Ripping DVD’s

Irie308

Well-Known Member
May 28, 2013
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2004 420 DB, GHS Hydraulic Lift
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Cummins 450C 8.3 L Turbocharged
I’ve seen a few posts on here but no clear answers on best solution. We have a ton of dvd’s and would love to rip and store on some media server on board. Any recommendations for an efficient way to rip multiple dvds and best source to house onboard?
 
On a PC try Handbrake to rip and convert and anyRVD to bypass DRM encryption. Not sure if they support Mac.

-Kevin
 
Funny post for here, but the short answer is DVDFab it's worth the cost. There are numerous free utilities like makeMKV, hand brake and more but DVDFab is by far the easiest and what I have used for years. They keep up with all of the changes needed to convert to MP4 files.
 
For media storage I put a Lenovo tinypc in the space formally used by the CD changer. I had a custom bracket made and attached PC with DualLock velcro.

-Kevin
 
To Kevin's point, the next question is how to play the files etc. I use Plex on a FireTv and stream from my house, but for local content and poor iNet speed I have a Raspberry Pi that is running Kodi among other apps as well. I also have it in a metal case with an N2K board for running Signal K and OpenCaptain etc. I have an 8TB remote hard drive plugged in to it with all of the movies on it as well. That also serves as storage for the other apps data at the same time.
 
I use AnyDVD to break the encryption, and then I make an .iso file from each disk that gets stored on my NAS. That's an image of the disk and you can burn more copies if you lose or scratch the disk. I put the original away for safe keeping as otherwise it get thrown of the floor/over someone's shoulder after the first use.

Once you have a bunch of .iso files ripped, Handbrake can batch convert to a file (/lower resolution/much smaller file size) you can use onboard. If you only have 720 TV's on board, choose a 720 file and let her "Rip". Be aware you need a computer with some horsepower to do this fast, or just an old computer that you can let run for several days if doing a lot of conversions.

I used Plex Media Server to store all the movie files. Most smart TV/streaming devices have PLEX app installed or easily installed, for easy playback. Plex server is free, and can be installed on a Raspberri Pi.

Its a learning curve, but movie nite on the boat with popcorn and coke is the favorite activity of my duaghter and her friends every summer!
 
... I used Plex Media Server to store all the movie files. Most smart TV/streaming devices have PLEX app installed or easily installed, for easy playback. Plex server is free, and can be installed on a Raspberri Pi. ...

I haven't played around with plex on pi in a while, did they ever get it working on rev 4 Pi?
 
I haven't played around with plex on pi in a while, did they ever get it working on rev 4 Pi?

I haven't tried on the 4.. But should be a great platform...
 
Ok guys… please speak English here!!! What do I need to have a media server on the boat. Who can help me set this all up? I am not a programmer so is there a box I can buy to rip all my dvd’s to it and get it to work on all my tvs on the boat easily. I know my wife and kids would love this. Looking for a plug and play option not plug and pray.
 
Most every DVD I own is on a streaming service now. I use a fire stick and wifi. If not I just put in the DVD.
 
Good info guys thanks for the feedback. The wife is a big fan of the old tv sitcoms (bewitched, Gillian’s Island etc. Frankly she got us all watching again. Would love to have them at a touch of a finger without the need for dvd or WiFi. Will research handbreak and a plex.
 
Good info guys thanks for the feedback. The wife is a big fan of the old tv sitcoms (bewitched, Gillian’s Island etc. Frankly she got us all watching again. Would love to have them at a touch of a finger without the need for dvd or WiFi. Will research handbreak and a plex.

Just a bit of clarification on the software terms.

MakeMKV will convert files/discs to a single file that is streamable.
Handbrake will also convert files into streamable files.
AnyDVD runs on a PC in the system tray to break the encryption so you can backup your disc to a hard drive.

DvdFab is as close to brainless ripping as you will get, select video resolution and let it rip. The down side is it's paid for software and isn't cheap.
AnyDvd is also a paid for piece of software but requires other software to convert to a streamable file.

