Redbox and HandBreak Make a Great Combo for Busy Movie Lovers- But Is It Legal?

Just like our eyes can be too big for our stomachs, our minds can be too busy for our actual lives. How many times have you rented a movie only to have to take it back sight unseen? It’s always aggravated me to rent from Blockbuster and worry about return dates as a movie I was really hot for cooled off on top of the DVD player. Life intervened and I was either too tired, too busy, or not in the right mood for that movie. Redbox came along and I thought I would be able to strike while the mood was hot. Spontaneously pick up a flick, watch it that night and return it for the bargain price of $1.00. Then, the same thing started happening and I was racking up late fees by falling prey to the dreaded “gonna watch it tonight” affliction. That red disc and my account suffered the same Blockbuster fate. Even tried NetFlix, but there was something just shy of OCD that made me anxious seeing DVD envelopes laying around for weeks, waiting to be “watched.” Here’s a solution.

I’m a Mac person, so I have an Apple computer and Apple TV. Even if you are PC based, you probably library your music on your computer through iTunes. You’ll need to get a free download of a program called HandBreak. It’s available online here, and works on both Windows and Mac systems. This program is beautiful in that it decrypts coded DVD’s and copies them onto your computer. Once a movie is finished and on your desktop, open iTunes and drag it into the movies tab and you’re done. From there you have a couple of choices. You can watch it from your computer. Or, if you have a hard drive based system that connects to your TV (like Apple TV, or an Xbox), you can stream the movie through your house WiFi and watch it on your TV in your own time.

You can convince yourself that you’re not technically violating copyright laws because you’re not selling or giving away copies (DON’T!). In fact, these copies are only playable on your iTunes computer library or by streaming them from iTunes to your TV. You’re only using them in the privacy of your home and after all, you did pay something in exchange for the rental.

If you want to take your civil liability life in your hands, feel free to live dangerously and try this one: Run your movie through HandBreak and click on “iPhone/iTouch” as the recording resolution. Go through the regular process and drag it to iTunes. Now, dock your iPhone or iTouch device and synch the movie to it. Perfect solution when going on a trip. Instead of renting an iTunes movie at $5 with a 24hr shelf life once you start playing it, get 5 movies from Red Box and load them up for the trip to watch whenever you want to. Or, just go crazy and store a bunch on your travel laptop.

So, I think I’ve resolved my previous affliction. I don’t feel pressured to watch a movie the day that I get it, as long as I remember to pop it in my computer and transfer it when I first arrive home. Now if I could just remember to get the Redbox DVD out of my car glove box and into the store!

Tags: Apple, iphone