Why Rip Your Blu-ray Collection?
Physical discs are durable, but they're also bulky and inconvenient. Ripping your Blu-ray collection to digital files lets you build a media server, watch films on any device in your home, and protect against disc damage. This guide walks through the process from start to finish.
Important note: Ripping discs you own for personal use is subject to copyright law that varies by country. This guide is for personal backup purposes. Never distribute ripped content.
What You'll Need
- A computer with a Blu-ray drive (internal or external USB Blu-ray drive)
- MakeMKV — Free software for reading and decrypting Blu-ray content
- HandBrake (optional) — Free transcoder for converting MKV to compressed formats
- Enough storage space — a full Blu-ray rip can be 20–50GB; a compressed H.265 encode might be 4–10GB
Step 1: Install MakeMKV
MakeMKV is the standard tool for Blu-ray ripping. It reads the disc, removes copy protection, and outputs a .mkv file containing the video, audio, and subtitle streams in their original quality.
- Download MakeMKV from the official website (makemkv.com).
- Install it on your Windows, Mac, or Linux machine.
- MakeMKV is free during beta; a license key is available for a modest one-time fee.
Step 2: Insert Your Disc and Open MakeMKV
- Insert the Blu-ray disc into your drive.
- Open MakeMKV — it will detect the disc automatically.
- Click the large disc icon to begin reading. This takes 1–5 minutes while it reads the disc structure.
Step 3: Choose Your Tracks
After reading the disc, MakeMKV shows you all available tracks. You'll typically see:
- Video tracks — Usually just one main feature. Ignore bonus content if you only want the film.
- Audio tracks — Select your preferred audio (e.g., English TrueHD Atmos). You can include multiple languages.
- Subtitle tracks — Select subtitles you want included. Forced subtitles are worth including.
Deselect anything you don't need to save space and time. The main movie track plus a couple of audio and subtitle tracks is usually all you need.
Step 4: Choose Your Output Location and Start Ripping
- Select an output folder with enough free space (allow at least 50GB per disc to be safe).
- Click "Make MKV". The rip typically takes 15–40 minutes depending on disc speed and computer performance.
- The result is a high-quality MKV file containing your chosen streams.
Step 5 (Optional): Compress with HandBrake
The raw MKV from MakeMKV is large (often 25–50GB). If storage space matters, you can re-encode it with HandBrake using H.265 to reduce the file size significantly with minimal visible quality loss.
- Open HandBrake and load the MKV file.
- Select a preset — "H.265 MKV 1080p30" is a good starting point for Blu-ray.
- Under Audio, select passthrough for TrueHD/DTS-HD if your player supports it, or convert to AAC/AC3 for broad compatibility.
- Set your quality using the RF (Rate Factor) slider — RF 20–22 for H.265 gives excellent quality at moderate file sizes.
- Click Start Encode. Encoding is slower than ripping — a feature film can take 1–4 hours depending on your CPU.
Choosing a Format: MKV vs. MP4
| Format | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| MKV | Supports all audio/subtitle formats; flexible container | Less compatible with some devices natively |
| MP4 (M4V) | Widely compatible with phones, tablets, Apple devices | Limited audio codec support (no TrueHD); no HD subtitles |
For a home media server (Plex, Jellyfin, Emby), MKV is the preferred format as it supports every codec and feature. Use MP4 for content you want on mobile devices without transcoding.
Playing Your Files
Excellent players for your ripped files include:
- VLC — Free, plays virtually everything on desktop.
- Plex or Jellyfin — Media server software to stream your library across all devices at home.
- Kodi — Flexible open-source media center for living room setups.
With a well-organized rip library, your digital collection becomes just as accessible as streaming — but with full control over quality and no ongoing subscription required.