I'm finding more DVDs in my collection that are un-readable... un-readable not only by MakeMKV, but also un-readable even in my "TV-connected DVD player". Searching for a solution has turned up a GNU package called 'ddrescue'. I've used 'ddrescue' to create an ISO file of a DVD, and it seems the "defects" are minimal.
Q: Can I use MakeMKV to create an mkv file I can play/stream using (for example) VLC?
Using 'ddrescue' with MakeMKV to process defective DVDs
Using 'ddrescue' with MakeMKV to process defective DVDs
Last edited by seamus on Sun Feb 01, 2026 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Can MakeMKV process a "rescued" DVD / ISO file(s)??
https://www.reddit.com/r/HDDVD/comments ... _a_visual/
That post has some info. In short, it might be able to let you stream the ISO to VLC. If you find another source, it might let you repair the damaged areas by merging the 2 together.
Your other option, very unlikely though, is to use Par2 files if you know someone that has the same disc and is willing to generate one for you.
More info here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/co ... _use_par2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parchive
That post has some info. In short, it might be able to let you stream the ISO to VLC. If you find another source, it might let you repair the damaged areas by merging the 2 together.
Your other option, very unlikely though, is to use Par2 files if you know someone that has the same disc and is willing to generate one for you.
More info here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/co ... _use_par2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parchive
Re: Can MakeMKV process a "rescued" DVD / ISO file(s)??
It seems it can! Use the 'File' menu to open the ISO file (created via GNU's 'ddrescue' utility), and process it "as usual" using MakeMKV.
A few notes to summarize my experience using 'ddrescue' with MakeMKV:
1. It's not clear to me exactly what causes a DVD to malfunction such that MakeMKV will not read it.
2. HOWEVER: If the errors on the DVD are "minimal", 'ddrescue' can create an ISO file that MakeMKV will read, process and yield output that can be played just fine using VLC, Jellyfin, etc.
3. For some DVDs with substantial errors/flaws in the media, 'ddrescue' may be incapable of producing a useful ISO file. For example, one of my failed DVDs (a fairly recent new purchase!) apparently had many errors that led to 'ddrescue' "re-tries" that went on for over 24 hours with insubstantial progress.
4. In brief summary, 'ddrescue' can be quite useful toward the objective of salvaging DVDs that MakeMKV is incapable of processing on its own. GNU maintains a summary web page on 'ddrescue'. There are numerous options available in the 'ddrescue' documentation, but the documentation is not always as clear as it could be.
A closing comment:
In a perfect world, we wouldn't need software that does what MakeMKV does! But it seems the content producers are not satisfied at virtually unlimited wealth. To create still more wealth, they "bribe" elected officials to extend copyright protection to (effectively) infinity, and they additionally proselytize governments to turn over taxpayer-provided funds to "recover"/"restore" old movies with no loss of extended copyright protection. Perhaps the content-producers' most egregious offense was making it a "Federal Crime" to remove copy protection from their work. As far as our entertainment is concerned, we live in a world that is quite a long way from "perfect".
I would encourage anyone who reads this "voice in the wilderness" to communicate their feelings to their elected government representatives; let them know that we are sick and tired of being harassed by laws which were created to serve a very rich and powerful minority.
A few notes to summarize my experience using 'ddrescue' with MakeMKV:
1. It's not clear to me exactly what causes a DVD to malfunction such that MakeMKV will not read it.
2. HOWEVER: If the errors on the DVD are "minimal", 'ddrescue' can create an ISO file that MakeMKV will read, process and yield output that can be played just fine using VLC, Jellyfin, etc.
3. For some DVDs with substantial errors/flaws in the media, 'ddrescue' may be incapable of producing a useful ISO file. For example, one of my failed DVDs (a fairly recent new purchase!) apparently had many errors that led to 'ddrescue' "re-tries" that went on for over 24 hours with insubstantial progress.
4. In brief summary, 'ddrescue' can be quite useful toward the objective of salvaging DVDs that MakeMKV is incapable of processing on its own. GNU maintains a summary web page on 'ddrescue'. There are numerous options available in the 'ddrescue' documentation, but the documentation is not always as clear as it could be.
A closing comment:
In a perfect world, we wouldn't need software that does what MakeMKV does! But it seems the content producers are not satisfied at virtually unlimited wealth. To create still more wealth, they "bribe" elected officials to extend copyright protection to (effectively) infinity, and they additionally proselytize governments to turn over taxpayer-provided funds to "recover"/"restore" old movies with no loss of extended copyright protection. Perhaps the content-producers' most egregious offense was making it a "Federal Crime" to remove copy protection from their work. As far as our entertainment is concerned, we live in a world that is quite a long way from "perfect".
I would encourage anyone who reads this "voice in the wilderness" to communicate their feelings to their elected government representatives; let them know that we are sick and tired of being harassed by laws which were created to serve a very rich and powerful minority.
Re: Using 'ddrescue' with MakeMKV to process defective DVDs
You should use multiple optical drives at the various ddrescue phases, certainly before the time-consuming scrape and retry phases.