The “Internet of Things” is quite simply a concept that will greatly impact how we live and work in a positive way. This concept is greatly complemented by cloud computing, and both work together to increase the efficiency of everyday tasks. In this article, we will focus more on cloud computing, which simply is how we can store and access data over the internet, other than hard drives and other forms of offline storage. This explanation can be enough to explain the several advantages that cloud computing brings, for example on-demand availability of your data from any place and on any device that has an internet connection. Other important advantages of cloud computing include prevention of data loss, and privacy. Many companies, like YouTube, Hulu, Apple, Microsoft and Dropbox are based or are deeply investing on this technology. In this article, we will focus more on Dropbox, and how you can take advantage of this service with Blu-ray technology. Dropbox allows you to conveniently sync, view and share your files, which include photos, music, videos and documents from anywhere. However, not all video types including Blu-ray are supported by Dropbox, so you will have to convert first. We conducted a test on Blu-ray conversion using some popular video converters to see which one works best for this task. We will also guide you on how to upload the converted videos to Dropbox.

Part 1: How to convert Blu-ray to video via Leawo Blu-ray Ripper

Leawo Blu-ray Ripper has been around for a while and has been voted the best Blu-ray ripper several times by credible sources. The user interface of this software is friendly, but to a point were it can actually be hard for you not to know how to use it. In case you want to upload customized videos to Dropbox, this  software will allow you to do that hustle free before you start converting them. Many Blu-ray discs will come with encryption, including the latest MKB protection, but you will not need to worry about that with this software either. To start converting your Blu-ray to video, make sure to download and install this program and start it afterwards.

win-download                mac-download

Step 1: Let's start by adding the source of the video, in this case the Blu-ray file. When you first open this software, you are greeted with the main interface. On Mac OS, you will have to click “Blu-ray Ripper” and on Windows, you click “Blu-ray/DVD Ripper”. Because this software is easy to use, it immediately suggests “Drag File Into Me” which you can do to add the source. You can also click “Add Blu-ray/DVD” for the same task.

Leawo-adding-video-source

Step 2: Adding subtitles is another way this software allows you to customize your videos. By clicking the “Subtitle” drop down menu, you can choose a subtitle or proceed to click “Add Subtitles” which will open a window to allow you to import the file (usually with .srt extensions). Clicking “Audio” will allow you to choose an audio track for the video.

Leawo-subtitles-audio-menus

Step 3: After finishing with the audio and subtitle options, click “MP4 Video”(by default for first-time users), which is to the left of the green Convert button on the same screen. By clicking “Edit” from the pop-up menu, you are taken to the profile settings. From here, you can change your video options, from being able to select the output quality you want, the codec, the resolution and much more. You can also set your preferred output quality for the audio among several other options. After setting your preferences, you can save your settings by clicking “Save to Custom” on the left. This software also comes packed with profiles for some device types which you can conveniently choose by clicking “Change” next to “Edit”. When you are done, click “OK”.

Leawo-profile-settings

Step 4: After finishing with the profile settings, you are taken back to the previous menu. Click the edit video icon to get into the video editor. Here there are many ways to personalize your video, like adding a watermark, trimming video length, making 3D effect, etc. Click “OK” once you are done.

Leawo-personalizing-the-video

Step 5: After editing, you should be ready to convert your video. Click the green “Convert” button. A menu will show on the right. Set the output directory first, then click “Convert” to begin encoding and wait for the process to be done.

Leawo-setting-output-directry

Part 2: How to convert Blu-ray to video via MakeMKV

Besides using Leawo Blu-ray Ripper, you can also employ MakeMKV. This is an open source program and it is relatively easy to use. However, Blu-ray discs protected with the latest MKB protection will not be converted by this software.

Step 1: On the first screen, the program will show you all the available optical drives.

MakeMKV-adding-video-source

Step 2: Once the video source is opened, you can see the contents structure. Discs normally contains titles, usually individual clips like the main movie and bonus features. From here, you can select which titles you want to save and what tracks to keep in each title. Use the right button at the upper left corner to ease selection of multiple items, and you can also see the detailed information of each item. After finishing your selections, you can make your conversions by pressing the “Make MKV” button.

Step 3: The screen displays the conversion progress, and the time to convert a disc is determined by how fast your optical drive is capable of reading your disc type, for example a typical DVD takes about 15 minutes to copy, which means your Blu-ray will take a little longer than that.

MakeMKV-converting-blu-ray-to-video

Part 3: How to convert Blu-ray to video via HandBrake

HandBrake is a video trans-coder or converter program intended to both rip and convert video files to work on a number of supported devices. Like the Leawo Blu-ray Ripper software suite, it is multi platform with Windows, Mac OS and Linux versions available for you to pick. The downside of HandBrake is it does not decrypt Blu-ray/DVD discs with encryption since it is open source. After you install HandBrake, start the program to begin converting your Blu-ray to video.

Step 1: Import your Blu-ray file. After opening Handbrake, click on the “Source” button at the top left. Select Blu-ray from the drop down list. Then browse for the location where your Blu-ray is located. Select the Blu-ray file or folder, and click “OK”.

Step 2: Set your destination settings. Once you have chosen the source, the software will automatically ask you to select the destination. Click “Browse” to choose and select your file destination, as well as naming the file. Proceed to click “Save” if you have finished.

Step 3: Set your output settings. Go to the output settings, and click the drop down menu to set your preferred video format.

Step 4: Start the conversion. Once you have finalized your settings, you are good to go. Click “Start” to begin the encoding process.

handbrake-mac-rip-blu-ray

Part 4: How to upload movies to Dropbox

Dropbox only supports a limited number of file types for playback when you upload them. These include .3GP, .AVI, .MKV, .MOV, .MP4, .WEBM and a few more that you can see on their website. Make sure to first convert to these video file types before you upload them.

Step 1: Login to your Dropbox account from your computer. If you do not have an existing account with Dropbox, you can create one from the login page. Remember to keep your password safe.

Drop-box-login-sign-up

Step 2: Organizing your Dropbox. When you login, you are greeted with your Dropbox homepage. Folders are by default the best way to organize your files. Click “Files” on the left, which will take you to where your folders are contained. Click “New Folder” on the right to create it, you will have the option to share the folder or keep it private. Alternatively, you can create a folder on your local hard disk and Dropbox can give you the option to upload it.

Dropbox-organizing-your-space

Step 3: Uploading your video. When you have finished creating our folder, Dropbox will automatically open it for you. Click “Upload files” which will open a window from where you can locate the movie on your local disk. Once you choose it, it will automatically upload and the speed will depend with your  internet connection speed.

Dropbox-uploading-my-movie

The best and most suitable Blu-ray converter in this case is the Leawo Blu-ray Ripper, as clearly shown by just how easy it is to use. All the converted videos were consistent with the user’s choice of settings and not to mention the best quality. You can stream the videos that you convert with this software from Dropbox in the same good quality that it produces. With the ability to personalize videos, you can really make them your own. This software is jam-packed with many features, and it can make you feel like a professional video editor.