Re: What's currently the best box for streaming ripped DVD content?

[Jamie Whitehorn <jamie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sympathise Paul, I got fed up trying to get things to work and having
to sp=
end time hitting things with electronic hammers (or real ones when it got
t=
oo frustrating). I would have loved to get XBMC or Plex running on a
Raspbe=
rry Pi, but I couldn't get them to play 1080P movies reliably. Using
Plex/R=
aspberry Pi I could have transcoded to a lower resolution on the fly, but
t=
hen what=92s the point of having buying moves in 1080P (and they do look
go=
od). The various players I tried have all been disappointing for one
reason=
or another.

So after one especially unsuccessful episode I went and bought a Mac Mini
a=
nd installed Plex on it. It=92s a very expensive solution to the problem,
b=
ut like most things Apple, it just works and plays everything perfectly*,
p=
lus it has an optical output for the surround sound. I just leave it
runnin=
g in the living room with it=92s Power settings set to put it to Sleep
afte=
r 15 mins. One press of Menu on the apple remote wakes it up, the second
pr=
ess of Menu starts Plex.=20

My DVDs and Blu-Rays are ripped to mkv files using MakeMKV and stored on a
=
server upstairs.

*The only thing I=92ve had trouble with is the blu-ray=92s of Doctor Who
be=
cause they=92re encoded as 1080i/VC1 - apparently a lot of the software
sys=
tems have problems with that particular combination because it=92s rare
and=
no one can be bothered to spend the time sorting it out. I also have to wo=
nder - why release a Blu-ray that is 1080i, why not 1080P. Hey ho.

Hope you find a solution that works for you.

Jamie


On 2 Nov 2013, at 19:59, Paul Gordon <paul_gordon@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>=20
> Thanks. I'll look into the dune offerings.... Of equal interest as the
pl=
ayback of my chosen format, is the UI... the *perfect* UI is the Apple TV
o=
ne... Nothing else comes close... So many of the other streamer boxes I've
=
seen have a shite file explorer like interface... No cover art, no
metadata=
, etc...
>=20
> I've seen and used xbmc in the past, and liked it, but I will not have
a =
PC involved in the setup.
>=20
> Not played with rpi... Not interested in cobbling together DIY
solutions.=
.. I want something I can buy, unwrap, plug in, and watch movies...
>=20
> Looked at plex, but try as I might, I absolutely could not get it to
play=
ripped DVDs although the interface did look jolly nice.
>=20
>=20
> Sent from my iPad
>=20



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