Whether you want to rip Blu-rays to your hard drive for backup purposes, protecting the original discs from damage, or are looking for a more efficient way to manage your Blu-ray collection, using a ripping program to transfer your Blu-rays to your hard drive is a great solution.
As digital formats like MKV, MP4, and MOV gain popularity, many users are choosing to rip Blu-ray discs into these more compact file types. These formats not only maintain a high-quality viewing experience but also allow for seamless playback on various devices, including home theater systems such as Plex, as well as portable iOS and Android phones and tablets. In this guide, we will explore four effective solutions for ripping Blu-ray discs into high-quality digital video files, making management and playback easier than ever.
Overview
A quick overview of the main features of the Blu-ray ripping software.
| Tool | DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper | HandBrake | Xilisoft Blu-ray to Video Converter | VUDU Mobile Disc to Digital |
| Supported OS |
Windows and macOS
|
Windows, macOS, and Linux | Windows and macOS | Mobile |
| Input Blu-ray format | Disc, folder, and ISO | Disc, folder, and ISO | Disc and folder | Disc |
| Output format | 1000+ formats, including popular mp4, mkv, audio, srt, device profile, etc. | Webm, MKV, MP4 |
Popular video, audio format, device profile | / |
| Output quality | Lossless, HD (customizable) | HD |
HD | HDX |
| Video editing feature | Trim & merge, crop & rotate, add video effects, watermark, subtitle, audio volume, playback speed, etc. | Crop & rotate, filters like Denoise and sharpen, add subtitles, chapter marker, etc. | Trim, crop&rotate, add subtitle, watermark, video/image effect |
/ |
Ripping Blu-ray Discs to Smaller Digital Formats: A Guide
DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper: Rip Blu-ray to 1000+ formats
DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper, compatible with both Windows and macOS computers, allows you to effortlessly rip Blu-rays into popular video formats such as MKV, MP4, and MOV. It can also rip Blu-ray to various audio in formats like FLAC, MP4, and MAV. This versatile tool also enables you to save subtitles as SRT files, embed them directly into the video, or remix them for selective viewing. With its advanced video editor, you can personalize your videos by enhancing audio quality, adjusting contrast, brightness, etc, and adding watermarks or external subtitles to create a polished final product.
- Support ripping commercial Blu-rays (normally encrypted)
- Batch conversion and quick conversion speed
- Flexible output quality: high-quality, lossless, or customized output
- A large number of output profiles and device profiles
- Paid software, but providing a free trial base
- Its free version can only rip Blu-ray to MKV and MP4 formats.
How to rip Blu-ray with DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper
Step 1. Download DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper from the official site.
Step 2. Insert the Blu-ray into the PC drive connected to your computer.
Step 3. Launch DVDFab and switch to the "Ripper" module. It will automatically detect the disc in the drive and start to analyze it.
Step 4. Choose the title and output format.
- DVDFab shows the main title by default. You can choose other titles or add more titles on the Other Titles panel.
- Select the chapter range, and choose the audio tracks and subtitles you want to preserve.
- Open the profile panel to choose the output format you want to use. Regular Video, Audio, and subtitle formats are under the Format tab. You can also choose a Device option, such as Huawei, Apple, Xbox, etc.
- Go to the Edit window to personalize your video. Crop and change the aspect ratio, apply effects like white balance and contrast, add watermarks including text and picture, add subtitles, and adjust audio volume and playback speed.
Step 5. Back to the main interface and set the output destination. And then press the Start button to start ripping Blu-ray to your computer.
Handbrake: Rip Blu-ray for free
HandBrake is a free program for ripping Blu-rays and DVDs, providing three output formats: MKV, MP4, and WebM. It delivers stable performance across multiple platforms, making it an excellent choice for users with different operating systems. Upon launching Handbrake, you'll be greeted by a straightforward interface that allows you to easily add folders, files, or discs, without any distracting pop-ups or ads. All the settings and options you need are conveniently accessible within the interface, ensuring you won't miss anything important.
- Supports queuing tasks
- Fast conversion speed
- Friendly and straightforward interface
- Freeware, no need to pay for a license
- Doesn't support ripping Blu-ray with protection
- No support for 3D output; unlike DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper, it doesn't offer 3D format as an option
How to rip a Blu-ray with HandBrake?
Step 1. Download and install HandBrake on your computer, Windows, macOS, or Linux.
Step 2. Launch HandBrake once the installation is completed, then on the left pane, click on the drive icon containing the Blu-ray you wish to rip.
Step 3. Wait till HandBrake completes scanning titles. This step may take a while if the Blu-ray has many titles.
Step 4. Choose the title and output format:
- HandBrake will choose the main title, normally the longest one by default. If you want to pick another title, click the tiny arrow in the title field and then choose from the dropdown list; if you want to convert more titles, use the "Add to Queue" feature.
- Choose the output format and from the Preset list, pick resolution and quality to your liking.
- Browse for the output directory.
