Save Bluray and DVD?

[The Griff]

Does anyone save both DVD and Blu ray copies of the same movie?

If so, why?

If not, why?

The only reason I could think to save both is in case WiFi cannot handle the larger Blu ray file.

[Woodstock]

I do not keep any of the original DVD or BD rips, because everything gets processed through handbrake, which changes the whole bandwidth discussion. A BD rip that has been re-encoded by handbrake often ends up smaller than the less-well-compressed DVD version, so why bother?

Example: Divergent, converted from BD rip to an MP4 at 1080p resolution, is just under 4GB. The "raw" DVD rip is actually bigger (5.6GB), at 480i resolution. If I told handbrake to encode it to DVD resolution, it would be even smaller. So, why hang on to the original MKV file?

As for maintaining DVD and BD resolutions, because some devices don't handle 720p or 1080p very well, that's a different story. Anything I want to watch on a tablet is run through handbrake twice, once to produce the "HD" version with all language/subtitle options, and once to produce a version the tablet can handle without choking (no subtitles, only one language).

If you are limited by bandwidth, handbrake.fr is somewhere you should consider visiting...

[The Griff]

I do not keep any of the original DVD or BD rips, because everything gets processed through handbrake, which changes the whole bandwidth discussion. A BD rip that has been re-encoded by handbrake often ends up smaller than the less-well-compressed DVD version, so why bother?

I have handbrake, but haven't used it yet. I am currently storing my DVD's and BD's in the original format.

Example: Divergent, converted from BD rip to an MP4 at 1080p resolution, is just under 4GB. The "raw" DVD rip is actually bigger (5.6GB), at 480i resolution. If I told handbrake to encode it to DVD resolution, it would be even smaller. So, why hang on to the original MKV file?

Do you lose video quality processing them down to a 4GB (MP4 1080P) file? I thought that the raw .mkv file would be my best video quality? Not considering bandwidth or watching on other devices. That is another subject. Initially, I am concerned about video quality for TV (home theater) playback.

As for maintaining DVD and BD resolutions, because some devices don't handle 720p or 1080p very well, that's a different story. Anything I want to watch on a tablet is run through handbrake twice, once to produce the "HD" version with all language/subtitle options, and once to produce a version the tablet can handle without choking (no subtitles, only one language).

I am using the Synology Video Station to organize my movies. DS Video is the app I use on my phone and TV. I need to test the app on my phone and TV more. TV plays the DVD's no problem, but has been choppy on one BD, but not another.

If you are limited by bandwidth, handbrake.fr is somewhere you should consider visiting...

I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me.

[Woodstock]

Any time you compress a video or audio stream with methods that are not lossless, there is "lost detail". How much is acceptable is dependent upon your perception and how far away from the display you are. The 4GB 1080p version is definitely better looking than the 5.6GB DVD version, but, 20 feet from a 55" TV, you might not see the difference. 5 feet away... the difference will be painfully obvious to most people.

This is where experimentation comes in. You don't lose the original by compressing it with different parameters. Handbrake has dozens of presets you can play with. Pick a movie, and find a section with a lot of detail and/or a lot of motion. Have handbrake encode just that section with different presets, and watch them to see if you like the results.

I refer to it as an adventure game - you have tools (video and compression program), a goal (acceptable video quality in a smaller package), and lots of "lives" available.

For me, I separate the resolutions in different directories. Movies and TV series I generally do without the ability to switch audio sources or subtitles, because "the family" doesn't want to bother with that sort of thing. But, anime is split between "best quality" and "tablet". I do not have my Synology doing any translation (just using the media server, not Plex), and the tablet versions work just fine on Android and iPhone playback.