What Is MakeMKV Uses, Features, Opinions, Prices

Last update: 04/10/2024
makemkv
makemkv

makemkv It is one of the most famous and longest-running beta programs in software history. A Beta Program It's like a trial version with some reduced features. If you like what you've tried, you can pay for the full version to support the developers and unlock the extra features.

With the beta version of makemkvOnce the 60-day trial expires, you can usually uninstall the program and download it again from their website, essentially having a permanent, unlimited beta version while you repeat the process.

makemkv It is a really good DVD ripper. It is available for Windows, MacOS and Linux, and it is completely free to use while it is in public beta.

That's likely to change with the final version, which has no release date yet, but for now there are no restrictions and the ability to read DVDs will always be free.

What is MakeMKV

makemkv is a popular format conversion software, a transcoder. It converts source videos from encrypted media containers, for example, DVD or Blu-ray discs into free and open MKV files.

It does this while retaining most features, such as multiple audio tracks (e.g. director's commentary), subtitles multilingual, chapter points, additional content and more.

Furthermore, makemkv It can instantly stream decrypted M2TS video to MKV without intermediate conversion to a wide range of players, you can watch Blu-ray and DVD with your favorite player or operating system in MKV format.

Streaming is quickly overtaking DVDs and Blu-ray as the preferred way to watch movies and TV, but many people still have physical disc collections, and because of them, this market is not dead.

Windows It doesn't come with its own dedicated DVD ripping tool, so makemkv It's indispensable. It's not flashy and it's certainly not packed with features, but it gets the job done with minimal fuss.

What MakeMKV can be used for

makemkv rips DVD and Blu-ray files, and MKV is the only output format of this software. If you want to convert DVD to MP4 or other formats, you can use a video converter for that. For MKV, MakeMKV is the one to go for.

makemkv is dedicated to creating MKV from DVD and Blu-ray files, so follow the steps below to generate an MKV file.

  • Launch MakeMKV on your machine, be it Windows, Mac or Linux.
  • Insert a disc into your optical drive.
  • Click on the “drive” icon and wait for it to makemkv scan the file.
  • Check the titles, audio tracks, subtitles you want.
  • Set an output folder.
  • Click the “Make MKV” button.
  • Automatically decrypt region code, BD+, AACS and create MKV file.

The size of MKV file is very large, so if you choose MakeMKV as your DVD ripping software, it takes a lot of space especially for Blu-ray videos.

To solve this problem, how do you shrink an MKV file? The best method is to convert MKV to MP4 using a video converter. In this way, the 10GB file can be compressed to 2-3GB as the MP4 file size is smaller than MKV.

makemkv It can copy protected DVD and Blu-ray files, including region code, AACS and BD+ encryption. And it bypasses AACS and BD+ independently.

Features of MakeMKV

The main features of MakeMKV are listed below:

  1. It can read and access DVD and Blu-Ray discs.
  2. It can also read DVD and Blu-Ray discs protected with the latest versions of Copy Encryptions.
  3. Preserves all audio and video tracks, including DTS and AAC audio.
  4. MakeMKV offers fast conversion, convert as fast as your disk can read the data.
  5. MakeMKV is cross-platform for Windows, MacOS X and Linux.

MKV It is a type of format that is 100% open source and aims at open standard. Therefore, you can easily find an MKV player on Windows, Mac or Linux.

You can even play MKV on any hardware compatible and without the need for an HDCP certified graphics card.

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By converting DVD to MKV, you can get 10% smaller file size. As for ripping Blu-ray to MKV, you can shrink a 50GB Blu-ray file to 10GB MKV with MakeMKV, and the output MKV video still maintains favorable quality.

1. Compatibility with multiple operating systems

makemkv It is compatible with Windows (Windows XP or later, x86 or x64), Mac (x64 Mac OS X 10.7 or later), and Linux (x86 or amd64).

2 License

makemkv contains both freeware and shareware features. It allows users to convert or stream DVD and AVCHD discs for free forever, while Blu-ray disc conversion and streaming is free during the 30-day trial period.

When the trial period expires, you must purchase a registration key. However, this purchase is currently suspended, and you can continue to use the Beta version until further notice.

