Backing up and digitizing an entire Blu-Ray collection with Plex?

[Fudgepuppy]

I have around 110 Blu-Ray movies that I'm thinking of backing-up and storing on my computer, to then play with Plex. I'm eyeing a 14tb HDD and an external Blu-Ray drive to do this. I just have some questions.

1. I seem to not be able to get a good answer on if Plex is free or not? I'm not going to setup a server, I will just run it locally.
2. Which program should I use if I want to rip my Blu-Rays in 100% quality? MakeMKV and Handbrake both seem to be aimed at people who don't want 1:1 quality when ripping, so I'm a bit concerned about this.

Edit. I need to clarify. I misunderstood Plex and thought it could be used as only a media front end for files stored locally on your PC, but turns out this feature has been removed, and that the server option is the only thing remaining. So I'll run something else, like Kodi.

And I'll keep all of the discs, so any HDD failure isn't the end of the world.

 

[TeenageFBI]

MakeMKV creates lossless copies of the video files on the disc so that's what you want if space isn't a factor. You can pick and choose which video files and/or audio tracks are ripped. You can even make a perfect copy of the original disc that preserves the menus and such.

 

[Zoe]

It's free to run the server. TV apps are free, but the mobile apps aren't free. PC web player is free.

You'll have to install the server to play off an external.

 

[Arkestry]

I have around 110 Blu-Ray movies that I'm thinking of backing-up and storing on my computer, to then play with Plex. I'm eyeing a 14tb HDD and an external Blu-Ray drive to do this. I just have some questions.

1. I seem to not be able to get a good answer on if Plex is free or not? I'm not going to setup a server, I will just run it locally.
2. Which program should I use if I want to rip my Blu-Rays in 100% quality? MakeMKV and Handbrake both seem to be aimed at people who don't want 1:1 quality when ripping, so I'm a bit concerned about this.

Click to shrink...

In regards to Plex, the way it works is that you set up a folder on your PC and point the media server app at it, which then seeds those files through a web browser or an app to your devices. So if you want a local solution Plex isn't really it. It'll work but I think even if you watch it on the same PC as the files are on it does it through the internet?

 

[Squarehard]

Do you already have a raid set up that the new HDD will be a compliment to?

 

[Fanto]

Plex is free, yes. They have an optional paid subscription but it's not necessary for what you are looking to do.

MakeMKV and Handbrake are what I use for ripping DVDs and Blu-Rays, yeah. I have hundreds of movies of my own and my friends' on a Plex server. The 1:1 quality is really hard to compare tbh, I encode things down with Handbrake and can barely tell the difference other than that the file size is way smaller than an uncompressed rip.

 

[SweetVermouth]

I thought about doing this too but then everything became more and more annoying once I got deeper into it. For example I want perfect 24p playback too, no stuttering with 24p played back at 60Hz etc... I think plex can do it by now tho.

I found the way easier solution to that is to just rip your discs and then put them on external HDDs so you can just plug them into the USB of your TV and play all files like this. No PC that needs to run in the background, no network you need to set up, perfect smooth 24p playback and you can connect your audio system too.

 

[thediamondage]

I'd do a raid array not a single drive, you want something so if one drive fails you don't lose everything. Sucks losing all that work. Two drives failing at the same time would be extraordinarily rare, one drive failing is not that rare. You can research the various RAID types (mirrors, parity, etc) to see what you like best. I personally run raid 1 (mirrors) although I thought about raid 6 too.

Second, are you SURE you wanna do just bluray? In 2, 5, 10 years UHD - 4k - will be pretty much everywhere and I doubt you'll see any 1080p sources. Probably 8k by then will be around a tiny bit. Might be better just to do UHD and hand pick the few blu ray movies you absolutely love.

Third, think hard about streaming. Most of what I want to watch nowadays is on netflix, amazon prime, or disney+ and usually in 4K with dolby vision. Sure, its not as high bitrate as a UHD stream but every year the services are upgrading their quality without making me do any work at all. I still have the library of movies I want to watch, but it basically has to be a movie I'll watch 10+ times and a UHD stream isn't already available.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

In regards to Plex, the way it works is that you set up a folder on your PC and point the media server app at it, which then seeds those files through a web browser or an app to your devices. So if you want a local solution Plex isn't really it. It'll work but I think even if you watch it on the same PC as the files are on it does it through the internet?

