Could you please post this again I again because I installed and then I acsedently uninstalled it the next day!

Thank You!

Mr. Asraf,

This supports RMVB and your alternative doesn't...

#24.

are you serious? Do you really believe your antivirus program knows that this is a dvd ripping program??

While I appreciate the direct feedback to my concern, I gotta tell you, you have no clue!!!

Your antivirus program doesn't "know" anything. It compares code lines. That's it. It has no way of knowing what "type" of program is being scanned. Just what do you think is actually going on in your pc??

I'm sorry but that whole idea is just ridiculous.

May I suggest that you google HOW DO ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMS DETECT VIRUS'S

Downloaded and installed fine. Had to pause AVAST antivirus to get past the false positive alert. Used code from REAM ME file in Zip to register. Tried to rip DVD to WMV. Selected all desired options and all seemed to be going well until approximately 2/3 of the way through the rip (Slow ripping)it set off audible alarm on PC. I ended program and alarm stopped, checked event log and found nothing so I tried to rip the DVD again only to get the same alarm. Not sure what to think of this error.

Mainboard : Foxconn C55A01
Chipset :NVidia nForce 680i SLI SPP,
Processor :Intel Core 2 Duo E4200 @ 1600 MHz
Physical Memory: 4096 MB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM )
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.01.2600 Service Pack 3
Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT

I wish developers would understand that not everybody has their toolbar at the bottom of their desktop and progs that open at the very top are a problem when you have your toolbar at the top of your desktop

the license code cant use...!

Has anyone been able to rip a full DVD yet? Mine gets 5.4% and that stops. I posted this before but it was erased, perhaps because something else seems to get installed when you install this and GoTD dont want it posted.

This is great. I'm always looking for good rippers and burners. This one's on top of my list. and that Software Informer seems helpful but i'll have to look into it further.
Thanks GAOTD

Well I use Avast Antivirus and it just won't let me install this program at all. I really have appreciated all the great giveaways in the past but I guess I am out of luck anymore. Thank you for being a great site. I have figured out a way to run the program but I won't share it because I don't think Aplus would like that everyone could do it. I didn't do anything illegal but I don't want to make any trouble either. Thanks again for all the great software over the years.

Installed on XP PRO w/SP3.
I registered using the user and code provided in the readme file however the register botton remains and it is yet active.
Is it really registered?.
me too

OK, I installed DivX® 7 and now I have the video also.

I ripped a DVD to AVI and get sound but no Video, what is the problem?
Could it be I havn't installed the correct codes? Other AVI movies works when I play them through the Windows Media Player or Nero.

I found this application really good. It speedily converted my DVDs to itouch format. It was very easy to use just select device you want to run the file on and away you go. I am delighted with it.

#47: "The Giveaway from today is better than Wondershare? "

Strictly FWIW, the older, previous version of Aplus DVD RIpper was better than the Wondershare ripper, BUT, this Aplus version doesn't work properly for me, so can't compare. Try it and see.

* * *

#52: "...(from the subset of MPEG-2 found on the DVD into your selected compression format) Because the encoding is redone, some quality will be lost... but most won’t notice it unless a side-by-side comparison is done. (the fault lies in the common codecs, not in this program."

FWIW... DVD mpg2 uses keyframes -- in between these keyframes *Only* changes are recorded. To re-encode, software recreates every frame, adding those changes, frame by frame to the keyframe, until the next keyframe comes along, & it starts over. The software that *reads* the DVD video, & recreates each frame, makes a Very big difference in quality. Arguably the best is DGIndex & AviSynth in combination, as used by many, many free-ware converters. Playing the video in a window & essentially taking a screenshot per frame, as the Aplus ripper does, is generally the worst when it comes to quality, though at 320 & smaller, it's very hard to detect the difference -- at original sizes it's very apparent.

As far as codecs go, any of the mp4 varieties, including wmv, H263/H264 as in DivX/Xvid etc are capable of much more quality than the mpg2 on the DVD. They're simply newer & far more advanced. Reducing the frame size by 1/2 or more, or limiting the band width [increasing compression], works by throwing away pixels -- you can't throw away pixels & expect quality not to suffer. However, most of the mp4 varieties also allow processing on playback that increases visual quality -- using the right players can make a huge difference, because they will allow that extra processing. But you have to turn it on when you do the encode -- something not possible in Aplus Ripper, because it would usually break playback in hand-held players, which don't have the processing power to handle it.

* * *

#54: "One BIG con is that this program takes over 1+ hour to rip a 500MB movie ... rips at an extremely slow pace..."

