# Can I burn an mp3 from my DVD? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143 "2010-06-06T05:32:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/1 "2010-06-06T05:32:13Z")
I bought a DVD and I want to listen to a few parts in the car… is there a way to do this easily by burning to mp3 or CD? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/2 "2010-06-06T06:25:04Z")
If the DVD is subject to the copyright and/or DMCA, you cannot legally do it (assuming you do not own the copyright). Play it on a normal player. If you see the FBI warning and/or it contains a copyright notice you are SOL. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/3 "2010-06-06T06:26:24Z")
Google “DVD audio ripper” ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/4 "2010-06-06T06:38:59Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > If the DVD is subject to the copyright and/or DMCA, you cannot legally do it (assuming you do not own the copyright). Play it on a normal player. If you see the FBI warning and/or it contains a copyright notice you are SOL. Is it any more illegal than ripping a CD, or recording a TV show on your TIVO or VCR? Those things my be technically illegal, but it is my understanding (IANAL) that courts have generally held that if you are not going to distribute the copies, but only use them so that you yourself can experience them in a more convenient time or place, that is acceptable. Certainly many millions of people do these things. I don’t see why the fact that the legally obtained copy comes on a DVD rather than a CD should make any difference. The lawsuits we hear about seem always to be about people _distributing or sharing_ illegal copies, not just making and listening to them themselves. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/5 "2010-06-06T06:50:55Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > If the DVD is subject to the copyright and/or DMCA, you cannot legally do it (assuming you do not own the copyright). Play it on a normal player. If you see the FBI warning and/or it contains a copyright notice you are SOL. There is no FBI warning or copyright notice on the DVD. It just loads right into the menu to play the movie. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/6 "2010-06-06T06:52:12Z")
> [@gladtobeblazed](#): > > Google “DVD audio ripper” Doing so now (why didn’t I think of that? :smack:) ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/7 "2010-06-06T06:54:43Z")
FWIW (probably not much) the DVD is Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, which was offered 100% free online when it came out. I bought the DVD for the extra features (which are awesome!) Anyway there are a handful of songs both in the movie and in the commentary that I’d dig listening to in the car. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/8 "2010-06-06T07:20:33Z")
If you need a freeware based solution this can also be done with DVDDecrypter and MeGui. You would need to rip the DVD to your hard drive, then select the VOB files in MeGui and convert to MP3. A little more work involved than with some standalone programs, but it won’t cost you anything. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/9 "2010-06-06T11:49:31Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Doing so now (why didn’t I think of that? :smack:) Your search terms may have been confuzzled. “Burn” a CD/DVD = create a new CD/DVD “Rip” a CD/DVD = extract audio/video from a CD/DVD ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/10 "2010-06-06T12:44:44Z")
If you don’t care about quality and you just want to listen to it, you may want to check out [Audacity](http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). This won’t give you a digital copy, it’ll give you an analog copy but it’s certainly good enough if you just want to listen while you drive. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-burn-an-mp3-from-my-dvd/542143/11 "2010-06-07T18:55:10Z")
Yes, as Markxxx mentioned, get Audacity. It’s a little tricky to figure out, but basically you want to configure it to record whatever is playing through your computer’s speakers. Then play the DVD in your computer and press Record in Audacity. Wait xx minutes and press Stop in Audacity, save to a MP3 file. Test this on a ~1 minute clip before you do the whole thing.