Click to shrink...

If I want a good media front-end to play and view the media HDD, which would be the best then? The UI of plex is what sold me.

I thought about doing this too but then everything became more and more annoying once I got deeper into it. For example I want perfect 24p playback too, no stuttering with 24p played back at 60Hz etc... I think plex can do it by now tho.

I found the way easier solution to that is to just rip your discs and then put them on external HDDs so you can just plug them into the USB of your TV and play all files like this. No PC that needs to run in the background, no network you need to set up, perfect smooth 24p playback and you can connect your audio system too.

Click to shrink...

I have a projector with no USB functionality. I also do everything with the PC that's connected to it (typing this from it while watching the credits of Fallen Order).

I'd do a raid array not a single drive, you want something so if one drive fails you don't lose everything. Sucks losing all that work. Two drives failing at the same time would be extraordinarily rare, one drive failing is not that rare. You can research the various RAID types (mirrors, parity, etc) to see what you like best. I personally run raid 1 (mirrors) although I thought about raid 6 too.

Second, are you SURE you wanna do just bluray? In 2, 5, 10 years UHD - 4k - will be pretty much everywhere and I doubt you'll see any 1080p sources. Probably 8k by then will be around a tiny bit. Might be better just to do UHD and hand pick the few blu ray movies you absolutely love.

Third, think hard about streaming. Most of what I want to watch nowadays is on netflix, amazon prime, or disney+ and usually in 4K with dolby vision. Sure, its not as high bitrate as a UHD stream but every year the services are upgrading their quality without making me do any work at all. I still have the library of movies I want to watch, but it basically has to be a movie I'll watch 10+ times and a UHD stream isn't already available.

Click to shrink...

I already have all of the Blu-Rays, I'm not throwing them away, so I'm not really concerned with HDD failure. If it dies, the Blu-Rays will remain.

I'll keep on buying them as well. I buy the 4K/Blu-ray combos, so I'm future proof for when I upgrade to any good 4K projector.

Also, I don't like streaming, especially as I live in a country where I can only get Netflix with a shitty catalog. I buy Blu-Rays because I collect them and want a collection. Also because the quality is always the way I want it to be, including all of the bonus features and stuff. I'm doing this project because I just want easier access to them, and because it's the kind of project I enjoy doing.

 

[TeenageFBI]

I already have all of the Blu-Rays, I'm not throwing them away, so I'm not really concerned with HDD failure. If it dies, the Blu-Rays will remain.

Click to shrink...

Disc replacement costs aside, ripping discs takes a *very* long time. Protecting against HDD failures is just a good idea.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

Disc replacement costs aside, ripping discs takes a *very* long time. Protecting against HDD failures is just a good idea.

Click to shrink...

I have time. It would be a pet project.

I've had my 2tb HDD for like 6 years, so I don't expect the new one to die within months.

 

[CreepingFear]

I have around 110 Blu-Ray movies that I'm thinking of backing-up and storing on my computer, to then play with Plex. I'm eyeing a 14tb HDD and an external Blu-Ray drive to do this. I just have some questions.

1. I seem to not be able to get a good answer on if Plex is free or not? I'm not going to setup a server, I will just run it locally.
2. Which program should I use if I want to rip my Blu-Rays in 100% quality? MakeMKV and Handbrake both seem to be aimed at people who don't want 1:1 quality when ripping, so I'm a bit concerned about this.

Click to shrink...

1. Flex is free. If you want to sync to mobile app, you need the paid version. Paid version also gives you beta versions as well before anyone else.
2. I use MakeMkv. As already stated, MakeMKV is loseless.

I currently have my Plex server on a Synology NAS, along with my RIPS. I can stream to any device in my house that has a Plex app. It's a game changer.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

Plex is free so long as you don't need the mobile app and don't need to stream to anything outside the network that the server host is on. It's what I use and it works great. Like others have said, MakeMKV for the initial lossless rip and then handbrake to tune the compression (which I would recommend, even a mild compression setting could save upwards of 50 percent space in the long run with almost imperceptible difference in quality). It'll take a while and some patience, but 3 years after taking the plunge myself with some 300+ titles at this point I've found it's absolutely worth it. Also as others have said though, protect that time investment by getting a proper RAID array NAS.

