Putting a DVD movie onto your Wi-Fi-only iPad

[Tricon7]

I have an iPad with only WiFi capability, and we're going on a road trip this weekend. I'd like to watch a select movie or two from my own library on the iPad, but the ones I want to watch don't come with digital versions (they're somewhat older movies). I know that Walmart can digitize your DVDs for you, but from what I understand they can only be watched via the Internet? This wouldn't do me any good, since I'll be driving down the Interstate. Is there a way to store a DVD or two on my iPad? I have the 16 Gb version.

 

[kippyw]

AVPlayerHD is what you need. It seamlessly and easily transfers any of your movies over your home wifi. It's super easy. Once you have a movie, and it's loaded on a home PC, or Apple desktop, you surf to a page with the IP address of your iPad, click to browse to where your movie is stored on the PC, hit send. In minutes it has been wirelessly transferred to your iPad. All of this is explained in the ap AVPlayerHAD. This ap also plays all movie & video formats. No additional software is needed for the PC, just a web browser. I think AVPlayerHD is about $2.

 

[donka]

You will first need to get your DVD into a file format that will work with the iPad native movie player or a 3rd party movie playing app.
Google Handbrake and download and install this. The easiest option is to put in your DVD, select that as the source in Handbrake and then select the ipad preset on the right hand side and then click start. When this is complete, just drag the outfile onto iTunes and then sync your iPad and the movie will copy over and be playable with the built in movie player. There are plenty of guides online to follow for Handbrake but it is free, excellent, good quality and easy to use.

 

[AQ_OC]

You will first need to get your DVD into a file format that will work with the iPad native movie player or a 3rd party movie playing app.
Google Handbrake and download and install this. The easiest option is to put in your DVD, select that as the source in Handbrake and then select the ipad preset on the right hand side and then click start. When this is complete, just drag the outfile onto iTunes and then sync your iPad and the movie will copy over and be playable with the built in movie player. There are plenty of guides online to follow for Handbrake but it is free, excellent, good quality and easy to use.

+1. I have nearly 200 movies ripped now. All done in Handbrake. I also rip from blu-ray. And I use AnyDVDHD to remove copy protection.

I also like and use AVPlayerHD too. Sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with iTunes. With AVPlayerHD on your iPad, you can do a wireless transfer from PC to iPad. It takes longer, but you can do other stuff while it is transferring, so in practice it makes no difference. You just have to remember that whatever you transfer to AVPlayerHD can only be played in that app. You can't see it in the regular video player on the iPad.

 

[Tricon7]

@kippyw, how can access WiFi when I'm driving down the Interstate?

@donka, thanks. I'll give Handbrake a try once I get home.

 

[nahmed]

Handbrake is the best tool for conversion.

 

[pianoman]

Remember killing copy protection on a DVD is pirating and against the law and as such probably shouldn't be promoted so glibly on our forum.

To the original poster - Apple offers 2 and 3 day rentals for very cheap and you rent them at home before you leave on trip. If you have personal DVD's you own there are many tools to convert.

 

[Wolfpuppies3]

To the OP - it has absolutely nothing to do with WiFi. Simply move them to iTunes and sync.

 

[AQ_OC]

@kippyw, how can access WiFi when I'm driving down the Interstate?

As he said, you do this at home on your wifi before starting the trip.

 

[Tricon7]

To the OP - it has absolutely nothing to do with WiFi. Simply move them to iTunes and sync.

Ok, I think I see what the poster meant now.

 

[Tricon7]

You will first need to get your DVD into a file format that will work with the iPad native movie player or a 3rd party movie playing app.
Google Handbrake and download and install this. The easiest option is to put in your DVD, select that as the source in Handbrake and then select the ipad preset on the right hand side and then click start. When this is complete, just drag the outfile onto iTunes and then sync your iPad and the movie will copy over and be playable with the built in movie player. There are plenty of guides online to follow for Handbrake but it is free, excellent, good quality and easy to use.

Well, Handbrake was a total failure as far as being able to transfer my DVD to digital. It locked up twice and errored out when I tried to select the DVD drive as the source. As far as the other poster's program suggestion, it works only *after* the DVD movie is in digital form on the computer. My problem is - getting it from the DVD to digital.

 

[KevinJS]

DVDFab works and will output the file in the format of your choice. It zaps copy protection too.

@Pianoman. Circumventing copy protection is not piracy in and of itself. Transferring movies and music to another format for your own use is not considered piracy in any jurisdiction that I'm familiar with. The recording industry makes a big thing of intellectual property, so as far as I'm concerned, when I buy the movie or piece of music, whatever it might be, I'm buying the right to use it in the manner that is most convenient to me. In Canada, blank disks have a levy attached when you buy them, which is paid directly to the recording industry, so by accepting this payment, they are effectively giving consent for digital transfers to occur.

Sent from my iPad 4 HD mini

 

[pianoman]

@Pianoman. Circumventing copy protection is not piracy in and of itself. Transferring movies and music to another format for your own use is not considered piracy in any jurisdiction that I'm familiar with. The recording industry makes a big thing of intellectual property, so as far as I'm concerned, when I buy the movie or piece of music, whatever it might be, I'm buying the right to use it in the manner that is most convenient to me. In Canada, blank disks have a levy attached when you buy them, which is paid directly to the recording industry, so by accepting this payment, they are effectively giving consent for digital transfers to occur.

Kevin, you're not quite understanding the whole picture - but I agree that when it's a DVD you've bought and you want it in your iPad - that's ok (generally speaking).. It's what happens next that quickly gets illegal.. Taking that newly digitized version and uploading it to a site - letting it be accessed thru home sharing - sending it to wife's iPad, etc, etc.. All of those are illegal. But we don't want to hijack the thread. You can PM me if you want to learn more. Most people are woefully undereducated on this topic. (with due respect )

 

[KevinJS]

I'm talking only about copying for ones own use media which one has purchased. For me, that is the complete picture. Almost any other use is piracy, or theft or whatever term you want to use.

Sent from my iPad 4 HD mini

 

[AQ_OC]

How is putting a movie I own on media and putting it on my home network piracy? How is letting my wife watch it piracy? She can watch the DVD or blu-ray. Giving it to someone else IS piracy. Putting it on the internet is piracy too. Using it inside my own home is not piracy. Letting 10 copies go outside my home would be piracy.