You Should Back Up Your Blu-rays and DVDs Before They Break
 

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Popular Science
4/27/23

"Just a reminder: ripping TV shows or movies from protected discs may be a copyright violation, depending on where you live, and it’s almost certainly not legal if you intend to share the files with others."


"MakeMKV, as its name suggests, turns ripped video files into MKV files. The simplest way to play this format is to install VLC, a free media player that runs on every major operating system. You can also stream your MKV files from anywhere using Plex or Jellyfin.

If there’s a particular player you prefer, however, and it doesn’t support MKV files, you can always convert your files from MKV to another video format using Handbrake, which has the added benefit of producing smaller files. Just point the application to your MKV files, decide which format you’d like to convert them to, and let Handbrake do the work."

A note on UHD (4K) Blu-rays

"For DVDs and most Blu-rays, the above is all you need to know. For newer, ultra-HD Blu-rays, however, things get more complicated because of the copy protection. To oversimplify, only certain drives will work for actually ripping the files, and you may need to install custom firmware. You can find a list of supported drives on the MakeMKV forum. The post also includes instructions for flashing your drive (replacing its firmware), if necessary"


https://www.popsci.com/diy/back-up-dvd-blu-ray/


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Sure but there are other reasons to do it such as convenient browsing of your collection, just as for music discs.