3. Compatible disks

makemkv It can read DVD and Blu-ray discs, including those protected with the latest versions of AACS and BD+. Please note that the beta version of MakeMKV may not open some HD-DVD discs.

4. Output format

MakeMKV has only one output format. That is MKV.

5. Quality

Although MakeMKV can only rip DVD and Blu-ray discs to MKV, it does so losslessly. The original quality will be kept at 100%.

Please note that lossless copy means large file size. If you don't have enough space, it is suggested to compress the MKV file. makemkv exports.

You may also like Top 7 DVD Burning Software.

Advantages

  • Easy to use. It has a gentle learning curve.
  • Completely free, as it is a beta version.
  • Can rip encrypted disks.

Disadvantages

  • It does not have hardware acceleration.
  • MakeMKV is not officially signed by Apple, so users who want to install the software on a Mac OS X device may need to configure control options for proper functionality.

Plans and prices

makemkv It is completely free software. Its developer does not offer any payment plans, and it is available on its official website: makemkv.com.

How and where to download MakeMKV

As we had already told you, makemkv is available on their official website, free of charge. Proceed with the following steps.

  • Visit makemkv.com.
  • In the main menu, which is on the left side, click on “Download".
  • The page opens. downloads, here you just need to select the version of your machine's operating system. In our case, we selected the windows version.
  • Start downloading the installer file to your machine, in the “Downloads".
  • Once the download is complete, double-click the downloaded file to open the installer.
  • The first window is to select the language, you can find Spanish without any problems.
  • Next comes the installation splash screen, for you to select that you agree to the user license.
  • In the next window, you need to select the location for the files. You can leave this option as default.
  • The installation window appears, click on “Install".
  • The program is then installed. The entire process should only take a few seconds, depending on the speed of your computer and what you are running at the time.
  • Once you receive the message “completed”, you can click on “Next” and you will be given the option to read the file “Read me” or go directly to MakeMKV.
  • Click on "Run MakeMKV” to start the program.

Opinions from users who have used MakeMKV

Below are opinions from users who have already downloaded and tested it. makemkv.

  • Grex:

“Converting video file types is a common need in the video production business. MakeMKV, a free beta software, is a great choice for producers who want a solution to convert to the popular MKV file format, which is very often used for video production. storage of video and audio”.

  • Frederick Barton:
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“MakeMKV’s interface is simple and straightforward. You can load movies directly from a DVD or load DVD or Blu-ray files from your hard drive. The software can save individual titles as .mkv files and is also capable of streaming the movie to a server of your choice.”

  • Rhpbates4:

“I decided on this system as it is considered to be very simple to use, very little to think about and such, nope, it is difficult to navigate and there is little to no online help, it was a very deep experience for me. Therefore, I would not recommend this system at all. There must be better DVD ripping systems out there.”

  • VanRijn63:

“I love this app. It does exactly what it says it will do. I can’t complain.”

  • AnneXin-1:

“MakeMKV seems to work very well with any media, be it Blu-ray, DVD or CD. It does a great job of ripping already purchased movies. I haven’t encountered any issues. Great job with the development of the app!”

MakeMKV Alternatives. Top 5 of This Year

Fortunately, there are some alternatives to makemkv, to make up for some weaknesses of the program. You can ask these Blu-ray rippers for help in finding diversified video/audio output formats and high speed.

1. DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper

DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper It is one of the best MakeMKV alternatives for both Mac and Windows. With the help of technology IA, this free software helps you to improve your video quality greatly by 300% up to 4K level.

So don't worry if your Blu-ray disc is old. DVDFab is skilled at upscaling your video images automatically after receiving your order from «Enlarger AI«.

DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper It comes in two versions: a free trial version and a paid version with more features at a cost of approximately $45.

With 4K video quality as support, DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper, also allows users to customize their videos at will. It allows users to add text, music, images, subtitles to their video, change the properties of their video, and trim/merge it.

DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper, is the only solution to get rid of the protection Cinnamon, the strongest protection built into a disk. That's not a single battle, but a collaboration with DVDFab Blu-ray Cinavia Removal.

