Best software to shrink mkv

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GmanEst72
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2025 10:20 am

Best software to shrink mkv

Post by GmanEst72 » Thu Aug 14, 2025 4:53 pm

Hi, not sure if anyone can advise me. I ripped a UHD disk the other day. The issue was the mkv image came out at 65 gb. I am new to makemkv, so not sure if I'm doing something wrong in the settings. Also what is the best software to shrink the mkv file down to a reasonable size and doesn't take much time.
I'm new to the software, and must sound a bit dim. But this forum is a fountain of knowledge.

Thank you, hope someone can advise me.

d00zah
Posts: 1670
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2016 8:23 pm

Re: Best software to shrink mkv

Post by d00zah » Thu Aug 14, 2025 5:07 pm

GmanEst72 wrote:
Thu Aug 14, 2025 4:53 pm
Hi, not sure if anyone can advise me. I ripped a UHD disk the other day. The issue was the mkv image came out at 65 gb. I am new to makemkv, so not sure if I'm doing something wrong in the settings. Also what is the best software to shrink the mkv file down to a reasonable size and doesn't take much time.
I'm new to the software, and must sound a bit dim. But this forum is a fountain of knowledge.

Thank you, hope someone can advise me.
Except for the "doesn't take much time" requirement:

HandBrake

VidCoder (Windows only, based on the HandBrake engine, "friendlier" GUI, some say)

dcoke22
Posts: 3895
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:25 pm

Re: Best software to shrink mkv

Post by dcoke22 » Thu Aug 14, 2025 5:41 pm

MakeMKV is just copying what's on the disc. So, if you rip a 4K UHD, you'll get a big file. Regular blu-rays are about half as big. And DVDs are tiny by comparison.

d00zah's suggestions are good ones. There are lots of choices. I use Handbrake and I'd guess it is the most popular.

It is also worth mentioning that UHDs are often in a different colorspace than a regular blu-ray. Depending on your equipment it might look fine, or it might look wrong. https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=163176#p163176

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