How to Burn MKV to DVD and Play It on a DVD Player

Types of DVDs	Repeated recording	Capacity	DVD Features
DVD-R	No	4.7GB (single-layer) or 8.5GB (dual-layer)	The recorded data can not be changed or deleted. You can record only once. The price is cheap and easy to obtain
DVD-RW	Yes	4.7GB	Data can be written and rewritten approximately 1,000 times Recorded data can be deleted More expensive than DVD-R

 

Comparison of 5 MKV to DVD Converters

In the test, we ran a 90-minute MKV movie on all the listed apps. In fact, we tried more than 10 apps. But some are too buggy, and we don't want to waste your time on those. Below are the workable MKV to DVD burners in our test. You can choose the one that suits you.

Test Setup
Test video: 90-minute MKV, 1280 × 720, 1.53 GB
Output: DVD Folder
Test system: Acer Shangqi N4270 desktop, Intel Celeron G6900, 16 GB RAM
Operating system: Windows 11 Home, 64-bit

Note: In this test, since we created a DVD Folder instead of burning to a physical disc, the processing time is shorter because there’s no disc-writing involved.

 

How to Burn MKV to DVD with Paid & Professional Tools

1. Use Cisdem DVD Burner - Fully featured DVD burning software with the best value for money

[Recommended for these people]

• I want to a simple option with full audio/subtitle support.
• I want to easily create professional DVDs.
• I need high-quality DVD creation with advanced features.
• I want full control over DVD-Video encoding, menus, chapters, and subtitles.

OS: Windows, Mac

Can it be played on a home DVD player? Yes

Cisdem DVD Burner is a powerful DVD burning software available for Mac and Windows. It can burn video into high quality DVD-Video disc, DVD folder, or ISO file and keeping original audio tracks and subtitles.

It features a video editor and offers diverse handy features accessible for burning a professional DVD. Users can easily select a menu and add chapters to easily navigate the DVD; Trim video into several clips, add subtitle, adjust video effects and so on.

What impress us is the output quality of the DVD and it offers 4 playback modes for people to burn.

How to Burn MKV to DVD with Cisdem DVD Burner

Step 1: Download and install Cisdem DVD Burner on your Windows or Mac computer. Insert a blank DVD disc into the disc drive.

Free Download macOS 10.15 or later    Free Download Windows 10 or later

Step 2: Add MKV videos

Add MKV video to the app by drag-n-drop. In case you want to burn several MKV films, add them all at once.

Step 3: Edit MKV

Click and make editing to MKV files to suit the requirements of your projects. For example, you can switch to the “Subtitle” tab to load the subtitle embedded in the MKV or import external SRT or ASS files.

Step 4: Select DVD template

Move to "Menu" tab, select a template that suits your movies from the left panel. Click to pop out the toolbox on the right, you can also import audio tracks and add texts to your menu there. All element of the menu are customizable, you can change the background, buttons, etc.

Step 5: Start to convert MKV to DVD

Switch to the final tab “Burn” and choose to burn MKV to DVD disc. Then, click the "Burn" button to start the process. A notification box will appear stating that the process is finally complete.

Now it’s your turn to try!
Free Download macOS 10.15 or later    Free Download Windows 10 or later

G2 Rating: 4.5/5

2. Use DVDFab DVD Creator - MKV to DVD or Blu-ray

[Recommended for these people]

• I want full DVD creation solution.
• I want full control over DVD-Video encoding, menus, chapters, and subtitles.
• I want Burn MKV to Blu-ray or UHD.
• I accept medium video output quality.
• I accept slow installing and video adding speed.

OS: Windows, Mac

Can it be played on a home DVD player? Yes

DVDFab is another popular software that supports MKV to DVD or Blu-ray. It supports multiple video and audio formats, with GPU acceleration the converting speed is very fast. But, In our test, the output DVD only has 480P, and you need to install two apps for the DVD burner to work.

How to Burn MKV to DVD with DVDFab DVD Creator

Step 1: Download the app from the official DVDFab website Launch it.

Step 2: Open DVDFab, Choose the "Creator" module from the left-hand menu and select the "DVD Creator" option.

