Convert DVD to digital – Top 3 Free Methods to Convert DVD to digital Files

Kevin Miller

November 06, 2023 07:49Posted by to Rip DVD

Converting DVD to digital files is enormously helpful as it provides a convenient backup to safeguard against data loss due to disc damage. Furthermore, it enables you to enjoy your movies and music on a wide range of devices, including iPhone, Android, PS4, smart TVs, and more. Wondering how to convert DVDs to digital formats and which file formats are the best choice?

If you are not tech-savvy, the process might seem to be complicated. DVD to digital converter is a nice choice to encode your physical disc to digital videos that can be played on any device. Here the article rounds up the very best three methods to make the DVD to digital conversion a breeze. What you need to do is read this post carefully and choose a desired method accordingly.

Convert DVD To Digital For Free

Note: Some software provides decryption features for discs, but it's essential to use them only for personal or legal purposes.

The Performance Comparison of the 3 DVD Rippers

Software OS Output Formats Pros Cons
Free DVD Ripper Windows 11/10/8/7 200+ formats, like MP4, MOV, M4V, AVI, WMV, MKV, FLV, MP3, etc Wide output format compatibility
Preview and edit DVD videos
Customizable options for video and audio
Limited to Windows
HandBrake Windows 10 and later/
macOS 10.13 and later/
Linux Flatpak
MP4, MKV, and WebM Device presets for various devices or platforms
Highly customizable
Real-time video preview
Limited output format options.
Allows preview for only the first 4 minutes.
MakeMKV Windows XP or later/
Mac OS X 10.7 or later/
Linux
MKV Free in beta
Quality preservation
DVD and Blu-ray decryption
Exports in MKV format only
No GPU acceleration

Part 1. How to Convert DVD to Digital in Free DVD Ripper

Free DVD Ripper is an ultimate DVD-to-digital converter to convert DVDs to MP3, MP4, FLV, and other formats. Even if you want to turn DVDs into iPhone, Android, or other digital devices, you can get more than 200 video formats and presets with ease. Moreover, you can also customize and edit the output files according to your requirements.

DVD Ripper Banner
Free DVD Ripper
  • Convert DVDs to MP4, AVI, FLV, or other 200 digital video formats.
  • Rip DVD movies on iPhone, iPad, iPod, Samsung, HTC and Android.
  • Preview and edit DVD videos with the built-in video editor.
  • Provide custom options for advanced users to create special effects.

Free Download

For Windows

Secure Download

Quick steps to turn DVD into digital

Step 1.Download and install DVD to digital converter

Make sure you insert your optical disc into your DVD drive. Once you install Free DVD Ripper on your computer, you can launch the program to load the DVD. Click the Load Disc button to load the DVD into the program.

BD Free DVD Ripper

Step 2.Choose the output digital formats

Click the Profile menu to select MP4 or MP3 as the output format. You can preview it with the built-in media player on the right side. Click the Edit menu on the top ribbon to further edit the video files, in which you can crop videos, add effects or watermarks, and more.

BD Load DVD

Step 3.Convert DVD to digital copy for free

If you are satisfied with the result, you can set the destination folder by clicking the Browse button. Finally, click the Convert button at the bottom right side to trigger the DVD to digital conversion. After that, you can enjoy the DVD on an iPhone or other desired digital device.

Note: It only takes a few minutes to convert a double-layer DVD since the program integrates hardware and software acceleration.

BD Rip DVD

Part 2. How to Free Convert DVD to Digital in HandBrake

HandBrake is a go-to DVD ripper for users looking to turn their Blu-rays and DVDs into digital formats like MP4, MKV, or WebM. It has presets for lots of devices, so you can easily set it up for Android, Apple, Fire TV, PlayStation, and more. When it comes to audio and video settings, HandBrake's got you covered with options like AV1, H.265, H.264, AAC, MP3, FLAC, and more.

Step 1.Insert the DVD into the drive and open HandBrake.

Step 2.Click the Open Source button at the top right of the interface to select your DVD.

Step 3.Select a Title from the Title dropdown list. Then choose a preset from options like General, Web, Devices, etc.

Step 4.At the bottom, choose a place to save your digital copy in the Save All section.

Step 5.Click the Start Encode button at the top of the interface. HandBrake will convert the DVD to digital format.

Handbrake

Part 3. How to Free Convert DVD to Digital in MakeMKV

MakeMKV is a popular DVD ripper that is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. As its name indicates, it can convert videos, DVDs, and Blu-ray into MKV format only. The cool thing is that it keeps all your video and audio tracks intact, including things like chapters and languages. Besides, it's completely free to use while it's in beta.

Step 1.Insert the DVD into your computer's DVD drive and launch MakeMKV.

Step 2.You will see the DVD icon spinning as it starts to scan the content of your DVD.

Step 3.Once it stops spinning, click on the big DVD icon. It takes a while to process the titles and open the DVD. After it finishes, there is a sentence at the bottom saying "Operation successfully completed".

Step 4.At the top, you'll see a list of titles and chapters. Select the title (usually the one with the most content).

Step 5.Choose the Output folder on the right. Then click the Make MKV button beside it to turn the DVD into digital.

Makemkv

Part 4. What Should Be the Best Format to Convert DVD to Digital Copy

Most DVDs store videos in the standard MPEG-2 format. The file extensions are usually VOB or VOD. Though MP4 is widely used anywhere, MPG is the best output format when converting DVDs to digital files. It not only produces the best video quality but also generates small file sizes. Here are some frequently used video formats you should take for reference.

Convert DVD to WEBM: When you need to use the output video formats on YouTube or websites, WEBM is a video format that is relatively small in size and high in quality.

Convert DVD to MPG/MPEG: Just as mentioned, to preserve the best quality of the DVD video, converting DVD to digital format as MPG or MPEG should be a nice option.

Convert DVD to MP4: MP4 is one of the most frequently used video formats, which you can use for iPhone, iPad, Android, smart TV, and most of the other digital devices.

Convert DVD to AVI/WMV: AVI has different video codecs, which you to have more flexibility in choosing a balance between quality and size. If you need to convert DVDs to digital formats for Windows, WMV should be the choice.

Part 5. FAQs of Converting DVDs to Digital for Free

Conclusion

The article shares three solutions about how to convert a DVD to digital for free. Considering its wide compatibility and editing features, Free DVD Ripper is the best option. Moreover, the article also shares two other methods to achieve the task. Just pick up your favorite tool and follow the concrete guide to make your DVD digital copies.

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