We have a large collection of DVD Videos that we no longer know where to place "> HandBrake, the famous open source program available on both Windows and Mac. 
With this program we will be able to load any DVD or video in an old format using the Open Source button; once our content is loaded into the interface, we select the component to be used for conversion in the Title field (on DVDs we will have to select the video track with the entire film, avoiding the extra content), choose the sharing profile in the Presets field (we can use Fast1080p30 for most of the movies), select the type of file next to the Format item ( MP4 or MKV ) and then press the Start Encode button at the top.
The program will proceed with the encoding of the movie in a convenient video file, ready to be stored on the hard disk or on an external hard disk. Obviously the program offers a much higher number of settings, but it can be used by beginners without any problem, even with the interface in English (the keys to be pressed are all very clear).
VidCoder (Windows)
Another free and open source program that we can use to convert DVDs and videos to MP4 or MKV is VidCoder, available only for Windows also in a portable version.
This program, in Italian, allows you to quickly convert any DVD. To use it, just press on the top left on Open the source, indicate the media or folder where the video to be converted is present, wait for the upload, select the right content among those available (in the case of a DVD Video), press at the top on the Encoding profile item, choose the container between MP4 or MKV, confirm and press at the top on Convert . The basic profile should be suitable for most video content, making this program one of the fastest and most immediate in converting optical discs (especially for beginners).
MeGUI (Windows)
Another very good program to convert DVDs to MP4 or MKV on Windows is MeGUI, which is also available for free and with an open source license.
To quickly convert without getting lost among the numerous settings, simply press the One-Click button at the bottom right and, in the window that will appear, press the button next to the Input field to choose the file or folder to convert. Once the content is loaded, we choose the video track and the audio track to be kept, we press the Config button next to the OneClick Profile field at the bottom, we choose the container between MP4 and MKV in the Output tab, we press OK and finally on Queue . The program will begin encoding, keeping the quality of the original video as unchanged as possible.
StaxRip (Windows)
A new program to convert video and DVD to MP4 or MKV on PC is StaxRip, available for free with an open source license.
With this program we can quickly load the folders of the optical disks or the video files to be converted by pressing the Next button at the bottom right, selecting the source to be converted, installing any additional tools (always open source), pressing on the MKV item to confirm the container or move to MP4, then press down again on Next and Start .
WinFF (Windows)
Another valid program that we want to point out is WinFF, a free open source tool with which you can convert any type of video, also available in a portable version.
Its simplicity and clarity are its strengths, given that the interface is translated into Italian! To convert a video file, press the Add button at the top left, add the file or folder containing the files to be converted, choose MPEG-4 in the Convert to field, then press the Convert button at the top to start the conversion.
The program is particularly effective in converting old AVI files, very popular in the early 2000s but which fell out of use due to the higher quality of the MP4 and MKV formats.
DVDFab (Windows and Mac, trial)
To conclude the guide we will talk about the commercial DVDFab program, available with a free trial on both Windows and Mac.
This complete program allows you to convert DVD and Bluray optical discs to high quality digital files ( Ripper ) or convert video files from one format to another ( Converter ). Once we have chosen the function to use, we press the center to add the video source, we choose the content to convert (especially on DVDs and Blurays), we choose the format and the container to be used then we press the Start button at the bottom right.
The program is also famous for being able to decode legally protected DVD Videos (as long as the copies remain personal and we do not distribute them).
Conclusions
Converting videos and DVDs to MP4 or MKV on PC and Mac is really very simple and, in most cases, we will succeed in using simple free and open source programs (the best on PC and Mac, since they do not contain unknown code ).If the DVD is protected, we can use the commercial program DVDFab or read our guide on how to copy discs on Windows with the burner .
We need to do the reverse process, ie save MKV files to DVD "> Convert MKV video to AVI or burn MKV to DVD.
