How to Rip a DVD to ISO in Linux Ubuntu Hardy Heron

ISO files are one of the most convenient forms of DVD backups. It is simply the compression used for the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS files in the DVD, and make it simple to burn the movie to a new DVD. Ripping ISOs in Windows has always required third-party software, where in Linux, an ISO could be ripped by the OS, but required the Terminal and a bit of code.

With the release of Ubuntu 8.04, nicknamed Hardy Heron, this process has become very simple, and easy to do - no longer will a non-technical person feel lost and uncomfortable trying to backup their DVD via the Terminal.

In Ubuntu 7.10, the method used to convert a DVD in your DVD burner was to enter this code: cat /dev/scd0 > /home/yourcomputer/test.iso. If you are running an earlier version of Ubuntu, this is the code you must use to copy your DVD.

If you are running Ubuntu 8.04, then follow the next steps to backup your DVD file.

Step 1: Insert a DVD into your computers DVD burner. You must have a burner, not just a regular DVD player. Make sure your computer recognizes it before continuing.

Step 2: An icon will appear on the Desktop - it will look like a CD and have the title of the movie under it. Right-click on this icon and choose 'Copy Disc'. A dialog box will appear. Under 'Copy Disc To....', choose the drop down menu and select 'File Image', then press the 'Write' button.

Another dialog box will appear, this one asking where you would like to save the ISO file. Choose a location, such as Videos or Desktop, and press OK. The ISO will start, and appear in your saving location. Allow it to continue until the converting box disappears and the disc stops spinning in your optical drive.

Step 3: The file will say something like TITLE_PS.ISO. If you want to extract the VOB files from this ISO so, for example, you can encode it to AVI with DVD::RIP, then right click on the ISO and choose 'Extract Here'. It will begin extracting the VIDEO_TS folder, which will take five or eight minutes.

Step 4: When the VIDEO_TS folder has been complete extracted, you can open it in DVD::RIP and encode it to AVI or MPEG 2 to get one complete, playable file with a small file size and good image quality.