# Can I rip a DVD's sound files? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2004, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460 "2004-02-04T08:47:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MusicJunkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@MusicJunkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MusicJunkie)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/1 "2004-02-04T08:47:48Z")
I have lots of opera DVDs that I buy very cheap (but legally, it’s a magazine collection). I love listening to music while driving but opera CDs are absurdly expensive around here. So it ocurred to me that I could copy some arias from the DVDs and have my own private series of XXX’s Highlights. Except I couldn’t. I am almost a digital illiterate and am at a complete loss. First I tried on my own. I opened “My Computer” and my D: drive. There were two pastes inside, Audio and Image and inside both of them nothing. There is information there but the computer keeps telling me they’re, and indeed the whole DVD, empty. I tried searching the board but came up with nothing. Can you guys help me? Do I need a special program? Is it possible to do it? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/2 "2004-02-04T08:52:42Z")
Unfortunately, ripping any data from a DVD is a violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, as it requires circumventing the CSS copy protection. Circumventing copy protection is illegal, thus you can’t legally extract any data from a copy protected DVD. ---
**Author:** ![MusicJunkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@MusicJunkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MusicJunkie)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/3 "2004-02-04T08:59:57Z")
> [@Alereon](#): > > Unfortunately, ripping any data from a DVD is a violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, as it requires circumventing the CSS copy protection. Circumventing copy protection is illegal, thus you can’t legally extract any data from a copy protected DVD. Thanks for the answer. Just one more question. Is that a law in the States or a DVD recording policy worldwide? ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/4 "2004-02-04T11:08:19Z")
That’s the current law in the United States, where this server is located. The Motion Picture Association of America has been trying to get similar laws passed in other countries around the world, with varying success. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/5 "2004-02-04T12:19:23Z")
Aleron, are you certain about that? There was some debate recently on wether or not your right to make private copies for YOURSELF (for backup purposes) would allow you to rip songs. Currently even some audio CD’s ship with copy protection, yet it is widely accepted that you can rip mp3 songs from them for your own personal use. What you are doing (changing the format of the audio/video) IS allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/6 "2004-02-04T12:23:32Z")
To the OP: There are many utilities out there to rip DVd audio to mp3 or other formats (just as there are for ripping Cd music to mp3). Try searching google for “audio DVD ripping”. There are shareware and freeware programs out there, which I won’t link to directly, in case what Aleron says is true 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/7 "2004-02-04T12:24:06Z")
I’m not so sure about that. There is fair use, you see. From [The Millenium Copyright Act](http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf) (pdf) > [@](#): > > … distinction was employed to assure that the public will have the continued ability to make fair use of copyrighted works. Since copying of a work may be a fair use under appropriate circumstances, section 1201 does not prohibit the act of circumventing a technological measure that prevents copying. [DVDrHelp](http://www.dvdrhelp.com/) has foolproof guides and links to tools necessary to do this. Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/8 "2004-02-04T12:47:23Z")
Thanx Gaspode, I was hoping someone would drop by and clear thigns up. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/9 "2004-02-04T13:18:10Z")
No sweat. The thing is - it was never illegal to copy a (vinyl/cd) album to a cassette, so you could listen to it in your car. RIAA has problems with the _spreading_ of copies, but AFAIK it has never been an issue when you make a copy just for yourself, for reasons like the one the OP has. ---
**Author:** ![MusicJunkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@MusicJunkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MusicJunkie)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/10 "2004-02-04T13:24:57Z")
Thank you very much everybody. The Gaspode, thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![marky33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@marky33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marky33)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/11 "2004-02-04T14:02:43Z")
I’m not sure minidisc is popular/even exists in America, but with the use of an optical cable, it is possible to record straight from DVD player to a recording minidisc player. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/12 "2004-02-04T23:36:05Z")
CSS encoding of a DVD is optional. Therefore unless you know the DVD is encrypted or not, you may not have to worry about the DMCA. So assuming you’re talking about unencrypted DVD’s, we should be able to freely post links. By the way, are these DVD-Audio or DVD-Video disks? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-rip-a-dvds-sound-files/227460/13 "2004-02-05T00:27:44Z")
I’ve recently learned how to do this at the DVDRHelp forums. It requires two freeware programs. Worked like a charm.