 

[tokkun]

If I want a good media front-end to play and view the media HDD, which would be the best then? The UI of plex is what sold me.

Click to shrink...

Kodi would be another popular option. I would say it is a better choice if you are the power user type.

 

[Syriel]

Disc replacement costs aside, ripping discs takes a *very* long time. Protecting against HDD failures is just a good idea.

Click to shrink...

It's not that bad if you have a USB 3 drive.

OP, as others have said, Plex server is free (you only have to pay for the fancy features or mobile client). TV, Roku, and game console clients are free.

You can do everything you need with:

1) Plex server (free)
2) Plex client (mobile is pay, others free)
3) Lotsa hard drive space
4) MakeMKV (for lossless backups) (free)
5) MKVToolNix (if you want to customize your rips - useful for setting a forced audio track correctly as MakeMKV still fails there) (free)

You DO NOT need Handbrake unless you want to compress your rips.

 

[UnholyChocolate]

Whenever I compress anything with handbrake it fucks the audio up. Not matter what settings I go for.

 

[StudioTan]

I prefer Emby because I've been using for years and I like the interface.

I rip all my disks and current my media server sits at around 43TBs. I would recommend something to pool drives so that it looks like 1 disk to your computer and run some sort of parity RAID in case of drive failures. I've been using FlexRAID but they recently disappeared so I'm looking at switching to something like UnRAID.

 

[xxracerxx]

I've had my 2tb HDD for like 6 years, so I don't expect the new one to die within months.

Click to shrink...

That's really not how it works.

 

[efr]

Fudgepuppy if you have an apple tv, look into infuse. No need to have a computer always running.

 

[Syriel]

Fudgepuppy if you have an apple tv, look into infuse. No need to have a computer always running.

Click to shrink...

You don't need a computer to run a Plex server.

An Nvidia Shield works fine. As does a Galaxy 8 if you have a spare older phone.

 

[whytemyke]

I've been thinking about doing this forever and it just seems so daunting. My laptop doesn't even have a disc drive on it so I would have to get an external ripper then put out all on top a different hard drive... just a lot of work.
I wish there were services where I could just drop off a box of DVDs and Blu Ray movies and have them rip it for me.

I've also seen some pretty interesting videos on YouTube for using a Raspberry Pi to set up a video server.

 

[Not you]

Much easier to just torrent the movies you own. I don't see a distinction that's meaningful there.

 

[Listai]

I'm a bit picky when it comes to video quality so I don't like transcoding as a solution. What I currently do is rip my BD and DVD collection and remux them into .mkv containers. I then store them on my (now ancient) Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 6 and play them through Infuse on my Apple TV 4K.

What I love about Infuse is it's so easy to add metadata to titles I've just ripped and the interface is really intuitive.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

Much easier to just torrent the movies you own. I don't see a distinction that's meaningful there.

Click to shrink...

Bonus features, quality etc.

Not to mention the illegality of it.

 

[voOsh]

If you don't use a fault-tolerant storage solution for this it will fail and you won't put in the work ripping all those discs again. This is a big endeavor you're about to embark on and you should really consider a NAS.

 

[Replicant]

Way too much work and $$. It probably be cheaper to buy the damn things digitally.

 

[efr]

You don't need a computer to run a Plex server.

An Nvidia Shield works fine. As does a Galaxy 8 if you have a spare older phone.

Click to shrink...

Solid advice. Have OP a buy a $150 android device or use an old phone to server out blu ray rips. Why didnt I think of that? I should have recommened just re-buy everything digitally as well.
He says he doesnt want to setup a server lol

 

[Not you]

Bonus features, quality etc.

Not to mention the illegality of it.

Click to shrink...

You can get bonus features. And the quality is whatever you want. Plex also provides bonus features of you pay for the plex pass.

As long as you don't upload, there is no difference in legality. Would it be illegal to get a family member to rip them for you and give you the files? Besides it just takes way too much time and effort.

 

[efr]

Bonus features, quality etc.

Not to mention the illegality of it.

Click to shrink...

You can get bonus features. And the quality is whatever you want. Plex also provides bonus features of you pay for the plex pass.

As long as you don't upload, there is no difference in legality. Would it be illegal to get a family member to rip them for you and give you the files? Besides it just takes way too much time and effort.

Click to shrink...

