Looking to convert your physical film collection into a digital collection? Are you interested in preserving the quality while keeping file sizes to a minimum? Then the following may be a worthwhile tutorial for yous. As nosotros'll go over how to convert a single BluRay to MKV.

Don't have a collection yet? Start here: Buy Movies & Shows on Amazon

Information technology's… information technology's beautiful!

Disclaimer : Before we get farther into this discussion, I must betoken out that ripping BluRays you own is a hazy surface area when it comes to copyright laws. It is illegal to circumvent copyright technology (DMCA) and the focus here is to discuss DVDs/BluRays that you lot OWN! We ALWAYS back up filmmakers by ownership theater tickets, DVDs, BluRays, digital releases, streaming subscriptions, and even trade! If you're not willing to back up the filmmakers properly, delight shut your browser now and rethink the touch on your decisions have on an industry that supports millions. For those that remain ethical, please keep to back up filmmakers then they tin keep providing us with great amusement and keep the film industry thriving!

Introduction

Outset off, BluRays are a tricky beast. When y'all're dealing with high quality 1080p (sorry no UHD here!) and convert it into a video file, the files tin be pretty large (Tenet = 37GBs)! While you tin downsample the video to a lower quality, my focus here is on retaining the highest quality possible while keeping file sizes tolerable.

It's worth adding that this conversion takes time, and is well above most recommendations you'll ever observe around. This is due to my quality oriented nature, and having a slower PC. Which can take days to consummate a conversion via CPU, or hours via a powerful machine. However, if yous have an Nvidia card (GTX or RTX), you lot can greatly reduce the time it takes to convert a video (more than on that later).

Having spent months testing and discussing the best settings with others, I believe I've finally institute the "sweet spot" for quality BluRay conversions. I also keep to update the recipe here with any new lessons learned. But if you lot got this far, you're probably interested on how to continue. So, what'll you demand to get started?

What Yous'll Need to Get Started

BluRay Drive (Required)

What You Demand:

  • Windows or MAC Bone X (operating organisation)
  • HDD/SSD* Free Infinite
  • BluRay Disc Drive* (Don't have 1?)
    • Try playing a BluRay film beforehand to brand certain it works properly!
  • MakeMKV
  • Handbrake
  • Nvidia Graphics Carte du jour (GTX/RTX) [OPTIONAL]

*If you have an SSD, it'll aid speed upwards the process. Only information technology's non required.

Once you're fully setup, you tin can become through the remaining process. For starters, it's worth stating that Handbrake has some issues when it comes to ripping BluRays. Should this limitation change in the future, yous can always skip the steps involving MakeMKV. Merely for now, we're limited to ripping our BluRay thru MakeMKV, and so converting it thru Handbrake.

Ripping a BluRay

Convert BluRay to MKV MakeMKV
MakeMKV – a 1:1 Conversion app

Place your disc into your bulldoze and open MakeMKV. As long equally everything'due south work fine, you should see your disc labeled inside the application and yous shouldn't see the dreaded No Disc side by side to Type (meet higher up screenshot). Click on the image of your disc drive and it'll brainstorm to scan every file on it. Requite the disc some time to complete the scan and populate the listing of potential videos.

If You Drive is Unable to Complete the Scan Successfully:

  • Make clean you disc with a very soft textile, wiping from the heart outward
  • Use the proper compressed air to blow inside the drive, specifically around the laser. Sometimes the light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation can take dust and fails to scan properly.
  • Cheque your disc for any damage. Sometimes you'll see a discoloration, which can naturally occur from leaving information technology in the dominicus or almost estrus (estrus damage).
    • Cheque for cracks effectually the heart. Discs won't spin properly with cracks here.
  • Effort playing the BluRay in a BluRay Thespian and come across if it plays just fine.
    • If it plays fine in the BluRay Player, you may need to replace your bulldoze
    • If it doesn't play and you've tried, the disc is likely bad. This does happen.
  • If your bulldoze (disc/SDD/HDD) starts to have failures, you might take issues with your motherboard and/or Power Supply Unit.
    • This happened to me when I started receiving errors mid-rip or conversion.
MakeMKV – cheque the box for THE movie (or episodes)

The Title Pick screen tin be a chip tricky here. As you'll often find multiple files listed. You should be able to notice the correct film (or episode) by looking at the length of the film, or by referencing the file size. Unremarkably, the largest file is the movie (but not ever!). If you're not certain, you can too pop the disc into a histrion and meet how many chapters information technology has and how long it is. Once you've found the right file, check the box and expand the arrow side by side to it.