The others requires knowledge of video formats,frame rates and other parameters need to create a usable streamable file.

Plex is a software video server that also needs a Plex client running on another or same device. The server is usually on a PC and
Kodi is what Plex is built on and is a single media player that can be added to FireTv or stand alone on a Raspberry Pi.

Anyone who hasn't done any of this before is in for a steep learning curve but with a little reading and practice can be handled with ease.
 
Ok guys… please speak English here!!! What do I need to have a media server on the boat. Who can help me set this all up? I am not a programmer so is there a box I can buy to rip all my dvd’s to it and get it to work on all my tvs on the boat easily. I know my wife and kids would love this. Looking for a plug and play option not plug and pray.

Grant, unfortunately there isn't such a thing or way to rip dvd's. As mentioned DvdFab would be the closest thing to rip and go as there is. It doesn't require anything other then select the video format.

As for playing them There are guides that you can follow to install and run Kodi on a Raspberry Pi or Plex.

Kodi: https://kodi.tv/download/raspberry-pi

Plex: https://support.plex.tv/articles/200264746-quick-start-step-by-step-guides/

Raspberry Pi: https://www.amazon.com/Vemico-Raspb...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

The price on the Pi has more then doubled in the past few months, the above link was $120 a few months ago.
 
$269 for a Pi. Holy Hell. They were $35!!!!!

just repurpose an old laptop if you have one laying around

Plex will run on just about anything.
 
$269 for a Pi. Holy Hell. They were $35!!!!!

just repurpose an old laptop if you have one laying around

Plex will run on just about anything.

I know right! When I looked for that link and saw the price I almost had a heart attack.

Plex will run on anything, but keep in mind if the files are not ripped correctly meaning video resolution frame rate etc. The server will have to trans-code the files on the fly and then the it does matter.
 
I know right! When I looked for that link and saw the price I almost had a heart attack.

Plex will run on anything, but keep in mind if the files are not ripped correctly meaning video resolution frame rate etc. The server will have to trans-code the files on the fly and then the it does matter.

That is correct. It does take some trial and error when first getting started, but Handbrake does have a bunch of presets that work in most situations.

Best advise, choose a resolution that matches your TV resolution ie if your onboard TVs are 720, encode to 720 preset. If you have a mix, rip at both, Plex will choose the best one. The other factor is bit rate, pick a middle of the road bit rate and try a couple movies. The biggest issue is to make sure playback doesn't stutter.
 
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Like a lot of projects, it’s baby steps.

The biggest time consumer is ripping the DVD or BluRay to an .iso file. It’s a manual process, but I did it a couple at a time over a couple months. It’s brainless work, and I’d just do them while doing other things in my office.

Setting up Plex Server and getting a Plex client running is about an hour process, and there are lots of videos on how to do it.

Then do a trial encode (thats where you have Handbrake take the huge multi Gb file and turn it into something much smaller and manageable) and make sure it will stream to you Plex client. If all works well, do a batch encode and let the computer “Rip”!

You end up with all your movies presented in a nice interface, they are local files, (so you don’t need internet access) and you always have some entertainment regardless of where you are.

DAC90421-FA1F-4F20-BF46-C205FB2B9724.jpeg
 
Ok guys… please speak English here!!! What do I need to have a media server on the boat. Who can help me set this all up? I am not a programmer so is there a box I can buy to rip all my dvd’s to it and get it to work on all my tvs on the boat easily. I know my wife and kids would love this. Looking for a plug and play option not plug and pray.

Check this out. Also. Video by Lon Schnideman about Plex.

To set up Plex, you can literally cut and paste and it will load everything up for you.

https://www.electromaker.io/tutorial/blog/how-to-install-plex-on-raspberry-pi
 
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Ok I understand that now what do I use for a server on the boat and how do I connect that on my boats network?
 

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