DVDFab and Hard Drive Media Players

[Senor Bag]

I have a large (2,000+) DVD collection and I want to put most of them on external hard drives. I recently heard about the WD TV player and it appears to be a rather low cost and very flexible way to store and be able to play all of my DVD’s. Is it best to store the DVD’s on a hard drive as ISO files? Is there a better method to use that would enable me to play the movies on my HDTV?

I have not yet started to implement this plan so any suggestions are welcome.

[Complication]

ISO files would be a good way to go, especially if you want to have the menu. However, the WD TV does not play ISO files. You might consider another device as there are many now.

[GregiBoy]

I disagree with the ISO being the way to go. Why would I want to store up to 9Gb of garbage that uses an outdated video codec when I can store it a close as dammit to the same quality using a newer more efficient codec eg: generic.h264.avi. audiocopy profile.

And before we start a flame war about quality, I have had at least 50 opinions on these files played on my Samsung 52" HDTV (LA52A850) and not one of my friends can pick the difference between the H264 file and the original DVD.

Unless you are an absolute videophile, I think that is the way to go but I am underwhelmed with the WDTV and as you have said, Complication, there are plenty of other devices out there with better features.

[Senor Bag]

Terrific information! I’ve learned something already. I’m new to this so if you have any particular suggestions for external hard drive players I'd like to hear them. One of the main things about the WD TV system that I liked is that two USB hard drives could be hooked up at the same time with a full menu. A couple of 1 TB drives could hold a lot of movies!

Your suggestion about H264 is well taken GregiBoy and that sounds like the best way for me to go.

[W&B]

From what I could find on the web since firmware update version 1.01.02 the WDTV will play iso and vob files. no support for the menus though just a main movie rip (I think) and WD has not updated their website to comfirm this, my belief is so no one gets confused about menu support but thats just a guess. I do agree with GregiBoy if one is concerned about storage space and wants to convert, I tested this and personally I can't tell a difference. WDTV supports h264 and there is many other media players to choose from so its best to look before you leap.

[GregiBoy]

The only other thing I will say is that external drives plugged in can always be a bottleneck and cause "juddering" especially if you encode at high bitrates and use a USB 1.0 enclosure.

This is why I always prefer a player that has it's hard disk fitted internally or one that will play from a uPnP server where the streaming content is buffered.

[Complication]

I disagree with the ISO being the way to go. Why would I want to store up to 9Gb of garbage that uses an outdated video codec when I can store it a close as dammit to the same quality using a newer more efficient codec eg: generic.h264.avi. audiocopy profile.

My suggestion was based on the fact that at 2000+ movies the odds favour that he is someone into movies that might enjoy the chapter stops, dynamic menus, alternate endings, commentary, and other extras that came on the DVD. Hard drives are cheap (compared to purchasing 2000+ movies especially) so why not keep everything intact? An ISO is easy to create, contains everything that the original DVD has, and could be used for a mass conversion later should the OP want to. I'm not a fan of the menus and extras but I have a movie buff friend that is disappointed when they aren't available.

If the OP is not interested in menus but wants to maintain the chapter stops then an ISO using Main Movie mode would chop out the extra (and work with the WD TV).

H264 is an impressive codec so if your looking to save space and are willing to devote the processor horsepower and time then it might be for you. The trouble I have in recommending it's use is that the source material quality on DVDs varies so greatly. There are some movies that have been converted to DVD quite well and a further conversion looks good. Many, however, were not encoded well and the re-compression using H264 ends up amplifying the original errors (not to mention additional error application from up-scaling to 1080p).

I already use H264 for times when I need selectable subtitle support and a VOB will not cut it (my PS3 doesn't play ISOs either). I am also planning, at some point, to use H264 to store Blu-Ray titles for streaming but I've already heard of some very poor Blu-Ray conversions so I'll just have to wait and see.

[GregiBoy]

Well, I have over 1000+ titles in my library that I have converted and I am yet to see what you are saying as I ALWAYS check the encoded file against the original source. Then again, I have mainly done mainstream titles, not anything too esoteric.

The only time I have had to change things a little was when I upped the bitrate for movies with fast action such as in some parts of the Matrix series.

[Senor Bag]

Day before yesterday, I didn’t even know that hard drive media players even existed. Now, due to your generous help, I’ve found that many different media players are made and that they play a variety of different codec files. Needless to say, I’m a rank novice.

You’re right Complication, there are indeed some movies that I would like to keep intact with the full menus, chapter stops and additional features. There are other movies in which the extra “garbage” would not be too important or desirable. So, it would seem that a media player that has the ability to play multiple file types (ISO, H264, etc.) would be good for my plan.

The Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player Solution looks impressive. It plays ISO files and H264 (I think). I’m going to have to get busy and start looking more deeply into these players and sort out all the features. Thank you GregiBoy, Wild and Blue and Complication for your help!

I've got a lot of learning to do.

[Senor Bag]

The only other thing I will say is that external drives plugged in can always be a bottleneck and cause "juddering" especially if you encode at high bitrates and use a USB 1.0 enclosure.

This is why I always prefer a player that has it's hard disk fitted internally or one that will play from a uPnP server where the streaming content is buffered.

I noticed that the new Seagate model ST905004CEA2E1-RK has a 16MB cache to prevent the "juddering" you mentioned. It seems that my interest in this subject was timed just right since a bunch of new media players are just about to make their debut.