How to Copy a DVD and Put the Movie onto an IPod Touch

If you have an extensive DVD library, you might find yourself wanting to make it a little more portable by putting the videos on your iPod Touch. A movie cannot be copied directly to the iPod Touch without first converting it into the proper file type with the right size and codec. To convert a DVD to a digital movie file and then transfer it to your iPod Touch, read on to find out how.

Step 1

Download a free program called HANDBRAKE and install it onto your computer; it is supported by Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. You must have the free media player VLC installed as well, because Handbrake uses one of the codec that comes with it to convert the DVD. You will also need to download a ripping program. DVDFab works on Windows, Mac the Ripper for OS X, and DVD Decrypter/AcidRip/OGMRip for Linux.

Step 2

Put the DVD you want to copy into the DVD burner on your computer and pull up the ripping program you installed. Follow the instructions for that program to copy the DVD to an ISO or to VOB files; this usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 3

Once the DVD has been ripped to your computer, open Handbrake and click the 'Source' button to pull up the dialog box. Select the file you ripped to load it. In the right side of the program, select the preset called "iPhone and iPod Touch"; this will automatically set all of the settings to what is required for the iPod Touch to play the video.

Click START to begin converting. This process usually takes two hours.

Step 4

Put the newly ripped movie onto your iPod Touch, then restart the device and choose the file. If it plays correctly, then you can use that same method to rip all of your movies. If it doesn't play, try again and make sure that you select "iPhone and iPod Touch"; all the other presets will cause errors.

If the audio isn't as high in quality as you would like, or the video isn't HQ enough, reconvert the file, but select a higher bitrate for both audio and video before ripping.