I want to use some bits of a film in a language class but I have just spent a frustrating couple of hours trying unsuccessfully to do it.

Does anyone know of any software that is free to download which would enable me to cut bits out of a DVD? Ideally I would like the bits I cut out to follow on from one another (each snippet is only a couple of minutes long) but I would settle for just embedding them into power point on separate slides if that's easier.

Well, DVDs have copy protection (due to the fact it is illegal to copy them).

So I think the answer is that you don't! ;o)

It is illegal to copy the whole thing but educational establishements have an agreement which involves paying money to be able to show films (or parts of) to pupils for educational purposes. Usually I just take the DVD and show one scene but I have seen other teacher's show little bits that they have cut out and, for the purpose of what I want to teach this time, this is what I need to do.

If I had been more organised I could have got someone on the technical staff of the university to do it for me but this would have meant deciding several months ago that this was what I wanted to do and this is a new class that I'm teaching this year and so my ideas are changing as I'm teaching. Since most of the other stuff that the technical staff can do for use (with several months notice) we do ourselves because it is quicker, I thought this would be similarly simple.

I have used Handbrake on mac. It is available for Windows.
http://handbrake.fr/

It doesn't decrypt protected DVDs so if it is protected, you need an additional plug in. I haven't done this but there is one called DVD43
http://www.dvd43.com/

Once you have ripped the DVD (or titles from it) you will need to edit it to get the bit you want. I use Quicktime on the mac for simple stuff or iMovie, I'm not sure what is available for PC but I'm sure there will be free video editors available. Microsoft Movie Maker is installed on Windows XP machines, but I know nothing about it.

http://shinywhitebox.com/ishowu-v1/

This link takes to you a program which allows you to record what is on your computer screen. This way you could play the DVD on your screen then record the scenes you want and save them individually.

The reason why software to do this isn't very widely available is due to American legislation. 'Fair use' of copyrighted material such as your case is permitted. However, thanks to lobbying by Hollywood, the distribution or use of software which circumvents copy protection is illegal in the USA, making it impossible to exercise one's right to such fair use. Bonkers, or what?

Free software projects such as VideoLAN, which enable such circumvention, have to operate entirely outside of America in order to survive.

Thanks for this Owain - it is very straightforward to use and is enabling me to do exactly what I wanted

Reading this I thought it might solve my problem of transferring dvd to my zen player for travelling but I couldn't work it out at all.