Step 3: Drag and drop your MKV video file onto the program’s main interface.

Step 4: Click "Advanced Settings" to set the output size, standard (NTSC or PAL), aspect ratio (16:9 or 4:3) according to your needs. You can also set DVD playback mode here.

Step 5: Click "Menu Settings" to select from 6 DVD menu templates or customize it with your own background images or music.

Step 7: Insert a blank DVD into your DVD drive and click the "Start" button to begin the burning process.

Softpedia Rating: 3/5

 

How to Convert MKV to DVD for Free

1. Use DVDStyler - Burn DVDs with flexible menus and a variety of templates

[Recommended for these people]

• I want a free, cross-platform DVD authoring solution.
• I want to create a DVD with menu and subtitle.
• I can accept slow burning speed.

OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

Can it be played on a home DVD player? Yes

DVDStyler is a free and open-source DVD burning application that is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It offers menu templates and lets you add multiple audio and subtitle tracks.

How to Burn MKV Files to DVD with DVDStyler

Step 1: Start by downloading and installing DVDStyler from the offcial website (https://www.dvdstyler.org/en/). Then insert a blank DVD disc into the DVD drive built in or connected to your computer.

Step 2: In the Welcome dialog, choose "Create a new project." enter the disc label, choose disc capacity (DVD-5 or DVD-9), video and audio bitrate, and set the video and audio formats (NTSC or PAL, depending on your region).

Step 3: Click “OK” and Select from 28 pre-designed DVD menu template or choose "No template" to create your own. You can add buttons, text, and change background images.

Step 4: Add MKV files. Highlight the MKV file then Drag and drop your MKV files into the program's main window. The software will automatically begin converting them to the proper format. Here you can also customize the menu background and place of the play button.

Step 5: Simply click on “File” >> “Burn DVD” to open the Burn dialog.

Here, you can set the “Temp directory” choose preview the DVD or not, select the burning drive and click “Start” button to begin converting MKV files to DVD.

 

TechRadar Rating:4.3/5

2. Use DVD Flick - Simplest free MKV to DVD converter

[Recommended for these people]

• I need basic DVD-Video creation (playable DVDs).
• I want to burn MKV to DVD for free.
• I burn DVD occasionally and willing to download 2 software for the whole process.
• I have no idea about Blu-ray burning and advanced editing.

OS: Windows only

Can it be played on a home DVD player? Yes

DVD Flick is a popular and free Windows-only program that burn near any video file to DVD (MKV, AVI, etc.). But if you want to play the DVD on a DVD player you need using a program like ImgBurn to handle the actual writing.

This app also supports create a simple DVD menu and upload subtitles in SRT, SSA, ASS, or SUB format. But it hasn't been upgraded for a long time. The latest version is 1.3.0.7 which was released in October 25, 2015.

 

How to Burn MKV Files to DVD with DVD Flick

Step 1: Download and install both DVD Flick and ImgBurn.

Step 2: Add your MKV files to DVD Flick - Launch DVD Flick. Click “Add title” or dragging the MKV videos into the program. You can add multiple videos to a single project.

Step 3: Click the “Project settings” button in the menu, set the title, target video size and format (e.g., NTSC for North America, PAL for Europe)

Step 4: In the Burning tab, Choose Create ISO image.

Step 5: Click Accept to save your settings.

Step 6: If you want a menu, click the Menu settings button in the top menu. Then choose a template from the available options.

Step 7: Click “Create DVD” in the Menu, it will pop up a window and start encoding the files.

Step 8: Once DVD Flick finishes converting and authoring, an ImgBurn window will open automatically. and it will fast burn the video to DVD Disk.

LifeHacker Rating: 4/5

3. Use Freemake Video Converter - Free DVD authoring software with beginner-friendly UI

[Recommended for these people]

• I want to burn MKV to DVD for free.
• I want video editing and download functions in addition to DVD creation.
• I want a simple free way to quickly burn DVDs with menus and subtitles.
• I don’t care the output video will have a watermark.

