How to Transfer DVD to USB: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Not a trend anymore, going from physical to digital is a necessity in this digital era. Whereas DVDs were once the industrial standard for storing and distributing movies, they are slowly and surely giving their way to digital downloads and streaming services. Yet, many still have enormous collections that they want to keep and enjoy watching. What's the solution? Transferring your DVD to USB is a clever and handy solution to make your collections accessible at any time and from any location.

In this comprehensive guide, we will go over the benefits of transferring DVDs to USB, the various ways to accomplish the transfer, and practical tips to ensure a smooth transfer process.

Why Transfer DVD to USB?

Following are some advantages to transferring DVD to USB:

Space-Saving: Due to the small size of the USB drive, you will be able to store your whole collection without taking up much physical space.
Accessibility: Instantly access your entire collection on a variety of devices without the need for a physical DVD drive. You can easily copy DVD to USB and enjoy your movies on the go.
Enhanced Playback Options: You can modify or improve digital copies to make your watching experience more personal and enjoyable.
Preservation: Digitizing protects your favorite films from physical degradation over time. And using a dependable DVD to USB converter ensures that your movies are preserved safely.
Convenience: You can watch movies on laptops, smart TVs, and mobile devices with no compatibility issues. If needed, you can also transfer DVD to USB without computer.

Methods to Transfer DVD to USB

Copy DVD to Flash Drive Using a Computer

Using your computer to convert DVDs to USB is one of the most convenient options. This method works especially well if you have a built-in or external DVD drive.

Step-by-step process of copying DVD to Flash Drive:

Step 1: Insert the DVD into your computer’s DVD drive or your external DVD drive.
Step 2: Connect a USB to an available USB port on your PC.
Step 3: You can access the DVD drive using your PC's file explorer. This usually appears as a new drive in the "This PC" section.
Step 4: Look for the "VIDEO_TS" or "AUDIO_TS" folders, which hold the DVD content. And copy all or select specific files from the DVD.
Step 5: Finally, open your USB drive and paste the copied content. Then, wait until the transfer is complete.

Important Notes:

Playback Issues: Because of the way DVD files are organized, copying files directly may cause playback issues. Many TVs and media players may not recognize files that are directly copied.
Encryption: Many commercial DVDs are copy-protected, which complicates the process of copying them. You may need additional software to bypass these protections.

Using a DVD to USB Converter (DVDFab DVD Ripper)

If you're after something more dependable, you might want to check out specialized DVD-ripping software like DVDFab DVD Ripper. This software is made specifically for converting DVDs to digital formats, making it easier to bypass any protections and get high-quality results. With its advanced features listed below, you can seamlessly rip your DVDs and save them on USB for convenient playback.

Main Features of DVDFab DVD Ripper:

Advanced Decryption: Decrypt a variety of DVD copy protections (AACS, BD+, APS, CSS, RC, Sony DADC, and others), enabling you to back up your whole collection without difficulty
Wide Format Support: Convert DVDs to over 1000 video and audio formats (MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WMV, MP3, WMA, AAC) for easier viewing on any device
Compression Capabilities: Effectively reduce the size of DVD videos for USB storage without sacrificing quality so that your mobile devices can play them
Lossless Quality Ripping: Rip DVDs to MKV.Passthrough video and 5.1 AC3 audio in 1:1 original quality, perfect for your home theater systems
Fast Ripping Speed: With its advanced GPU acceleration technologies (NVIDIA CUDA, AMD, Intel Quick Sync, Video ToolBox), you can rip your DVD to USB in around 5 minutes, up to 50 times faster
Multitasking Mode: Use the Task Queue feature to add several DVD ripping to USB tasks, and the software will immediately start the next task after the first one is completed, saving you time
Metadata Synchronization: To provide a flawless viewing experience on media servers like PlayerFab, Kodi, and Plex, it automatically generates .nfo files to synchronize metadata like movie titles, cast, and cover art. This lets you see current details about your movies before they are being played.
Subtitle Management: Convert DVD subtitles using OCR technology, offering options to render or remux directly to video, or extract subtitles to SRT format for easy playback on various devices.

Step-by-step process of converting DVD to USB using DVDFab DVD Ripper

Step 1: First, Install DVDFab 13 on your PC by downloading the installation file from the official website.

Step 2: Start the application, then select the "Ripper" module, which is made especially for ripping DVDs.

