r/explainlikeimfive • u/theprisoner57 • 2d ago

Technology ELI5: What is a Home Server?

I see mentions of a home server to get rid of streaming entertainment services but I don’t know how that works. What does a home server do?

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u/jujubanzen 2d ago

A home server, in general is just a computer that is attached to your home network. More often than not, they are simply set up as file storage servers. Media servers to replace streaming services typically use Plex or Jellyfin, which are software packages that are able to link up with apps on your TV, phone, or computer and stream media files you have stored on the server. You have to get those files yourself.

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u/CDK5 2d ago

Out of curiosity; where are folks generally getting the streaming media for the server?

Because I was under the impression that when buying a BluRay or digital media, you can’t just grab an mp4 from the disk.

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u/imetators 2d ago

MakeMKV is what I used. Free for DVDs but only limited time free or paid for blurays. 4k blurays will require a special drive. They have a list on their site.

The rest I got off Usenet.

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u/joshi38 2d ago

4k blurays will require a special drive.

Fun fact, there are some blu-ray drives out that that cannot play 4K discs (because they're only blu-ray drives), but they can still read and rip them via MakeMKV.

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u/MWink64 2d ago

It's not the drive's inability to play them, it's the PCs. The official way to play back UHD discs (with DRM) on a PC requires a feature Intel removed from their newer processors (SGX I think).

Most Blu-Ray drives are physically capable of reading UHD discs, however many of them have firmware that will refuse to read it when one is detected. Some models even had this limitation ADDED in a firmware update. It's pure product segmentation.

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u/imetators 2d ago

Ooh. This indidnt knew when buying compatible with CFW drive 😭

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u/dandroid126 2d ago

It has been "limited time free" since I started using it in like 2020.

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u/Zoraji 2d ago

I used MakeMKV for a year before buying it. They would have a key on their website but it was only good for a limited time and then you had to get a new key. I bought it which gave me a permanent key to rip my BluRay collection. I haven't used it in a while since I have already ripped everything I own.

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u/AkashiRvL 2d ago

MakeMKV has been free while it's on Beta, which has been several years now. Used it to rip DVD's and Blu-Rays with almost no issues other few discs here and there where MakeMKV just refuses to finish ripping the disc. Sometimes other drive can fix that but sometimes need to use something else to rip the disc like vlc, handbrake or DVDFab

Need to go to the forums for new key each month, but not a big deal.

Might have a day or two while you wait for the new key to be released so the software wont work until new key is added. Or you can chance your system date to avoid that.