www.makemkv.com

So, this is a crazy basic question, but I just want to know whether MakeMKV is capable of simply ripping a DVD's video files without compressing the data or altering it in any way whatsoever. Some other places on the internet, including the VLC wiki tout MakeMKV as a direct video ripping software that doesn't recompress or transcode. However, the MakeMKV homepage states:

MakeMKV is a format converter, otherwise called "transcoder"

Doesn't this mean it compresses the file, losing data in the process? Just trying to figure out what MakeMKV actually does.

Thanks,
Sean

Not just capable of it, that is what it does - it copies the data out of the DVD or BD containers, into an MKV container. It has no video compression capability built in.

There is the option of converting certain audio streams from one format to another, but that requires you to get into expert mode and chose the correct ripping profile.