How to Rip DVDs and Blu Rays for Your Home Media Server

Rip your DVDs and Blu-Rays and you’ve got every movie and show in one place. No more digging through stacks of discs to find a favorite. You browse the whole collection from any device on your media server. That means you can:

• Search Quickly: Use metadata like titles, genres, and cast to find movies in seconds.
• Organize Effectively: Group content by genre, director, year, or any custom structure that suits your style.
• Stream to Multiple Devices: With media server tools like Jellyfin or Plex, you can access your library on smart TVs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones anywhere in your home, or even remotely.

Physical DVDs and Blu-Rays wear out. Discs get scratched, warped, or lost, and your collection goes with them. Ripping your discs gives you digital backups so you can enjoy the library for years without worrying about:

• Scratched Discs: No more frustration when a favorite movie freezes or skips.
• Storage Challenges: Free up space and ditch the bulky disc cases and shelves.
• Discontinued Titles: Preserve rare or out-of-print movies that might be impossible to replace.

The Process is Simpler Than You Think

If ripping DVDs and Blu-Rays sounds intimidating, you’re not alone. A lot of people assume it’s overly technical or needs advanced computer skills. With the right tools, it’s surprisingly straightforward.

Today’s software is built to be approachable, often only a few clicks to get going. Tools like MakeMKV and HandBrake have intuitive interfaces that walk you through it. You don’t need to be a tech expert. If you can install software and follow basic instructions, you’re good to go.

I’ll walk you through what you need, from picking the right hardware and software to organizing and storing your ripped files. And if you hit a snag, I’ve got tips and troubleshooting to help. This is a learning process. With a bit of patience and practice, you’ll feel confident in no time.

By the end of this guide, you’ll see that ripping your DVDs and Blu-Rays is doable and genuinely rewarding. You’ll have a digital library you can enjoy whenever and wherever you want. No more wrestling with physical discs. Take it one step at a time and let’s get started.

What You’ll Need

1. Hardware Requirements
   • A DVD/Blu-Ray drive (internal or external).
     • OWC Mercury Pro 16X Blu-ray
   • A computer with sufficient storage space for the ripped files.
     • DVDs about 10GB of free space
     • Blu-Ray 1080p about 40GB of free space
     • Blu-Ray 4k UHD about 100GB of free space
   • Optional: Large external / internal hard drives, or NAS for additional storage.

Seagate Barracuda 24TB Internal Hard Drive

Contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Amazon Newegg

How to Install Sonarr in Docker

2. Software Options

   • MakeMKV: MakeMKV is a small but powerful tool for ripping Blu-rays into MKV files. It runs on Windows and macOS and does one thing really well, no extra features, straight to the rip. MakeMKV technically offers a free 30-day beta trial, but here’s the catch. You can either download the latest version each month, or grab the updated beta key from the forums to keep it active. So you can use the software for free indefinitely. Even though it’s labeled “beta,” MakeMKV has been in beta for years and shows no sign of changing. For now, there’s no reason to pay for it.

   • HandBrake: When MakeMKV rips a Blu-Ray, it creates an MKV file that’s an exact copy of the movie on the disc. That often lands at 20 to 30GB or more. HandBrake compresses those files down to something easier to manage without noticeably losing quality. This step isn’t mandatory, but storing, playing, and streaming files that big is wasteful when smaller, high-quality versions will do the job.

Step 1: Rip your DVD / Blu-Ray With MakeMKV

First things first. You need to rip your Blu-Ray to get a digital copy of the movie. MakeMKV is perfect for this because it focuses on one thing: pulling a full-size 1080p or 4K MKV file off your Blu-Ray disc. Once it’s ripped, you’ve got an MKV file you can shrink, convert, or modify later. You can also watch it as-is, but compressing it later is a good move to save space.

Here’s how to rip your Blu-Ray:

1. Insert the DVD or Blu-Ray disc into your Blu-Ray drive.
2. Open MakeMKV. After a few moments, you’ll see a large DVD or Blu-ray drive icon appear on the screen.
3. Click the icon to begin scanning the titles on your disc.

After MakeMKV scans the disc, you’ll see a list of titles on the left. That list includes everything on the disc: main movie, special features, deleted scenes, the lot. If you only want the main movie, look for the largest track. It’s usually around 20-30GB. Select the track(s) you want and skip the rest. It might take a little trial and error to find the right one, but the largest track is almost always the main movie.

On the right side of the window, choose the folder where you want to save the MKV file. Pick a hard drive with plenty of space. The Info section shows an estimated file size, but keep at least 20GB of headroom available. Once everything is set, click the Make MKV button (the one with the green arrow) to start ripping.

MakeMKV will take about 20 to 30 minutes to rip your movie, depending on drive speed and the size of the movie. You’ll see a green progress bar showing how far along it is. Need to stop the rip? Click the orange stop icon to cancel.

Once the rip is complete, MakeMKV pops up a confirmation. You can eject the disc and, if you want, drop another one in to start the next rip.

At this point, if you’re eager to watch your movie, open the MKV file with VLC, Plex, Kodi, or any other player that supports MKV. If you’re not worried about saving hard drive space, you’re done.

But if you want a cleaner, more organized, space-efficient media library, the next step is to compress the file. That’s coming up next.

Step 2: Compress Your Rip to a Manageable Size with HandBrake

To compress your freshly ripped MKV file, open HandBrake and pick File if you’re working on a single video. Got multiple rips to convert? Choose Folder (Batch Scan) to scan several files at once. This step only scans and gathers details, so it’s safe to point it at an entire folder of rips. You’ll decide how to convert each file individually later.

