Today only: Free software rips Blu-ray, DVD movies Regular Cheapskate readers know of my fondness for Giveaway of the Day,DVD Ripper the site that serves up a daily helping of free software.

Regular readers also know that I'm always on the lookout for a good DVD ripper,dvd to avi as I like to archive my discs for viewing on my media-center PCs and convert them for viewing on my iPhone, iPod, etc.

Today's giveaway, LeKuSoft DVD Ripper, has one ace up its sleeve compared with other rippers I've featured: it decrypts and rips not only regular DVDs, but also Blu-rays.

To grab this freebie for yourself, follow these instructions:

Before midnight tonight (PT), head to the product page, scroll down a bit, and click "Download LeKuSoft DVD Ripper now." Also before midnight tonight, open the downloaded file, then open readme. Next,DVD Ripper run Setup.exe. When it's done, launch LeKuSoft DVD Ripper.

When presented with the Registration box, copy the registration name and number from the readme file into the appropriate fields. Click Register and you're done!dvd to avi

I should point out that a number of commenters on the GotD product page encountered an error when trying to rip a disc. I just ripped a couple tracks (in iPod Touch format) from my "Schoolhouse Rock" DVD, and the program worked without a hitch. That was on a Compaq laptop running Windows 7 64-bit.

I've yet to try a Blu-ray, so I don't know how it'll fare with that kind of media. I do know that I have one gripe with the program: it insists on assigning a "chapter" filename to each ripped movie, so you have to manually rename your files after the fact.

On the other hand, it includes profiles for just about every output format imaginable,DVD Ripper and did I mention it's free? If you've yet to snag yourself a DVD ripper (to say nothing of a Blu-ray ripper),dvd to avi you've got nothing to lose by giving this one a try.