Just so you know, ripping discs are technically illegal the second you workaround the disc DRM.
It violates Title I of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 17 U.S.C. 1201 which prohibits circumvention of DRM. Using most of those programs people are recommending does this.

 

[MajesticSoup]

Much easier to just torrent the movies you own. I don't see a distinction that's meaningful there.

Click to shrink...

Unless its a 1 month old release. No one is seeding remux(untouched) blu rays.

 

[Syriel]

Solid advice. Have OP a buy a $150 android device or use an old phone to server out blu ray rips. Why didnt I think of that? I should have recommened just re-buy everything digitally as well.
He says he doesnt want to setup a server lol

Click to shrink...

Plex is a server. If you don't setup the server, you're not using the client.

Also, not sure why you think a Shield + free Plex software is bad because of cost, when you're recommending an Apple TV (similar cost) + Infuse (which requires payment to playback TrueHD or DTS-HD MA).

A Shield is probably one of the most turnkey methods of setting up a Plex server.

 

[Lionheart]

My problem with plex on pa4 is it borks hdr content, so I gotta use my tv media app which results in compressed audio through ARC as I don't have an eARC receiver or device. I may consider an Nvidia shield but I'd prefer not to pay. What ate my other choices?

 

[Rad Bandolar]

What would you guys recommend as an external drive for ripping Blu-Ray/4K-UHD discs?

 

[EssBeeVee]

thanks for this thread. ever since the closure of that digital site i forgot to link. i lost those rights to the movies but i have all the bluray with me.

 

[hom3land]

Plex is a server. If you don't setup the server, you're not using the client.

Also, not sure why you think a Shield + free Plex software is bad because of cost, when you're recommending an Apple TV (similar cost) + Infuse (which requires payment to playback TrueHD or DTS-HD MA).

A Shield is probably one of the most turnkey methods of setting up a Plex server.

Click to shrink...

Can a shield transcode? Specifically if you want to watch while away? About to update my unraid server because I need more ram and it's silly to spend money on DDR3 memory. But if I can just move my Plex server to my shield that would be great

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I have time. It would be a pet project.

I've had my 2tb HDD for like 6 years, so I don't expect the new one to die within months.

Click to shrink...

You running a drive 24/7 with higher IO is going to work it more than a drive just being used in a causal manner

Can a shield transcode? Specifically if you want to watch while away? About to update my unraid server because I need more ram and it's silly to spend money on DDR3 memory. But if I can just move my Plex server to my shield that would be great

Click to shrink...

You could transcode everything into the most compatible format but that's a lot of time.

 

[MrKlaw]

It might be slow but it's relatively straightforward once you have it sorted out. Just pop a disc in each day or whenever you're going past the pc and you'll be done in no time. I did about 400 DVDs on my old Mac mini and that included transcoding them via handbrake. Took a while but it wasn't much 'active' time

I do wish I'd filled at original quality though.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Much easier to just torrent the movies you own. I don't see a distinction that's meaningful there.

Click to shrink...

Full true hd dolby rips are huge file sizes.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

It might be slow but it's relatively straightforward once you have it sorted out. Just pop a disc in each day or whenever you're going past the pc and you'll be done in no time. I did about 400 DVDs on my old Mac mini and that included transcoding them via handbrake. Took a while but it wasn't much 'active' time

I do wish I'd filled at original quality though.

Click to shrink...

Ripping to ISO and then transcoding is a "faster" method when I did it because it let me queue up a bunch at a time. Rip to iso wasn't that long, far shorter than full rip to encode. I'd just queue up like 10 to 20 iso and let it go all night.

 

[Syriel]

Can a shield transcode? Specifically if you want to watch while away? About to update my unraid server because I need more ram and it's silly to spend money on DDR3 memory. But if I can just move my Plex server to my shield that would be great

Click to shrink...

A Shield can transcode, but it does have limitations on sources.

It had decode hardware for MPEG-2, H.264, and H.265 and encode hardware for H.264.

So if your sources are DVD and Blu-ray rips, you shouldn't have issues. If you've got a crapton of stuff in odd codecs from various sources, anything that is not one of the three listed above will need to use software decoding. Shouldn't be an issue for the majority of content, but something to be aware of.

