If you would like to convert your DVD collection into digital video files making them accessible on your Apple iOS devices, Mac computers and Apple TV set-top box this quick guide will take you through the process of using a DVD player connected to a Mac computer using the excellent HandBrake open source video transcoder software. HandBrake is free to download and fully open source and was originally developed way back in 2003 by Eric Petit to make ripping DVDs to a data storage device easier.
How to convert a film DVD to digital file on Mac
Unfortunately, Apple currently doesn’t offer a way to accomplish this from within its MacOS operating system, or via a separate downloadable application available in the Apple Mac app store to carry out this process. Meaning that to convert a film DVD to a digital file on your Mac computer, you’ll need to use a third-party software. One popular choice is HandBrake.
Here’s a quick guide on how you can use HandBrake to convert your DVD to a digital file on a Mac or PC with ease.
- Install HandBrake:
- Visit HandBrake’s official website (https://handbrake.fr/) and download the Mac version of the software.
- Open the downloaded .dmg file and follow the instructions to install HandBrake on your Mac or PC.
- Insert the DVD into your Mac:
- If your Mac or PC has a built-in DVD drive, insert the DVD. If it doesn’t, you may need an external USB DVD drive to connect to your Mac.
- Install libdvdcss (optional):
- HandBrake does not decrypt copy-protected DVDs by default. To rip copy-protected DVDs, you need to install libdvdcss. You can download it from the VLC website (https://www.videolan.org/developers/libdvdcss.html) or install it using Homebrew.
- To install with Homebrew, open Terminal and enter the following commands:/bin/bash -c “$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)”
brew install libdvdcss
- Launch HandBrake and select the DVD source:
- Open HandBrake, and it should automatically detect the DVD. If not, click “Open Source” and select the DVD drive from the list.
- Choose the output format and settings:
- In the “Output Settings” section, choose the output format (such as MP4 or MKV) from the “Container” dropdown menu.
- In the “Presets” panel, you can choose a preset based on your desired quality and device compatibility.
- You can also adjust the video, audio, and subtitle settings by clicking on the corresponding tabs.
- Set the destination folder and file name:
- Click the “Browse” button next to the “Save As” box to choose the destination folder and set the file name for your digital file.
- Start the conversion process:
- Click the “Start Encode” button to begin the conversion process. The progress and time remaining will be displayed at the bottom of the window.
- Wait for the conversion to complete:
- Once the conversion is finished, you will find the digital file in the destination folder you selected earlier. Now you can transfer it to your devices or store it in your preferred location.
It is worth noting that copying and ripping copyrighted DVDs may be illegal in your country. Be sure to comply with your local laws and only convert DVDs that you own for personal use make sure that you own the original disc before making digital copies.
Digital video formats Apple TV supports
If you are interested in learning more about the different digital video formats that you can play on the Apple TV set-top box here is a quick summary.
H.264 video:
Up to 1080p resolution, 60 frames per second (fps), High or Main Profile level 4.2 or lower.
Up to 2160p resolution, 60 frames per second (fps), High or Main Profile level 5.2 (Apple TV 4K).
HEVC (H.265) video:
Up to 1080p resolution, 240 frames per second (fps), Main Profile level 4.1 or lower.
Up to 2160p resolution, 60 frames per second (fps), Main 10 Profile level 5.1 (Apple TV 4K).
MPEG-4 video:
Up to 2.5 Mbps, 640×480 pixels, 30 frames per second (fps), Simple Profile.
Motion JPEG (M-JPEG):
Up to 35 Mbps, 1280×720 pixels, 30 frames per second (fps), 1280×720 pixels.
Audio file formats Apple TV supports
If you are interested in the audio format supported by the Apple TV platform here is a quick list : HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC3) 7.1 surround sound (Apple TV 4K).
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