MPEG Streamclip, what am i doing wrong?

I thought MPEG Streamclip was free.

I've got some backup videos i've shot and stored on DVD in case of a worse case situation. And that worse case situation happened when my hard drive died.

So now i'm trying to pull the footage off of my DVD's using MPEG Streamclip because I was told that is the best way to do it. However, when i go to load the DVD in and export it as a quicktime movie it tells me...

You must install the MPEG-2 Playback Component before trying to export MPEG2 files! You can buy it online from Apple:
www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2

... i go to the site but i don't see what i'm suppose to be downloading. and it says 'you can buy it online', so i'm assuming it's not free.

even when i try and open the DVD in Streamclip it gives me another warning saying that i don't have the component installed and to go to the same site and that it'll cost about $20.

i'm confused because everyone tells me this MPEG Streamclip is free, but i can't seem to do what i want because it's telling me to pay $20. And on top of that, I don't understand where to go to on the link they gave me to pay for this $20 component in order to rip my DVD's

I used to use MPEG Streamclip a lot but since Mountain Lion (I think) I ran into the same issue. I have not been able to get the MPEG 2 Playback component to install and haven't bothered to take the time to figure it out.

Try Handbrake. It's free and it's been working fine for me although I do a lot less ripping from DVDs than in the past anyway. There is also a $20 app called Ripit that I have used. I think it has a free trial.

mpeg streamclip is free. However, it may need to use OS components that are not be free. Handling DVDs is one of the situations were it needs a non free OS component.

Follow anickt's advise and use Handbrake. It has worked well for me the rare times I've needed to pull data off of a DVD.

It is in the Apple Online Store.
store.apple.com/us/product/D2187Z/A/quic...mponent-for-mac-os-x

Ben, that page starts with this note:

On OS X Lion and later, MPEG-2 playback functionality is built into QuickTime X. The QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component is not required and cannot be installed.

I'm guessing that most people that don't have it are running Lion or later. Sending them to the apple store doesn't help.

Although, if they do purchase it I think it is possible to install by hand (move AppleMPEG2Codec.component to /Library/QuickTime/ with the appropriate privileges.

I was only correcting the previous statement that the QT page had no information about where to download the plugin. I did not "recommend" everyone go there. And it does come with an installer, so no manual installing necessary. And newer OS versions don't need it, correct.

There seems to be a disconnect, here.

Yes, the installer doesn't work on newer versions of OS X, however...

The component is STILL NEEDED for those who want/need to use MPEG Streamclip. That's the subject of this topic, no?