4 Best Ways to Convert and Burn MKV to DVD on Windows/Mac

MKV, or Matroska Video, is an open source video container that can store media data compressed in various codecs. It’s often encountered when downloading HD movies from the internet due to its capability to contain audio track and subtitles in multiple languages. However, compatibility issues arise when you try to play MKV files on portable devices and home DVD players.

If you wish to convert MKV to DVD for playback on any DVD player, a DVD authoring software is required. This article aims to cover some of the best programs available for converting and burning MKV to DVD, while providing you detailed instructions and additional tips to guarantee a flawless MKV to DVD burning on your PC.

 

Can DVD Players Read and Play MKV files?

No, regular DVD players are not compatible with MKV files as they only accept videos in MPEG-2 format. Some Blu-ray players may support MKV files with specific codecs, but for universal playback, it’s necessary to convert MKV to DVD-compatible format and burn it onto DVDs.

Benefits of Burning MKV to DVD: 

1. Enjoy your favorite movies or videos on the big screen via a DVD player, even in the absence of streaming services.
2. Send burned DVDs to your friends and relatives as meaningful gifts.
3. Create physical copies of your MKV files. This is especially useful for preserving important memories such as weddings and travel footage.
4. DVDs offers user-friendly playback experience, allowing viewers to navigate through chapters, subtitles and audio tracks.

 

Burn MKV to DVD with Best MKV to DVD Converters

1. iFunia DVD Creator (Windows/Mac)

Which program is best for burning MKV to DVD for playback on DVD players? After trying out a dozen of DVD authoring software, free or paid, I’d like to recommend an easy-to-use one with advanced features - iFunia DVD Creator.

iFunia DVD Creator enables users to effortlessly burn playable DVD from various video files, including MKV, MP4, MOV, HEVC, WMV and more. It can handle MKV videos of any resolution and codec, including large files. It also allows users to enhance the MKV file with editing tools like trimming, cropping, chaptering as well as options to add subtitles, watermark and more. With iFunia DVD Creator, you can create a personalized and visually-appealing DVD with customized menus and easy navigation. 

To burn MKV to DVD using this top-notch MKV to DVD converter, simply follow the steps below:

Step 1: Download and launch iFunia DVD Creator.

Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7 Free Download macOS 10.11 or later

Step 2: Add video files.

Drag and drop your MKV file to the main interface of the app. Alternatively, click the Add Videos button to browse and select desired files.

Step 3: Edit MKV videos (Optional).

Click on the edit icon under video thumbnail to access the built-in video editor. Here you can trim, crop, rotate the video, and add subtitles to the MKV file if needed.

Step 4: Create DVD menu (Optional).

Click the Menu tab to make a DVD menu that suits your DVD content. You can choose a theme from the left panel, or customize yourself. You can import your own background image and music, adjust buttons and text fonts/size/color and more. If you don’t need a menu, simply tick the “No Menu” option.

Step 5: Preview the DVD project.

Go the Preview panel to simulate playback via a DVD player controlled by a remoter. Go back to previous steps to adjust the effect.

Step 6: Burn MKV to DVD.

Finally, switch to the Burn tab to configure the burn settings. Enter a DVD name, choose the TV standard and playback mode, insert a blank DVD disc and set it as the burner. Once all ready, click the “Burn” button to initiate the conversion and burning process of MKV to DVD.

 

2. ConvertXtoDVD (Windows)

ConvertXtoDVD by VSO Software is a popular video to DVD converter that supports various videos and subtitle formats. It’s not a free software, but you can take advantages of its 7-day full trial period to burn MKV to DVD at no cost .

Instructions for using ConvertXtoDVD to convert MKV to DVD on Windows:

1. Download and install the app from www.vso-software.fr/products/convert_x_to_dvd/.
2. Run the software and click the green “+” button to add desired MKV file. When the video is loaded, you can edit the video using tools on the right panel.
3. Click the “Edit Menu” button to choose a theme or customize your own menu. ConvertXtoDVD offers 12 simple templates to choose from.
4. Press the Play button in the video player to preview the DVD.
5. Insert a blank DVD and press “Convert” to burn MKV video straight to DVD.​

3. Burn (Mac)

Burn is a 100% free and safe disc burning software exclusively designed for Mac. With Burn, you can easily convert MKV to DVD format and burn to DVDs for playback on standard DVD players. It can also burn audio CDs and data DVDs as well as copy unprotected DVDs.

