I can import (RIP) my music CD's but not my DVD movies. Huh?

Question

All I want is to be able to watch my DVD movies through iTunes/Apple TV on my HDTV. Is that so much to ask for? Apparently so. At least with iTunes (although from a quick Google there are "those we do not speak of" third-party apps that'll do the job). And yet oddly enough it's no problem importing my CD music collection. So what's the difference between the music industry and movie studios copy-right protection in this case and Apple's position?
I've wanted to import my DVD movies for a while but haven't gotten around to it. I thought it would be a simple process. Little did I know, and should have realized after an early try to play a DVD movie in iTunes and the fact that Apple TV would not allow it either (main reason I didn't purchase it when first released). But isn't that the point of it, to play movies? Before the advent of Apple TV and other movie download sites there were DVD's. Or have they forgotten this? It didn't make any sense except greed. That Apple and the movie studios want us to have to repurchase all of our DVD movie collections. But not music CD's?
It's my DVD movie. I paid for it. I own it. I should be able to copy it to my Mac for playback either from iTunes or Apple TV, more so since I no longer have a DVD player. That's the whole point of all this digital technology. All my music and movies,..etc in one place, transportable, streamable. Which brings me back full circle to my question; "Why can I import (rip) my CD music collection into iTunes but not my DVD movies? This is a contradiction.
< Edited by Host >

Answer 1

I've wanted to import my DVD movies for a while but haven't gotten around to it. I thought it would be a simple process
It would be if the law didn't make it difficult and/or illegal.
So what's the difference between the music industry and movie studios copy-right protection in this case
CDs generally aren't copy protected. Commercial video DVDs are almost all copy protected.
and Apple's position?
Apple's position is that since breaking the copy protection is illegal, there's nothing they can to vis-a-vis iTunes and the Apple TV. If you want to read up on one company's attempts to come up with software that can import a DVD and the movie industry's reaction, read this:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2345931,00.asp
It's my DVD movie.
No, it's not. It's your physical DVD. It's not your movie.
I paid for it. I own it.
No, you don't. You own the physical DVD. You've purchased certain rights to use the content on the DVD.
I should be able to copy it to my Mac for playback either from iTunes or Apple TV, more so since I no longer have a DVD player.
Yes, you should. But the movie industry doesn't want you to do it and as such has gotten legislation written in the US and some other countries that prevent you from legally copying the DVD to any other medium. The answer the movie industry has come up with, though with only limited adoption thus far, is the "digital copy" included with some DVDs.
Bottom line, as has been said many times: US law makes it illegal to break the copy protection on any medium, be it CD, DVD or anything else.
Enough said. There's absolutely nothing Apple can do about this unless and until such time as the law is changed.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer