Ripping is the process of copying the audio or video data from one media form, such as a DVD or CD, to a computer hard drive. The copied data is usually encoded in a compressed format such as MP3 or WMA for audio, or MPEG-4 or DivX for video in order to conserve storage space.

DVD Ripping was once an extensive complicated process that is continuously becoming easier for an average consumer to understand. Making a DVD rip is now as simple as loading a program and hitting copy.

You can either use a program that copies your DVD to a blank one, or one which converts it to a smaller format for use on your pc or portable device. These smaller formats are significantly compressed, 600 megs on average versus 4+ gigs for a DVD.

There is something you need to keep in mind when making a dvd rip however, the type of DVD. A dual-layer disc will hold 8.5 Gigabytes per disc, compared to 4.7 Gigabytes for single-layer discs. This means you will need to use extra compression, depending on the type of DVD rip you intend to make.

Originally, only single layer discs were available for recording, limiting the options of making a true exact copy of a larger movie. Dual layer discs and recorders that support them are now much more popular.

When looking for programs the can do a DVD rip for you, you'll usually see two types. Ones which are either touting high quality, or ease of use. The harder to learn programs will generally offer a much higher video standard, but require a high level of understanding and take long to make a rip.

The easy programs will usually offer worse quality, but make a rip faster and with little stress on the user. Just find the application that is best for your needs, and start ripping!

I'd advise you to ask a few friends of yours who have had experience with Ripping (everyone has such friends!) or go directly to Download.com or any other software website and read some expert opinions.

John Layton is the author of How to Make A DVD Rip and can provide additional tips and advise at his website http://www.fastdvdcopy.info and http://www.dvd-ripnow.info he also publishes a daily blog at http://www.internetsighting.info