Help with media server

RobDogDog · 19 Mar 2025 at 14:34

Hi folks,

I'm looking at finally digitising my old DVD and CD collection (around 300 DVD's and 100 CD's) to a home media server but I don't really know where to start.

Can I just run something like Plex on a small form Dell Optiplex (Ubuntu, I5, 8GB ram, 256 SSD as a test - would upgrade the storage), rip the content to the computer, point the folders in the right direction and download the app for the TV?

It will just be one TV that the content would be streamed to.

hornetstinger · 19 Mar 2025 at 14:37

Personally I'd skip the DVD ISO, modern codecs can compress 1080p really well, ie a 4GB H265 movie will look better than original DVD

As for music, rip/encode to flac, and use plex or lms, with audio streamers like wiim, or eversolo,
Using a TV for audio streamer isn't great

I use a Pi5 with picoreplayer. Music store on a NAS, flac, and multiple audio streamers connecting to the pi5 server.

bledd · 19 Mar 2025 at 18:41

Synology is a decent storage method without needing Windows etc. It's pretty much set and forget. Worth looking into.

CaptainCrash · 20 Mar 2025 at 09:59

hornetstinger said:
Personally I'd skip the DVD ISO, modern codecs can compress 1080p really well, ie a 4GB H265 movie will look better than original DVD

Not sure if that's what you meant to say - whatever codec you use, no re-encoding can possibly look better than the original, although if it's done well it may be effectively indistiguishable from the source. You could add in some postprocessing which might make it look better to your eyes, but that's a different thing.

If on the other hand you're talking about "acquiring" an HD version of a movie you already possess on DVD then, well... yes

hornetstinger · 20 Mar 2025 at 10:01

CaptainCrash said:
Not sure if that's what you meant to say - whatever codec you use, no re-encoding can possibly look better than the original, although if it's done well it may be effectively indistiguishable from the source. You could add in some postprocessing which might make it look better to your eyes, but that's a different thing.

If on the other hand you're talking about "acquiring" an HD version of a movie you already possess on DVD then, well... yes

File size, comparing a 4.4GB or 7.8GB dual layer DVD ISO (original) to H265...no contest which is better. 1080p, possibly 4K, with Atmos/HD Dolby, and proper 24hz framerate.

Mpeg-II (DVD) isn't as efficient as H265.

RobDogDog · 20 Mar 2025 at 10:27

bledd said:
Synology is a decent storage method without needing Windows etc. It's pretty much set and forget. Worth looking into.

Looks interesting and affordable. Thanks.

Hornet, with regards to the DVD ripping, are you saying don't bother at all with it and look to get higher quality versions? Sorry, I'm not 100% sure what you meant.

I'm not overly fussed if the DVD looks like a DVD as such. My mum is basically telling me she wants rid of them from her house and the wife does not want them in our house as we have nowhere to store them lol.

hornetstinger · 20 Mar 2025 at 10:47

No not supporting it just saying H265 codec is better picture, and with Atmos sound, better for similar file size.

CaptainCrash · 20 Mar 2025 at 12:24

hornetstinger said:
File size, comparing a 4.4GB or 7.8GB dual layer DVD ISO (original) to H265...no contest which is better. 1080p, possibly 4K, with Atmos/HD Dolby, and proper 24hz framerate.

Mpeg-II (DVD) isn't as efficient as H265.

Of course it isn't, so what? An h.265 encoder (or h.264, AV1 or whatever) isn't going to magically add data that was missing from the original source, in fact it will be discarding data. You could upscale it to 1080p or 4K during the encoding process, but it seems a bit pointless given that you'll be bloating the file size, dramatically increasing the encoding time and your TV or playback device will probably do a better job anyway. And you can't just add Atmos/Dolby HD to a DVD rip, it doesn't work like that.

I may be completely misunderstanding what you're trying to say - yes you might end up with a smaller file size, but that doesn't mean it will look "better than the original". It's like saying if you re-encode a 320kbps MP3 to a more efficient codec like Opus or AAC it will sound better - it simply can't and it won't.

If you want to go sailing the high seas for higher quality versions of the media you already own, that's different.

RobDogDog · 23 Mar 2025 at 10:24

I've gone done the rabbit hole this weekend.

A while back I acquired a Dell 7040 mini from work that was surplus to requirements (all above board). It's got an i5 processor in so should be okay - I'd just need to upgrade the storage

I think I'm going to initially try using that, as for my requirements which, after some more thought, will probably just be DVD and Blu rays rips, and there's no real need for me to have it on 24/7. More of a turn it on on a Friday evening job. Would probably run Ubuntu which also looks to be supported.

Films I really enjoy will get upgraded to Blu-ray and given the below treatment but obviously with adjusted settings.

I've been playing around with Maker MKV and Handbrake and can get a DVD to look fine for my eyes' quality at H264 codec using some instructions I found online. The same place also had H265 instructions that did reduce the size down even more by a little over 200mb, but the time it took to do this was also just over double at around the hour mark for The Fast and The Furious. So it's a space Vs time and cost conundrum.