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DVD Downloads Made Easy

By Technology Last updated Tuesday, June/04/2024

Software You'll Need

The BitTorrent system works by downloading a small file from a website, called a torrent file, and then using that file to connect to a peer-to-peer network via software such as BitTorrent or Tomato Torrent.

You'll be searching for .iso files, which contain all the data files of a DVD and are the equivalent of a DVD disk image. In order to mount the .iso file to your desktop so that you can copy it to DVD, you'll need a program that mounts .iso files to a "virtual CD/DVD drive" such as Magic ISO. You'll also need software to burn the image to a DVD-R disc such as Nero or Roxio Easy Media Creator.

Once you have the software you need, you can search for the DVD you are looking for at a bit torrent website like isohunt.com or piratebay.org. Type in the title of the DVD you're searching for and look through the results to find a torrent that contains files in .iso format. It helps to add the search term "DVD" or "ISO" to the title of the movie you're looking for in order to find files that are easily burnable to DVD. You will need to be able to view the files contained within each torrent file to be certain that you're downloading the movie in the right format.

For example, entering "Twilight DVD" in the isohunt.com search engine immediately brings up a list of ripped copies of the DVD in .iso format that are easily burnable to DVD-R. An easy tip to remember is that a legitimate .iso file should have a file size of 8 gigabytes or more.

After you've downloaded the correct .iso file, depending on your DVD burning software, you may need to "mount" the .iso file to your system--which means "tricking" your computer into reading the .iso file as a physical DVD loaded in a DVD drive--before you can copy it. Because it's software-dependent, you'll have to consult the help documentation for your software program to find out if you need to mount the .iso file first, or if you can copy it directly to DVD.

Once you've made this determination, you load either a mounted disc image, or the direct .iso file in your DVD burning software and burn the file to a DVD-R disc. Most software programs will compress the file information to fit on a standard 4.3 gigabyte DVD-R for you. But, for the best video and sound quality, you should use 8.5 gigabyte DVD+R DL (double layer) discs and a DVD+R DL capable DVD burner.