www.makemkv.com

Hi Guys

I hope you can give me some pointers on using MKV but initially I need to get some advice on hardware.

I want to be able to create NAS based digital copies of my BD collection, I use a PS3 at the moment for watching them, and having just purchased a big NAS storage (WD Live II runs Twonky) it would be great to be able to store them more easily.

I have a i3 Lenovo laptop (1st Gen) (currently the most powerful at home) with 4GB RAM which I'd like to use, so first question is:-
- Can I buy a BD Drive for USB 2 and just use that with MKV. Does the drive need to be a specific manufacturer with firmware?

I was wondering if there is any point in selling this laptop in favour of a newer i5 - would it speed up the backup process?

I have an extensive library - which includes a few 3D - am I right in thinking I can backup 3D and play on my TV via USB? My TV is an LG Plasma with no streaming capability and my laptop above has no HDMI port - so I cannot see how I could play on the TV any other way at the moment!

I hope someone can help.

Thanks very much!

The i3 and 4gb of Ram should be fine. For a USB bluray drive, check out http://www.amazon.com/Blu-Ray-USB-Exter ... 237&sr=8-1

To stream from your PC to your PS3, check out. Program called TVersity (Google it). I'm not sure if you can stream the MKV's directly since I convert all my MKV files to mp4 via Hanbrake. Mp4s are also gonna save you a ton of hard drive space while still looking great. Also, not sure about 3D as I don't have 3D (not buying into the hype. It failed in the 90's and will likely fail again).

One more piece of advise is to use a wired connection between your PC and PS3 as WiFi seems to be hit or miss I've found.

Here is what I do...

1. Rip my bluray or DVD with MakeMKV (size ranges from 3-5 gb for DVD or 15-30 gb for bluray).
2. Convert the MKV to mp4 via Handbrake keeping the resolution as the original (time ranges from 30-90 minutes for DVD or 5-7 hours for bluray).
3. Add metadata and cover art to the mp4 file.
4. Store all mp4s to a couple of 2tb hard drives connected to my Apple Airport Extreme.
5. Add all my mp4's to my iTunes library through NAS built into the Airport Extreme.
6. Access all my mp4s via my Appe TV's.

Hope this helps and/or gives you suggestions.

As for your question regarding a faster CPU - No, it should not matter. The primary issue is the speed that your drive reads the media at.

SC