Key Takeaway:
Ripping DVD to MKV mainly aims at getting the raw DVD files in the modern MKV container. You can also transcode DVD files to MKV format with modern video/audio codec, resolution, FPS, bitrate, and many other parameters.
- Tipard DVD Ripper: Best for comprehensive users.
- MakeMKV: Best for lossless remuxing.
- HandBrake: Best for free transcoding on homemade DVDs.
While physical discs are prone to scratches and disc rot over time, digitizing your collection is the only way to ensure long-term preservation. For enthusiasts seeking to rip DVD to MKV with original quality, the MKV (Matroska) container is the gold standard. It allows for a lossless Remux, preserving all video streams, multi-channel audio tracks (DTS/AC3), and soft-coded subtitles in a single, high-fidelity digital file.
Here, we will share six ways to rip a DVD to MKV. You can get lossless output MKV files and then enhance them for modern 1080P/4K displays or platforms.
Part 1. How to Rip DVD to MKV Without Losing Quality
Preserve every detail of your physical media without compromise. Tipard DVD Ripper delivers a 1:1 lossless conversion, ripping your DVD to MKV while maintaining the original videos, audio tracks, subtitles, and other files and settings. Beyond simple extraction, it can easily enhance the output MKV files to 1080p, 2K, 4K, and higher frame rate, bitrate, sample rate, and more. You can customize different settings in the MKV container, which will also increase compatibility with modern displays and platforms.
Platform: Windows and macOS
Key Features of Tipard DVD Ripper:
- Convert DVD files to MKV with original quality preserved.
- Enhance the output MKV files to 1080p,2K, and even 4K.
- Offer many standard and high-quality MKV presets.
- Quickly create MKV from DVD with GPU acceleration.
- Offer AI-upscaling features to one-click enhance MKV.
- Provide necessary and practical video editing features, like trim, crop, and filters.
Step 1 Get Tipard DVD Ripper
Click the Download button below to download, install, and launch Tipard DVD Ripper.
Step 2 Load DVD to Tipard DVD Ripper
Place your DVD into your computer's disc drive. After that, click the Load DVD button at top left to load your DVD into this DVD to MKV converter.
Step 3 Choose DVD Content
Select Main Title or Full Title List to load the files in your DVD.
Step 4 Select an MKV Output Preset
Click the Output Format dropdown button to select an MKV output preset.
- Lossless MKV: If you need losless MKV files, click Lossless and then MKV Lossless. You can get the lossless files for further editing, enhancing, or AI upscaling. Raw files from those legacy physical discs are the best for editing.
- Other High-Quality MKV: If you don't need lossless files, you can select other MKV presets, like HEVC MKV, 1080p MKV, or4K MKV. You'll directly get videos with modern parameters with full hardware acceleration from this best DVD to MKV converter.
Step 5 Convert DVD Files to MKV with Tipard DVD Ripper
Click the Save to dropdown list to select an output folder for your upcoming MKV files. Then, click the Rip All button to rip DVD to MKV with lossless quality or higher quality.
- The full GPU acceleration can make the re-encoding very fast.
- The lossless MKV output can preserve the original quality of the DVD.
- Offer a clear interface with fast and simple workflow.
- Work stably on different Windows and macOS versions.
- Support many popular and rare output format presets.
- The interface can be more stylish.
Part 2. How to Rip DVD to MKV with MakeMKV
MakeMKV is a trustworthy program that can help you remux a DVD to MKV with the original files and settings. You can get original video tracks, audio tracks, subtitles, chapters, and other structures and settings in an MKV container. This is especially good for further editing, upscaling, or other post-production. That's what makes MakeMKV impressive. You can also rip encrypted DVDs to MKV format with this free program.
Platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Key Features of MakeMKV:
- Convert DVD to MKV files with origianl quality and parameters.
- Preserve all audio and subtitle tracks from the original DVD.
- Easily handle common DVD encryption methods.
- Rip different discs, including DVDs and Blu-rays.
Step 1 Insert your DVD in the drive, open MakeMKV, click the big Optical Drive symbol, and then MakeMKV will load your DVD while bypassing CSS and region code.
Step 2 When the scan is done, you will see all the titles on the disc. The biggest titles with lots of chapters are usually the main movie you want. But you can also select all files.
Step 3 Click the Arrow Down button beside a title to pick the audio and subtitle tracks you want.
Step 4 To customize where you want to save the MKV videos, click the Folder button and select a destination folder.
Step 5 Click the Make MKV button in the top right corner to convert DVD to MKV without losing quality.
- The remuxing speed is very fast.
- It's very easy to use with a clear interface.
- Support decryption as a free tool.
- Available on multiple platforms.
- Doesn't support all types of DVDs, like some homemade DVDs.
- No AI-upscaling or re-encoding features.
Part 3. How to Rip DVD to MKV with HandBrake
HandBrake helps you convert DVDs into MKV files with subtitles and chapters. This free DVD ripper has high capabilities on media transcoding. You can convert your DVD files to different MKV presets for 1080p/2K/4K displays, Apple/Android devices, and different TV displays. As an DVD to MKV converter freeware, HandBrake even support GPU acceleration for decoding and re-encoding, so that you can quickly rip your discs without taking too much CPU. However, HandBrake doesn't has a remuxing feature, you cannot get original files from a DVD.
Platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Key Features of HandBrake:
- Convert DVD files to MKV with subtitles, audio tracks, and chapters.
- Support various output video presets for different devices and platforms.
- Support GPU acceleration for faster transcoding.
- Support Peak Framerate and Constant Framerate to adjust the video size.
