www.makemkv.com

dcoke22 wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 16, 2024 3:12 pm

.mkv files can be very useful. They can easily contain more than one audio track and more than one subtitle track. It would be possible to rip your DVDs, blu-rays, etc to .mkv files with all the audio tracks and subtitle tracks you'd like. The audio & video in the .mkv files that MakeMKV produces will be a 1:1 copy of what's on the disc. It is also possible to use MakeMKV to create .mkv files of the various 'extras' that are on the disc.

There are lots of playback systems across all the platforms that can play .mkv files. For example, MPV, VLC, IINA (Mac only), Infuse (Mac only)

A great way to organize this stuff is something like a Plex server. A Plex server with a lot of storage can organize and host all these files on your network. It will automatically collect metadata about the movies and the actors in them. It can host the 'extras' right along side the movies so you can access them easily from your couch. You can watch all this stuff on just about anything that can run the Plex client software, which is most modern mobile devices, most modern smart TVs, or any recent streaming box plugged into your TV.

The only things you lose going this route is the FBI warning, unskipable previews, and navigating the disc menu (and if you really want the warnings and the previews, you can rip those too).

• Zidoo media player (either basic new model or a used flagship model under £400).

• AV receiver with speakers (either new 4k or a used 8k)

• Possibly a UHD player to play discs before I rip them.

• External UHD drive to rip discs (Waiting for Asmcom to open up shop because I'm unsure if I can flash one without making a mistake because I'm a beginner).