Here is the Plex support page that details the Shield limitations:

Limitations When Running Plex Media Server on NVIDIA SHIELD

Plex Media Server running on NVIDIA SHIELD is a full-fledged server. Due to the nature of the device, there are...

support.plex.tv

It's not the most powerful device out there, but it is one of the easiest to setup from scratch for the common user.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

A Shield can transcode, but it does have limitations on sources.

It had decode hardware for MPEG-2, H.264, and H.265 and encode hardware for H.264.

So if your sources are DVD and Blu-ray rips, you shouldn't have issues. If you've got a crapton of stuff in odd codecs from various sources, anything that is not one of the three listed above will need to use software decoding. Shouldn't be an issue for the majority of content, but something to be aware of.

Here is the Plex support page that details the Shield limitations:

Limitations When Running Plex Media Server on NVIDIA SHIELD

Plex Media Server running on NVIDIA SHIELD is a full-fledged server. Due to the nature of the device, there are...

support.plex.tv

It's not the most powerful device out there, but it is one of the easiest to setup from scratch for the common user.

Click to shrink...

The issue is the playback client, not the source.

 

[efr]

Plex is a server. If you don't setup the server, you're not using the client.

Also, not sure why you think a Shield + free Plex software is bad because of cost, when you're recommending an Apple TV (similar cost) + Infuse (which requires payment to playback TrueHD or DTS-HD MA).

A Shield is probably one of the most turnkey methods of setting up a Plex server.

Click to shrink...

You should re-read the OP, and the fact that he doesnt want to run a server.
More people own Apple TVs than Nvidia Shields.
I wonder why I would recommended it?

 

[Syriel]

The issue is the playback client, not the source.

Click to shrink...

No, it's the source codec that matters for this question. Transcoding in hardware > transcoding in software, esp on a dedicated, low power (compared to a full PC) device.

Pretty much everything that runs the Plex client can play back H.264 video, which is what Plex Server on the Shield is going to spit out if it is transcoding.

 

[Syriel]

You should re-read the OP, and the fact that he doesnt want to run a server.
More people own Apple TVs than Nvidia Shields.
I wonder why I would recommended it?

Click to shrink...

OP wants to run Plex.
Plex is a server.
Plex server doesn't run on the Apple TV.

Your recommendation is like telling someone who wants to improve their PC to just wipe out OS X/Windows and install Linux because Linux is "better."

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

No, it's the source codec that matters for this question. Transcoding in hardware > transcoding in software, esp on a dedicated, low power (compared to a full PC) device.

Pretty much everything that runs the Plex client can play back H.264 video, which is what Plex Server on the Shield is going to spit out.

Click to shrink...

It's still client dependent though because that's what determines if transcode is needed or not. I know at a point a lot of roku clients still needed transcoding, and the appletv app too (but that may have changed with the new player)

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

You should re-read the OP, and the fact that he doesnt want to run a server.
More people own Apple TVs than Nvidia Shields.
I wonder why I would recommended it?

Click to shrink...

Plex is useless without the server.

 

[efr]

OP wants to run Plex.
Plex is a server.
Plex server doesn't run on the Apple TV.

Your recommendation is like telling someone who wants to improve their PC to just wipe out OS X/Windows and install Linux because Linux is "better."

Click to shrink...

You really are stubborn and adamant about recommending a Shield and dont want to read what he wrote while saying exactly what he doesnt want to do

jesus.

 

[Syriel]

It's still client dependent though because that's what determines if transcode is needed or not. I know at a point a lot of roku clients still needed transcoding, and the appletv app too (but that may have changed with the new player)

Click to shrink...

You are correct there. Direct play with no transcode is optimal if the client can handle it.

hom3land was asking about transcode performance tho, since their target was a mobile phone. You're not likely to push full Bluray quality (even if it is H.264) over the mobile network. Once you know transcoding is likely to be required, transcode performance on the server is an issue to be aware of (which is why some NAS devices with Plex server support aren't recommended).

 

[xxracerxx]

OP wants to run Plex.
Plex is a server.
Plex server doesn't run on the Apple TV.

Your recommendation is like telling someone who wants to improve their PC to just wipe out OS X/Windows and install Linux because Linux is "better."

Click to shrink...

OP just wants to have their files locally and not setup a server (even though PLEX is super simple), that is why efr is recommending Infuse with an Apple TV.

 

[efr]

Plex is useless without the server.

Click to shrink...

OP doesnt want a server. Does no one read the OPs on this site?