The file structure of DVDs and blu-rays is different. If you use MakeMKV to make a 'full disc backup' of a DVD, it produces a .iso file. For a blu-ray, MakeMKV produces a folder structure that mimics what's on the disc, although various players understand this folder structure and can play it.
Here's how I process a blu-ray. It is not the only way to do it.
- Make a decrypted full disc backup of the disc
- Eject the disc and set it aside
- Open the backup in MakeMKV
- Properly name the various titles on the disc, uncheck everything else
- Make .mkv files
- Delete the backup once I'm happy with my .mkv files
I make the decrypted backups first because it is a relatively slow process. I don't have to hang out at my computer and wait for it; the optical drive can read the disc and I can come back to it at my leisure. Eventually creating .mkv files from the backup will happen much faster. Furthermore, when you buy a new disc, successfully making a backup verifies that the disc is good. If making the backup fails, you can find out right away and return the disc, even if you don't have time to process it right away.
Once there's a successful decrypted backup, the disc is unnecessary.
Opening the backup in MakeMKV on a Mac involves going to File -> Open Files and then selecting BDMV in the file picker. Finder treats that directory as a special folder, an AVCHD Collection, but it is really just a directory. If you're on Windows, you can navigate into that folder and pick the index.bdmv file, IIRC.
MakeMKV will process the contents of the backup and show you what it thinks are all the titles on the disc. Some titles it will skip if they're too short (this is configurable) or if it thinks two titles are duplicates of each other. Assuming you 'Expert mode' and 'Log debug messages' turned on in preferences (on the General tab), you should get lots of messages in the bottom of the screen showing you how it processed the disc.
Name everything perfectly and whatever you do, don't make a mistake!
I'm joking, obviously. A major benefit of working from a decrypted backup is the ability to see what a title is. There are two strategies people use here. One is to just create .mkv files for everything, see what is what, and either fix-up the existing files or come back into MakeMKV and name things as appropriate. The other strategy, the one I use, is to highlight a title in the list on the left and look at the 'segment map' line in the info box on the right. There will be a list of numbers there. Those numbers correspond to the name of a .m2ts file in the <backup>/BDMV/STREAM folder in the backup. You can play the corresponding file with VLC or the player of your choice (I like
MPV) and see what it is. If it is something you want, name it, uncheck whatever languages and subtitle tracks you don't want, and do the next. If you don't want it, uncheck it. You can even change the name of an individual audio track in a title if you want to name it 'Commentary' for instance. Just highlight the audio track on the left and change the name in the Properties area on the right.
MKVToolNix can be used to fix up .mkv file metadata after the fact if you find a mistake later. Sites like
dvdcompare.net or
thediscdb.com contain detailed info to help you sort through everything that's on a blu-ray.
Click the Make MKV button in the upper right. Which ever titles are still check marked will be remuxed into a .mkv at wherever the output folder is set.
Now you'll have a set of .mkv files that are 1:1 copies of the stuff on the blu-ray. You can feed those into Handbrake and transcode them down to whatever you like.
There's one thing worth mentioning. The implication of the steps above is that you'll end up with a .mkv file that is named appropriately and various bits of metadata will be correct. The handy utility
MediaInfo can show you all kinds of details about your .mkv files. There is a general philosophy that the more details you can get correct in your source .mkv files the better off you are. Most transcoding tools can maintain that metadata throughout the process. So, if you name the commentary audio track in a movie 'Commentary', it makes it easy to have that track named correctly in your transcoded file. It is all personal preference though.