Do you have a large Blu-Ray movie collection but do you think the discs can be damaged by inserting them often into the player? In order to better protect them you can convert Blu-Ray to MKV to save as a file on your PC, so you can review them at any time without having to worry about damaging the disks. In this guide, I will show you which programs you can use to convert Blu-Ray to MKV for free, without having to use paid software to convert.
Convert Blu-Ray to MKV
Blu-Ray burner
In order to convert Blu-Ray to MKV, you need to provide the PC of a Blu-Ray player or recorder. Compared to the past, prices are chosen a lot, so you can buy a Blu-Ray burner for less than $100. If your PC is not yet equipped with an optical drive for Blu-Ray, you can purchase one of the following models available on Amazon.
MakeMKV
To convert Blu-Ray to MKV you can use the MakeMKV program. This program for Windows is offered for free for 30 days in beta, but in reality, once the trial period has expired, simply download the program again and use the license key under test to extend the beta again. Repeating the process at every opportunity is possible to use this program indefinitely, which could be considered the best program to rip Blu-Ray.
Download MakeMKV from the following link.
DOWNLOAD | MakeMKV
You can retrieve the activation key of the beta from the following link.
LINK | Make MKV test key
Once you have downloaded and installed the program, you can finally proceed to convert Blu-Ray to MKV. Insert the Blu-Ray disc in the player or burner and open the program.
To open the Blu-Ray disc, just click on the symbol in the middle of the program.
It will open a list with all the chapters, extra content and movies included in the Blu-Ray. Select the content you want to include in the MKV file, select the final destination folder and then press Make MKV to start converting the disc to the video file.
The conversion speed depends on the hardware used on the PC and the reading speed of the Blu-Ray unit used.
NOTE: the program is capable of ripping protected Blu-Ray but it is not guaranteed to work on all types of protection.
HandBrake
The video file obtained with MakeMKV is pure, without loss of quality: in fact it can easily exceed 30 GB! You can save this file directly without further steps, especially if you have space to sell. But if you have little disk space on your PC and you want to reduce the size of the video without compromising quality too much, you can use the free HandBrake program.
DOWNLOAD | HandBrake
Download and install this program, then open it to access its interface. Immediately the program will ask you if you want to open a video file. Use the File item to choose the video just generated by Blu-Ray. The program will read it and offer various options for conversion.
The first steps to follow are the following:
- Select the right file (if there are multiple videos) in the Source field
- Choose the right final destination path on the Browse button, also choosing the name of the final file
- Select as a MKV Container
Here is an image that explains the steps to be done well.
Before proceeding with the conversion you have to choose the final quality of the video obtained; the program will make a conversion with inevitable loss of quality, but by choosing the SuperHQ 1080p30 Surround presets on the right side you will get a file of acceptable size with a high quality in audio and video.
When ready click on Start Encode to start the final conversion. After some time (it all depends on the CPU you have on your PC) you will finally have your high-quality movie saved in MKV on your PC, ready to be played without having to bother Blu-Ray every time.