Home IT question and DVD ripping question

nmballa

So I have about 300 DVDs that I would like to rip to a home server. Thinking about picking up http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=620. I would then pair it with this app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/video-stream/id342124650?mt=8 and the idea would be to stream to my apple tv. I would use my ipad as the remote. Any one see any issues with the set up? Has anyone done something similar? Before I spend any money I want to make sure I can rip the movies and make sure that this works seamlessly.

Also, can anyone recommend a good software to rip DVD's to the WD device?

Any tips would be much appreciated.

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 4:42 pm Post subject:

So I'm wondering if I rip all the dvds and place in itunes will apple tv2 then connect to the WD device and allow me to stream the movies from there?

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 4:54 pm Post subject:

So just digging a bit I don't see any reason why this won't work. So I guess what I need is software to rip the dvd. Anyone know what format to rip to and what software to use?

jason_ssr · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 5:46 pm Post subject:

It's easy. Rip all movies to .MP4, and stick them in a folder on the WD device. Then add that folder to library in iTunes.

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 6:13 pm Post subject:

Thanks Jason. Probably pull the trigger on a 2T WD my book live. You think that is enough storage for 300 dvds?

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 6:17 pm Post subject:

Price for a 2T vs. 3T on Amazon is over double. WTF.

wakeboarderdave1 · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 6:30 pm Post subject:

Why not build your own home server?

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 6:47 pm Post subject:

This seems to be nice and clean to me. Just dropped 250 bucks on a 3T so building one wouldn't have saved me a whole lot I figure.

What dvd rip software for mac do you use to rip, unencrypt, and convert to .mp4.

wakeboarderdave1 · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 6:52 pm Post subject:

http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

I've had good luck with that program in the past.

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 7:05 pm Post subject:

Thanks, I'll try it later this week. Is it an all in one package?

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 7:06 pm Post subject:

Ah, says it doesn't support copy protection so guessing it won't work. Or do dvd's typically not have copy protection?

pyrocasto · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 7:16 pm Post subject:

DVDfab. It's my favorite. This I have a 2tb and a 3 tb for backup. A 2tb will hold around 350-500 movies depending on quality. DVDs range from aroun 3.5gb to 8+gb, at full quality.

I do something similar but I skip the Apple stuff, as most newer tvs will connect through the network and/or play movies from external HDs anyway. Wink

Nauty · Addict Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 827 City: Lake Dallas

I've been using this for the past couple months and it's worked great:

http://www.123copydvd.com/index.php/products/video-and-dvd-tools/123copydvdgoldpc

It's ripped everything I've thrown at it. After a $20 rebate I paid $15 for it. It lets you choose from a lot of different file formats. I rip all mine to mv4 and load them on an external drive. I then can move movies to my Android phone or my PC netbook. I can also plug the external drive into my Roku media streamer via usb and play the movies on my TV. With this particular format a standard move is about 1.5 GB.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Handbrake has done what I've asked so far. That drive will also work. I have a few hundred titles stored on a 2tb drive attached to the iMac, along with a 250gb music library and a sh$tload of tv shows. I'm only at 1tb of space used.

The key is ripping them to the Handbrake (other other program) setting for ATV2. The ATV can only output 720p so unless you are ripping bluray that you want to future proof leave it on the ATV2 setting.

I then take the mp4 and add it to iTunes. I also use a program called ??? (will check in a bit can't remember tHe name) to add in the metadata and coverart automatically for me.

Anyhow, this is a long and time consuming process, so be patient.

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 8:28 pm Post subject:

Chavez, let me know what the second program is. thx...

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

It's called VideoDrive. It is a paid app but it works well. It can also convert and add direct to iTunes (it doesnt rip from DVD though).

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 10:51 pm Post subject:

Ok, handbrake to rip and videodrive to convert.

nmballa · Posted: Feb 19, 2012 11:04 pm Post subject:

Sweet, next weekend I will start ripping all my dvds.

Guma · Newbie Joined: 21 Sep 2009 Posts: 20

Here is my method.... on my Mac Pro with a 6TB RAID via eSata connection.

