Convert DVD Video — Physical Disc to Digital

DVD Converter Soft is an independent reference for working with DVD video on a modern computer. Whether you want to save a disc you own as a digital file, keep a backup before a favourite disc wears out, or burn your own footage onto a disc that plays on a TV, the guides here explain the formats, the settings that actually matter, and the steps to follow — in plain language, for personal use on both Windows and Mac.

Three things you can do

• Rip a DVD — convert a disc you own into an MP4, MKV or MPEG file you can play on a phone, tablet, TV or computer.
• Create a DVD — author and burn your own videos onto a blank disc that plays in any standalone DVD player.
• Copy a DVD — make a faithful 1:1 backup or an ISO image of a disc you own, menus and all.

Choosing the right format

The best output depends on where the file will play. MP4 with H.264 is the most compatible choice and the right default when you're not sure. MKV is ideal when you want to keep multiple audio languages, selectable subtitles and chapters together in one file. MPEG-2 stays closest to the original disc stream, which helps if you intend to edit or re-author later. For watching on the move, the mobile devices guide covers the sizes and profiles that play smoothly on phones and tablets. Browse them all in the guides hub.

Windows and Mac

Everything described here works on both platforms, and the workflow is the same in principle. The main practical difference is hardware: most current laptops and Macs no longer include an optical drive, so an inexpensive external USB DVD drive is usually all you need to get started. On macOS, and on Apple Silicon in particular, choose software that is actively maintained for the current system so scanning, encoding and burning all run reliably.

What you'll need to get started

The shopping list is short. You need the disc itself, a DVD drive to read it — built into many desktops, or a low-cost external USB drive for laptops and Macs that have dropped the optical bay — and enough free storage for the result. A ripped feature film usually lands between roughly one and four gigabytes depending on the format and quality you pick, while a faithful 1:1 copy or ISO image keeps the disc's full size of up to about 8.5 GB. It is worth having a little working room on the drive as well, since the software briefly writes temporary files while it encodes. None of this is specialised equipment, and once the drive is connected the same steps apply whether you are saving a single disc or working through a whole shelf.

Quality, storage and keeping the originals

A DVD is already standard definition, so the realistic goal is faithful preservation rather than improvement: keep the disc's native resolution, avoid upscaling, and choose a bitrate high enough that the re-encoded copy looks the same as the original on a normal screen. If long-term archival quality matters more than file size, a direct copy or an ISO image keeps every frame, menu and audio track untouched; if portability matters more, an MP4 trades a small, usually invisible amount of detail for a file a fraction of the size. A sensible habit is to rip once at good quality, store that master safely, and make smaller device copies from it later rather than going back to the disc each time — discs scratch and degrade, and the digital master will not. The individual format guides spell out the specific settings for each route.

Frequently asked questions