OS: Windows

Can it be played on a home DVD player? Yes

Freemake Video Converter is a popular free video conversion software that supports convert video files like MP4, MP3, AVI, MKV, Xvid, MTS, etc., to DVD on Windows.

It is simple and easy to use, supporting batch processing, multiple disc types (DVD-R, DVD+R, ISO, Blu-ray), and provides basic video editing functions.

We especially impressed that you can add online videos for burning. To do this you only need to copy the link of the online video, paste it to the program, download the video with the program then follow the regular burning process.

How to Burn MKV Files to DVD with Freemake Video Converter:

Step 1: Download and install Freemake Video Converter.

Step 2: Click “File > Add Video” and add MKV videos to it. Drag and drop also works.

Step 3: Insert a DVD disc to the computer.

Step 4: In the bottom panel of the interface, select “to DVD” format. Set the DVD title and output type. DVD menu can also be selected if needed.

Step 5: Finally, convert DVD to MKV by hitting the “Burn” button.

Techradar Rating: 3/5

 

Alternative Ways to Burn or Convert MKV for Backup

[Recommended for these people]

• I want to easily create a DVD using standard Windows functions.
• The device used to watch DVDs is a computer
• I want to create DVDs for data backup or long-term storage

 

OS: Windows, Mac

Can it be played on a home DVD player? No

1. Burn MKV to a Data DVD

You can burn an MKV file directly as a data disc using programs like ImgBurn or standard Windows functions. This method is simple, but note that the resulting DVD won’t play on standard DVD players. It can, however, be read by most modern Blu-ray players or computers with a DVD drive.

2. Use Online Converters

You can use MKV to DVD converters online like VEED to convert MKV files to DVD-compatible formats such as VOB or MPEG-2. But online sites can only do the format conversion, you need to use other tools like ImgBurn for the final DVD authoring. https://www.veed.io/convert/mkv-to-vob

3. Burn MKV to ISO

Creating an ISO file is useful for DVD backups or sharing personal videos. An ISO preserves the complete DVD structure, making it easy to burn later or store as a digital backup.

 

Basic Knowledge of MKV to DVD Conversion

• Resolution Limits: Standard DVD-Video supports resolution up to 720×576 (PAL) or 720×480 (NTSC). Higher-resolution MKV files, such as 720p, 1080p, or 4K, will be downscaled to DVD-Video resolution during the burning process.
• Preserve HD or 4K Quality: If you want to keep the original quality, use a data DVD, USB drive, or Blu-ray disc instead of a standard DVD-Video disc.
• File Size Limits: A single-layer DVD can hold ~4.3 GB of data. DVD burning software can compress larger videos to fit the disc, but higher compression may reduce video quality. Use a dual-layer DVD which can hold ~8.5 GB.
• Encoding Compatibility: MKV files can contain video encoded with formats such as H.265 (HEVC) or VP9. You don't need to make conversion, as DVD burners will automatically convert the source video into a DVD-Video-compatible format.
• DVD Authoring for Menus: If you want a playable DVD with menus, chapters, and DVD navigation, you need a burner with authoring tools to create the required DVD-Video structure.

 

FAQs

1. Is there any online free MKV to DVD converter available?

Currently, no online tool can directly convert MKV to a DVD-ready format and burn it to disc. Many websites only allow format conversion (e.g., MKV to VOB or MPEG-2) but cannot perform final DVD authoring or burning. Online converters also have file size limits and security risks, so using offline software is recommended.

2. Can HandBrake or VLC Burn MKV to DVD?

• HandBrake: Only a video transcoder; can't burn DVDs directly. Use it to convert MKV to DVD-compatible formats.
• VLC: Can convert MKV to MPEG-2 or VOB format but has limited menu creation and DVD authoring features.

3. Can MKV Play on DVD Players?

• No, most standard DVD players do not support MKV.
• Blu-ray players, media streaming boxes, or TVs with compatible apps can play MKV files directly.

4. Which TV Standard should I choose?

If you want to play the burned disc in the USA or Canada, you should choose the "NTSC" option. If you are from Europe, Australia, or New Zealand, "PAL" will be the used option.