I was having a conversation with a co-worker about what to do with CDs and DVDs once the content has been ripped and stored on a hard drive.
Anyone with an iPod is probably familiar with ripping CDs, which copies the song file into a format that can be played by a computer, smartphone or iPod.
I have taken hours to rip my CD collection so I could put it on my iPod and take my music wherever I go.
I’ve done the same thing with my DVDs. There is software available to copy the video off the DVDs so you can play back the files on a computer, smartphone or even on your TV with the help of a set-top box like Apple TV or Roku (and others).
The convenience of having all your music and movies in a digital format is nice.
You can keep the copies in a safe place, perhaps even keeping a second copy as a backup.
There are people who would argue that copying the data from music and movie discs is not legal, but I don’t know anyone who’s been busted for ripping media for personal use.
But what should you do with the physical discs when you’re finished ripping?
I have several hundred CDs and almost as many DVDs that are taking up space in my house. Can I get rid of them?
Probably not.
You have the right to enjoy the music and movies you own, but if you no longer own the discs, you no longer have the right to keep any copies.
This means I can’t drag those bags of discs down to Half Price Books and sell them.
I also can’t donate them to Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul because they’re going to sell them to someone else. Any right to use the content of the discs is transferred to the new owner.
The best advice I can give you is to put the discs in a box for long-term storage in your attic or garage.
You might want to take the discs out of their cases and keep them in a media binder designed to hold a few hundred discs in a small amount of space.
I think that’s what I’m going to do with mine.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Jim Rossman writes for The Dallas Morning News. He may be reached at jrossman@dallasnews.com.