MakeMKV – Cull your preferred audio Setup

Which Audio & Subtitles to Choose:

Sound: If the Championship Selection wasn't tricky enough, now yous have to effigy out what audio channel outputs you want. Many BluRays include Director's Commentary, and so you desire to beware of choosing these unless you actually want them included. Also, your setup may accept issues with playing files with 7.1 DTS-HD or other high quality sound outputs. Additionally, the more channels, selections and higher the quality, the larger your file volition be. Generally, I choose the highest quality and uncheck the rest.

If you're dealing with a moving picture in a strange language, yous tin can too ask yourself if you want to continue several languages, the linguistic communication you lot speak, or the native language of the film. Personally, I recommend the native linguistic communication for many reasons. But at that place are films worth keeping the dubbed version, equally long as the voice work is expert.

Subtitles: When it comes to Subtitle options, I recommend choosing all of them except the ones listed with FORCED Just. I tend to keep every bit many every bit possible in case I have a invitee over and their English isn't so strong. But feel gratis to cull your subtitle options downwards or even eliminate them if that meets your preferences.

Fix to Start?

With your video(s), audio output(south), and subtitle(s) checked off it'due south not time to start the rip! Click on the the green pointer with the disk drive under it.

MakeMKV – IT has begun!

Once MakeMKV Rip Has Finished

Success: Once information technology finishes it's procedure, y'all should see a prompt that says 1 titles saved, 0 failed.

Failure: If you come across 0 titles saved, one failed then please see the section above for possible solutions ( Drive is Unable to Complete the Scan Successfully ).

Downsample (Compress) an MKV Video

Enable & Use Nvidia GPU Encoding

If you are lucky plenty to ain an Nvidia graphics carte du jour, y'all'll be able to greatly reduce the fourth dimension it takes to convert videos. For example, when I use the standard CPU method it will take my PC days to convert 1 moving-picture show. Merely with an Nvidia carte du jour, it volition take less than an hour. This helps me convert more videos in less time, and free up more space on my SSD. This also comes with a tradeoff, equally it'due south not as efficient at reducing the file size every bit a CPU conversion does. And so proceed that in mind!

To check if your video carte allows this feature, follow these unproblematic steps. Starting with navigating to Handbrake'southward Preferences:

Handbrake > Tools > Preferences

Then become into the settings where we choose our encoding method:

Convert BluRay to MKV Handbrake Enable NVENC Nvidia
Preferences > Video > Cheque box for: Enable nvidia NVENC encoder*

*If the box is greyed out, that means your computer setup doesn't supports that specific characteristic. If none are available, you are left with the CPU encoding method. Should you lot plan on conducting a lot of conversions, you might want to consider picking up an affordable Nvidia GPU with at to the lowest degree 4GBs and at least DDR5 memory.

Click Dorsum to save your settings, and y'all're now good to get!

If your rip was successful, you can now continue to the end of this conversion process. So allow'southward open Handbrake!

Convert BluRay to MKV Handbrake Downsample

When you open up Handbrake, yous may notice the Disc is still in the drive. Please ignore that and cull File. Navigate to the location you lot saved your MakeMKV file. In my case, it was the root of the E: Bulldoze. And then I'll navigate at that place and select title_01.mkv. If you're converting multiple files, check to see what each file is then you can cull the correct 1. If y'all're converting a bear witness with multiple episodes per disc, you'll take to do this for each episode*.

*Beware of discs that combine multiple episodes into i file! For these, you'll accept to choose the advisable Chapters in Handbrake to narrow downward the portion of that file that corresponds to each respective episode, and then name them appropriately.

