Convert iTunes video M4V to AVI, WMV, MPEG, etc

iTunes monopolization

"I purchased videos on iTunes, but I can't play them on my video player, because they are in some 'protected' M4V format that only works on iPods. How can I convert iTunes videos to MPEG or WMV format so I can play them on My portable video device?"

Many people are frustrated when they purchase videos on iTunes, and then find out they can't play those iTunes video on their portable player, PDA or cell phone.
Apple, provider of the popular iTunes service only allowed customers play the iTunes video with portable players manufactured by itself (iPod, iPhone).

Those with other brands of portable video players such as Archos and Creative Zen players are comparably priced, have much larger screens, and will play almost any video format, including the standard MPEG, AVI, DivX, and Windows-only WMV files. But iTunes will not copy a protected M4V video to any of these non-iPod devices.

So, here is the reason why we need to convert the iTunes video:
1. To play videos on operating systems where iTunes does not exist, such as Linux.
2. To use a non-Apple portable video player to play iTunes video.
3. To watch your videos in the car, or the big screen in your living room
4. To loan the video to a friend, just like you'd do with a book, record or CD


How to convert iTunes video to MPEG, WMV, AVI
I searched on Google, Yahoo answers and post the question on large number of forums, unfortunately, after scouring the Web for days, I couldn't find a FREE way to convert M4V to MPEG, WMV or AVI format.

Then I tried to burn the iTunes video onto a DVD and re-import it into iTunes just like how to remove the protection from the iTunes audios (M4P) by burning it onto a CD and re-import it as mp3. I failed, cause iTunes doesn’t have a DVD burning option, then I used Nero, but it still doesn’t work as Nero doesn’t supports M4V format.

And finally, a software solution. I came across a few kinds of converters on Google search, they are Tunebite, Daniusoft and Noteburner. When I was testing the free trials one by one, what makes me comfortable is the Daniusoft media converter which has a much more simple interface (which I captured from its website below) and usage, it lets you convert copy-protected M4V iTunes video clips to unprotected WMV and other video with only three steps (Add files->Choose output format->Conversion). And this media converter "watches" as you play the video on your screen and captures the video stream, which can then be saved in the format you choose. According to the Daniusoft website, This DRM media converter does not circumvent DRM copy-protection technology, so it is completely legal. It costs US$35, but you can download a trial version that will convert the first 60 seconds of the video for free.



Finally, please remember to keep the converted iTunes video files only for personal use because of the restrictions imposed by iTunes. Otherwise, it might be smarter (and possibly cheaper) to just buy the video on disk.