dvdForge

A macOS app for archiving DVDs before they rot. dvdForge reads each disc defensively, works around scratches the way data-recovery tools do, and writes lossless MKV files: the disc's own video and audio, bit for bit, with chapters, languages and subtitles.

Features

• Lossless. MPEG-2 video, AC3, DTS and MPEG audio, and DVD subtitles are copied without re-encoding. Uncompressed LPCM audio, which Matroska can't hold, becomes FLAC, which is also lossless.
• Built for damaged discs. Reading is multi-pass and resumable, in the manner of GNU ddrescue: the healthy parts of the disc come off first, then dvdForge narrows down exactly where the damage is and retries it gently at low drive speed. An optional verify pass re-reads everything and compares, catching drives that return wrong data without reporting an error. If the drive resets or drops off the USB bus, the rip resumes automatically when the disc comes back, and you can stop retrying at any time and keep everything already read.
• Shows its work. A live sector map, a close-up of any damaged area, what the drive is doing right now, and an activity log of every decision.
• Rip reports. Each MKV gets a report beside it listing the drive, passes, read errors, damaged areas with chapter and timestamp, and tracks. The Rip History window lists them all.
• Named properly. With a free TMDb API key, discs are identified and saved as Title (Year)/Title (Year).mkv, the convention Plex, Jellyfin and Infuse expect.
• Batch friendly. Optionally rip the main feature as soon as a disc goes in and eject when it's done, with a chime: insert, wait, swap.
• Picks the main feature automatically, skipping the duplicate titles of structure-protected discs, and keeps the audio and subtitle languages you prefer.
• Also opens ISO images, VIDEO_TS folders and .dvdmedia bundles.

Requirements

• macOS 15 or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel
• A DVD drive (USB is fine)

Getting started

Download dvdForge, unzip it and drag dvdForge.app to Applications. The app is signed and notarised, and updates itself. Insert a disc and it's read and listed with the main feature selected. Adjust titles and tracks if you like, then press Rip. MKVs go to ~/Movies/dvdForge by default.

Drive tips

• Most drives limit DVD-Video to about 4× to stay quiet, so expect 25–40 minutes for a dual-layer disc.
• On a bad scratch, a drive can retry one read internally for minutes. If it stays stuck, unplugging the drive and plugging it back in ends the wait, and the rip resumes by itself.
• Bus-powered drives can brown out under that strain. Plug straight into the Mac, or use a powered hub.
• Clean scratched discs before ripping; it often turns unreadable areas readable.

Legal

dvdForge decrypts CSS-protected discs so you can keep a personal backup of discs you own. The law on this varies by country; it's your responsibility to know and follow the law where you live.

dvdForge is free software, released under the GNU General Public License v2 or later. Copyright © 2026 bluepill.ca. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.