Depending upon the player that you own, you may experience a few glitches here and there while trying to enjoy your favorite DVD (digital videodisc) movie. Perhaps you've even experienced the problem of the non-playable DVD - you know... the one that worked fine when you first bought it, but then failed to run properly after a number of viewings. If you have experienced this problem, then you're probably ready to learn how to back up your DVDs onto an environment guaranteed to run it!

Fortunately, you can use DVD backup software to burn your favorite movies onto another workable CD (DVD disk). "Burning" is the process of copying data from a DVD (or audio CD) onto your hard drive, and then making another copy from your computer onto a readable and writeable DVD (DVD-R). Writeable DVD disks, like writeable CDs, can be purchased at any computer or office supply store. Once burned, you can watch movies from your new copies.

To get a movie onto your hard drive, you'll need to "rip" it. Ripping a DVD requires additional software that's designed to copy the movie onto your computer. It's not a process for the computer newbie and if you're not familiar with terms like IFO files or VOB files, you'll need to do a little research before attempting to rip a DVD.

In addition to researching the concept of DVD ripping and burning, you'll also need to familiarize yourself with U.S. copyright laws. As it currently stands, you may rip a DVD for your own personal use, but you may not distribute it at all for any reason. Copying a movie for personal use is permissible under the copyright's Fair Use law. However there are no protections for people who make these copies available for others to use.

About the author:

Tamara Williams writes on a month to month basis for dvdinsider which provides reviews of dvd backup software , dvds, trailers and hardware.