Speed encoding is limited by what other software is running, plus speed of the CPU & hard drive(s). Speed of playback -- necessary for Aplus DVD Ripper to record -- depends on your fastest speed reading the DVD... 1) it's faster off the hard drive(s), 2) most DVD drives are reading speed limited [check out Media Code Speed Edit]. DVD playback speed is also effected by what software's running, what direct show video filters you have installed, your graphics card & drivers, & sometimes by .NET versions installed [in XP a different renderer available with 3.5 on].

In XP Pro SP3 32, from a DVD on a hard drive, playback / encoding was *very* roughly 2X real-time for me.

#8: "Video/audio has got to be one the most complex landscapes there is to understand ... Can anyone suggest a comprehensive, but not necessarily “deep”, overview on the subject."

videohelp.com & doom9.org

* * *

#11: "Can someone please suggest the optimal configuration setting to get a nice full-screen display on my 15.4″ widescreen laptop?"

The ideal rez [size] for video is dependent on your screen resolution, i.e. 1024 X 768, 800 X 600 etc... up-sizing from DVD is normally handled by your video card [or with a laptop, your video chipset] on playback, & you won't gain anything by re-encoding / converting / increasing frame size in software. At any rate, to get the best DVD playback on your laptop, don't do anything -- don't convert the original digital video to anything else.

* * *

#15: "However… the current release off their website installed just fine,"

According to Microsoft's Windiff [file comparison utility], the downloadable trial & today's GOTD [inside the wrapper] are identical.

* * *

#26: "It is a resource hog but..."

For anything that does video &/or audio encoding, that's exactly what you want. Video enthusiasts & pros look for, & rate encoding software based on how much it uses -> more = better. Encoding is Very resource intensive, & it's time consuming -- using most of what your PC has to offer makes things go quicker.

"Plays OK in my TV software but didn’t wide screen in WMP."

If it helps at all... Some formats like wmv, mpg2, DivX/Xvid etc have an aspect ratio setting -- if it's set properly, a smaller frame will spread out if/when it's played back *in the right player*. Also, TV video [i.e. DVDs] is 720 pixels wide to fill the screen -- this same video on your PC will either look too wide or narrow (depending on if NTSC or PAL). 720 video shown in proportion on a PC is 655 X 480 pixels in the US, 853 X 480 WideScreen (from a 720 X 480 frame).

#33: "Why is mkv format desirable?"

It's another container format with more flexibility & features than avi, mov etc.

At first I was excited to use this software. With all of the various output file types I figured that my bases were covered. To my dismay, I could not change the file size of any of the file formats by adjusting bitrate, video size etc. It will make video in each format but in only one size no matter what options I select.

As far as thumbs go, this one is a wash.

As has been said at least twice so far, this failed to accept my custom settings to make the video size 720x480 rather than the scrunched up default size when converting to MPEG2 format. I could also say that not all the bitrates I was looking for were available for selection but that's just me trying to keep the exact original format of the DVD videos.

This program also "fast forwarded" past the first chapter until it got to the second video rather than letting me record it. This plus a few sloppy errors that should have been caught with basic Quality Control make this one a loser for me.

Jeff

Anyone having issues with registering, check the "about" tab. You can find it under the lined button on the top right. It should show you if the program is registered or not, and to whom it is registered.

Downloaded and installed fine on XP sp 3. I tested it on Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (1:46:30). I set it up for an MPEG file with a video size of 640 x 480, and kept the original aspect ratio. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes at 100% CPU usage (2.53 GHz Celeron single core CPU with 1 GB RAM) to rip this movie, but it was able to get past a flaw in the disc that has stymied other ripper programs. Upon watching the movie, I was disappointed at the quality of the video. It is grainy, very twitchy, and often has ghost images that show up and bear no relation to what is going on in the movie. On a positive note, the file size was a nice and compact 1.03 GB (from a 4.2 GB original.) Overall, I would say that it is a nice attempt at a ripper program, but that they still need to do some work on it. I will be removing it and going back to my old stand-by's. Thanks GOTD!

Well, I haven't actually used it so take it with a grain of salt. It installed on Win 7 x64 and allows you to use your own name when registering (at least AFAICT).

I rip my cd for example with a free soft from Cnet and nobody giv at this soft importance.Revies was like from borring peoples.Ended it is not so beautifull but make the same good job like an commercial soft.And what is important?Result-what can to do.With this soft i obtain the same results like an comercial.

