When Paramount released “Interstellar” in early 2015, they did so with a variety of restrictions. When purchasing the movie from their website, you could either buy and download a DRM-restricted version or purchase an unprotected DVD. Unfortunately, their protection scheme was fairly robust; it encoded the video with an obscure video codec that only worked on certain applications. Fortunately, there are ways to rip a DVD from Paramount Plus so that you can enjoy this great film anywhere you like. This article will help you understand what we’re doing here and how to achieve it using Windows as our operating system. There isn’t much to this process and it requires just a few simple steps before enjoying your favorite film wherever you wish!
What is Paramount Plus?
Paramount Plus is simply an online service that allows you to purchase and download DRM-restricted video content. This means that the video is restricted to viewing within the specific application that is used to play it back. If you rip the video from the application, there are numerous ways to decrypt it and playback the video with other software. This can be done in quite a few ways, including using the VLC Media Player. There are several websites that sell Paramount Plus videos that can be accessed with a single account. Unfortunately, the quality of these DVDs isn’t great and they’re encoded using an obscure video codec that only works with a handful of applications.
Converting a DVD into Video
The first thing you’ll want to do is rip the DVD using software that can support the specific codec used to encode the video. For this job, we recommend using a program called Handbrake. It’s open-source, free and extremely reliable. There are other options, but Handbrake is the best and one of the easiest programs to use. There are a few settings you’ll want to change in order to successfully rip the disc, but these settings are easy to configure and you can follow along with this article for assistance if you’re stuck. – Video Source: You’ll want to plug in the DVD drive you’ll be ripping from. This will automatically load the disc and allow you to rip it. – Video Codec: When ripping Paramount Plus DVDs, you’ll want to use the MPEG-4 Video codec. This is a common format that works well with almost any player and will play just fine on your mobile devices. – Audio Codec: Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to extract the audio from the disc. Instead, we’ll want to use the audio that is stored on the disc and re-encode it into MP3 format.
Downloading and Installing VLC Media Player
When you’re done ripping the disc, you’ll need to download and install VLC Media Player. This is a free media player that supports a large number of video file formats. We’ll use it to view the ripped video and remove the encryption that Paramount used to restrict it. – Download the latest VLC Media Player from the official website. Once installed, copy the DVD video file into the “VLC Media” directory that is created when you install the program. This will allow the program to play the video and also let you edit it. – When you load the video, you’ll notice that there is a warning symbol displayed next to it. This indicates that the video is encrypted and VLC cannot decrypt it. – Click on the “Tools” menu option and select “Convert / Save.” This will open the conversion menu where you can change the settings and remove the encryption.
Ripping the DVD
– Click on “Audio” and change the settings to MP3. This will let the audio play, but it won’t be encoded in the original format. You’ll want to do the same for the video settings and switch the codec to “MPEG-4.” – If you’re ripping a disc with multiple videos, you’ll want to change the “Save as type” option from “MPEG-4 Files” to “MPEG-4 Files (*.mp4)”. This will ensure that the program doesn’t change the video file name. – Click “OK” to finish changing the settings and rip the video. This process can take a few minutes, so be sure to wait until it’s finished before continuing.
Enjoying the Movie with VLC
Once the video is ripped, you’ll want to load it back into VLC Media Player. This will allow you to remove the encryption and play the video without the original restrictions. – Click on “Open” and select the ripped DVD video. You’ll notice that the “Convert / Save” menu opens and the video is no longer protected. – If you’re using a mobile device or another computer that doesn’t support MP3 audio, you can select “MP3 Audio” and click “Save As” to save the decrypted video to your computer.
Conclusion
Ripping a DVD from Paramount Plus isn’t easy, but it’s definitely worth it. The movies are high quality, the discs are inexpensive and there are no subscription fees or hidden charges. The only downside to this is the protection that Paramount uses; their DVDs are encrypted and can only be played on certain applications. Fortunately, there are programs like VLC that allow you to rip the disc and play it back without restriction. This makes the DVD a great choice for anyone who wants to watch a movie on the go and isn’t interested in streaming platforms.
