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To my mind, the closest thing to a legal option here is to purchase the blu-ray and then use Handbrake to rip it to whatever format you want. I say close to a l

To my mind, the closest thing to a legal option here is to purchase the blu-ray and then use Handbrake to rip it to whatever format you want. I say close to a legal option because in most cases it's still going to be illegal in the US. I've read conflicting stuff about this, but my understanding is that it is technically legal to make "backup" copies of media you own. However, breaking encryption to bypass DRM on the blu-ray (which you will need to do in almost all cases) in order to make that backup is considered a violation of copyright. So, while I wouldn't advise anyone to break the law, I will say that this is one of those laws that I don't think anyone has an ethical obligation to follow. It's not only a stupid law, but almost impossible to enforce. Make of that what you will.

tomcam 4y ago
Making personal backups is legal in all states, isn’t it?
- fxtentacle 4y ago
  I believe yes, but circumvention of the Blu-Ray copy protection is not ...
  - andy_ppp 4y ago
    Can you even make a backup without doing this? Which law takes precedence?
    - gjsman-1000 4y ago
      The struggle of living in the US. This really hasn’t been clarified either because nobody, as of yet, has ever been sued for only backing up their media, but for other charges added. Movie studios seem to know that suing just for making backups of media you purchased comes with substantial risk of practically legalizing it. It would appear though that anti-circumvention would take precedence.
    - sandworm101 4y ago
      You can, but you have to crack the encryption yourself. Selling or distributing bypass tools remains illegal iirc.
      - runlevel1 4y ago
        Unfortunately not, unless you're an academic institution, archive, or library. At least, not in its entirety -- you can do short clips under certain fair use circumstances. (IANAL) Here's the list of exceptions: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-201/section-201.40 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-...
  - tomcam 4y ago
    Ugh...
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
haunter 4y ago
I use MakeMKV nowadays to rip then encode later to smaller size with Handbrake https://www.makemkv.com/ https://www.makemkv.com/
runlevel1 4y ago
The DMCA allows the Librarian of Congress to revise exceptions every three years, and cracking videos for personal use gets recommended to them almost every time. (Called DMCA Section 1201 exemptions.) [^1] In the last session (2021), they only carved out exceptions for recognized academic institutions, archives, libraries, and a few other limited uses. Alas, maybe it'll happen in 2024. Here's the list of their exceptions for all technologies.[^2] [1]: https://www.copyright.gov/1201/ https://www.copyright.gov/1201/ [2]: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-201/section-201.40 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-... Caveat: IANAL.

tomcam 4y ago

Making personal backups is legal in all states, isn’t it?

fxtentacle 4y ago
I believe yes, but circumvention of the Blu-Ray copy protection is not ...
- andy_ppp 4y ago
  Can you even make a backup without doing this? Which law takes precedence?
  - gjsman-1000 4y ago
    The struggle of living in the US. This really hasn’t been clarified either because nobody, as of yet, has ever been sued for only backing up their media, but for other charges added. Movie studios seem to know that suing just for making backups of media you purchased comes with substantial risk of practically legalizing it. It would appear though that anti-circumvention would take precedence.
  - sandworm101 4y ago
    You can, but you have to crack the encryption yourself. Selling or distributing bypass tools remains illegal iirc.
    - runlevel1 4y ago
      Unfortunately not, unless you're an academic institution, archive, or library. At least, not in its entirety -- you can do short clips under certain fair use circumstances. (IANAL) Here's the list of exceptions: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-201/section-201.40 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-...
- tomcam 4y ago
  Ugh...
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

haunter 4y ago

I use MakeMKV nowadays to rip then encode later to smaller size with Handbrake https://www.makemkv.com/ https://www.makemkv.com/

runlevel1 4y ago

The DMCA allows the Librarian of Congress to revise exceptions every three years, and cracking videos for personal use gets recommended to them almost every time. (Called DMCA Section 1201 exemptions.) [^1] In the last session (2021), they only carved out exceptions for recognized academic institutions, archives, libraries, and a few other limited uses. Alas, maybe it'll happen in 2024. Here's the list of their exceptions for all technologies.[^2] [1]: https://www.copyright.gov/1201/ https://www.copyright.gov/1201/ [2]: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-201/section-201.40 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-37/chapter-II/subchapter-... Caveat: IANAL.