DVD's Into Plex

[kirkdickinson]

I have been interested in FreeNAS for a while. I have just started ordering stuff for a build in my office that is geared toward replacing a file server.

Thinking about a second build for my home to put Plex on it. We have grandkids and about 150 DVD's that the kids mangle, scratch, and misplace. I was thinking it would be really cool to set up a media server using Plex and put all those movies there so they could just pull them up and play them without handling the DVD's.

How do I do that easily?

I have Handbrake on my MacBook Pro and I know I can convert them to MPG or M4V that way, but that seems like it is very labor intensive and would take forever.

What method do others use?

Thanks

 

[HoneyBadger]

While I haven't done it myself, and I don't think there's an in-FreeNAS way documented, there's a good number of folks including this guy on the ArsTechnica forums who have made an automated DVD ripping box using Linux, Handbrake-CLI, and a variety of cron/triggers in a big script that summarizes to "insert DVD, wait for it to eject, proceed."

 

[kirkdickinson]

Thanks.

Honey Badgers are cool. Stoffel the Honey Badger is one of the coolest.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1...d-of-honey-badger-that-can-keep-escaping_tech

 

[kirkdickinson]

While I haven't done it myself, and I don't think there's an in-FreeNAS way documented, there's a good number of folks including this guy on the ArsTechnica forums who have made an automated DVD ripping box using Linux, Handbrake-CLI, and a variety of cron/triggers in a big script that summarizes to "insert DVD, wait for it to eject, proceed."

Don't think I am up for that. I don't understand Linux enough.

 

[Jailer]

Then you'll probably just have to do it the old fashioned way like the rest of us and rip them and re encode them on your desktop and transfer them to your server when they are complete. The standard high profile setting in Handbrake works well for a good starting point.

 

[kirkdickinson]

I know I can do that. It is just going to take a lot of time. Searching the net, there is a program called Brorsoft DVD Ripper that looks like it might be good. Cost $35 though and I never heard of it. That works on PC. I have both.

I used to use MacTheRipper a while back, but that quit working when they took out Rosetta support on the mac.

 

[Robert Riedel]

I used that program and you have to play with the settings to get it just right (this takes a long time). I just used MakeMKV in the end and ripped my 300+ movies that way. I took me a few weeks to complete but my kids don't scratch the DVDs anymore or put them in the VCR. This also allows me to have the subs if I want them on and directors comments if I choose. However this takes up more room.

 

[kirkdickinson]

I just used MakeMKV in the end and ripped my 300+ movies that way.

Will Plex play the MKV files or do they have to be converted to MPG or M4V?

This also allows me to have the subs if I want them on and directors comments if I choose. However this takes up more room.

What is a "Sub"?

Thanks,

 

[Robert Riedel]

Plex plays the MKV files just fine. Also the subs are subtitles.

 

[adamjs83]

I used the handbrake method to rip my several hundred dvd collection. Get a few old laptops set up on a desk and get it going assembly line style. Every 20 or 30 minutes go and change disks in all of the machines. I was able to bang it out over a few months of weekend by just spending 5 minutes every so often to start a new round of disks. The more computers you can get the faster it goes obviously. Use this method and it won't impact your regular schedule at all.

 

[j_r0dd]

Use makemkv. That will keep it in an uncompressed format. It takes about 5 minutes to rip a DVD and about 20 or so ripping BD50 bluray. AFAIK handbrake re-encodes media. I like my collection pure. If a device can't play a certain codec or has a different resolution Plex will do the transcoding. That is the beauty of Plex. Re-compressing media that's already been compressed will look worse than compressing the untouched streams. Crap in, crap out.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

If you'll be playing back on Macs, RipIt will work.

 

[Gonzalo]

+1 MakeMKV. Simple, fast and free.

 

[nightshade00013]

I am on a windows system so it's a bit different for me but I use DVDfab Passkey and then convert direct from disc to Mp4 with handbrake. I can process in one step and when it's done just change the disc out. This gives me one file that Plex can handle with minimal hassle and since I don't need the menu's or extra's from the disc's it just works for me.

 

[Reptarju]

Vortexbox:

If you want a fairly simple "set it and forget it" device, grab a spare computer that has a disc(c=optical) drive and run a copy of Vortexbox. It has its own web interface that you can check progress, and auto rips cd/dvds/Bluray(haven't personally tried ripping blurays, not sure about licensing req's) on insert and auto ejects upon completion. You'll have to check what formats it supports ripping to (without any linuxfu), been a while since I've had a chance to play with it.

You can set this up without any Linux CLI input, can all be done through GUI.

If i remember correctly, its a little finicky about hard disk(k=magnetic) storage changes after installation(in terms of adding an additional storage device, internal or external)

So in the short term, you could:

1. Have this device rip/copy/prefered-verb-for-making-an-image of your DVDs.
2. Hand copy them over to your FreeNAS for PLEX hosting if that's your thing.
   1. Once you learn how to/find a script to automate the process, do so.
3. Or just host the videos on the Votexbox device, sacrificing data redundancy, and having your data everywhere.

Vortexbox has much lower hardware requirements, in comparison to FreeNAS, my last run was on an atom z350 fitPC2i, which did the job quite well, but it was also quite slow at transcoding.