2. Handbrake

Handbrake, is an open source video transcoder. No matter MakeMKV or Handbrake, both of them work on Windows, MacOS and Linux. However, MakeMKV only supports converting DVD to MKV.

Here, the DVD ripper Handbrake supports two output formats: MP4 and MKV. Handbrake has no video editor and only encodes H.265, H.264, MPEG-2/4, etc. videos.

If your DVD or Blu-ray videos are protected, I'm sorry that this MakeMKV alternative can't crack DVD protections. As for the time spent converting DVD to MP4 or MKV, the larger the file is, the longer Handbrake will work to process it.

If you are a beginner in DVD ripping, Handbrake is not suitable for you as it is not easy to use.

3. VLC Player

VLC Player It works on Windows, Mac and Linux. Plus, it also works on mobile platforms. Android e iOSUnlike other MakeMKV alternatives, it is more than just a DVD ripper and also a media player.

VLC Player Supports multiple video and audio formats, such as MKV, MP4, MPEG, WMV, FLAC, OGG and MP3. It can play videos encoded by H.264, H.265 and DivX in iPad and other devices you want.

It has an excellent user interface, is very fast and has been downloaded over 50 million times from its official site. This shows how popular VLC Player is.

4. UniConverter

UniConverter It has very limited features as a free trial. To get a full version, you need to pay around $60 as a one-time fee for life, and activate it with a registration code.

As an alternative to MakeMKV, UniConverter can convert DVD disc, DVD folder and ISO files to your audio/video formats portable favorites. It's really powerful.

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UniConverter is available on its official website for Windows and MacOS environments. It is very easy to use and belongs to the family of programs WondershareOne of its advantages over MakeMKV is its full GPU acceleration, doing the job very quickly, up to 30x.

It is so powerful that it can convert multiple files at once. It is one of the most complete programs on the market.

5. WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro

Wonder Fox DVD Ripper Pro It only supports Windows OS and there is no multilingual user interface. Like other MakeMKV alternatives, Wonder Fox DVD Ripper Pro accepts DVD discs, ISO images and DVD folders.

If you want to copy DVD to multiple formats, you will need to use its paid version. It is a very easy-to-use, simple tool that can also help you remove disc protection.

You can make digital backups with this software, and it also has an excellent conversion speed. Its single lifetime license costs approximately $70 for the family version and $30 for the individual version.

Likewise, it also has its trial version that you can download for free.

FAQs

Let's look at some frequently asked questions related to makemkv.

1. How to uninstall MakeMKV from Windows 10?

  • Click on the start menu located in the lower left corner. It is the Windows icon.
  • Then, in the drop-down menu, look for the option “Configuration”, and click on it. It has a gear icon.
  • In the new window that opened, look for the section “Applications” and click it.
  • In the “ windowApplications”, a list of programs will appear, which are the ones you have installed on your Windows 10 machine. In this list, look for “makemkv”, and click it.
  • Then, click on the “Uninstall” button that appears below the name.
  • You will be asked for confirmation, click “Yes”. Windows will proceed to uninstall the program.

2. Is MakeMKV safe?

Yes, MakeMKV is completely safe to install, as long as you do so from its official site.

3. Does MakeMKV support other output video formats apart from MKV?

No. The output is in MKV format only.

4. How long will it take to use MakeMKV to rip a DVD?

Depending on your machine's capacity and the size of the file on the DVD, MakeMKV may take 20-40 minutes to rip.

5. Is MakeMKV lossless?

Yes, any software, including but not limited to makemkv, rip DVD and Blu-ray with quality loss. But the video quality will not be greatly affected by the DVD ripping software.

And during the process of converting DVD to MKV or Blu-ray to MKV, all the metadata of your files like track titles, chapter and language will be kept intact.

Conclusion

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This review of makemkv MakeMKV aims to solve all the doubts you may encounter when using MakeMKV. If you have used free DVD ripping software before, MakeMKV may look familiar to you.

In addition to handling DVDs, the program is also capable of ripping Blu-ray discs, and the process works exactly the same in each case, it will just take a little longer.

makemkv makes the process as easy as possible. The benefit is that you won't waste time searching for the movie every time you want to watch it or connecting your DVD player. Your digital copy will be in your media library, ready to stream to all your devices at any time.

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