Step 5. Adjust the parameters, video encoder, audio tracks, subtitle tracks, chapter marks, etc.
Step 6. Click the "Start Encode" button at the top of the interface to start ripping Blu-ray to digital format.
Xilisoft Blu-ray to Video Converter: Rip Blu-ray without encryption
Xilisoft Blu-ray to Video Converter is a lightweight tool specific for ripping Blu-ray to digital formats. It allows you to batch-convert different titles to different profiles as well as convert the same title to various file formats. It's paid software offered as a trial base. It's rather convenient for users who want to convert the main movie title as well as other bonus or special feature titles to digital. However, if you only want to rip Blu-ray main title, you need to uncheck everything and then manually look for the main title.
- Support ripping Blu-ray from 2D to 3D video
- Support converting one title to different formats
- Offer a list of built-in profiles available for meeting different needs
- No support for lossless video output
- Cannot rip Blu-ray with DRM protection or rip Blu-ray iso files
- Some of the options on the interface could be a bit confusing
- You can only convert 3 minutes of each video during the trial period
How to rip Blu-ray with Xilisoft Blu-ray to Video Converter?
Step 1. Download and install the latest version of Xilisoft Blu-ray to Video Converter from its official website.
Step 2. Run it once the installation is done. It will pop up a registration window; ignore it since we are using the trial version.
Step 3. Use the "Load Blu-ray Disc" icon to load a Blu-ray disc in the PC drive or a Blu-ray folder on your hard drive.
Step 4. The tool will automatically select all the available titles in the disc. If you need only the main movie title, you need to automatically unselect everything and then manually look for the main title and then select it.
Step 5. Set a profile for the highlighted title, and choose the audio and subtitle stream you want to convert. If you want to change the title name, either click on the title number or change it in the right window under Profile. There you can also adjust the video and audio quality and decide whether to split the title.
1) It doesn't seem to be able to preserve all audio or subtitles. We have not yet found a way to do it using this tool.
2) You can also open the 3D window. There you can choose to convert the movie into 3D format.
Step 6. On the top bar, you can trim the title and open the Effect window to add watermarks, video effects, add subtitles, change the brightness, contrast, and saturation of the image, etc.
Step 7. Hit the "Start" button to convert and rip Blu-ray to the selected file format. You can see the ripping status on the same interface.
How to rip a Blu-ray if you don't have a workable Blu-ray drive?
Don't worry, there is a solution:
VUDU Mobile Disc to Digital Service: Rip Blu-ray without using a Blu-ray drive
VUDU's disc to digital service allows you to get digital copies of your Blu-rays and DVDs via your Android phone or iPhone. Simply by scanning the barcodes on the back of your disc case, and then you can watch them on VUDU-enabled devices. Even though the Vudu To Go inhome service is no longer available, you can continue to use the Mobile disc to digital service on your phone.
- The key feature of VUDU is that you can rip Blu-ray without a drive, and the ripping Blu-ray process can be done via phone.
- The cost of ripping Blu-ray with VUDU service is based on the disc; it is $2 plus TAX for each Blu-ray. If you have a big amount of Blu-rays, to back up all, it will cost a lot, and the output quality is not lossless. You may probably encounter a problem with certain Blu-ray as not all of them are supported, and this service is only available in USA and Mexico.
So, how to rip Blu-ray without an optical drive with VUDU service?
No matter if you are using an Android or iOS phone, you can follow the steps below:
Step 1. Visit vudu.com/disc site and click Convert Disc.
Step 2. Sign in with your VUDU account.
Step 3. Grant permissions for Disc to Digital.
Step 4. Scan the UPC barcode on your Blu-ray case, and pay for the fee to start ripping Blu-ray. Then, watch it on the enabled devices.
FAQ about Ripping Blu-ray
Q1. How to rip Blu-ray discs to your PC's HDD?
You can use DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper or other programs discussed in this article to rip Blu-ray to your PC's HDD.
Q2. Does ripping a Blu-ray damage it?
Ripping Blu-ray means converting the Blu-ray video to another video format. It won't damage or destroy the Blu-ray content/data or the Blu-ray disc itself.
Q3. How do I rip a Blu-ray to an external hard drive?
An external hard drive that is connected to your PC through the USB port works just like the internal drive of your PC. You can use those desktop Blu-ray ripping programs to rip Blu-ray to an external hard drive. With DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper, Handbrake, and XiliSoft, after you load the source Blu-ray and pick an output format, you can simply set the output target or Save To destination as the external HDD to proceed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have explored three software programs for ripping Blu-rays on computers and one mobile option for those without an optical drive. HandBrake and Xilisoft Blu-ray to Video Converter are great choices for Blu-rays without copy protection, while DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper and VUDU cater to commercial Blu-ray titles. Although VUDU may not be compatible with all Blu-ray discs, DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper effectively handles both commercial Blu-rays and regular Blu-ray folder/ISO sources. We hope this article has provided you with the information you need for easier accessibility and management of your Blu-ray collection.