Choosing Your Handbrake Settings

  • Summary:
    • Choose Format: MKV
      • You lot could choose MP4, but I've noticed issues with it. For example, MP4 has issues with storing several audio tracks/subtitles inside a unmarried file.
Handbrake – Summary Tab
  • Dimensions:
    • Anamorphic: Automatic
Convert BluRay to MKV Handbrake Dimensions
Handbrake – Dimensions tab
  • Filters:
    • EVERYTHING set to Off
Convert BluRay to MKV Handbrake Filters
Handbrake – Fitlers Tab
  • Video:
    • Video Codec: H.265 x-chip (x265)
      • Nvidia users, chose: H.265 (Nvidia NVEnc)
    • Framerate: Aforementioned as Source
      • Constant Framerate
    • Constant Quality: 18 (upwards to 22 to reduce file size, slight image impact)
      • Nvidia users, choose: 22 (or twenty for slightly ameliorate quality & larger files)
    • Encoder Preset: Slower (or Ho-hum)
      • Nvidia users, choose: Default
    • Extra Options*:
      • CPU: rc-lookahead=10:bframes=v:ref=6:subme=7:aq-way=iii
      • NVENC: rc-lookahead=x:bframes=5:ref=8:subme=vii:aq-mode=iii
      • *Copy-Paste the higher up lawmaking into the field. This is the "hush-hush sauce" of Handbrake settings.
Convert BluRay to MKV Handbrake CPU Settings
Handbrake – Video Settings (CPU Method)
Convert BluRay to MKV Nvidia NVENC Settings
handbrake – Video Settings (Nvidia method)
  • Audio:
    • Click on Add Runway and cull Add All Remaining Tracks
    • Look at the quality of the RAW file, and choose the Passthru version of the same kind
      • In this case, it's DTS-Hard disk. So we'll choose DTS-Hard disk drive Passthru
Handbrake – Audio Part one
Handbrake – Audio part ii

*Note: If there was a time to remove an additional audio output you don't want, now is your terminal chance to do so. Don't forget, for every sound option you keep, y'all'll have an even larger file. If y'all're not concerned most sound quality, experience free to choose FLAC sixteen-flake if you're non every bit picky equally I am. I only love the Smash of college quality.

Subtitles:

  • Click on Add together Runway, and choose Add together All Remaining Tracks
  • Once you've added your options, remove Foreign Sound Browse
Handbrake – Subtitles Part 1
Handbrake – Subtitles Part two

Chapters :

  • Create chapter markers: Cheque the box
    • This feature adds fourth dimension to your conversion, and if you lot're not interested in keeping the power to skip scenes (only like on the BluRay), y'all're welcome to uncheck this option.
Handbrake – Chapters

Salvage As:

  • Relieve As: name the file any you'd like
  • Click on the Browse button and choose the folder you want to save the file in.
Handbrake – Save As

Begin Conversion

At present requite everything one final lookover and ensure that everything you see in these screenshots (or what you have in mind) is 100% accurate.

  • If you're set to begin, click on Start Encode.
  • If you plan to do multiple encodings, redo all of the steps for Handbrake and choose Add together to Queue for subsequent conversions yous're looking to do.
Handbrake – Final Output begin!

All y'all take to practice is get about your mean solar day until the conversion is finished and enjoy the fruits of your labor! You have at present completed the process to convert a BluRay to MKV!


Converting BluRay to MKV

Why convert a BluRay to MKV? Why even convert any BluRay (or DVD) to a video for that matter?

When you've collected movies for over twenty years discs will slowly rot away (aka disc rot). This offers a great solution to a serious picture collecting upshot. So far, I've only had half dozen discs intermission down on me (1 BluRay, v DVDs). Not to mention, I've had MANY films stolen from my drove (Ferris Buehler stolen twice? Why!?!). In cases where my discs went corrupt, I've been lucky enough to rip them before information technology happened, merely it's tragic that they don't last forever.

Fifty-fifty if yous keep them cool, abroad from heat, and so on, they won't last long plenty. Creating a digital fill-in is one fashion you can preserve your collection which yous paid hard earned coin for. I literally pay $50 for some of my imports! Those would painful to lose! We desire to help others go along their collections by showing you how to convert BluRay to MKV, and created this extensive tutorial as a great place to commencement.

Another advantage to having a digital backup is you can browse it faster than a concrete collection. You can just pull upward a seat, grab an internet connected device, and chop-chop jump into a show or movie you already own. Additionally, there are services such as PLEX that offer superior video playback of your 1080p content. Equally streaming services like Netflix/HBO GO/Amazon/etc. offer poor bandwidth/encoding compared to the speed of a faster local network.

What about BluRays from a different region (Region: A, B, C)?

Peradventure one of the best perks of converting your own motion-picture show collection is being able to purchase films unavailable in your region (or cheaper outside your region) and creating a digital copy for home viewing.

