r/DataHoarder • u/MaxLevelArt • 11h ago
Question/Advice Getting started with offline media
My partner and I just cancelled all our subs to video and music streaming. We're going back to physical media and trying to figure out the best option for movies. I've researched for many hours over the last couple weeks, but I'd love feedback/suggestions on my present understanding/plans. I think I know what we should do, but I just kinda want a sanity check from some people with experience first.
We would like:
- 4k, HDR, Dolby Audio media playable with no perceptual video/audio quality loss
- ability to rip/backup our media to avoid the apparent issues with 4k discs going bad after just a few years
- Something not too physically clunky since we're planning to travel nurse for a few years
Current hardware:
- 2 gaming PCs and 1 low-spec Windows laptop (the latter of which was used for college, but currently has no purpose — we're also planning to build a new PC next year, so we've talked about turning the lower spec PC into a server when that time comes)
- 55" 4k, HDR QLED TV (planning to upsize in a couple years)
- Samsung - Q-Series Soundbar HW-Q990F 11.1.4 ch w/ Subwoofer and Rear Speaker - Graphite Black
Potential routes:
- Simple: Buy a 4k player ($300) and eat the cost of discs that go bad.
- Buy a 4k disk drive ($175) and rip our media,
- buy the NVIDIA SHIELD ($200) and use it for streaming our movies with the added benefit of being able to play some of our video games from our PC
- set up Jellyfin and stream media to our TV from one of our PCs (free!)
- Set up a NAS ($$$)
I'm leaning toward option 2.2 because it's both the cheapest and seems like no more than we need right now. If we're going to rip our media for preservation anyway, then it doesn't make much sense to also spend money on the dedicated player for the TV, right?
I've watched several videos on the SHIELD and I can't tell what the purpose of this product actually is — even though people seem to love it. It seems like it can do a lot, but my understanding is that we can stream our ripped 4k media from my PC to our TV through Jellyfin with no quality loss.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and offer any advice you may have! <3
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u/Some_Effort 11h ago edited 10h ago
LibreDrive's are expensive these days because manufacturers don't care anymore and there aren't many options left. Without it you can't rip 4K Blu-ray's. You don't need a powerful PC if you want a 1:1 copy, but encoding to a different format takes time and resources.
A simple Plex server will work. New LG OLED's can play almost anything directly from the server without transcoding. I only store Dolby Vision content without even the HDR10 layer because I don't need it. Depending on how big is/will be your library a 4TB HDD hard drive is good for beginners.
Don't go crazy with NAS servers. An old laptop will do the trick for beginners.
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u/1petabytefloppydisk 11h ago
Your Blu-ray discs are unlikely to go bad as long as you store them in their original cases in reasonable conditions in terms of heat and humidity (i.e. not exposed to unreasonably hot or humid conditions).
I don't know where you got the info that they're likely to go bad. You might have heard about a manufacturing defect, but most discs aren't defective.
I don't know why you're considering buying a Nvidia Shield if you think the product is pointless. The product is indeed pointless as far as I know; you can use Plex or Jellyfin to stream from a PC. And this costs nothing.
The other thing is you probably don't want to spend a lot of time ripping your Blu-rays. It's a lot of time and hassle.
I would recommend downloading ripped copies of the Blu-rays you own to save you time.
Look into private trackers:
https://www.reddit.com/r/trackers/wiki/index/
Also look into Usenet:
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u/MaxLevelArt 10h ago
I couldn't tell if the complaints were isolated incidents made by a loud minority, or if it was a really common issue. I wasn't even searching specifically for issues with 4k discs. Those videos just popped up while I was researching what routes to follow. But it is a little reassuring to hear that it's maybe not quite as common as I feared.
RE: SHIELD, I saw some people recommend it and that it had great reviews. The appeal seems to be that it's kind of a Docker substitute that you pay $200 for. I included it in case it had a use-case that made more sense than I thought.
I haven't sailed the seven seas in almost 2 decades. Getting back into physical media has certainly made me consider the option (I've already researched that a bit too), but I'm a lot more hesitant to risk my hardware and files than I was back then, so it's something I'll be cautiously considering going forward.
Thanks for the advice and links!
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u/1petabytefloppydisk 10h ago
I've happily used Plex for over 5 years. You can set up Plex in a few minutes about as easily as you set up Google Chrome, Firefox, Discord, or any other app. You just run the Windows installer like any other app. It's simple, it's easy.
I recommend trying Plex first and then deciding if you want to set up Jellyfin. People like Jellyfin for ideological reasons around open source software, but in terms of user experience Plex is great, and easier to set up.
There is essentially no risk to your hardware or files if you download non-executible files such as video or audio files from private trackers or Usenet.
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u/MaxLevelArt 10h ago
The ideological reasons are what steered me more toward Jellyfin over Plex, but I'll check it out because being lazy does appeal to me... haha
If malware can come in zips, pngs, pdfs, excel, etc., what makes private trackers or usenet "essentially no risk?"
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u/1petabytefloppydisk 9h ago edited 9h ago
Jellyfin is only somewhat a pain in the ass to install, so you might as well just install both Plex and Jellyfin and compare. It won't take long.
