Is there a way to rip DVDs to a format my ipad can read?

You want Handbrake. There is a iPad preset.

There is a Mac, Windows, and Linux version available.

Here’s an article from Macworld on Handbrake with some thoughts on the legalities of it. I happen to agree, philosophically, with the author, that if I have purchased a DVD, not one I’ve rented or checked out from the library, that it is mine and that I should be able to also watch it on my iPad if I want to. However, if you are uncomfortable with it, your only option, I believe, is to purchase films, or programs from iTunes for your daughter to watch.

Thanks guys. I really would only be using it for DVDs that I own. I don’t pirate music or movies, and if someone gives me a CD copy of some music and I like them I always buy the music. I feel the same way about rented movies.

@Rarebear I agree. And I didn’t think you were the pirate type. :-) I just think sometimes the anti-pirating protocols, and I do understand the motivation behind them, make it difficult to use what I have purchased legally in ways that I, at least think, really should be o.k. I don’t pirate either. But I don’t see any reason why a DVD that I have purchased shouldn’t allow me to watch it on more more than one medium. If I buy a Kindle book from Amazon I can download it to my Kindle, my iPad and my computer, or my phone. I can have the same book on all of my “devices.” That seems pretty reasonable to me.

It doesn’t matter if you own them, it’s still illegal. Who cares though?

If you use windows Handbrake is good but you’ll need another program to bypass the DVD copy protection. AnyDVD is good.

@Lightlyseared :: Really? The Mac version takes care of all the DeCSS crap. Kinda shocked the windows version doesn’t do the same.

I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. When I do I’ll report back.

@johnpowell yeah with out the extra program to bypass the CSS all you get is static. AnyDVD is pretty good. It sits in the background and removes pretty much every type of copy protection and region encoding without any user input. You just use handbrake as normal and it does the rest. It can also copy DVD’s to HD and make images etc. Also if you just play a DVD as normal on say windows media player it automatically skips all the advertising crap etc and takes you right to the menu which is nice.