While BluRay drives have the capability to modify their region up to 5 times, the fifth change of the region is permanent. Still, MakeMKV is capable of converting any region of BluRay into a digital copy. So you're not limited to your BluRay bulldoze'southward region to enjoy your films. No "region gratis" BluRay/DVD player required!

MakeMKV Fails to Rip (or Detect) My BluRay Disc

MakeMKV Won't Discover My Disc While in the Drive

If you've tried cleaning your disc, or if your disc is pristine, the only time I've run into this issue is due:

  • Disc was in a hot place and is partially destroyed
  • BluRay drive is also old to observe the disc properly
  • A LibreDrive disc drive is needed to overcome copyright software

If yous're drive supports LibreDrive* and you don't see the disc, so it'due south probably the disc that'south bad. I've ran into this over a dozen times and the only solution was to by the same motion-picture show once again. Unfortunately, testing another disc across different drives is the only way to diagnose the issue is. Brand new discs are recommended to ensure the highest chances for it to work.

*What is LibreDrive? See the bottom of this folio for more details!

MakeMKV Starts Ripping But Ultimately Fails
If yous've tried cleaning the disc, or if the disc is already clean, at that place's a likelihood of in that location being impairment to the data on your disc. For example, a friend once gave me a copy of a movie which was in a hot storage unit. The rip always failed to complete, and merely once I had another (brand new) copy was I able to confirm the issue.

Eyeglasses cleaning cloths are the best choice for wiping a disc. Just wipe from the center out and don't apply fluid. If the disc has scratches, at that place are methods to fill in the gaps and repair them. Good repair kits are expensive, and other methods are a bit tricky. Then continue at your own hazard. But if this nevertheless fails, you may demand to buy some other copy.

MP4 vs MKV

Why use MKV when MP4 can practise information technology similarly and aid in file size reduction?
Well, for starters MKV offers greater support than MP4 does. I've noticed bug/conflicts when embedding more than ane subtitle, and MKV offers greater adequacy here.

Is at that place a quality dip when downsampling a BluRay?
Short respond, aye. Let's await take Tenet (2020) for example. When yous downsample the BluRay, you lot'll go from ~38Mbps to ~11mpbps. The greatest threat I've observed to quality is to banding, where colors class these strange lines (or bands) on objects or in the background of scenes. The other major upshot is color accuracy, which is why y'all admittedly need to use H265 10-bit. Annihilation less and y'all're creating issues.

Another thing people often discuss is Variable Bitrate vs Constant Bitrate. Smaller file size conversions favor Variable Bitrate hands down. While Constant Bitrate supports consistent quality levels. Accept annotation of this in handling your collection. You lot'll definitely notice Variable Bitrate will go up and downwards in quality frame by frame, as it attempts to stabilize quality based on the software's assumptions.

H264 vs H265

Why choose H265 equally the encoder instead of H264? Isn't H264 faster to encode?
The approach here is focused on quality. H264 does convert more chop-chop, but H265 offers greater quality and reduced files sizes. The main issue with H265 is that it really does accept longer to convert, and can be painful on slower PCs using CPU method. If yous have problems with fourth dimension and file size, yous're more than than welcome to reduce your settings to improve it to your liking. But I've noticed greater artifacting when using H264.

I additional affair worth mentioning is that y'all're only doing these conversions once per BluRay. By reducing file size, you tin easily shop more files on your HDD/SSD. When you're ever buying DVDs/BluRays from the store, Redbox, library, Swap Meet, etc. you're going to eventually run out of space. This approach reduces the hurting of constantly growing collections and space limitations.

H265 vs H265 ten-scrap vs H265 12-bit

Which H265 pick is the all-time one?
If you're converting DVDs standard choosing H265 is solid for the task. Merely if you're looking to convert 1080p to something decent, H265 10-bit is perfect for the job. If I e'er get to converting something college than 1080p (like 4K) then I'd use H265 12-bit.

What does "bit" actually mean in these conversions?
This substantially deals with colour depth. The higher the fleck, the higher the colour depth. When you catechumen a 1080p BluRay using 8-Bit (the default standard), yous'll notice colors getting lost and color banding occurring a lot more. Particularly when films reuse a color gradient across a scene, like the splashes of greenish in Aliens.