Step 3: Connect your USB drive and place your DVD into the DVD drive.

Step 4: Select your preferred output format by navigating to the profile library using the "Choose Other Profile" > "Format" menu. Here, MP4 format is recommended for its wide compatibility.

Step 5: If you want, you can customize your video by selecting audio tracks, subtitles, and other options.

Step 6: Finally, choose your USB drive as the output destination. And click the "Start" button to start converting DVD to USB.

Transfer DVD to USB Without a Computer

There are various services that can help you transfer DVD to USB without computer. These services can be a convenient option if you don’t have access to a computer or want to avoid the hassle of software.

CVS Photo

CVS Photo also supports a variety of DVDs, including YesDVD, CVS YesDVD, DVD, CD, VCD, and MiniDVD. Similar to Walmart, you can place an order online, bring your media to a CVS Photo Center, and wait for digitization. Your digital copies will be kept in MemoryCloud for 60 days for convenient viewing and downloading.

Pricing:

$25.99 for a DVD copy (90 minutes)
$33.99 for a Blu-ray copy (90 minutes)
$34.99 for a USB copy (90 minutes)

Forever Studios

Forever Studios accepts a wide range of media, including DVDs, CDs, data disks, and USB flash drives. When you place an order, you can choose how you want to receive your digital media, whether on a Forever Safe USB, via a Forever Cloud link, or as a DVD set.

Pricing:

$15 per DVD for the digitizing service
$29 per USB drive

Walmart Photo

Walmart Photo allows you to easily copy DVDs to USB. They accept a variety of formats, including YesDVD, Walmart DVD, DVD, CD, VCD, and miniDVD. After placing your order online, you can drop off your media at a Walmart location or utilize the included UPS shipping label. After digitalization, your DVDs will be saved in your MemoryCloud account and available for 60 days. During this period, you can view and download your digital copy to any device, including computers, smartphones, or tablets.

Pricing:

$12.96 for the first 30 minutes of digital copy
$5.46 for each additional 30 minutes
$3.96 for an extra DVD copy
$12.96 for an additional USB copy

Benefits of Using These Services:

Convenience: You don’t have to deal with any software or technical steps.
Quality Assurance: Professional services often ensure high-quality conversions and handle issues like copy protection.

How These Services Work:

Head to the service’s website to start your order for DVD to USB digitization.
Mail in your DVDs or drop them off at a local store if they have one.
The time it takes to process your digitization may vary, but soon you’ll get a USB drive with your digitized content.

Using Free DVD to USB Converters

There are several free tools that can assist you in transferring DVDs to USB. However, it’s essential to note that many free tools struggle with copy-protected DVDs, so they might not be suitable for all of your collections. Below are two of the most popular free DVD to USB converters.

Handbrake

HandBrake is a free, open-source tool that does an excellent job with unencrypted DVDs. It is mainly known for the ripping of DVD and Blu-ray discs, extracting video and audio tracks, and converting them into various digital formats so that the user can transfer the extracted content to a USB drive for playback over different devices.

key features of Handbrake:

Video Conversion: Convert to various video format, including MP4, MKV, AVI, FLV, MOV, and WEBM
DVD and Blu-ray Ripping: It extracts video and audio from DVDs/Blu-rays, bypassing region limitations
Subtitle Support: Supports subtitles in SRT, SSA, and PGS formats
Batch Processing: Convert several files at once
Video Quality Presets: Choose from predefined presets to quickly adjust video quality settings
Customizable Settings: Precise settings for encoding video, audio quality, among others
Metadata Editing: Edit metadata information like title, artist, and album

MakeMKV

MakeMKV is another free open-source application that has specialized in the ripping of DVD and Blu-ray discs into MKV. It supports some types of encryption, like AACS and BD+, but it doesn't always work with every disc.

The key features of MakeMKV include:

DVD and Blu-ray Ripping: Ripping DVDs and Blu-rays into MKV format, keeping original video and audio tracks
Region-Free Ripping: Bypass region restrictions on DVDs and Blu-rays, enabling the user to watch discs from any region in the world
Batch Processing: Rip multiple discs at the same time
Metadata Extraction: Automatically extract metadata information like title, year, and genre
Multi-Track Support: Handling discs with multiple audio tracks or subtitles

Comparing Paid vs. Free Software

To help you better compare the features of Paid vs Free DVD to USB converters, we've created a comparison table below.

Feature	DVDFab DVD Ripper (Paid)	Handbrake & MakeMKV (Free)
DVD Copy Protection Support	AACS, BD+, APS, CSS, Sony DADC, RC, and more.	Only supports basic DVD protections like AACS, and BD+
Format Support	Supports over 1000 video and audio formats	Supports only common formats like MP4, MKV; mainly MKV output for MakeMKV
Speed and Performance	Up to 50x faster ripping with GPU acceleration	Generally slower ripping speeds without advanced hardware acceleration
Customer Support	Provides customer support and regular updates	Community-based support; no official customer service
Advanced Features	AI enhancement, advanced subtitle management, meta info sync	Basic subtitle support and metadata extraction
Cost	Requires financial investment	Free

So, if you have a big DVD collection or need to work with copy-protected discs, investing in paid software like DVDFab DVD Ripper is probably the way to go. But if you’re just looking to rip a few unprotected discs, free tools could work just fine.

Tips for Successful DVD to USB Transfer

Transferring DVDs to USB devices can be a simple process, but the following tips can help things go smoothly:

1. Check USB Format

Ensure your USB drive is formatted correctly to avoid playback issues. The most common formats are:

FAT32: This format is compatible with nearly all devices but has a file size limit of 4GB.
NTFS: It works well with Windows and supports larger files; however, it may not be compatible with all devices.
exFAT: A versatile choice that works well on both Windows and macOS, allowing for huge files with no size constraints.

2. Choose the Right Format

When converting DVD to USB, choose a widely supported format like MP4. This ensures compatibility with most devices and strikes a good balance between quality and file size, making it perfect for storing your digital media.

3. Consider Storage Capacity

The size of the USB flash drive you need really depends on the DVDs you're planning to copy. A standard single-layer DVD takes up about 4.7GB, while dual-layer ones can go up to 8.5GB. If you have a large collection, it’s a good idea to get a USB drive with at least 64GB of space to fit several titles.

4. File Organization

Sorting your files into folders makes it simpler to navigate your USB drive. Consider making folders based on genre, release year, or alphabetical order. This categorization makes it easy to locate certain titles when exploring your collection.

5. Test Playback on Multiple Devices

To ensure compatibility, test your USB drive on various devices after transferring your DVDs. This step will help you confirm that the files play correctly on different media players, TVs, or computers.

FAQs About Copying DVD to USB

Is It Legal to Copy DVDs to USB?

Depending on the country in which you live, there are differences in the legality of copying DVDs. In general, personal backups made from DVDs you own are usually viewed as legal in most countries. However, since bypassing copy protections means bypassing protection built into the products in order to prevent copying, this might be a breach of copyright in some instances, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with local regulations.

Can I Use a DVD Player to Copy to USB?

Most standalone DVD players do not have the ability to directly copy DVD to USB drives. This procedure normally needs the use of a computer with a DVD drive or a specialized DVD to USB conversion service.

How Long Does It Take to Transfer DVDs to USB?

Well, it all depends on the method you use in transferring DVD to USB. If the transfer of files is directly copied, it may just take a few minutes. However, if the transfer requires the use of ripping software, it will take somewhat longer, but again, it depends on the speed of your computer and the size of the DVD. Generally, expect anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour for complete conversions.

Why can't I copy a DVD to my laptop?

Here are the reasons why you cannot copy files from a DVD to your laptop:

Damaged DVD: Scratches or damage on your DVD can prevent copying
Copy Protection: Commercial DVDs often have protections that require a special DVD ripper to bypass
Unsupported Ripper: Some DVD rippers do not support certain kinds of encryption or media types

Conclusion

Copying DVD to USB is an excellent way to save your DVD collection while enjoying easy access to your favorite movies. You can choose from several methods: use your computer with free tools like Handbrake or MakeMKV, opt for a dedicated DVD to USB converter like DVDFab DVD Ripper, or rely on professional services like CVS Photo, Forever Studios, and Walmart Photo for convenience. While all methods have their merits, DVDFab DVD Ripper stands out for its seamless conversion and high-quality output.

By digitizing your DVDs, you not only can keep them for years to come but also have the flexibility to watch the content whenever and wherever you want. Choose a method that best suits your needs, and enjoy your DVD collection hassle-free!