Concerning Rule 6: DVD to CD

[Andra]

Hi there,

I was wondering wether you're allowed to rip the audio of a DVD you own, to put it on CD. I have some great concerts on DVD, but obviously my DiscMan won't play them.

Yours,
Andra

[ultimatebilly]

Good question! I think even if they are not copy-protected, it would be illegal because "Fair Use"(Hahahaaa) grants you only the right to make backup copies, not to alter the content.
But since I'm not sure it's illegal, here one of the ways how to do it:
Get DVDDecrypter, set it to IFO-mode, and demux the AC3-stream you want to put on your CD (Stream processing!).
Now get Besweet and the Besweet-GUI, and transform the AC3 to wav, you can use the preset "DSPguru_MP3_for_Music" for that purpose, just change the output to wav, and set SSRC (source sample rate conversion) to 44100 Hz.
There are many other possibilities, like using vob2audio or Graphedit, but I would prefer this way since Besweet offers better downmix options.
If I had problems with the ac3-demux, I would demux it with DVD2Avi, by creating a new project and setting all audio-options to demux.

You may know all this already, but maybe you don't or it's useful for someone else...

Regards,

ultimatebilly

[Andra]

Thanks Ultimate,

I wasn't sure how to go about ripping the audio, and these are some very good suggestions!

In Holland you're allowed to copy from CD to for instance cassette or MD, as long as you own the CD you're copying and are not giving the tape or MD to someone else. Why shouldn't you be allowed to do the same with a DVD. And if so, what's the legal difference between dumb-copying or ripping and burning if the results are, in essence, the same.

You've allready paid for the musical rights on the DVD, why pay again for a CD version of the same performance?

Yours,
Andra

[mpucoder]

Fair use in America is not limited to backup copies. Compilations, excerpts, and derivitive works are allowed, as long as they are for your personal use and not for profit or otherwise infringe on the copyright owner's rights (ie profit).

[Mug Funky]

it's debatable what altering the content really means...

after all, if you hook your TV to an amplifier you're doing the same thing essentially - splitting out the audio stream from the video, and treating it as a separate thing. if you were then to hook a tape deck into the amplifier...

i don't think demuxing and resampling really amounts to altering the content of the DVD.

good question though, as i have a similar problem - i own portishead live on both DVD and CD... when my car got stolen weeks ago, the CD was in it. would it be fair use for me to take the tracks off the DVD so i can effectively replace my stolen CD?

[echooff]

I know the legal position may not agree with me but.....The way I see it, is if I own it legally, I'm not distributing it illegally, then I can do what I want with it as long as It's strickly for my use and I'm not trying to physically hurt someone with it. Sort of like a if, then, else statement hehe:D