Sorry, but I'm not rippin'

Question

Yesterday my post was removed becouse someone thought I was trying to ask for something illegal.
I have seen this same subject in this forums for many times, and I think this should be fixed in some way.
When someone asks for help in importing a DVD to do some editing to it, there is a posibility that that DVD is a comercial one is trying to do an illegal copy, but there are also many chances that just don't (family movie's for example).
I feel really upset. If someone have read my post it was clear that I was trying not to do anything illegal.
I have a DVD of one of my gigs with my band, that a friend has recorded. He just made a DVD with random chapters, and that is all I have, no original material. So a DVD of a gig where you can't have the chapters at the start of each song seems ridiculous. I didn't want the friend who did the DVD to reencode it again, and don't know if he will have the original DV files, so I just want to do it myself.
Where is the illegal action here?
Please it will be fine if in this forum this subject is clearly defined, One feels really bad when is accused with no oportunity to defend (the post was removed without asking).

Answer 1

To cut to the chase:
You need to convert the VOB files on the DVD back to DV which iMovie is designed to handle. For that you need mpegStreamclip:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
which is free, but you must also have the Apple mpeg2 plugin :
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/
which is a mere $20.
Another possibility is to use DVDxDV:
http://www.dvdxdv.com/NewFolderLookSite/Products/DVDxDV.overview.htm
which costs $25.
For the benefit of others who may read this thread:
Obviously the foregoing only applies to DVDs you have made yourself, or other home-made DVDs that have been given to you. It will NOT work on copy-protected commercial DVDs, which in any case would be illegal.