How do I work around the newer DVD copy protection? [more inside]
posted by wastelands on Dec 15, 2008 - 19 answers

Is there any good, free UNIX/Linux software you can suggest for keeping a searchable index of removable media? [more inside]
posted by tommorris on Nov 25, 2008 - 7 answers

Can you recommend an upconverting DVD player with component output that ignores region coding and allows me to perform any action at any time? [more inside]
posted by odinsdream on Sep 24, 2008 - 10 answers

Is there any software (preferably for OSX) that I can use to scan a used XBox disc for bad sectors? The format is DVD, so I suppose a normal DVD scanning program could do the job. I just want to be sure that the whole game works before my guarantee expires and I'm unable to return it.
posted by Aanidaani on Jan 20, 2007 - 2 answers

What are some good ideas for storing 1K+ dvds? [more inside]
posted by folktrash on Jun 6, 2005 - 17 answers

Crud-tolerant DVD players. My new-ish Sony commonly locks or hiccups on Netflix discs, but I've read that other people go years without problems, and googling reveals that Sony players may be particularly prone to this. What models or brands of DVD players (not PC drives) are good at handling worn/scratched/dirty discs?
posted by NortonDC on Dec 22, 2004 - 29 answers

I would like to totally rid myself of VHS tapes. But I have about 40 of them that I'd like to transfer onto DVDs before I trash them. After that, I will never use a VHS tape again. What's the best route to go in my situation? Buy a VHS-to-DVD converter? Pay to have this done?

Most of it is stuff I taped off of TV years ago. Episodes of TV shows that have never come out on DVD, etc. Is it legal for me to do the transfer? It's not stuff that's for sale. I assume that it was legal (or in some legal gray area) for me to tape the stuff in the first place, so is it legal for me to make backups? I have no plan to sell them to anyone else. The quality is horrible, anyway. But I want to save them before they totally disintegrate.
posted by grumblebee on Jun 20, 2004 - 18 answers