While doing all my experimenting with the Boxee Box I did come across one major stumbling block – how to watch all my DVD’s using just the Boxee Box. The problem is that, under copyright laws, you cannot make copies of your DVD’s so you cannot store them on your computer. The studios have put various types of copyright protection on almost all disks to prevent mass copying and trading of DVD’s. I actually support this since everyone involved in the movie making process deserves some money – they don’t make these movies for free. What I do have a problem with is that I cannot make a backup copy of my DVD’s. Things happen to DVD’s – they get scratched, broken, etc. I’ve legally purchased my DVD so I think I should be able to have a backup copy for myself. I have never bootlegged any of my DVD’s and I never plan on doing that.

I tried several programs, free and paid for, that are supposed to be able to allow the owner to make copies of their DVD’s. The one product I found that works simply and easily is Slysoft’s AnyDVD. It does one thing and it does it well – it makes an exact copy of your DVD for backup (the file name ends with .iso). This program does cost money about $50 depending on whether you want updates for 1 year, 2 years, etc.. The updates are done to keep the program current on new protection methods the DVD makers come up with. This is definitely one of those cases where you get what you pay for. I just want a safe, easy way to do the job and this accomplishes it. On average each DVD takes about 20 minutes and 4-7GB of space to copy. This can start taking up a lot a space quickly so be prepared to get an external backup drive. I’m putting everything on a 2TB drive.

The major benefit of backing up my DVD’s with this method is that the Boxee Box can read these .iso files as if they are the actual DVD. Once I tell the Boxee Box where the movie files are located it then scans that source all the files. It does an amazing job of gathering cover art and a description of the movie to display all your movies in one spot. There are the occasional problems where the wrong version of the movie is shown, such as a remake of a movie - it seems to pick the earlier version.

Here is the great part - when using the Boxee Box clicking on the movie you want to watch it doesn’t just play the movie it plays it like you just inserted a DVD! You get the menu with all the usual options: Play Movie, Scene Selection, Bonus Materials, etc. You use the Boxee Remote to move the pointer on the screen just like you would with you DVD remote. It’s like having all your DVD’s in a giant juke box.

This is great way to make backups of DVD’s you’ve purchased with the added benefit of being able to watch them with the Boxee Box.