DVDs are generally fine with 8-Bit (default), but I've noticed issues and prefer to use 10-Chip. With BluRays, you have to utilise x-Bit at the very least with 1080p resolution or you risk color loss/banding. UHD requires 12-Bit to retain a similar level of quality as the original.

Passthru Audio vs FLAC/MP3/etc.

Why cull pass thru audio when you tin can choose other options?
The primary reason is quality. If you accept a surround audio installed in your dwelling house, you lot know why sound quality is so crucial to your setup. If yous're not big on audio or only apply stereo when you lookout stuff, y'all'll probably be fine with FLAC stereo.

My video file uses surround sound but my home setup simply has stereo speakers. When I watch it, I sometimes tin't hear dialogue or the audio volume is inconsistent. Assist!
This is mayhap one of the nigh asked questions surrounding DVDs/BluRays. Many times, BluRays don't fifty-fifty take a stereo sound selection (or Dolby Pro Logic 2) and information technology creates a multitude of sound quality issues when y'all lookout information technology on a stereo setup.

To gear up this issue, consign your file through Handbrake and choose the Sound setting MP3, with Bitrate of 320 and a Stereo Mixdown. If you lot choose a lower bitrate information technology can audio pretty bad. Every bit you're going from a college quality bitrate with more channels, downwardly to two channels. It won't sound perfect, but it's a lot more tolerable.

Converting Audio down to stereo (2 channels)

Handbrake Encorder Presets – What is the all-time setting for file size output?

What is the best Encoder Preset for quality conversions?
I of the largest impacts to your file size is picture quality. Handbrake's video setting, known as Preset, has a major impact to the file size output. The slower it goes, the smaller and improve the quality is. The faster information technology goes, the larger the file becomes. You generally want to go as wearisome as you can bear, which is why having an Nvidia card is and then useful. Since it'due south easy to utilise the slowest setting and still render a pic in less than an hr. But how yous proceed is determined by your fourth dimension, file size needs, and passion for quality.

HANdrbake > Video > Encoder preset (NVENC)

On NVENC, you lot might equally go as loftier equally you lot tin with the quality. Every bit it tends to get much faster than CPU conversions. Although the files aren't as compressed as CPU conversions go, information technology provides the best quality in the shortest span of time.

What about the settings in your Control Line Options (i.e. "secret sauce")?
This is a hard one to explain, but I'll do my best to explain some of the items I consider necessary:

  • aq-way
    • Adaptive Quantization operating mode raises or lowers the per-block quantization based on the assay of each frame's complication. This is used for ultra-loftier bitrates with zero loss of quality. Y'all generally want to use a setting equal to 3 to prevent/reduce color banding and bug with blacks in dark scenes.
      • 0 = Disabled
      • 1 = AQ Enabled
      • 2 = AQ Enabled with Auto-Variance (default)
      • 3 = AQ enabled with Auto-Variance and bias to dark scenes.
  • bframe
    • Sets max number of consecutive bframes to use. Default is 4, but yous can utilise 0 to force P/I low latency encodess.
    • I generally use a setting of 5, since using half dozen doesn't seem to produce a noticeable difference in the results. Nonetheless, I do notice a slight comeback going from 4 to 5.
  • rc-lookahead
    • This helps with movement mistiness and scene/shot transitions. The more than frames you "look ahead" of the current frame, the better the transition between frames
  • ref
    • The higher this setting the ameliorate the quality and compression.
      • HEVC has a max setting allowed of 8, despite x265 assuasive a max of 16.
      • For H264 I recommend using six.

If the conversion is making these files smaller, what quality is being lost in the procedure?

This answer more often than not depends on how depression you go on your settings. Simply let's continue under the assumption that you're using my guidance here.

Film grain and minor details in color variance seem to exist the merely noticeable areas of compromise when it comes to these conversions. For case, if a horror film has a blackness groundwork in the scene with moving picture grain, I'll notice some small-scale shifts in the moving-picture show grain itself. The black areas tend to lump together more, and on a few films I've noticed very light color banding betwixt shades of a single color (like black or white).

One expert example of this is with the film Don't Breathe. When scenes became really night (which is often), I noticed certain scenes where the film grain wasn't as grainy. Smoothing out the black of the darkest areas.

Handbrake Quality Setting – What is the sweet spot for balancing quality vs size?