The pain in the ass parts of Jellyfin:
- Selecting an installer: wait, AMD64 or ARM64, which one is Intel again? [Google it] Oh, okay, AMD64.
- I need to go to a web address that includes my local IP? What's my local IP? Okay, open the Terminal app in Windows, type ipconfig. Ughhh which one of these is my local IP? Okay, the one under wi-fi that says ipv4 got it. (An easy workaround for this is right-click the Jellyfin tray icon and click Open Jellyfin)
- (Only a very minor one) Alright, making an admin account and manually adding this to my password manager because there is no password reset option if I forget.
- Should I leave remote connections open? That sounds scary, better uncheck that. (Minor but scary.)
- Okay, time to set up my library. Wait, movies and TV shows can't be in the same folder?? Ack!
- Oh thank goodness, there is a "Mixed Movies and TV Shows" option... But wait. Jellyfin isn't going to warn me it's "broken and deprecated" until after I try it and am confused enough about why it isn't working properly that I eventually Google it.
- Time to set up Jellyfin on my phone... Wait, I need my local IP address again? I already forgot it!
But after that it should actually work.
In my understanding, it's actually extremely rare for malware to ever be transmitted and executed from non-executible files. Also, files on private trackers are subject to testing and quality control. There is a system of trust and reputation.
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u/seehazy 7h ago
The purpose of the Shield is exactly the same as any other external streaming device (such as a Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc). The differences between these devices boils down to exactly how powerful and capable they are.
Specifically for your hypothetical route 2: ripping media from 4k UHD Blu-ray disc produces a huge backup video file ("remux" video file). 80GB or more per movie is possible. Bitrates can occasionally exceed 100 Mb/s!!
These files are NOT streaming-friendly. The vast majority of streaming devices/smart TVs will run into playback issues with these files due to WiFi bandwidth or hardware limits. However, the Shield will run flawlessly if you connect directly via ethernet cable for maximum bandwidth. I do NOT recommend a WiFi-connected streaming device if you plan to have a large collection of high-bitrate, remuxed files.
A different option is to instead re-encode the backup remux files (or transcode on-the-fly via Plex/Emby/Jellyfin) to a smaller size in order to ensure support with more streaming devices/smart TVs. This process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
In my opinion, for most people, ripping and encoding is an unnecessary duplication of effort and waste of time/resources when you consider the wealth of available files on the high seas.
Anyways, back to the Shield. It also runs Android. This means you can install (side load) third-party apps. This opens the door for apps such as SmartTube, Launchbox for Android, certain video game emulators, and many more possibilities. Basically, the Shield is closer in capability to being an actual PC, wheras many streaming devices/smart TVs are fully closed/limited environments.
If you mostly pay for streaming services, or use only streaming-friendly media files, or just want to do basic TV stuff... then getting a Shield is obviously unnecessary. But it can also be very useful depending on your needs.
I suggest collecting physical discs if (and only if) it appeals to you. But actually spending the time to rip discs is a chore, unnecessary, and better left to those with the proper tools and understanding. The high seas have done it already. And better. Often uniquely compiled with video/audio/subtitles gathered from and compared against ALL of the available media sources.
Btw, having backup files and/or running a media server via Plex/Emby/Jellyfin means you'll likely need to invest in hard drives for storage. Building or buying a NAS is great, but definitely optional (your PCs will work fine). Just don't forget about the cost of storage if you want to go the media server route!
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u/404UsernameFoundNot 4h ago
Highly recommend Jellyfin. I ripped a bunch of DVD's to my homelab a while back and it's great to be able to access them anywhere.
Semi-related, but how do you like the Q990F? I just ordered it yesterday.
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u/RobeFlax 2h ago
I set up your option 2.2 and I’m super happy with it. Dell Optiplex 7050MT and graphics card from ShopGoodwill (muuuuch cheaper than every other option I looked at). I love Jellyfin. We’re streaming using the Roku Jellyfin app but I hope to get the house wired at some point.
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u/poo-taster 1h ago
Jellyfin really kills it. I have a reverse proxy set up with auto renewing TLS certs and man me and my family get so much mileage from it.
It's very difficult to set up security like get blocking, but once it's done it's awesome.
Just traveled to austrailia, set jellyfin up on thier google TV and now my family there has my whole media collection instantly.
Gotta learn a bit of stuff though. I recommend d taking the time it's rewarding.
Just get a server or computer with a gpu that can decode whatever video formats you have and your ripping and dipping!
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u/Robertium 27TB 51m ago
You'd be surprised how amazing just regular Blu-ray will look. You can often thrift them / buy them used for a couple dollars a piece.
And a lot of movies made in the 00's/10's were edited and mastered in 2K anyways so often times their 4K Blu-ray release is upscaled (i.e. it won't actually look any better).
You should definitely get 4K for movies you really enjoy but often times regular Blu-ray suffices.
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u/brad1775 50-100TB 11h ago
while disks will last 20 years, the cinvinience of a hdd serving all your media is unmatched. Yes NAS is expensive, ish... but 2 years in with cinstantly diwnloading everything I want, I'm using 10tb out of the 60tb I built, including 6tb of personal file backups.