dvd

Feds uphold jailbreaking laws on DVDs, game consoles, tablets

The U.S. Copyright Office published its new set of rules on whether people can jailbreak smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles today; it also outlined the guidelines on DVD copying.

Overwhelmingly, its conclusions were that besides smartphones, all of the above remain illegal.

Every three years the Copyright Office takes requests from digital rights proponents and opponents to re-examine the laws under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that dictate whether people can unlock or jailbreak their varied devices. Today, in a lengthy document (PDF), the government listed all of the changes it made.

The key developments are that people cannot … Read more

Video conversion made simple

Total Video Converter is a program for converting and ripping videos to formats that are supported by a number of common electronic devices like the iPhone.

The overall design and features of this program are simple and easy to navigate. The main features are all accessible from the main window, and Total Video Converter also gives you quick and easy instructions on startup. The conversion time will be different for each task that you do, depending on the file size as well as format, but it handles most of the popular formats, including mp4, 3gp, xvid, divx mpeg4 avi, amr … Read more

Create and burn DVDs with Free Movie DVD Maker

Think Free Movie DVD Maker lets you compose and burn high-quality DVDs from your movie clips. It handles a wide range of video formats as well as DVD output types, including HD DVDs up 1080p in resolution. With drag-and-drop, clip editing, zoom mode, and menu options, it can produce high-quality DVDs compatible with any DVD player. Free Movie DVD Maker places a splash screen before segments; a premium version removes the ads and includes lifetime support and updates.

The thing we like best about Free Movie DVD Maker's user interface is the easy way you can toggle between Detail … Read more

Play and rip DVDs for Apple devices

Favor DVD Player for Mac is a utility for playing and ripping DVDs. Supporting all DVD formats, Favor DVD Player for Mac lets you watch your DVDs on your MacBook or iMac. Even better, Favor DVD Player for Mac lets you rip DVDs to formats for your Mac or portable iDevice, as well as Apple TV.

Favor DVD Player for Mac downloads and installs easily. The interface has preset defaults for the most common settings, and a simple interface for watching DVDs. We watched a wide variety of disks, in numerous formats, and all played properly. We also ripped a … Read more

Create your own DVDs with AVI to DVD Converter

It's one thing to burn a DVD disc and another to create a DVD that anyone can pop into a tray and play. For making DVDs out of your videos, Xilisoft's AVI to DVD Converter is a good place to start. It converts not just AVI files but also MPEG, MPG, M2V, VOB, and DAT to DVD disc, DVD folder, or ISO file. The flexible output options mean you can create DVD disc images that you can store on your hard drive yet play like regular DVDs (with a disc-mounting tool). But AVI to DVD Converter does much … Read more

Get three iWonderSky video utilities for free

Update: According to software developer WonderFox Soft, iWonderSky Software is not allowed to give away WonderFox DVD Ripper licenses. Therefore, at the former's request, we have removed the link for the promotion.

Why settle for one freebie when you can get three?

From now until October 19, iWonderSky Software (which I believe was formally known as WonderFox Software) is offering CNET readers this exclusive: three Windows video utilities absolutely free.

First up: WonderFox DVD Ripper. Normally $39.95, it can convert just about any DVD into just about any digital format. It comes with profiles for a wide variety … Read more

Get a Samsung external DVD drive for $24.99

Problem: you just bought a MacBook, ultrabook, Netbook, or some other 'book that lacks an optical drive, and you need to install some disc-based software. Or you want to watch a DVD. Heck, maybe you've got a PC that already has an optical drive, but it's busted.

Solution: while supplies last, Amazon has the Samsung SE-208AB/TSBS external DVD drive for $24.99. Shipping is free if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber or you pad your cart by at least a penny. (Not sure what else to throw in there? Try the Amazon Filler Item Finder.)

If … Read more

Manage CD/DVD discs

MagicISO's MagicDisc Virtual CD/DVD-ROM is a free tool that lets you create and use virtual CD and DVD discs that play just like the real thing, only you don't need to open and close the disc tray. You can create up to 15 virtual discs, which you can configure like any real disc: audio CD, DVD, game disc, or rewritable disc. You can create audio programs, save them as ISO images, and play them like an audio CD without having to burn them to disc. The tool offers versatile compression, encryption, and mounting options, too. It supports … Read more

Do you remember when Sony was Apple?

There was a time when Sony was the first name in consumer electronics. The company's Trinitron TVs dominated the TV market for decades. In 1975, Sony's Betamax was the first widely adapted consumer video recorder format. The Walkman hit the market in 1979 and changed the way people listened to music, creating the personal audio market category. In 1982 the CD, which the company developed jointly with Philips, changed the way we listened to music even more. Sony extended its reach when it purchased CBS Records in 1988 and Columbia Pictures in 1989, and scored a triumph in … Read more

Create a family DVD

Mac DVD Creator HD for Mac is a feature-rich application that aims to replace iDVD in creating awesome DVDs readable by all players. However, the app's nice theoretical editing features and support for a wide variety of video formats can't counterbalance the trial version's stability issues and limitations; all the editing features are missing, it is limited to only converting 5 minutes of each file, and it only converts half of the file if it is shorter than 5 minutes.

If you are looking for a Nero-like DVD creator for Mac, Mac DVD Creator HD is … Read more