This is perhaps the trickiest part of the whole conversion and finding the correct setting for your needs. Many others happily use a higher number, which lowers the quality and are completely fine with the results. Only if you really want decent quality from a BluRay, I recommend stopping at 22 every bit your highest setting (CPU or Nvidia).

Nvidia seems to requite the best speed and file size around 21-22, and then I tend to use the lower quality (22) when I'm converting a show with a lot of episodes or a movie I plan to rarely lookout man. I keep my favorite movies at around 18 (CPU) or 21 (Nvidia). Simply what you make up one's mind should be based on your needs. If you're express on space and just desire the collection, I'd recommend a lower quality setting.

Handbrake > Video > Quality

At that place are some quirks with encoding via NVEnc. For starters, I once converted an entire show and the first two seasons reduced by at to the lowest degree 33%. However, when I got to flavour 3, some episodes were reduced to l% and one episode actually increased! In that location's a lot of discussion online nearly how inconsistent NVEnc is, and the results that come out of it. Even when you use the same settings, the outcome tin can be unpredictable. I wish I could explain more almost this, but I've withal to come up beyond anyone with solid answers. So proceed that in listen!

Dubbing vs Subtitles

Is information technology amend to retain the dubbed version of a film's audio or just go along the subtitles?
Personal preference applies here. Simply the primary point of contention for me is "break of atheism". If something breaks the feel, I just don't desire information technology. In the case of dubbing, it's ordinarily pretty bad and the lack of lipsyncing breaks the realism. Animated films are one expanse where I will often retain both versions, such as with: Akira, Cowboy Bebop, Spirited Away. In rare cases I might even only retain the dubbed audio, such every bit the case with Gilt Boy. Which is a rare case of the English audio being much more hilarious to English language speakers compared to the original Japanese audio.

At present there are also the dreaded experiences where you sympathize the non-English dialogue and the subtitles are terrible (looking at y'all REC 2!). If you programme on showing the motion-picture show to someone that speaks the native tongue, I recommend retaining it in your conversions.

Equally for Subtitles, the more the merrier! I'one thousand not sure about other people, just information technology's ever cool to learn another linguistic communication through film. It'southward entertaining and fun to slowly pickup a non-native natural language. However, if you're never going to demand Subtitles, feel gratuitous to discard them completely. Besides, if y'all keep your Subtitles don't BURN them in. If you lot exercise, you tin can never get them out. And you'll accept text permanently over your footage. No bueno!

Using Different Settings in Handbrake

Should I Use Different Settings Than What You lot Propose?
The settings I've provided can actually take a long time, and then I wouldn't blame anyone for doing it differently. For me, this is the best approach at ensuring the files are small-scale and the quality as high equally possible. An unknown byproduct of a smaller file is meliorate HDD lifespan. While an SSD would exist fine in one case the conversion is washed, and HDD will go out at some indicate. So the less your HDD spins, the shorter the browse altitude, the better the lifespan. Too, if you lot're streaming your ain videos it tin accept some time to gear up larger video files. Specially when your skipping to different scenes.

Is There A Identify That Presents Enquiry on Conversion Settings?
Aye, this has been well studied by CrypticSignal. The main takeaway I accept from his research is the FASTER you encode the larger the file size. The SLOWER the encoding the smaller the file size. This is why I cull SLOWER as my preferred setting. If I ever go a super fast PC I'd even consider using SLOWEST.

You lot can run into more than research by CrypticSignal on Handbrake here: https://github.com/CrypticSignal/video-quality-metrics

Is There A Identify That References Handbrake's Command Line Options (CLI)?

Convert BluRay to MKV Command Line Options CLI
Handbrake – Command Line Options (CLI)

Retrieve the section at the bottom of the VIDEO tab, adjacent to Extra Options? This is what Handbrake calls Command Line Options. The "hugger-mugger sauce" of these conversions. Someone already drafted upwardly a lot of stuff on this, merely that site has since been taken downwardly.

Thankfully, Archive.org is our all-time friend. And you tin can even so acquire more virtually all this here: Handbrake – Command Line Options (CLI)

My Conversion is Cutting Off Role of the Frame!

If you're using Automated Cropping, this can sometimes happen. This happened to me with Tenet and Don't Breathe. While Handbrake does it's all-time to determine where the black bars are, it's generally a best estimate. Black bars are a mutual occurrence with films are presented in theatrical widescreen in 1080p (16:9) attribute ratio. Resulting in black confined at the meridian and bottom, which you want to remove.

