immobile DVD Copy is an all - in - one DVD - copying programme that ’s design to let you make personal or backup copies of DVD and telecasting game you own . After watching my shaver much rust my Finding Nemo record , I can see the use in that . The product works great , but there ’s one collar : The software is n’t technically sound .
A question of legality
A short ground : In 2004 , the Motion Picture Association of America ( MPAA ) pull ahead various legal injunctions against a company call 321 Studios , which sold an all - in - one DVD copying programme called DVD X Copy . The MPAA claimed that the software ’s copy - protective covering hack writer break the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ( DMCA ) . 321 Studios lost the suit and lead bankrupt .
All DVD - copy programs feature the power to recompress a dual - layer videodisc into a data format that can fit onto a standard 4.7 GB single - level DVD - R. Other DVD - copying computer programme — namely Roxio ’s Popcorn ( , June 2005 ) and DVD2one ’s DVD2oneX ( , June 2005 ) — circumvent the sound issues by omit the ability to strip out copy protection . But Fast DVD Copy takes its chances with the jurisprudence by admit the tycoon to remove CSS ( Content Scrambling System ) and Macrovision protection . The result ? An app that ’s much more effective than Popcorn and DVD2oneX , both of which require a second app program to crack copy protection on DVDs .
According to the DMCA , it ’s not legal for consumers to override the copy protection on videodisk . Yet it is all right to make personal copies of materials you own . That means that legally , things are up in the airwave . So far , the MPAA has not gone after individuals . But at this percentage point , you ’re using the software package at your own risk .
Easy burning
Legal way out apart , quick videodisk Copy works quite well . copy a videodisk is a child’s play — pop in a disc and press the Copy clit . If you ’re imitate from a dual - layer record , Fast videodisc Copy lets you copy directly to another threefold - bed disc if your Mac ’s DVD drive has that capability ( many of this year ’s models do ) . You have other options if the amount of content you ’re copying outdo 4.7 Gi : you’re able to compress the content to a sizing that fits on a stock DVD - R , or to keep up as much video character as possible , you’re able to pick and pick out what material you want to copy . Choosing not to copy extras like additional audio racecourse , previews , and behind - the - scenes footage can importantly abridge down file size .
The power to remove navigation restriction , such as trailers that work at the kickoff of DVDs and ca n’t be skip , is also nifty . Fast DVD Copy lets you make a disc that can go straight to the main carte du jour . ( Popcorn and DVD2oneX have this feature of speech too . )
Small changes
interlingual rendition 4 let in just a few minor updates , include new Rip Only and Rip And Compress options , both of which allow you to save content to your difficult drive . These features are ready to hand if you want to move telecasting to a portable gadget or just leave it on your Mac for future viewing ( for example , when you ’re going on a plane trip and you do n’t want to bring DVD with you ) . rendering 4 also add accompaniment for RCE ( Region Coding Enhancement ) and ARccOS - protected DVDs .
As an owner of Elgato Systems ’ EyeTV machine ( , July 2004 ) , I often find myself hear poppycock too many goggle box episodes onto a videodisk , realizing my error only when my transcript of Toast 6 warns me that the depicted object exceeds my disk ’s content . Toast 7 ( , December 2005 ) incorporate all the features of Roxio ’s Popcorn covering , which eliminates this issue . But if you do n’t have Toast 7 , firm DVD Copy is perfect for contract the DVD figure to a ignitible size .
Macworld’s buying advice
The biggest problem with Fast videodisk Copy is the current state of effectual limbo surrounding these type of product . Ironically , as a party promoting software that transgress other written matter - protection system , Velan has very strong security measures for its own product , limiting each activation to only one computer . Legal issues aside , truehearted DVD Copy 4 is easy to practice and intuitive . And even though it costs almost twice as much as other , like applications , it is also much more streamlined .
[ Anton Linecker is a video expert advisor and writer based in Los Angeles . ]
EDITOR ’S NOTE : 10/27/05 : We retool this article to acknowledge Toast 7 ’s capabilities .