For this example, I’ll keep it simple and drag and drop my new MKV file straight into HandBrake.

Next you will need to select the quality.

Choosing the Right Quality Settings in HandBrake

Now the tricky part: picking the right quality settings for video compression. HandBrake’s presets make it easier to balance video quality and file size. The best preset depends on how much detail you want to keep for each movie. For example:

• For a visually loud movie like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, you want to preserve every detail of the robot battles and special effects.
• Compressing Monty Python and the Holy Grail won’t lose much. It’s a low-budget comedy, and the jokes don’t lean on high visual fidelity. They’re funny at any resolution.

With that in mind, here are three compression options for different needs:

1. Ultra High Quality, UHD (4K)

• Best for: Movies with detailed special effects, breathtaking visuals, or films where 4K resolution is crucial to the viewing experience.
• Recommended Preset: Super HQ 2160p60 4K HEVC Surround
  • This preset keeps the full 4K UHD resolution while compressing the file, significantly reducing its size without any noticeable loss in quality. It’s perfect for action-packed blockbusters, visually rich films, or nature documentaries where every detail counts.
• Audio Tip: To keep the original high-quality audio, go to the Audio tab and change the codec from “AAC” to “DTS Passthru,” “TrueHD Passthru,” or “AC3 Passthru,” depending on the source audio format. This keeps the audio as crisp and immersive as it was on the original disc.

2. High Quality, High Resolution (1080p)

• Best for: Movies with detailed special effects, beautiful visuals, or films you want to keep looking sharp.
• Recommended Preset: Super HQ 1080p30 Surround
  • This preset keeps the full 1080p resolution while significantly reducing the file size without sacrificing much quality. It’s ideal for visually rich movies where you want to maintain detail without the massive file size of a full rip.
• Audio Tip: To preserve the original audio quality, go to the Audio tab and change the codec from “AAC” to “DTS Passthru” or “AC3 Passthru,” depending on the disc’s original audio format.

3. High Quality, Lower Resolution (720p)

• Best for: Movies where visuals aren’t as crucial or older films that don’t really benefit from high-definition resolution.
• Recommended Preset: Super HQ 720p30 Surround or HQ 720p30 Surround
  • Dropping from 1080p to 720p may sound like a big downgrade, but the difference is often barely noticeable, especially with a high-quality preset that uses minimal compression.
  • It’s a great option for comedies, older movies, or films where you don’t need to preserve every tiny detail. A well-compressed 720p file can look better than an overly compressed 1080p version.

4. Low Quality, Lower Resolution (720p or Below)

• Best for: Movies where saving space is the priority, and video quality isn’t a big concern.
• Recommended Preset: Very Fast 720p30
  • This setting drastically reduces file size, making it perfect for your “guilty pleasure” collection or movies you’re not worried about keeping in high quality. It’s the go-to choice when you need to maximize storage space.

What to Consider

• Visual Importance: If the movie relies heavily on visuals (like sci-fi or action films), pick a higher-quality preset to preserve detail.
• Storage Needs: For comedies, older films, or “background” movies, opting for lower resolution or quality presets can save a lot of hard drive space.
• Case-by-Case Flexibility: The best part? You don’t have to use a one-size-fits-all approach. You can dial in the quality for each movie based on how much you care about its visuals versus how much storage space you want to save.

These presets help you find the right balance between quality and storage, so your media library looks great without wasting space.

For most people, the basic presets work fine and deliver a solid mix of quality and file size. But if you’re comfortable with advanced settings and want more control, you can tweak options in the Video, Audio, and Subtitles tabs.

For example:

• Video Tab:
  • If the preset’s video quality isn’t high enough, drop the RF (Rate Factor) to a lower value. The default is usually 18. Drop it to 16 and quality goes up, at the cost of a larger file.
  • Change the Framerate setting from “30” to “Same as Source” to match the original framerate of your rip for smoother playback.

Don’t hesitate to experiment with these settings to find the right balance of quality and file size for your needs.

Choosing the Right Container: MP4 vs. MKV

Under the “Container” setting, pick between MP4 and MKV:

• MKV is more flexible and feature-rich. It supports multiple audio tracks, subtitles, and slightly higher video quality. It’s a great choice for media servers and modern devices that support MKV playback.
• MP4 is more universally compatible, especially with mobile devices like iPhones and iPads, as well as older hardware.

Choose MKV if you want maximum flexibility and quality. Choose MP4 if you need broader compatibility across devices.

To decide, check the device you plan to use for playback. (There’s a table at the bottom of this post with the pros and cons of each.)

• If your device supports MKV, choose MKV for the features and superior quality.
• If MKV isn’t supported, go with MP4 for maximum compatibility across devices.

Pick the format that best fits your needs.

When you’re ready, click the green Start Encode button to begin the conversion. Working with multiple rips? Click Add to Queue after setting up the current video, then move on to the next title. Once you’ve configured presets for all your movies, click the green Start Queue button to process them all at once. Batch processing is a huge time-saver when you’ve got several files to convert.

Once your files are done converting, you’ll notice they’re much smaller. How much smaller depends on the settings you chose. Play the converted files to check the quality. If everything looks good, you can safely delete the original rips to free up storage space. Your movies are ready to drop into your media library.

Comparison Table: MP4 vs. MKV