Paid-for software tends to be faster and have more options than the free apps, but for a simple rip, where you turn the only movie on a disk into a single digital file on your hard drive, the free stuff is often all you’ll need. The best DVD ripping software can often rip Blu-rays too, but this isn’t something every app can manage. Blu-ray capability, for HD movies, is common too. Simple DVD readers are rare too - almost all modern drives are rewriters, meaning they can handle writable and rewritable disks as well as the kind you get from the movie store. You’ll need a USB-connected one if your computer doesn't have one built in. Just about any PC or Mac these days can handle DVD playback, but the physical drives are becoming rarer. Once you’re sure you’re not going to get a visit from the police for your actions, you’ll need a home computer with a DVD drive attached. If you own the copyright to the DVDs - perhaps you shot them yourself on vacation one year - then you can do what you like. While some places allow you to basically do what you like, others allow you to make a single backup copy, and others criminalize all violations of copy protection software. There’s one thing that you absolutely have to do before you go wild ripping DVDs with the best DVD ripper software, and that’s check the laws where you live.
