While Netflix and YouTube might be your main source for entertainment now, old-style DVD disc never disappears. Whether you have a box set or a ton of DVDs, be them homemade or commercial, better extract the DVD media content to save into MP4 or other digital formats, for more flexible options of watching, or just in case they get broken or lost.
When it comes to DVD backup, MP4 is always preferred as the first choice. Why is that? Simply put, converting DVD to MP4 ensures the best balance between video quality and file size, which should cover most people’s needs. But how to convert DVD to MP4 for free? We find 5 best ways for you.
Option 1: Convert DVD to MP4 with HandBrake
Handbrake is an FFmpeg-based open-source media converter. This free DVD ripper has hardly any features missing compared to commercial converters. It’s an 80s-style interface with difficult video jargons often put a rookie even off. However, the fact is you will be hard-pressed to find any free or paid converter more versatile and powerful converter than Handbrake.
Can Handbrake convert DVD to MP4?
Handbrake allows you to rip DVD or Blu-ray Discs into MP4 or MKV files for digital use. It offers myriad of settings for output parameters including video/audio encoding modes, partition types, resolutions, bitrate, frame rate, languages, subtitles, filters and more. Those options may easily get beginners baffled, but are very useful for experts who want full control over the output digital file.
How to Convert DVD to MP4 with Handbrake?
Step 1: Choose the DVD file
After launching Handbrake on our computer, it will automatically detect the DVD driver that already installed on your computer. Click the target DVD driver on the section of Source Selection.
Step 2: Select the seasons you need to convert.
Go to the drop-down of Title. You are going to see many clips with different lengths. If you are holding a movie disc, then the clip that comes with the longest duration would be the main movie.
Step 3: Adjust the output settings.
- Go to the right of this panel, scroll down to find Normal on the section of Legacy and select it. You can choose other presets as you like.
- Go to Output settings, and select MP4 as the output container.
- Click Filters. There you need to set Decomb for Deinterlace and Fast for Interlace Detection.
- Click Video, and set Constant Framerate.
Step 4: Click Browse to set a destination file folder. Click the green Start Encode button. Now handbrake starts to rip DVD to MP4.
Why won’t handbrake rip my DVD to MP4?
Check your discs at the first place. There shouldn’t be any scratches or visible gray or Handbrake won’t read the discs directly. If the error still exists, then the problem might be:
1. The DVD you are converting comes with copy protection.
Handbrake can’t decode any encrypted DVDs or Blu-ray discs on its own. There are chances you can walk it through by installing the Libdvdcss file on your computer, but the effect is hard to be guaranteed. You are more suggested to use a commercial DVD ripper to convert encrypted discs to MP4.
2. Your CPU or RAM is out of usage.
Option 2: Convert DVD to MP4 with VLC
It is a long and labor-intensive process to decoding and encoding the large DVD movies with Handbrake. Our computer needs to assign as much as CPU resource to Handbrake to make sure it works properly. That is to say, don’t load any additional tasks when using Handbrake to convert DVD to MP4, or the app would fail to work.
VLC Media Player is best known as a versatile multi-media player which basically can play almost all sorts of video and audio (DVD files, MOV, AVI, MP4, MKV, WMA, MP3, WAV, and many more) that on our computers without extra codecs installed. But few people know it’s also an inclusive and robust video converter and DVD ripper that is capable to flawlessly convert DVD to MP4 on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Can VLC convert DVD to MP4?
VLC can convert unencrypted DVD, Blu-ray, Audio DVD, and SVCD/VCD to MP4 as well as TS, WebMD formats in a relatively easy manner. It comes with full sets of controls on the generated video that allow users to adjust the encoding parameters, resolutions, filters, frame rate, etc.
How to Convert DVD to MP4 with VLC?
Step 1: Select the target DVD
Go to media > Convert/Save, and then choose Disc.
Click Browse to select the target Disc device
Step 2: Select the copy content
By default, the option of No disc menus should be ticked. You can untick that option to rip DVD with the menu.
Step 3: Convert DVD to MP4
Click Convert/Save in the bottom of the left corner to open up a new panel. In the section of Settings, you can find Profile. Select Video – H.265 + MP3(MP4), or H.264 + MP3(MP4) as the formats since you need MP4 output.
Step 4: Choose an easy to be found folder as the destination output file folder. Click Start and VLC will start to rip DVD to MP4.
How to Fix No Sound When Converting DVD to MP4 Using VLC?
1. Stick on the VLC default setting for output format (H.264/H.265 + MP3). The audio codec you select on VLC doesn’t support the MP4 container. MP4 is not capable of supporting all sorts of audios, as like, it can’t go with PCM, WMA, G.728, and partially support Vorbis and FLAC audio codec.
2. Make the original audio sample rate matches the generated file. The generated MP4 video won’t come with an audio stream if the sample rate setting for the audio file doesn’t match the source information.