For who believe that can use only 15-30?day, after that it can be use(if is thrue)or problems with register site:techsupportalert.Allways will be free alternatives.Soo is not motivation to complain.Be happy.The old commercial soft will be free and many others.Thank for each peoples from the planet that make more free life on Internet.

Even though I already have a few video converters, I wanted to try todays giveaway. Here are my impressions:

Pro's
1. Installed easily on Windows XP
2. Fairly intuitive user interface on the surface.

Con's
1. Even though I entered the registration codes, I was not sure the product was actually registered. The "Register" menu item never disappeared, and when you selected "About" from the "Options" menu it showed the product was licensed to giveaway of the day, but still had the warning that unlicensed copies are limited to 15 minutes. Very confusing, and strike one.
2. For DVD's stored on a hard drive, you can only convert from the DVD file structure. The application does not recognize ISO files (like other rippers do, such as Wondershare). Strike two.
3. After selecting a DVD folder the intro videos started to play that lead up to the menu, then the menu began to play but suddenly jumped to the main title without stopping. When the main title started playing, only then did I get a pop-up window asking me to select start and stop times and other customization feature. But the video continued to play in the background. I closed the pop-up and tried to navigate the video to the place I wanted conversion to start, but the controls were sluggish and the stop/start/pause/fast forward buttons did not respond when pushed - there was always a 2-3 second delay. This does not happen with any other conversion or play back program I use. I closed down the program and tried again. Same experience. I was never able to get the video to a specific starting point. Strike three.

Bottom line, this application might produce the greatest video output, but my experience with just the user interface was enough to uninstall. Thanks GOTD for the chance to at least evaluate this product.

Downloaded it to Vista and ripped my first ever DVD to .mp4 format for my iPhone. It worked beautifully except for one mistake on my part. I must not have noticed a setting to deselect subtitles so now I will try to rip it again w/out subtitles. It took 40 mins to do a 2:03 movie. It does use alot of resources as mentioned. And I did not receive any malware notification when I installed it.

One BIG con is that this program takes over 1+ hour to rip a 500MB movie. EXTREMELY slow. Ive tried it on my new HP pavilion Desktop with 4GB Ram and 550 GB Hard Drive, and still rips at an extremely slow pace, even with Fast mode selected.

am experiencing the same issue as No-5 stated - : However when I register it, and restart it to see if the Register button is gone, its still there. Is it not registered? Does the button stay there?

Is this an issue with the Aplus Total DVD Ripper software or the bundled-installer is playing with us ? :)

@#2 (End-User) Although it's a two-step process, to get videos into an mkv container, first convert to MP4 using this, then use the open-source package mkvtoolnix (on sourceforge) to convert the container type. (the compression used within MP4 container files is usually already x264)

Provided re-encoding is not involved, the changing of containers is very fast (a few seconds) and doesn't result in further quality loss.

The reason this program is so resource intensive in operation (as noted by #1 Ashraf) is because it re-does the encoding. (from the subset of MPEG-2 found on the DVD into your selected compression format) Because the encoding is redone, some quality will be lost but most won't notice it unless a side-by-side comparison is done. (the fault lies in the common codecs, not in this program. The codecs noted in the description blur sharp details as a tradeoff to shrink the filesize.)

Keeping it short (not sure if it'll get posted today), Aplus Total DVD Ripper is an alternative to ripping a DVD to your hard drive, then using a conversion program to put the video into the format your portable player needs. It plays the DVD video at accelerated speed, taking snapshots of each frame, recording the video into whatever format you've chosen. Because of that it isn't as high a quality as working with the original digital video files, but at portable screen sizes you can't tell the difference.

Aplus Total DVD Ripper uses the standard ffmpeg code for video, along with an older version of the Xvid codec... an older version of Lame is included also. The program itself is small & doesn't add much of anything to the registry.

In use I had problems with it holding onto any custom settings -- selecting options from the drop down menus seemed to have no effect at all. To use it you select an output format, select any options [size, bit rate, aspect etc], then using the menu open your DVD. This brings up another dialog where you can trim the video [by time], select aspect, language, & subs -- clicking OK starts the process. It seems so does much of anything else -- I found it annoying that the video kept starting to play before I was finished trying to make settings. The Start/Stop button frequently did nothing at all. An older version from GOTD didn't have these problems -- you may want to check this version first before getting rid of the older one.

Finish to scan entire coputer with Iorbit 360.No threat detected.

Seems to work pretty well. Takes advantage of both my Cores, at 78% CPU.

