Ripping a DVD-DL PAL

Are you in the US, or where?
What Ripping software are you trying to use?

Handbrake is limited in features, especially if this is a commercial DVD.

If this is a commercial DVD it could well have copy protection features. We aren't even allowed to discuss copying this kind of DVD on these fora (check the Terms of Use on ripping DVDs) since in the US breaking the copy protection is illegal (yes, even if you own the DVD).

If it isn't a commercial DVD then let us know because then just simply copying the VIDEO_TS to your computer should work.

Well, the devil is in the details. Yes, you may own rights to the footage but if the DVDs are copy protected then you have a technical issue. 3 bad DVDs is unlikely. Since you say you can play them but not copy them, that points very strongly in the direction of DRM protection. You either need to discover yourself if these are copy protected or provide us with more information so we can try to make an assessment. If they are home movies of your last fourth of July party they will not be DRM protected. If you are Steven Spielberg and just bought one of your movies in Walmart then that DVD is still protected against you.

We were sent these DVDs by the producer for us to edit and make copies to be sold in the USA

Well, you'd think the producer would know... but then maybe you wouldn't. 🙂

But I assure you that it is nothing illegal...

Yes. Still, the DVD doesn't know you have the rights. Then too, just the very act of undoing DRM, even by somebody with rights, is technically illegal (thanks to powerful media companies and congress). I own money in the bank but if I break into the vault to get my money, that's illegal.

I've already tried MAC the Ripper and that doesn't seem to work either...

Ooooh! He said the MTR word on Apple Discussions! 😉 (Topics have been deleted for less, I'm not kidding.) From my perusing of discussions definitely other than Apple Discussions, DRM technologies are being produced beyond MTR. If this is a Disney movie or something of that magnitude then it is 99.99999% certain to have DRM and very strong DRM.

If it were one DVD I'd say it might have an error that a DVD player can usually just ignore as a minor blip but would cause a file copy to bomb. 3 DVDs... either a lousy pressing/burn, or DRM.

If these are PAL (European) format, could this also involve Region Codes on the DVD versus the Player?

I doubt they are DRM protected since you stated that they were DVD-DL discs. That implies they were burned on a computer/disc copier. CSS encryption is only used on commercial DVDs which are stamped at a commercial plant and not DVDs burned by a computer.

Your best bet is to play the video in a DVD player and recapture it using a video capture device. I did have a DVD (which I burned) that would play fine but had the same problem you're describing when I was trying to transfer the video to my NAS. It's been a little while but I believe I used MakeMKV to get the file to my hard drive and then HandBrake to convert the video (in my case for my AppleTV).