How to Digitize DVD Collection: Free & Paid Ways

Ever looked at your dusty DVD collection and thought, "What do I do with these?" If you've ever had that thought, it’s time to digitize DVD collection! Digitizing DVDs into files means you can watch your favorite movies anytime, anywhere—no more clutter. Plus, digitizing protects your DVD content from scratches and damage so your collection will last for years. Interested in getting started? Stay here and here’s how to digitize DVD collection at home!

How to Digitize DVDs at Home

Now that you’re ready for digitizing DVDs, let’s choose the best way to digitize DVDs for you. Let’s check out the options below so you can find the one that’s right for your collection!

How to Digitize DVDs Using DVDFab DVD Ripper

What's good about DVDFab DVD Ripper:

1. Lifetime-Free Version: It has DVDFab HD Decrypter, a free version that is lifetime free, but only digitize to MKV and MP4.
2. Effective Digitization: You can digitize DVDs to common video formats like MP4, AVI, MKV and audio formats like MP3 and AAC as it supports over 1,000 formats.
3. Fast Ripping Speed: Advanced GPU acceleration can digitize a normal DVD in 5 minutes, up to 50 times faster.
4. Built-in Editing Feature: Not only digitize DVDs, you can also trim, merge videos, crop unwanted parts, add subtitles or watermark to your video.
5. Handles Any Encrypted DVDs: Detects and removes copy protections like CSS, APS, RC, Sony DADC, so you can digitize any DVD in your collection.
6. High-Quality Output: It preserves the original 1:1 quality. Enabling you to watch the converted DVDs comfortably even on a bigger screen such as a home theater.

What's not really satisfying about DVDFab:

• Free Version with Limited Functions: While DVDFab offers a free version, its advanced features require payment. Many users, however, find these features worthwhile after using the free trial.

Step-by-step process to digitize DVD collection using DVDFab DVD Ripper:

Step 1: Open DVDFab DVD Ripper and Load Your DVD

• First, open DVDFab 13 and choose the Ripper module from the menu. Click "+" to insert your DVD, Folder disc or ISO.

Step 2: Choose a Profile and Edit the Video

• After selecting the file you want to digitize, click on "Choose Other Profile" to pick your desired video format. You can digitize your DVD to MP4 or other popular formats. If you want to extract subtitles, go to "Format" and click on "Subtitles" to save them as SRT files.

• You’ll see options to customize the output. Click the "Wrench" icon for advanced settings, and use the "Pen" icon for the video editor to enhance your video and make it more personalized.

Step 3: Start Digitizing Your DVDs Quickly and for Free

• Once you’ve made your adjustments, hit the "Start" button to start digitizing your DVD. You don’t have to wait idly—if needed, you can pause and resume the digitization. You can also set your computer to shut down or go to sleep automatically when the process is done if it takes a while.

How to Digitize My DVD Collection Using VLC

VLC is a free media player that can play many discs, including DVDs, audio CDs, VCDs, and more. Interestingly, VLC also has the capability to digitize DVD collections. While it’s not specifically designed for DVD digitization, you can still use VLC to turn your DVDs into digital files. After digitizing your DVDs, it allows you to play the digital files directly using the same software. It also works on various platforms, whether you have Windows, Linux, or Mac.

What's good about VLC:

1. Format Versatility: VLC supports a wide variety of formats for input and output, including MP4, AVI, MKV, and more.
2. Cross-Platform Functionality: Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, VLC ensures compatibility across different operating systems.
3. Free and Open Source: VLC is completely free to use, with no hidden costs or restrictions.
4. Direct Playback: After conversion, you can directly play the files within VLC, simplifying the workflow.
5. Customizable Settings: Users can customize parameters such as video resolution, bitrate, and audio quality to suit their needs

What's not really satisfying about VLC:

1. Free but Slow: It's a free option, but the digitization process can be very slow, often taking the entire runtime of the movie.
2. Cannot Decrypt Protected DVDs: The DVD digitization feature of this media player cannot handle DVDs that have encryption, limiting its use.
3. Struggles with Commercial and Older Discs: VLC often has trouble with commercial DVDs, especially those that are copy-protected, and it may struggle with older or scratched discs too.
4. Limited Conversion Options: It offers very few options for managing the conversion process, which can hinder the user experience.
5. Loss of Metadata and Menus: VLC does not create digital copies that retain all the original metadata and menus from the DVD.

How to digitize my DVD collection with VLC Media Player:

Step 1. Download and install VLC Media Player. Insert the DVD you want to digitize into your computer and open VLC.

