Convert DVD video to MP4 for iPod - Mp4 Converter

Updated June 30,2006This guide will show you how to convert video from a DVD (can main movies/feature or extras) to MP4 files to store and view on a video iPod. This guide is intended mainly for new users who want to save a few bucks by converting TV shows or other content from their DVD collection instead of buying them again from iTunes (as it is your right to do so). It will work for pretty much any DVD as long as it is not encrypted. This guide uses commercial software from the infamous and highly respected SlySoft - the company that brought us CloneCD, CloneDVD and AnyDVD. Their products are of high quality and are easy to use. The software I use in this guide, CloneDVD Mobile, is no exception.This guide will show you how to convert video from a DVD (can main movies/feature or extras) to MP4 files to store and view on a video iPod. This guide is intended mainly for new users who want to save a few bucks by converting TV shows or other content from their DVD collection instead of buying them again from iTunes (as it is your right to do so). It will work for pretty much any DVD as long as it is not encrypted. This guide uses commercial software from the infamous and highly respected SlySoft - the company that brought us CloneCD, CloneDVD and AnyDVD. Their products are of high quality and are easy to use. The software I use in this guide, CloneDVD Mobile, is no exception.

What are the capabilities of CloneDVD mobile?

CloneDVD Mobile can open a DVD folder stored on your Hard Disk Drive and then give you an option of what you want to convert to MP4. Besides supporting converting for iPods, it can also output video for a Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP), iAudio X5, Creative Zen Vision players, Windows Mobile SmartPhones and more.

One possible problem for users however, is that CloneDVD Mobile, like CloneDVD 2, cannot handle copy protected DVDs. For this reason, most retail DVDs have to be decrypted and "ripped" before you can open them with CloneDVD Mobile.

A word about DVD Ripping

The AfterDawn Administration was forced to remove content that provided details on copy protection circumvention (even though they were meant for use while making legal backups and other processes protected by fair use) and tools that were capable of circumvention to comply with Finnish copyright laws that went into effect on January 1st 2006. For this reason, this guide cannot provide you with in depth details of using such software to rip DVDs and assumes that your DVD is already unprotected (or already ripped) to your HDD. For more information, please read http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/afterdawn_guides_copyright_law.cfm.

If you would like to know a little more about the copy protection found on 99% of retail DVDs, check out our Glossary entry for Content Scrambling System (CSS).

Introduction & Requirements

CloneDVD Mobile - You can get a trial of this software from AfterDawn, but to buy the fully unlocked software, visit the SlySoft homepage. Our users swear by the quality of SlySoft products, which are affordable to pretty much everybody, and you can always rely on free updates to keep the products in line with advances in technology.

This guide assumes that you know how to use iTunes to add video to your iPod (File --> Import, select the video you want, then click Videos in iTunes and drag the video to your iPod) so that isn't covered. At the end of this guide you will have a resulting MP4 file that you can view on your computer, and then send straight to your iPod through the use of iTunes.

I recommend that for long conversions you disable any screensavers or scheduled tasks. Scheduled tasks could include virus scans, updaters, malware scans etc. These could slow down the conversion to a crawl.

Note: Many of the images in this guide have been cropped to avoid destroying details during resizing.