Do you like pandas? Movies about pandas? Movies about pandas who do Kung Fu? That's great, but it's not important right now.

Starting today, Digiarty Software is offering WinX DVD Ripper Platinum Kung Fu Edition free of charge. It normally sells for $49.95.

What's the "Kung Fu" part all about? According to a Digiarty rep, this version of the program is "branded to hail the release of [the] long-awaited 'Kung Fu Panda 2' film. It is designed with [the] new addition of 'Kung Fu Panda' image on the interface -- while [retaining] all the advanced features of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum. Kung Fu indicates power and flexibility. That's why we call it Kung Fu edition."

Ooookay. Somehow I doubt DreamWorks gave the okay to use the 'Kung Fu Panda' image in a DVD-ripping utility. But, hey, that's for Digiarty's legal department to sort out. Other than that, this is the same great utility I've used for years, but with a handful of new copy modes (such as cloning DVDs to ISO image files).

I'm glad to report that this giveaway doesn't require any Facebook "liking" or even registering via e-mail. You can download the program right here and use this code to register it: WINXRP-5357-7234-1561. (Make sure to leave out the period when you paste it in.) Doesn't get any easier than that.

As always, DVD Ripper can convert your movies to just about any format known to man: AVI, MP4, iPhone, iPad, Zune, and so on. The one and only catch is that this freebie doesn't entitle you to upgrades or technical support. (Don't worry much about the former; Digiarty seems to do these kinds of giveaways on a regular basis.)

If you don't already have a ripper in your software arsenal, I definitely recommend getting this one! The promotion runs until May 31.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-20066380-58.html#ixzz1NSpxJbqM