How to Get DVD's Onto Your Zune For Free!
First and foremost...I do not condone any illegal conduct. These movies should have been PURCHASED (not rented). So therefore, any movie should be YOURS and not a Blockbuster or NetFlix movie.
I searched for a way to change the .vob files to any regular video format (mpeg, avi, wmv, DivX, .etc). I was able to find Jake Lundington's post regarding putting DVDs onto your PocketPC. I figured that since he was taking the video and converting it to .avi, that I would be able to convert that to a format supported by Zune at a later time.
Additonal Info: I am running Windows Vista Ultimate. I am not sure what versions (I believe most SKUs) have Windows Movie Maker, but that is what I used to convert the .avi file to .wmv.
These are the steps I took:
- Ripped the DVD to my computer using a program that rips DVDs to computers. It creates the .vob files that you will find in Jake's post.
- I followed Jake's post regarding the type of software to download. Using FlaskMPEG, I searched for the correct .vob file that contained the entire movie. It took a couple of tries, but I was able to find it. It was about vob_8.... for Anchorman.
- I set up the software as per Jake's specs that he talks about in his post. The quality is good. I couldn't find the encoder he was talking about in his post, so I decided to use the installed DivX codec. The Zune software does not import DivX files, so I need to convert it yet again.
- After the video is encoded into a .avi file, I imported it into Windows Movie Maker. It was not split into scenes, so I just placed the 1 file on the storeboard below.
- I went to "File>Publish Movie". When it prompts you to where you want to publish the movie to, select "This Computer".
- The next prompt will ask you for a file name, as well as a location to save the file. Since the Zune software is default to look for videos in the Videos folder, I saved it there. Please note: You can add more folders for the Zune software to "watch" for new media, it is just easier to place it in a central, easy to acces location like the "Videos" folder.
- The next prompt will ask you what type of .wmv file you want. This incorporates all the encoding settings, like size, bitrate and so forth. I decided to choose "Windows Media Portable Device" (as seen below). It saves it as a nice 1.0mb/sec bitrate. While that is 1/3 of"DVD Quality" (listed by the WMM), the zune will be able to handle it. The Zune software reencodes to a lower rate as to fit more on the zune. You will be fine with it. I watched a couple of minutes of Anchorman, and I am satisfied.
- Do not be alarmed by the fact that it states it has a "4:3" aspect ratio, as when watching the movie is reached both sides. The only slight issue, is that it has small black bars on top and on the bottom. But, still really good quality.
9. After that, just hook your Zune up and sync with the new content.
Again, I do NOT condone anything illegal.