so new I don't know what to ask (1 Viewer)

[mapatane]

Actually, I've been looking at this site and the Beyond Media sites trying to figure out options, and am firmly rooted in paralysis by analysis.

I do NOT currently have either and do NOT have any movies stored on a hard drive. I do however, have an ever expanding DVD collection of a few hundred movies.

My whole goal is to create a movie library, not to watch or record TV. (I'd like to toss all those DVD cases into storage and out of the family room.) (Ok, well it might be nice if the system could play some music too, but we've got iTunes for that.)

Can anyone recommend a very basic primer on what I would need, need to do - from the basics of how to copy DVD to hard drive, type of file(s) to use, etc. Even the most basic conversations here seem to start with an understanding of that process and those file types - I'm lacking that basic info.

I'd like to give Media Portal a try, but with no movies to work from, where do I start.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bond007taz]

I am new to MediaPortal as well but i can share what I have done so far...

• I created a server using Microsoft Home Server and a few SATA hard drives and that is where I am putting my DVD collection.
  
• I use a software called DVDFab to rip my movies. This is the easiest program I have found because I can connect a few CD/DVD drives up to my home computer and rip a few DVD's at a time. I can not tell you what format to burn the DVDs to because that depends on what you want to do ( do you want exact 1:1 quality? do you want to use .avi files? I think that xvid .AVI files are very common and most apps will play them - again it is all up to what you want to do)
  
• Set up MediaPortal on your machine and then add your server folder to it and watch movies!

It is not as easy as these 3 steps because each step is complicated but I have to tell you once you get it going you will once again enjoy watching your DVD collection!

 

[rekenaar]

At this stage, I would go for a one-time manual (outside MediaPortal) process to get the movie on disk.
Use something like DVDDecrypter to get your movies from dvd to hdd. You will need LOTS of hdd space for this, but that's cheap now.

Read more at this thread.

After that you can just map the top directory (example d:\movies) in MP Configuration and start watching.

After the basics, you can progress to more advanced stuff like looking up movie information and even more advanced, MyFilms plugin. Read MyFilms wiki or latest forum discussions.

 

[mapatane]

Thanks.

I don't need exact quality. (I don't have an HDTV or anything like that) I'd be willing to accept less than original, but better than VHS.

As I said, I'm so new I don't know what an .avi file is or why I'd want to use it. I really just want to be able to rip, store and access and play my movies.

I just want to get rid of all my movie boxes, and avoid having to buy replacement copies when the kids lose or ruin them. I simply want to be able to rip, save, and then watch the movies.

thanks.

 

[druid9]

I'm with Rekenaar, DVDDecrypter to get the movies on to your hard drive. No need to convert to avi if you don't want to.

DVDDecrypter is VERY intuitive and the download is free, a Google search would be instructive I think.

Once on your hard drive MediaPortal can and will look after all of the library functionality - yes you do just click (or press play with a remote) on the file icon and it will play.

For myself I convert the ripped movie to avi for further compression to save space - started doing that when I only had 160Gb, but probably wouldn't now I have almost 1TB - as Rekenaar said disk space is cheap, the last 750Mb cost around $300AUD.

Post back if you need further help, and we'll get you started

 

[mapatane]

Thanks to everyone.

I guess I should just jump in with a few movies and see where it takes me.

 

[Marcusb]

hey there, if you don't want an exact copy (IE, 4Gb+ per movie) then you can use something with more compression.
this is where you need to know names like DivX and Xvid. these are special formats that compress a DVD to fit onto a CD with almost as good quality. The file they will leave you with is an avi file, which will play in most software players.

I can't provide direct links as these are illegal in some countries, but if you go to sittes such as doom9.org or afterdawn.com there are some good guides for ripping dvd to avi (that was a hint for what to search for, too).

Cheers.

 

[QuaiBoy]

Just a thought: you might want to keep the files at decent to high quality incase you get a better TV in the future. It would be a drag to have to re-spend the time getting the movies onto the discs - it's considerable. Invest in a DVD-ROM drive known for DVD5/9 speed - this will cut ripping time considerably. Many Lite-On models are highly suitable. Finally, consider a RAID1/5 setup for the hard discs to protect against failure. Good luck.

-Evan