eac3to 3.58 / eac3to 1.3.6 GUI

If you rip Blu-ray or UHD discs with MakeMKV, eac3to picks up exactly where that process ends.

While MakeMKV extracts disc content into lossless MKV containers (see the how to use MakeMKV for free guide), eac3to gives you the granular control needed to pull individual audio tracks, convert between lossless and lossy formats, and prepare streams for remuxing or encoding.

It is a core piece of the disc-to-digital pipeline that home theater enthusiasts and archivists rely on daily.

The tool handles every major HD audio format you will encounter on modern discs.

Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams can be extracted losslessly or converted down to standard AC3 and DTS for broader device compatibility.

FLAC output is supported for those who prefer open-source lossless archival, while EAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus) conversion covers the streaming-era audio standard that powers Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.

For a deeper look at why EAC3 has become so important, read Why EAC3 is the Next Big Thing in Audio.

Beyond audio conversion, eac3to functions as a full demuxing toolkit. You can split Blu-ray disc structures into individual video and audio elementary streams, extract PGS subtitle tracks (including forced-only subtitles with the new -forced option), fix audio synchronization problems, and downmix surround sound to stereo.

The version 3.58 release also improves HEVC stream handling - fixing framerate detection issues and supporting H.264/H.265 elementary streams that lack AUD NALUs, which is critical for users working with content destined for x265 re-encoding.

eac3to operates via command line, which gives experienced users unmatched speed and scriptability but can feel intimidating at first.

The bundled eac3to GUI (version 1.3.6) adds a graphical wrapper that makes the tool approachable for users who prefer visual interfaces.

The GUI lets you browse disc structures, select specific tracks, and configure output formats without memorizing command-line switches - making it an ideal starting point before moving to batch scripts for larger collections.

Where eac3to Fits in Your Workflow

The real power of eac3to emerges when combined with other tools in a complete media processing chain. A typical Blu-ray archival workflow looks like this: rip with MakeMKV, demux and convert audio with eac3to, analyze streams with MediaInfo to verify parameters, then remux everything into your preferred container using MKVToolNix.

For users who need to re-encode the video portion, HandBrake, StaxRip, or VidCoder can handle that step while eac3to takes care of the audio side independently.

The version 3.58 changelog includes a significant quality-of-life improvement for MKVToolNix users specifically: demuxed filenames now use ISO 639 language codes (like [eng] instead of "English"), which allows MKVToolNix to auto-detect track languages during remuxing.

This eliminates tedious manual language tagging when assembling final files. New -sf (skip first M2TS) and -sl (skip last M2TS) options also solve a long-standing headache with Kino Lorber and similar discs that include spurious M2TS segments, preventing errors during batch processing.

Converting and Troubleshooting Audio

If you are dealing with EAC3 audio tracks that won't play on certain devices, eac3to can convert them to universally compatible AC3 or AAC.

This is a common issue on Android devices where players like MX Player display an "EAC3 audio not supported" error - a problem addressed in detail in our how to fix EAC3 audio not supported guide.

For a GUI-based approach to the same conversion, XMedia Recode provides a visual alternative (see how to convert EAC3 audio).

For users working with AC3 audio specifically and experiencing playback silence on Windows, the AC3 Filter or the DTS/AC3/DD+ Source Filter can resolve DirectShow-based playback issues. Our guide on fixing no-audio issues with AC3 files covers these scenarios in depth.

For broader playback compatibility across all formats, installing the K-Lite Codec Pack or using VLC Media Player ensures your extracted audio and video streams play correctly on any Windows setup.

System Requirements and Getting Started

eac3to runs on Windows 7 through Windows 11 (both 32-bit and 64-bit). The download is a compact 4.45MB package that requires no installation - simply extract the archive and run from the command line or launch the included GUI. The tool now disables system sleep during processing and re-enables it afterward, preventing interrupted conversions during long batch operations.

For users who want to verify their output files before finalizing, MediaInfo provides instant technical analysis of codec parameters, bitrates, and channel layouts across all audio formats eac3to produces.

Changes to eac3to 3.58

• Added -forced option to allow demuxing of only forced PGS subtitles
• Accept DTS-MA streams without a core (streams can be opened and processed)
• ISO 639 language names now used in UI and demuxed filenames (e.g., [eng] instead of "English") for MKVToolNix auto-detection
• Added skip first M2TS (-sf) and skip last M2TS (-sl) options for Kino-Lorber-like discs
• Allow handling of H.264 and H.265 elementary streams without AUD NALUs
• Fixed STN table parsing bug that caused incorrect marking of hidden streams
• Fixed source/destination overlap detection bugs preventing accidental file overwrites
• Fixed improper framerate detection for HEVC streams
• Fixed demuxing of HEVC video from MKV containers
• Added -trim_last_chapter INI file option
• Disables system sleep while processing, re-enables afterward
• Fixed custom channel map handling
• Revised dial norm processing reporting for consistency