Step 2. Click on the Media menu in the top left corner and select "Convert / Save...".

Step 3. In the settings, finish the DVD selection by choosing the disc type, disc device, titles, chapters, and tracks. Then click "Convert / Save".

Step 4. In the Convert window, choose a format for the digital copy from the Profile dropdown menu (e.g., Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4)).

Step 5. Select a destination folder to save the digitized DVD file, then click the "Start" button to begin the digitization process.

How to Digitize DVD Collection Using HandBrake

HandBrake is a free video transcoder for Linux, Mac, and Windows that enables you to convert almost any non-protected DVD collection to MP4, MKV, or WebM formats. You can also use it to restore old or low-quality footage, crop and resize your videos, and reduce converted DVD file sizes to save storage space on your device.

What's good about HandBrake:

1. Video Encoding: HandBrake supports a wide range of video codecs, including H.264, HEVC, and VP9, enabling you to digitize DVDs collection with optimized video quality.
2. Video Filters: You can make some changes to your digitized DVDs, such as resolution adjustment, cropping, and deinterlacing.
3. Batch Processing: Users can queue multiple files for transcoding, facilitating efficient batch processing and saving time with large volumes of content.
4. Subtitle Support: It preserves various subtitle formats, including SRT, SSA, and VobSub during the transcoding process.
5. Command-Line Interface: Alongside its user-friendly graphical interface, HandBrake provides a command-line option for advanced users and automation scripts, integrating video transcoding into workflows, enabling you to be at ease during the digitizing process.
6. Chapter Markers: For DVDs and Blu-ray discs, HandBrake can automatically detect and maintain chapter markers, making it easier to navigate the transcoded video.

What's not really satisfying about HandBrake:

1. Copy Protection Limitations: Cannot digitize copy-protected DVDs, even with libdvdcss installed.
2. Time-Consuming: Conversion can take anywhere from ten minutes to several hours.
3. Limited Output Formats: Supports fewer output formats compared to other tools.
4. Lacks Advanced Features: HandBrake doesn't offer advanced editing features that are available in other paid software.

How to Digitize DVDs using HandBrake:

Step 1. Firstly, download, install, and launch HandBrake. The process is similar for both Windows and Mac users.

Step 2. Put the DVD you want to digitize into your computer’s DVD drive or into the external drive. And select your DVD under "Source Selection."

Step 3. The software will then scan for the titles on your DVD. From the drop-down menu labeled "Title," pick the specific title you want to digitize.

Step 4. Go to "Presets" and select a preset that matches your desired output format. If needed, tweak your video and audio settings, like bitrate, codec, resolution, etc.

Step 5. At the bottom right, click on the "Browse" button to specify where you want to save the digital copy.

Step 6. Click the "Start Encode" button at the top of the HandBrake window (on Mac, it will just say "Start") to kick off the digitization process. Finally, sit back and wait for the conversion to finish. Once it’s done, you’ll find your new digital file in the folder you selected earlier.

Comparison of Best Way to Digitize DVDs

We’ve created a comparison table to help you easily compare compatibility, conversion speed, DVD types, and output formats below. This will help you choose the best way to digitize DVDs!

If you only need to rip a few unprotected discs, free tools will be fine. But, if you have a lot of DVDs or need to digitize protected discs, it’s a good idea to get DVDFab DVD Ripper.

FAQs About Digitizing DVDs

How to store DVDs digitally?

You can digitize your DVDs by using software for DVD ripping or DVD digitization on your computer. After you insert the DVD into the drive, simply launch the software and do the steps explained in this article to digitize DVD collection. Where to store DVDs digitally? You can store your digitized DVDs on an external or internal hard drive, a cloud storage service, or a USB flash drive.

Is it legal to digitize a DVD collection?

In some regions, you can legally make a digital backup of a DVD you own for personal use, but sharing or selling that copy is usually illegal. But again, the legality related to digitize DVD service varies by country.

What format is best for digitizing DVDs?

While it depends on your format preference, the most popular choice for digitizing DVDs is the MP4 format. It works really well with many media players and devices.

Final Wrap-up

To wrap it up, you’ve got both free and paid options for digitizing your DVD collection, and each has its pros and cons. Finally, the choice between using free and paid software will depend on your specific needs and what DVD types you want to digitize. If you just want to digitize some unprotected discs, free software can work just fine. But if you have copy-protected DVDs or have a large collection to digitize, investing in paid software such as DVDFab DVD Ripper may be the best way to convert DVD to MP4. It has more features and better reliability.