Use Handbrake to rip the movie into .mp4 format (Handbrake will not rip copyrighted media on a PC, this only works if you have a Mac)
- Select Apple TV 2 on Right Side menu
- Under Subtitles select "Foreign Audio Search" this will burn in any subtitles when a foreign language is spoken during the movie.
- Audio: If you plan on using these files on an iPad or iPhone this is a must for them to work - Your First Audio Track HAS to be AAC - Strereo and your second Audio track can be whatever you like. I use AC3 - Dolby Digital

Now you have a .mp4 file of your movie. You could simply import this into iTunes manually or what I like to do is

use MetaX program (Mac) only
MetaX will add all kinds of metadata to the file like...
DVD artwork
Rating
Genre
Actors
Year
Short and Long Description
Etc.....

Once it writes this metadata to the file it automagically imports it into your iTunes library. All this metadata it just wrote to the file shows up in your iTunes library just as if you had bought the movie/tv show from iTunes. Its great for sorting and keeping your library looking great.

Go to your Apple TV and pull up your Home Shared iTunes library and voila, all this metadata shows here as well. Wanna sort by comedy, BAM, wanna sort by your favorite Actor Jack Black, BAM...LOL You get my point...

Hope this helps, if not its time of a Mac... Smile

hawkeye680 · Outlaw Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 116 City: Savannah

I use DVD Catylyst for this. It has built in device profiles so you don't have to change too many things to get it right for your particular device. I like it a lot more than Handbrake.

wakeboarderdave1 · Posted: Feb 20, 2012 9:23 am Post subject:

Does anybody know a windows program that will remove DRM from itunes movies?

nmballa · Posted: Feb 20, 2012 11:49 am Post subject:

Guma, thanks, I am running a macbook air with external harddrive.

Guma · Newbie Joined: 21 Sep 2009 Posts: 20

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

wakeboarderdave1,

http://lifehacker.com/5192309/burn-your-purchased-itunes-movie-to-a-dvd

There are instructions and links to the DRM removal programs.

Guma, I had not even seen MetaX. Looks like it does exactly what VideoDrive does. Nice.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

I use magicDVDripper mainly because it was free for a while when I first got into this. I have had a computer directly plugged into my TV for several years now. Not sure what these apple products are but I guess it's similar to my setup but more expensive.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Nor*Cal, ATV is $99.

You could do a HTPC out of a MacMini ($599). Still more than a HTPC that is homebuilt, but it sure looks nicer on the rack and makes zero noise.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

Not sure why ATV or even GTV are needed unless it's a shortcut on the computer. I honestly do not know much about either product.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Nor*Cal, ATV is a content delivery device (as well as Roku and some others). GTV is more of an in-between where you can get content delivered, but also browse the web (pretty well, actually).

Neither will sub for a self-contained HTPC as they need a source for locally stored media (either a PC, Mac, or DLNA enabled NAS). But if you just wanted to stream from online (via iTunes, Amazon, Youtube, etc), you wouldn't need a PC/MAC/DLNA-NAS server.

The products exist because people in general are not able to connect a full computer to their TV. In the case of the ATV, it's dead simple to hook up and set up and start streaming from your PC/MAC because most people already have iDevices and use iTunes.

Zach M · Posted: Feb 21, 2012 10:35 am Post subject:

I have a mac mini connected to my tv and set up an automated RIP workflow by following the instructions on this thread. It provides info for decryption, RIP, encoding, tagging, etc.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=805573

I run a combo of makeMKV (for bluray) and handbrake (dvd and download) to RIP files and use PLEX for my video interface.

Highly recommend this setup. It takes a little work up front and computer knowledge, but everything is automated. I put in a dvd or bluray and it automatically begins ripping, searches a database for data about the movie, tags it, places it in a folder, and shows up in PLEX.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Zach M, nice!!

I so badly want to set this up but just can't justify it. As it is we barely use the ATV, Roku, or even the DVR at this point. NO TIME!!! Laughing

But as you can see I daydream about this stuff all the time...

wakeboarderdave1 · Posted: Mar 16, 2012 6:35 pm Post subject:

http://lifehacker.com/5894075/set-up-an-awe+inducing-media-center-this-weekend

Lifehacker just put up a nice how to for setting up a HTPC/MediaCenter.