Basics for Best Results

[robturpin]

Just wondering what the best options are for the following:

1. Video format for storing DVD's onto a 2Tb NTFS hard drive for wired network playback through an HDMI connection to a 52" 16x9 LCD. For instance, which video format will keep all menus, be the most efficient for space/throughput and keep the original DVD quality?

2. Audio format for HDMI playback through a 7.1 AV Receiver (LPCM/LPCM Multi Ch/LPCM Raw).

3. How do I create the simplest/quickest method to access files using the features of the POB (shortcuts, etc.).

Btw - I'm running firmware P020BC18-53

Many thanks!!

[aasoror]

Welcome to the PBO forum,

Just wondering what the best options are for the following:

1. Video format for storing DVD's onto a 2Tb NTFS hard drive for wired network playback through an HDMI connection to a 52" 16x9 LCD. For instance, which video format will keep all menus, be the most efficient for space/throughput and keep the original DVD quality?

2. Audio format for HDMI playback through a 7.1 AV Receiver (LPCM/LPCM Multi Ch/LPCM Raw).

You can't get them all menus/space/original quality. Storage should be your last worries, if you don't want to spend a life time tweaking compression parameters. Just use AnyDVD to create an exact (decrypted) ISO, this will retain the integrity of the original DVD and is backward compatible with your legacy DVD players. (beside a DVD is just 4GB any way).

That said, friends would tell friends to go HD especially with such a nice setup your have.

3. How do I create the simplest/quickest method to access files using the features of the POB (shortcuts, etc.).

Btw - I'm running firmware P020BC18-53

again the simplest is certainly not the quickest, simplest way is "machine shortcuts", quickest way is "share shortcuts" check the links in my signature for both.

[robturpin]

Great, Thank you for this great info! I've been using Slysoft for years and I never knew that AnyDVD had a built-in ripper...

I will give the shortcut steps you mentioned a try. Although it sounds a little tricky, anything's better than sifting through Browser-> Net-> PCname-> Sharename-> Foldername-> etc.! I want the absolute least amount of work to get to my list of movies (which are all iso files in the same shared directory). This is also so that my wife and daughter can use it.

[kudabird]

I'm new and setting up PBO myself. I have D-Link DNS-323 with a share that is mapped to the PBO (so it appears under HDD entry) following the instructions in these threads. Connection to DNS-323 is via wireless (54Mbps).

I have DVD only. I use HD DVD Decrypter to decode to HDD and then trusty DVD Shrink to make ISO images. PBO see these no problems and I can also burn the ISO if ever needed.

Over the years I've converted a few DVD into MKV using x264 with constant quality and copy of AC3, but frankly, I've better thing to do with my time and so I still use DVD ISO. I use 4.7GB as max size but there's only a few DVD that require re-encode to fit and as their from my originals the quality loss is minimal.

I'm now finalising background moviesheets for the DVD using Thumbgen and TViXiE using a minimalist template I've just created and I'm all done.

Hope that helps with your setup.

[robturpin]

Thank you all for the suggestions! I now have my movies formated and stored correctly, and I can access them both from the PBO in my livingroom as well as the one in my bedroom. I also added shortcuts by doing this: http://tinyurl.com/26j5v7q. The only thing that I have left to do is shorten the steps to get to the list of movies using the browser. What version of Linux or whatever does the PBO run so that I can look it up and study how to edit the software on it via Telnet?

[robturpin]

Ok, now I got to thinking that since my 8Gb ISO files play so well in the PBO, then how about installing a Blu-ray drive into my PC and putting some of those on my HD. I know that the PBO supports several different file formats ([MPEG-1] MPG/MPEG/DAT, [MPEG-2] MPG/MPEG/VOB/ISO/TS/TP/M2TS, [MPEG-4] MP4/AVI/MOV, WMV9, FLA, [H.264/AVC] MKV/TS/AVI/MOV/M2TS, [DviX 3/4/5/6, Xvid] AVI/MKV, [Real Video 8/9/10] RM/RMVB), my question is which one of these is the best for Blu-ray movies?

[aasoror]

my question is which one of these is the best for Blu-ray movies?

If space isn't an issue, just use a direct copy (after removing protection ofcourse). The resulting ISO will be compatible with PBO and will retain menus and extras (for your PCs) and can be effortlessly re-burned into a BR-Disc and will be read using conventional BR Players (great for backups).

On the other hand if you are into encoding (for space constraints or whatever reasons) then [H.264/AVC] MKV is currently high def encoding option of choice for the international ripping community.

[scboley]

I have DVD only. I use HD DVD Decrypter to decode to HDD and then trusty DVD Shrink to make ISO images. PBO see these no problems and I can also burn the ISO if ever needed.

Most of current dvds don't have the excessive protections and you could just use dvdshrink and decrypt and process the dvd directly and save time. If it shows a gazillion titles or hangs shortly after starting the processing just use decrypter on that dvd. I do this myself and just using dvdshrink first it works on about 90% of dvds coming out now.

Over the years I've converted a few DVD into MKV using x264 with constant quality and copy of AC3, but frankly, I've better thing to do with my time and so I still use DVD ISO. I use 4.7GB as max size but there's only a few DVD that require re-encode to fit and as their from my originals the quality loss is minimal.

I have a python script that I use and converts all my dvd isos nonstop to mkv h.264 and requires no input at all so you can use it and save space and not devote any extra time to converting your dvd isos over to the mkvs.

I'm now finalising background moviesheets for the DVD using Thumbgen and TViXiE using a minimalist template I've just created and I'm all done.

Hope that helps with your setup.

I've renamed my wd_tv.jpgs to first character is upper case and now it previews only the cover picture. Older versions of pbryan would display the cover and when hit the red button would blow up the summary page. That is not the case in the newest version of the pbryan so what is the behaviour of IMS version with this?

[scboley]

Thank you all for the suggestions! I now have my movies formated and stored correctly, and I can access them both from the PBO in my livingroom as well as the one in my bedroom. I also added shortcuts by doing this: http://tinyurl.com/26j5v7q. The only thing that I have left to do is shorten the steps to get to the list of movies using the browser. What version of Linux or whatever does the PBO run so that I can look it up and study how to edit the software on it via Telnet?

Everything you want to know and do is discussed already on this forum and it's embedded linux with direct root access via telnet. Look at the stickies and the best posts one is a very good place to start.