Can someone give me advice on what kit I need that will allow transfer my lovely old family DVD recordings onto my MAC so that I can edit etc. I can view the using my external Apple DVD/CD player but can't transfer them onto my Mac so I can edit them !
iMac 24″, macOS 26.2
+1
Depending on the format, iMovie may allow you to Import directly from the DVD.
see > Import media into iMovie from your Mac - Apple Support
If not, then you can use HandBrake to import and the convert the format.
see > https://handbrake.fr/
For a good reference thread on the subject here in the Apple Support Communities
see > https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254749728?sortBy=oldest_first
+1
Depending on the format, iMovie may allow you to Import directly from the DVD.
see > Import media into iMovie from your Mac - Apple Support
If not, then you can use HandBrake to import and the convert the format.
see > https://handbrake.fr/
For a good reference thread on the subject here in the Apple Support Communities
see > https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254749728?sortBy=oldest_first
Handbrake is the app to use to transcode the DVD video to your Mac so you can edit it in iMovie. It is free and reliable. Most participants in the Final Cut & iMovie forums recommend Handbrake.
It does have a learning curve but the documentation is very good and there is help available in the iMovie & FCP forums.
Are these video DVDs? If they are you'll need Handbrake to convert the files to movie/video files so that you can play them with either Quicktime Player, iMovie or in a Photos library.
Addendum: there is a "free*" video DVD ripper, iSuper DVD Ripper, in the Apple App Store.
*in app purchases but some of the comments indicated only for complicated video DVDs.
Limnos wrote:
Note that the disadvantage in using an intermediate step such as Handbrake is with each re-coding step there is quality loss.
Yes and no. While technically correct that there is "quality loss" it is usually imperceptible. Handbrake is quite capable of producing good quality conversions. There was a greater "loss" when the source video was originally coded & compressed to produce the DVD.
I have transcoded quite a few DVDs using the old MPEG Streamclip and Handbrake and it's really hard to discern any loss of quality going from the DVD video to an MP4 output file for editing.
Also, there really isn't a choice in the matter. AFAIK, iMovie cannot import & edit the VOB files that are on a DVD. The OP will need to convert the DVD videos to MP4 or MOV to use them in iMovie.
MartinR wrote:
Limnos wrote:
Note that the disadvantage in using an intermediate step such as Handbrake is with each re-coding step there is quality loss.
Yes and no. While technically correct that there is "quality loss" it is usually imperceptible. Handbrake is quite capable of producing good quality conversions. There was a greater "loss" when the source video was originally coded & compressed to produce the DVD.
I have transcoded quite a few DVDs using the old MPEG Streamclip and Handbrake and it's really hard to discern any loss of quality going from the DVD video to an MP4 output file for editing.
Also, there really isn't a choice in the matter. AFAIK, iMovie cannot import & edit the VOB files that are on a DVD. The OP will need to convert the DVD videos to MP4 or MOV to use them in iMovie.
Yes, that is what I have more or less said in my posts. One does need to be familiar with the Handbrake settings though or else you can end up with a ridiculously large file, or one that looks like it was shot with Super 8.
A big thanks to everyone that gave me input. I've now manage to transfer DVD using Handbrake onto my MAC so that I can drag it into iMovie. So work in progress. Many that's and if I encounter any problems I'll be back on our Forum.
Family DVDs are unlikely to be in DRM protected format and you can simply drag the files from the DVD to a folder on your computer. What steps you need to take after that will depend upon the software available to you. I have never used iMovie so I don't know if it still has the capability of reading the files. If it cannot, or you find it confusing, you may wish to use an intermediate format such as MP4 format encoded by a third party encoder such as Handbrake. This is a complicated subject and is hard to deal with properly without knowing what kind of editing you wish to do and your experience level.
If by any chance the DVDs are DRM protected, we are not allowed to discuss those on this community.
If these are home DVD-Video discs, the video will be in a form that was designed for final output, not for editing. Home video discs don’t have DRM, but you probably will still need to convert the format before you can edit the resulting files.
Note that the disadvantage in using an intermediate step such as Handbrake is with each re-coding step there is quality loss. If you are trying to get these into iMovie so you can then edit them to something else then you will be using two steps, each with inherent quality loss. This can be small or large, depending upon the settings you use, but the loss is permanent.
As I said, this can quickly get technical.
Transferring Old family DVD material onto my MAC to enable editing
