Blu-ray discs provide amazing video quality, but you need a Blu-ray drive to watch them, which can be a real hassle. Carrying around a drive all the time? No thanks.
By ripping your Blu-rays to digital formats, you can now watch your favorite movies on any device without the extra equipment, which is very convenient. Plus, there are so many free Blu-ray rippers available on the market. In this article, we will dive into the top 4 free Blu-ray rippers so you can find the perfect one according to your needs.
Top 1. VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper
First is VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper, a top-tier tool in the Blu-ray ripping market. Compatible with both Windows and Mac, it supports homemade and protected Blu-ray discs, folders, and ISO files, ensuring no compatibility issues. With support for over 300 output video formats, you can play your DVD collections on all your devices. For optimal Blu-ray playback, it also supports output up to 4K resolution with lossless quality, retaining original subtitles, audio tracks, and Blu-ray menu. Additionally, it offers extra editing tools and hardware acceleration for speeds up to 6 times faster.
What’s more, with so many features, its intuitive interface and robust performance make it a popular choice among both beginners and advanced users. Although it is not completely free, it offers a generous free trial, allowing you to experience its full features before committing to a subscription. So, give it a try now!
Key Features:
- Multiple Format Support: Support converting Blu-rays to 300+ formats, including MP4, MKV, AVI, and more.
- High-Speed Ripping: Quickly rips Blu-rays while retaining original quality.
- Customizable Settings: Offers advanced options to adjust resolution, bitrate, and other parameters.
- User-Friendly Interface: Simple and intuitive interface for easy navigation and use.
- Rip Protected Blu-rays: Support to decrypt protection in APS/ CSS/ARccOS/CPRM/AACS/BD+ and Cinavia, etc.
How to Rip Blu-ray with VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper
Ripping Blu-ray Discs using VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper is easy and simple. Here is the step-by-step guide. Take a look:
Step 1: Download and install VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper. Insert your Blu-ray disc. Launch the software, and load Blu-ray by clicking on the “Load Blu-ray Disc” button.
Step 2: Choose the file subtitles that you want to rip from the “Full Movie List”.
Step 3: Then, choose your desired output format from the “Rip All to” drop-down menu and adjust any necessary settings and parameters.
Step 4: Select the destination folder, then click “Rip All” to start ripping your Blu-ray to a digital format.
With these steps, you can easily convert your Blu-ray collection into digital files for convenient viewing on any device.
Top 2. HandBrake
HandBrake, a free and open-source video transcoder, is also a decent choice for ripping Blu-ray to Mac, as well as Windows and Linux. It supports ripping Blu-rays to MP4, MKV, and WebM and offers advanced settings to adjust video quality, bitrate, and other parameters, making it highly customizable for various needs.
However, HandBrake lacks some of the conveniences found in other Blu-ray rippers. It doesn’t handle Blu-ray copy protection on its own, requiring additional library files installed to decrypt protected Blu-rays. Moreover, it lacks hardware acceleration, resulting in longer ripping times compared to professional software like VideoByte. What’s worse is the output video formats are so limited, only slightly better than those formats supported by MakeMKV. Despite these limitations, HandBrake remains a good option for those seeking a free and customizable solution to rip Blu-rays, especially those who don’t mind the extra steps and longer processing times.
Top 3. MakeMKV
MakeMKV is a great choice for its simplicity and efficiency in ripping Blu-ray discs into MKV format while retaining the original video and audio quality. It can rip partially copy-protected DVDs (e.g., AACS, BD+), and its easy-to-navigate interface makes it simple to use without requiring any skills. Additionally, it retains metadata such as subtitles and chapter markers, providing you with comprehensive digital copies of their Blu-ray content.
However, MakeMKV’s only support for the MKV format poses limitations compared to VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper’s versatility in output formats. Also, MakeMKV lacks direct file compression, resulting in larger output sizes and consuming more storage space. This can be a significant drawback for those who have limited storage devices. Despite these drawbacks, MakeMKV’s simplicity and quality preservation make it a solid tool for ripping Blu-rays, especially if you prioritize ease of use and high-quality MKV output.
Top 4. VLC
VLC Media Player is a versatile and popular open-source media player that also offers Blu-ray ripping capability. It can handle a wide range of media formats , making it a handy tool for converting Blu-ray discs to digital formats. VLC’s ripping feature is accessible and free, an attractive option for those who already use VLC for their media playback needs.
However, using VLC to rip Blu-rays comes with several drawbacks. The process can be more complex compared to VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper, requiring multiple settings and steps to be able to use the Blu-ray ripping feature. Additionally, VLC supports only partial Blu-ray encryption, meaning it cannot handle all encrypted Blu-ray discs. This can limit its effectiveness for a wide variety of Blu-ray titles. Furthermore, the output quality may not always match the high standards set compared with dedicated ripping software, making it less effective among these options for those seeking the best possible digital copies of their Blu-ray content.
Conclusion
Anyway, converting Blu-ray discs to digital formats can save you the trouble of carrying a Blu-ray drive and let you enjoy movies on any device. VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper is more professional and provides the most versatile features and high-quality outputs. HandBrake and MakeMKV offer reliable free alternatives but have some limitations. VLC media player is a multifunctional option, but it can be more complicated and less effective when dealing with all Blu-ray encryption. So, it is better to choose the powerful VideoByte among those options.