Step 1 Open HandBrake. Select your DVD in the left side of the interface.
Step 2 Locate the Summary tab and click the Format dropdown list to select MKV.
Step 3 It's not easy to customize the output MKV parameters in HandBrake. If you are not a pro, you can check the best HandBrake settings for DVD to MKV:
- Dimensions: 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL) resolution (Keep Aspect Ratio)
- Filters: Ensure to select Deinterlace
- Video: Select H.264 video encoder, RF 18 to 20 constant quality
- Audio: AC3 Passthru in ACC codec
- Subtitles and Chapters: No change
Step 4 Click the Browse button to choose the location where you want to save the MKV file.
Step 5 Click the Start Encode button at the top, and HandBrake will begin re-encoding your DVD to MKV.
- The ripping speed is very fast.
- Offer high customization with compatible output presets.
- Across all desktop platforms.
- Support all types of DVDs, including highly customized homemade ones.
- HandBrake doesn't support lossless remuxing.
- The interface and customization features are not very user-friendly for beginners.
Part 4. How to Rip DVD to MKV with VLC
VLC is a free program people use to watch videos, but it can also rip DVDs, and it works on all computers. Normally, VLC cannot rip a DVD straight to MKV just by opening the disc, but there is a way that lets you rip each file one by one. It is not the fastest, but it still helps you get your DVD videos saved as MKV.
Platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Key Features of VLC:
- Convert DVD to MKV free on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Offer many standard output presets and high customization options for the MKV container.
- Offer a media player feature for playing the ripped MKV files.
- Support different DVDs and Blu-rays as input.
Step 1 Launch VLC and put your DVD in the drive.
Step 2 Click Media > Convert / Save at top left, and a new window will pop up.
Step 3 Click the Disc button, and VLC will automatically detect your DVD. Then, click the Convert / Save button to go on.
Step 4 In Profile dropdown list to select a profle. Here, we recommended: Video for MPEG4 1080P tv/device. Then, click the Edit selected profile button.
Step 5 In the new window, select MKV as the container. Click the Save button.
Step 6 Click the Browse button to select an output folder for your MKV files. Finally, click the Start button to rip DVD to MKV easily with VLC.
- The output MKV files are widely compatible.
- Free, open-source, and across all platforms.
- Lightweight and work stably.
- No GPU acceleration for re-encoding.
- No remuxing feature.
Part 5. How to Rip DVD to MKV with DVDFab
One of the best DVD to MKV rippers on Mac is DVDFab. It can save your DVD to AVI, MP4, MOV, and, of course, MKV. It can also deal with DVD encryptions, including AACS, 99-Titles, and other codes. You can also rip DVD to MKV with subtitles and audio tracks. Besides remuxing DVD to MKV, this program also offers many common and standard output MKV presets so that you can get the MKV files and directly play them on any device.
Platform: Windows and macOS
Key Features of WinX DVD Ripper:
- Support GPU acceleration for decoding and re-encoding.
- Allow you to remux or re-encode DVDs to MKV files.
- Offer many necessary and practical video editing features.
- Offer many other disc management features, like clone, creator, and digital file conversion.
Step 1 Launch DVDFab. Select Ripper in the left menu. Click the Add Source button to load your DVD disc.
Step 2 DVDFab will analyze your DVD and offer you four options: Lossless, Re-encode, MKV, and MP4. Here, you should select MKV as the output container. As for the video quality option, it depends on your specific needs:
- Lossless: Keep the original DVD files with original parameters. Since DVDs are legacy physical format, the file sizes are actually not large in today's storage
- Re-encode: Convert the video codec, frame rate, bitrate, resolution, and many other settings to today's standards. This process requires GPU acceleration.
Step 3 Set a folder to save the MKV by clicking the Folder button to pick where you want the file to go.
Step 4 Click the Output dropdown button to choose an output folder for your MKV videos. Finally, click the Start button to rip DVD to MKV losslessly or with more standard and modern parameters.
- Let you directly choose to remux or re-encode DVD to MKV.
- Provide a fast DVD ripping speed.
- Offer a clean interface with understandable workflow.
- Packed with unnecessary features.
- The price is very high.
Part 6. How to Rip DVD VOB File to MKV Free Online
CloudConvert is a free online platform that can help you convert a DVD video to MKV. If your DVD is not encrypted or you have a DVD folder (Video_TS folder), you can directly convert the .vob files inside the DVD to MKV files with CloudConvert. This free online tool can quickly do the conversion.
Platform: Online
Key Features of CloudConvert:
- Convert DVD .vob to MKV with H.264/H.265 codec and higher FPS and bitrate.
- Support many other common and standard digital output formats.
- Convert media files without requiring CPU or GPU resources.
Step 1 Visit cloudconvert.com/vob-to-mkv. Click the Select File to select and upload the vob file in your DVD folder.
Step 2 This online tool will automatically set MKV as the output format.
Step 3 Click Convert button to convert the DVD .vob file to MKV easily free online.
- Free online wtihout installation.
- Offer a clear interface without ad pop-ups.
- Fast conversion without lag.
- Cannot read a DVD disc.
- No remuxing feature.
Conclusion
This article collects 6 best DVD to MKV converters to help bring your legacy DVD discs into the digital world. MKV can keep the original DVD content for lossless editing or AI upscaling, and it can also contain many modern video profiles. Whether you need lossless remuxing or transcoding, Tipard DVD Ripper can help you easily do that with full hardware acceleration and wide standard and common output presets.
More Reading
About the Author
Click here to join the discussion and share your comments
Tipard DVD Ripper