How to Convert DVDs to Digital Files without Losing Data and Quality

There are many reasons why you need to convert your DVD collection to digital files. Apparently, optical discs are fragile. After 5 to 10 years, they will become brittle. Plus, they easily affected by the environment, like overheating or humid. DVDs take up lots of room space too compared to digital files. More importantly, they are becoming obsolete. Most lightweight PCs and laptops do not come with a disk drive. Therefore, this article shares a how-to.

Part 1: Find DVD to Digital Service near Me

The easiest way to transfer DVDs to digital files is finding a service. You can mail your DVDs to the service, and download the digital files from the website or get them via a USB drive after converting. Convenience is the main benefit of DVD to digital services. Of course, they are not free and the price is from several to hundreds of dollars. This way is not a good choice if you have a limited budget or a large collection.

Moreover, there are only a few companies still offer this service now, such as DVDWalmart, Leave a Legacy, and DiJiFi.

Another concern is privacy leak. You'd better think over before sending your private DVDs to these DVD digitization services.

Part 2: The Best Way to Convert DVD to Digital Videos

When converting DVDs to digital videos, the ease of use is a big concern. It makes sense that a part of DVD converting software are complex. Fortunately, AVAide DVD Ripper can help you do the job on your desktop without technical skills.

How to Convert a DVD to Digital Videos without Quality Loss

Step 1Load a DVD

Launch the best DVD converting software after you install it on your PC. There is another version for Mac. Put your DVD into your DVD drive. Go to the Load DVD menu, select Load DVD Disc, and choose the disc. To convert specific chapters, click the Full Title List button After the DVD loads, and select them.

Step 2Set the output format

Click the Rip All to menu at the right side to open the profile dialog. Go to the Video tab, select an appropriate format on the left side, and pick a preset. To change the resolution and other parameters, click the Gear button. If you intend to view the video on your phone, go to the Device tab and select the phone model.

Step 3Convert the DVD to digital videos

Finally, click the Folder at the bottom and select a specific directory to save the results. Click on the Rip All button to begin converting the DVD to digital videos.

Part 3: How to Digitize a DVD Using Vudu

Vudu is a multimedia platform and there are lots of 4K UHD titles. Some of them are even free to watch. Besides, it comes with a Disc to Digital feature. Imagine you want your PS5 can play DVD when it's digital, and then the only method is to rip the DVD. Therefore, you can convert a DVD to digital movies on Vudu directly. The price is $2 per DVD to SD and $5 per DVD to HDX.

Here are the steps to convert a DVD to digital videos with Vudu:

Step 1Install Vudu app on your phone, and sign up or log in your account. On an iPhone, you need to create an account on the website in a browser, and then turn to the app.

Tip: Make sure to permit the app to access your location data. Moreover, your billing address must match your GPS location when scanning a DVD.

Step 2Tap the Menu button with a three-line button and choose Disc to Digital.

Step 3Scan the barcode on your DVD box to search for the digital title. Then follow the on-screen instructions and select your movie quality preference.

Step 4Checkout and the movie will be available in your account.

Part 4: How to Convert a DVD to Digital File with VLC

Can you transfer DVDs to digital videos without paying a penny? The answer is yes and VLC is what you need. This open-source media player comes with bonus features including digitizing DVD movies on PCs, Mac, and Linux.

Follow the steps below to convert a DVD to digital video with VLC:

Step 1Run the free DVD converter on your desktop, go to the Media menu on the top ribbon, and choose Convert / Save. Insert your DVD into your computer.

Step 2Switch to the Disc tab on the Open-Media dialog, select DVD, click Browse button and select the disc. Make sure to check the box next to No disc menus; otherwise, VLC may convert a looping video menu.

Step 3Click the Convert / Save button at the bottom to go to the next window.

Step 4Pull down the Profile menu and select a proper output format, such as MP4.

Step 5Hit the Browse button and set a location folder for the output video. At last, click on the Start button to initiate transferring the DVD to digital video.

Note: If you get an error during the process or nothing in the output video, it means that VLC cannot digitize this DVD. You have to try other methods.

Part 5. Use HandBrake to Convert DVDs to Digital

HandBrake is an open-source video transcoding tool. When converting DVDs to digital files, it supports MPEG-2 source decoding and can output encoded formats such as H.264 and AV1; resolutions can be preserved up to 1080p. Users can customize CRF, bitrate, subtitles, and more. Note that it does not bypass copyright protection on commercial DVDs and is only suitable for unencrypted or already decrypted source files.

Step 1Insert the DVD, click Open Source in HandBrake to select the corresponding title, and choose your desired output format.

Step 2Then click Dimensions, Video, Audio, etc., to configure video encoder settings, frame rate, and select audio tracks, subtitles, and chapter ranges as needed.

Step 3Click Browse at the bottom to set the save location, then click Start Encode to begin conversion.

Part 6. How to Convert DVD to Digital with MakeMKV

For ripping commercially protected discs, MakeMKV is a reliable option. It can decrypt common DVD protections such as CSS and bypass region codes, while preserving original audio tracks (e.g., Dolby Digital, DTS) and embedded subtitles for flexible stream selection. However, it does not compress or transcode the video; it simply decrypts and remuxes the content into an MKV file, so the resulting file size remains essentially the same as the original DVD data.

Step 1Insert the DVD, open MakeMKV, and wait for it to scan the contents. Select the desired main titles, audio tracks, and subtitle tracks.

Step 2Choose the output path, then click Make MKV to begin decrypting and generating the MKV file.

Part 7: FAQs about Converting DVD to Digital

Does Walmart still convert DVD to digital?

Yes, Walmart announced an exclusive in-store DVD to digital conversion service in more than 3,500 stores. You can hop over to a local store to get your DVD converted or do it in the online libraries.

Will converting my DVDs to digital lose video quality?

It depends on the method you use. If you use a lossless tool like MakeMKV, the video is not re-encoded, so the quality remains identical to the original DVD. However, if you use a transcoding tool such as HandBrake, some quality loss may occur due to compression.

Is it legal to convert a personal DVD to digital files in the US?

U.S. copyright law allows making copies for personal use in some contexts, but most commercial DVDs are protected by encryption.

By Bryan Simmonds on Mar 03, 2026