iMovie '09 will read from an unencrypted DVD, but it's not as straightforward as you'd expect. The process below will allow you to load your custom DVD video into iMovie, assuming you can see the .VOB files on the DVD.

Typically when looking at the folders on a DVD (in PC Explorer or Mac Finder) you'll see 2 folders. In the VIDEO_TS folder you'll find some IFO and some VOB files. The VOB's are the video files. If there's just one video you want off the DVD, it's typically the largest .vob file.

If you're on a PC, you can often just copy this file to your hard drive and rename it to end in .mpg, and you have a usable file.

To import the .vob file into iMovie '09 on a Mac:

1. Insert the DVD. If it automatically begins playing full screen, you can use the Escape key to get out of the full-screen mode in DVD Player. Quit DVD Player or any other player that started.
2. Open up Disk Utilities (found in Applications >> Utilities).
3. Select the DVD from the list on the left, then click the "New Image" icon. Choose your disk image name, location, and leave the default options. This will take a few minutes, resulting in a new disk image (.dmg) on your hard drive.
4. When it's finished, it will now appear on the left side of the Disk Utilities window. We're not finished yet, this alone isn't enough. Start iMovie. With iMovie open in the background, go back to Disk Utilities and double-click the disk image. This will bring up a brief window stating it is Attaching the Disk Image. When it's finished, iMovie will pop up a screen prompting you to import from the Disk Image.
5. Select the movie(s) you want to import and click the Import button. Now we're finished!