dvd's onto his Archos.

Which is another argument, being the Archos is a much better product than the ipod IMHO. No need for itunes or any other program, just plug it in via usb and it becomes an external hard drive you can just drop your movies, music, files, etc. onto. I've got one and it's uses are endless, and it's easy to use. All the Firefly eps are loaded and ready for viewing, along with a few hundred cd's. Not to mention the screen is about twice the size.

danregal | January 13, 22:43 CET

Mort - is your name a ref to Pratchett? I may have asked you this before (possible senior moment). Did I also see a reference by you to a film of Good Omens (as in Gaiman/Pratchett) in another thread. If so: Yes, Yes, Yes!

redfern | January 13, 23:08 CET

For converting any type of video file to .mp4 for the iPod, try Videora iPod Converter. It's free to use, and works like a dream for me. To decode DVD video you need DVD Decrypter. Here's how you put a DVD on the iPod.

Anusien | January 14, 03:34 CET

If you're on a Mac, I'd highly recommend Handbrake. I've ripped the entirety of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Season 1 of Veronica Mars using it. :) All up it's a bit over 40GB.

There's quite a good guide here as well, for both Windows and Mac users, for getting video onto the iPod.

VirtualWolf | January 14, 05:39 CET

I can't really see myself watching a whole movie, or even TV episode on my iPod barring a long trip where I wouldn't be able to use a bigger screen. What I've done (which I'm sure you're all dying to know) is ripped specific scenes and sometimes just one-liners from movies, Angel, Firefly, etc. It's nice to have certain scenes handy, and works better for portable entertainment than 22, 44 or 90 minute videos.

Plus you know, it's quicker to rip. Which, I'm gonna echo two people above, I'd also recommend HandBrake for if you have a Mac. Since I've been editing and grabbing just parts and not the whole disc, I've also been using QuickTime Pro to crop and export the video for the iPod (since it has a setting just for that, which works great).

Of course, if you aren't on a Mac or don't want to buy QT Pro, my advice won't do one much good.

Mike_S | January 14, 07:15 CET

I'm not completely eager about the video iPods. I have an iPod from the generation just before the videos, and I see no incentive to ditch my slightly older model for one of them. Of course had I known I would have waited maybe a month since I was going to be paying the same price anyway, but I certainly wouldn't buy it for the video feature.

Of course having a video screen is cool and could prove useful, but I don't see the need to pay to buy tiny versions of programmes I already own. That's why I think it would make more sense for you to be able to conveniently copy DVDs you already own to your iPod. I know with music albums you are allowed to copy them for your own private use, on a CD or to an mp3 player, so why shouldn't the same apply to films on an iPod?

I think that would actually act as more as an incentive instead of people knowing they are going to have to pay even more to watch TV programs or films on a very small screen. The whole UMD thing is completely alien to me- they are almost the same price as a full DVD when you can only watch them on a PSP screen which has nowhere near the same level of detail or cinematic sound or anything.

Do you have to pay for music videos for iPods? I certainly don't think you should. The whole idea of them is to promote the music, so I think having free music videos on your iPod would probably increase the chances of you buying the artist's albums.

I do think it would be neat to have an iPod video if you could transfer DVDs to them easily, but at the moment I don't want one. I can't imagine I would use it that often, or be travelling enough to justify watching films on it.

Razor | January 14, 19:16 CET