Rips at a good pace, but I wish it had a "Run in background" option so I could do other things. There also seems to be a problem where recording freezes/crashes if I open Windows Security (by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del). Video player seems to act a bit odd, too.

Interface is a bit "Mac-ish", and clashes with most Windows themes, but is straight-forward and easy to use.


Overall, a good program, but with room to grow. Definitely worth giving a try.

Aplus' Total DVD Ripper is a winner in my book (and it's a thin book!):
It installed on my Acer Aspire 8930G "monster laptop" without a hiccup or any problems, (much to my surprise!), running the Vista Home Premium SP2 64-bit OS;
It DID initially ASK to install something before the actual app - It said it was supposed to "alert you to updates to the Aplus program, and" keeps you up to date with what's on Giveaway Of The Day site; I chose "Yes" just for the extra "heads-up" feature of what's on the GOTD site, but that part ended up refusing to install, with an error I see way too much:
"error-couldn't expand shell folder %userappdata%",
...so I hit "Abort", & it "rolled back" whatever had already been done, and I started again: It didn't even try to install the "extra feature" this time, I gave it permission to access the 'Net to verify the key, it installed & opened, I hit "Register" & entered the registration data in the "Read Me" file, it said it's now Registered OK, and it finished installing & opened right up, (asking permission first)!
Looks great! The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to change the OUTPUT folder from the C: drive, as I have a "D:" partition that I put all "DATA" on, (the machine's OEM had already set that up, so I use it that way, since there are some "interesting" areas on my HDD that I'm not going to mess with);
I wanted, (read: "need"), to make the output folder in Aplus DVD Ripper something other than the default "C:\", but I couldn't get it to change;
I tried the "Help" button, and got sent to the Aplus' website's "Help" page for the program, where there's a lot of useful info on details, but I didn't find the particular detail I need;
If anyone can tell me how to change the output folder, I'd be grateful.
(And if it IS in the "Help" webpage & I missed it, then call me 'blind', but tell me where to look and I'll still thank you just the same!).
I just thought others would like to know that it installed just fine, even on a machine running a "somewhat-customized" 64-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 OS, with every update that Redmond has released for it, (and while I, too, got the "Red ring" on my "WOT" bar, the program didn't try to actually DO anything that it didn't ASK me if I wanted it to do first; My other "Site eval. Lists" and security s/w all gave me the "Clean & Green" indication; I didn't try to track down just how many reviews WOT had gotten, but as someone else already mentioned, just because WOT shows one thing, it's good to have a few other sources to "double-check" things, 'cause ya never know who wrote those 'reviews'!).
Thanks again to GOTD; While I've had a "better for General Usage", much older Freeware DVD Ripper for some time now, I find the Aplus program is really nice for customizing the output file, when you want something more than "just strip the DRM & lose the intro screen", and especially for the times when "I only want one scene", it lets you specify the time offset from the beginning of the disc's "active scenes" to when the scene(s) you want to rip begin & end; You enter the times, and it rips just what you want, to the format you want it in; Fantastic!
GOTD, you've done it again!

Just a cuestion: I have Wondershare DVD Ripper which works great. The only problem with the Wondershare DVD Ripper is that it don´t work very well with the subtitles. So my cuestion is: The Giveaway from today is better than Wondershare? I hope, somebody can help me out. Maybe there are more people asking the same. Thenks in advanced for writing and I wish all of you a great weekend.
P.D. Does anybodody of you know when there will be Games here again on weekends?

in answer to number 5 question does the register tab stay after reg yes to check if it has been registered ok on the top right on the mailn window click the first button a drop down appears then click about that will confirm it is registered to giveaway of the day


hope that helps

william

Will not complete set up, Avira anti-virus detects HEUR/malware x 3, Winrar also has a problem with it saying:
Cannot execute "C/DOCUME~\******\LOCALS~\Temp\Rar$EX01.938\Setup.exe"

Whoa, what a good turn out. As of this post, Approve: 160 (50%) Disapprove: 163 (50%). For a DVD Ripper, this is exceptionally good considering its small installed size, fully packed with more formats than the previously released Xillisoft DVD Ripper Platinum 4. Minimalistic GUI with a very graspable "iconized" output formats just right below the built-in player. Over-all, its very easy to learn, easy to use but again I have to say, its a little too costly at $39.95

Take advantage of this offer folks because if you decide to purchase this software after its free release at GOTD...

Whats the difference with Aplus DVD Ripper given away before?
("total" is the difference in title. Is it worth to install this too?)