How to burn MKV to DVD with Burn on Mac:

1. Visit burn-osx.sourceforge.io to get this free MKV to DVD converter for Mac.
2. Launch the app, click “Video” tab and choose “DVD-Video” as the output format.
3. Drag and drop your MKV file to the interface, and confirm the conversion when prompted by a pop-up. Burn will convert the MKV file to .mpg format which is compatible with DVDs.
4. Choose your region (NTSC in North America or PAL in Europe) at the bottom the interface.
5. Insert a blank DVD and press the “Burn” button to start burning the converted file onto DVD.

* If needed, expand the settings icon to apply a default DVD menu provided by Burn. Otherwise, your DVD will simply autoplay when inserted to a DVD player.

 

4. DVDStyler (Windows/Mac)

Looking for a free MKV to DVD burner that offers you freedom to design DVD menus? DVDStyler can be an ideal solution. It’s a totally free DVD authoring software available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It can burn DVDs from most video and audio files including MKV, AVI, MP4, OGG, WMV, etc.

How to burn MKV to DVD with DVDStyler:

1. Download DVDStyler from www.dvdstyler.org.

2. Create a new project following the prompts.

• In the pop-up window, you need to specify the parameters, especially the “Disc capacity” (CD, DVD-5, DVD-9), “Video Format” and “Aspect Ratio”. Hit “OK” when everything is set.

• Select a template for DVD menu, which often includes a title menu and chapter menu. Click OK to continue.

3. Drag and drop your MKV files to the title manager box located at the bottom of the interface.

4. Design the DVD menu. You can choose pre-designed background images and buttons from the left column. To customize the background, right-click on the menu manager and select “Properties” option.

5. When you’ve set everything, click the red Burn button at the top and select the “burn” option in the pop-up. Click “Start” to begin converting and burning MKV to DVD.

*Although DVDStyler doesn’t allow previewing before burning, you can enable the “preview” option here, and it will allow you to view the DVD project with VLC or other media player on your computer once it’s generated.

A troubleshooting tip:

ERR: 2 opening input video file "XX\dvd-cache\entry001.vob" -- No such file or directory

If you encounter this error while converting MKV to DVD using DVDStyler, you can: go to Configuration > Settings, on the “Core” tab, change “Encoder” from “ffmpeg-vbr” to “Internal”, and click OK to save the change.

 

Comparing the Best MKV to DVD Converters:

 

Conclusion

Burning MKV to DVD becomes a hassle-free task with the right tools. After evaluating the features and performance of these MKV to DVD converters, iFunia DVD Creator stands out as a professional and user-friendly choice, delivering high quality output. It also offers a free trial version without watermark. If you have more question about MKV to DVD conversion, you can refer to the following tips or leave a comment below.

 

Extra Tips for Burning MKV to DVD: 

Tip 1: Handle MKV files too big for DVD

A standard recordable DVD disc can hold approximately 4.7 GB of data (8.5 GB for double layer DVDs), and your MKV file may exceed this limit when imported into the burning program. To address this issue, you can try the following solutions:

• Adjust the video settings within the program: Most MKV to DVD converters, like DVDStyler and Burn, allow users to adjust video bitrate, but it’s hard to find the optimal parameters. If you opt for a more professional DVD creator like iFunia, you can simply switch the video conversion mode to “Standard” or “Fit to disc”, which will automatically compress large files to fit on the DVD, as shown below.
• Split the video and burn it to multiple DVD discs.
• Burn the MKV to a Blu-ray disc with 25 GB capacity.

Tip 2: Verify the burned DVD

After the MKV to DVD burning finished, you can eject the DVD disc and play it on your DVD player to verify the DVD’s content.

If you don’t have a DVD player at the moment, you can also test it on computer. On Mac, open the preinstalled DVD Player app and it should automatically play the DVD you just burned. On Windows, you can turn to free third-party software like VLC media player to open and play the DVD.

Tip 3: Alternative method for playing MKV on DVD Players

In addition to burning MKV to DVD, you can also try to convert MKV file to a format compatible with DVD players that have USB ports. Here’s how it works:

1. Convert MKV to MPEG-2 format. Load the MKV files to a professional video converter and select “MPEG Video” as the output format. Click the gear icon to specify the video codec as MPEG-2.
2. Transfer the converted file to a USB flash drive.
3. Plug the USB drive into the DVD player’s USB port, then play the video on the DVD player.