To prevent overcropping of the frame, you'll need to arrange the settings manually to resolve this. Here's what a bad overcropping looks like in the Automated settings:

Find the Right ingather on the motion-picture show don't breathe

To fix this, you'll need to reduce the Right crop down to nil (0) in this example. If you want to check if the picture is beingness excessively cropped, click on Preview and yous'll know what I hateful. This is how the setting looks after I've stock-still this issue:

Automatic cropping is now Custom cropping

LibreDrive

What Is LibreDrive?
Some discs tin brand it a pain when y'all desire to convert a BluRay to MKV. LibreDrive essentially is a disc drive capable of reading RAW data from the disc. When people talk about DRM and Copyright protection, disc drives act on their firmware/software to interpret the data from the disc scans. When using LibreDrive, a drive will simply read ALL of the data as simply data. Which isn't impeded by a disc drive's firmware/software limitations.

More often than not, you lot will not demand this. Simply on extremely rare occasions, at that place are discs that may crave information technology. DRM can prevent a complete disc scan or rip, especially when using an older bulldoze.

Is A LibreDrive Disc Bulldoze Worth Information technology?
Mayhap. I've never needed one just it's been said to accept information technology's uses. There are certain features that go far an added plus when information technology comes to MakeMKV, which definitely has benefits. Just for the boilerplate person, it's not needed. If you're having issues though, information technology'll definitely help you lot convert the BluRay to MKV.

How practise I utilize LibreDrive?
First y'all need a bulldoze that is capable of utilizing the LibreDrive feature. If your drive supports it, then MakeMKV will be able to leverage the feature. Please annotation that not all drives come with the feature enabled, and additional updates to the firmware may exist required. Check your manufacturer or behave online searches to confirm how to enable information technology if you're not seeing the characteristic utilized (see epitome below).

Convert BluRay to MKV LibreDrive
LIbredrive working correctly

Ripping and Writing Files to an SSD (Warning)

If you plan on using an SSD to speed things up, then it is highly recommended you do this to a drive that is separate from your operating system. Writing to an SSD shortens the lifespan of an SSD.

If you're going to employ an SSD for ripping and converting your BluRays, in that location are three things to proceed in mind:

  • Cell Type
    • Single Layer Cell (SLC) – Virtually expensive, usually less storage, near writes
    • Multi Layer Prison cell (SLC) – Basically two SLCs stacked
    • Triple Layer Cell (TLC) – Basically 3 SLCs stacked
    • Quadruple Layer Jail cell (QLC) – Largest drives, least amount of writes
    • *SLC is the best option for abiding writing. QLC is best for storage
  • More free space on the SSD drive is ameliorate (SSD lifespan)
    • SSDs write in a sequence beyond the free space on the bulldoze. When there's less complimentary space, the drive is constantly writing to the bachelor storage space. Which tin can outcome in information abuse on the SSDs within that expanse.
    • Keep as much gratis space equally possible to extend the lifespan of the drive!
  • The larger the drive, the longer the lifespan
    • The more storage space you lot have to write over the amend. A larger, more affordable QLC is a feasible pick over more than expensive SLC drives. Unfortunately, large SLCs are very expensive and typically get every bit much storage infinite as MLC, TLC, or QLC. If you get a drive with additional layers, 3D NAND is the all-time option with the engineering science at this time.

Downsampled BluRays vs Uncompressed DVDs

Since DVDs already have a lower quality, we practise not recommend downsampling them unless absolutely necessary. This means you'll accept to contend with uncompressed DVDs rips in MKV format.

When using this guide, converting via Handbrake, with all subtitles and i channel for the highest audio (DTS-Hd), I was able to catechumen Fantastic Mr Fox down to five.3GB. Meanwhile, the uncompressed DVD rip took up 4.5GB. This is only an increment of 0.8GB, or an increase of 18% for 4x the resolution and a much higher audio quality!

You could lower the audio quality in Handbrake to reduce file size, simply given that quality is my goal I'm happy with this conversion. If HDD/SSD infinite is an issue for you, feel free to consider a lower quality. But this illustrates a strong reasoning for why downsampled BluRays are a meliorate option over DVDs from a quality standpoint.

Thanks for reading!


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