Has anyone been able to register this? When I register, I get the dialog, thanking for the registration and stating that it's licensed to "giveawayoftheday". But the buy option never goes away and in the about page talks about "unregistered copy has 15 minutes recording limits".

I tried it on one movie and it ripped the whole movie. But the quality was awful. Possible some incorrect setting. I tried to rip it to the same video size (720x480). I haven't ripped DVDs before so it's possible that I'm doing something wrong. The original DVD itself looks good.

tried from the previous giveaway at GAOTD, installed well in XP, started ripping DVD to AVI, never finished, programs stopped responding in the long run. thumbs down!

It's not very easy to find from the linked developer page at the top, but there's a good page on their site with step-by-step instructions and screenshots. I think screenshots are important, and although I'm not crazy about any being less than full size they're big enough to make out most details.

http://www.tomp4.com/html/dvdripper_guide.html

Ashraf did a nice series of full-sized screenshots for his informative review, linked from message #1 -- thanks!

Crashes when trying to open a DVD: "dvdripper_pro.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenienc". Also, in the "About" you get: "This copy is licenesed to giveawayoftheday, Unregistered copy has 15 minutes recoeding limit".
And that is in WinXp Pro, after downloading, registering and rebooting

Well, I already have enough video converters, so I'll probably pass today.
Thanks anyway GAOTD.
@1: Almost (if not all) video converters are very CPU intensive (unless video converter uses CUDA technology).
@4: it's due to Software Informer client included in Setup. Avira treats it as malware.

Of the 100 sites that I visit most often, people like Ashraf, Bubby, and others, make GiveAwayOfTheDay.com one of my favorites in all sixteen years I've been online.

Your generosity and thoughtfulness in providing such comprehensive reviews (and recommendations, when applicable), surely triple the value of GOTD.com. More, it inspires me to continue in my own charitable efforts.

Ashraf, Bubby, and all of you who contribute, PLEASE NOTE that just because most of us don't respond to your work, you ought to realize how many of us become so much more effective than we were before. Thank you, and bless all that you do. You are the winners we admire and seek to emulate.

I have not tried this and don't intend to since I already have a number of god rippers, however my previous experience with a-plus software has been good.

Remember, ripping and copying DVDs you don't own is a copyright violation and is nothing less than piracy, or to put it more bluntly, stealing.

Free alternatives that work very well:
All in one rip and convert to just about any format
DVDFab - my first choice in one stop ripp & convert
Format Factory - first choice in all conversions, both video & audio
Handbrake

Rippers used with converters afterwards
DVD Decrypter
DVD Shrink - first choice in rip & shrink to re-write to a different DVD

Converters
MediaCoder - first choice for converting IFO/VOB to AVI, mp4 etc
Quick Media Converted

This software installed without any issue on my XP SP2 system. After entering the registration information in Register dialog, it says "Thank you for registering. This copy is licensed to: giveawayoftheday". But that’s it...Register dialog reappears again asking for registration when you reopen it. There is no way of telling it is registered.

I converted part of a movie DVD to first AVI format and then to MPEG format (with default settings). The results are not good. The audio is OK, but video is terrible. Not sure what is wrong. Decided to uninstall after few more tries.

I just can't get this to do what I want. I'm trying to go from a DVD to a high quality avi file. The default on the avi button is 320x240 so I click it and change it to 720x480 and start the process. When it is done I have a file that is 320x240. Basically it jumps back to the default settings as soon as I hit start. I have tried this quite a few times, starting, restarting etc and cannot get it done.
Also, even though I have entered the registration info and it says successful the register button does not disappear. Could these issues be related in that I can't change the default settings if the registration is not taking?

#2: Why is mkv format desirable? I downloaded an mkv file the other day and to me, it was all negatives. Few programs can play it and even fewer can convert it!

@4 (Ryan). Your Avira antivirus is suspecting the setup.exe as having malware code.
That's probably because "From now on while activating new giveaway you’ll be opted to install Software Informer Client on your PC."
You can read more about Software Informer Client in the 'Giveaway of the day Project Team's Blog'. There is a link to that blog on this page: above right.

Installed on XP PRO w/SP3.
I registered using the user and code provided in the readme file however the register botton remains and it is yet active.
Is it really registered?

Hi, I downloaded the Wondershare Video Platinum Convertor that was available on GAOTD a few weeks ago. Does this software do anything differnt? Please advice

My favorite ripper is Eminem. Thanks anyway, GOTD.