ripper

Do you like pandas? Movies about pandas? Movies about pandas who do kung fu? That's great, but it's not important right now.

Starting today, Digiarty Software is offering WinX DVD Ripper Platinum Kung Fu Edition free of charge. It normally sells for $49.95.

What's the "kung fu" part all about? According to a Digiarty rep, this version of the program is "branded to hail the release of [the] long-awaited 'Kung Fu Panda 2' film. It is designed with [the] new addition of 'Kung Fu Panda' image on the interface--while [retaining] all the advanced … Read more

Over the years I've shared a variety of DVD rippers, but most of them were designed to copy your movies to other formats: iPod, Android phone, MPEG-4, and so on.

Digiarty Software's new WinX DVD Copy Pro was built for DVD backups. It can clone a disc, turn it into an ISO image file, or convert it to MPEG-2.

The program normally costs $35.95, but today only, you can get WinX DVD Copy Pro absolutely free.

The software comes courtesy of Giveaway of the Day, a great source for freebies like this one. There are no strings … Read more

Wondershare's new iMate is a multipurpose Windows utility for iPhone, iPod, and iPad owners. With it you can rip DVDs, convert videos, copy music and photos from your iDevice to your PC, create ringtones, and more.

It normally costs $59, but from now until April 2, you can get Wondershare iMate absolutely free. It's the full, unrestricted version of the program. The only catch: you don't get updates or tech support.

iMate sports an attractive, easy-to-navigate interface, with oversize buttons directing you to each of its four main areas: Music & Videos, Photos, Books, and Ringtones. If … Read more

Here's something that could have publishers quaking in their books: gadget makers continue to look for ways to do for books what the CD ripper did for music.

Ion Audio, a company known for helping vinyl-record owners digitize their music, says it will trot out sometime this summer a device called the Book Saver, according to a story on Engadget. Ion said the Book Saver is capable of digitizing a 200-page book in 15 minutes. An owner of a Book Saver, which will likely sell for $150, places a book into the scanning cradle and the device makes color … Read more

Too many music lovers rely on their media player's library and file management features, which too often aren't up to the task of finding, organizing, and even playing all your music files, not just MP3s. Mp3nity is a free all-in-one music file organizer, manager, converter, and even player. It can rip CDs, generate playlists, and convert and compress files. It has some unique tools for managing large numbers of files simultaneously, including editing tags, renaming files, and fetching updated information online.

Mp3nity has an efficient layout that does a good job displaying tons of information, though of course … Read more

In recent months I've showcased maybe half a dozen DVD rippers, and every time I've received e-mail from people asking if these freebies can handle Blu-ray Discs.

Today's freebie can. From now until January 10, you can download Digiarty WinX Bluray Ripper (Win) absolutely free. Use license code AB-TQUQYZGY-PFRNUT (no spaces before or after!) to register the software.

The full name of the product is actually WinX Bluray DVD iPhone Ripper. That should answer a question you may have, which is: can it also rip regular DVDs? (Yes. Yes, it can.)

But only for iPhones? In fact, … Read more

Ready for one last sweet freebie before the year runs out? It might be something you already have (especially if you're a regular Cheapskate reader), but I can't not write about it.

From now until Dec. 27, iSkysoft's iMedia Converter (Win) is available free of charge, no strings attached. It normally sells for $49.

Update: To get the software, you must have a Facebook account.

The program offers two core functions. First, it rips DVDs (even protected ones) to just about any format: iPod, iPhone, Zune, etc. It can also rip just the audio from, say, a … Read more

Let's say I own the box set of TV's most criminally canceled show, "Firefly." Now let's say I want to watch some episodes on my iPhone. Or iPad. Or even just my laptop. Do I really have to spend more money to buy or rent them from Amazon or iTunes?

Not if I have a good DVD ripper, which copies movies and TV shows from the discs I already own and converts them to other formats (like, say, iPhone-friendly MP4).

Rippers often sell for $30, $40, or even more--but I have a pair you can … Read more

Facebook "liking" is the new coupon code. In recent months I've seen lots of offers for free or discounted goodies in exchange for liking a company. Do I feel a little icky about pimping those companies to my FB friends? Sometimes. Do I like free stuff even more? You know it!

From now until Sept. 25, Facebook users can get Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate 5.4.2 free just by liking Wondershare. The program normally sells for $65.95.

Video Converter Ultimate lives up to its name by converting just about any video format to just about … Read more