DVD/Blu-ray Media Server?

BrianSD_42 said:
But one thing to note is with BluRay it isn't like ripping DVDs.

You simply can't guarantee the kind of quality with one touch encoding system. Each rip needs to be checked and reviewed.

A recent discussion on AVS covered this topic.

*OPTIMAL* settings for Handbrake? (Blu-ray and DVD rips)
Click to expand...


I use to use handbrake, but then I switched to dvdfab, more options to convert to different formats.

i usually just rip dvd9 format (1:1 no compression since i have ample space to hold all my movies on the file server) to play vobs directly on windows media and my serviio server plays vob directly on my Samsung smart tv.

also use dvbfab to convert to ipad/ipod/android format to play on smaller devices, but i have a different folder for those devices to access than the vob folder. not too concerned about quality on smaller screens since it really doesn't matter when i watch a movie on my 4" cellphone screen on trips.

granted i only have about 90 movies currently, but i use the vob format as my baseline if i need to convert to any other format using dvdfab. currently i have about ~5tb of server space, but i only have 6 hdd in the server. as hdd die, i replace them with bigger.

1x2tb
3x1tb
2x500gb
1x320gb (main server drive, not use for storage)
 
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I use to love d-link since they had the best menu/config layout for setting up child rules for school/summer scheduling, turn off/on times, and setup QoS rules based on mac addresses and assigning static DHCP numbers to those mac addresses.

but they fell behind in wan/lan/wifi speeds and distance. I moved to netgear and the speed/range improved a lot within the house but I hate the menu/config layout, its nothing close to the d-link menus. just recently upgraded to the nighthawk ac-1900 router but its still that crappy menu/config layout but I get even better speed/range than the last netgear router.

I was looking into the apple airport extreme since they have the best overall range/speed to clients but its an apple thing, so I don't know what kind of config I can setup compared to the Linksys, Netgear, D-link routers.

I tend to setup a odd class "C" ip setup, so its not the normal place you would look for ip's for the layman people around where I live (there are like 9+ wifi routers I pick up using my android router scanner)

I use Wi-Fi analytics tool by amped wireless (free) to make sure my router doesn't overlapped too badly with another router that is strong near me. there is also another I use to use called wifi analyzer by farproc.

main appliances (servers, color laserjet, smart tv, tivo, etc) are in the 100-109 range
game consoles in the 110-119 range
dad stuff in 120-129 range
mom stuff 130-139
oldest kid 140-149
youngest in 150-159

I usually have between 5-9 wifi clients attached to the router at all times, between the warden, kids devices. my previous post I didn't even include the cellphones using wifi at home.

I have the router on deny all conections immediately until I approve them via mac address, its little security that the layman around the subdivision have no clue to break, but I know how super easy it is to spoof a mac address.


EDIT : forgot to add, I don't even use the "AC" speeds, I just need the router to handle the wifi client load more so than anything else. I lowered the speed output of the router to handle the amount of wifi load from the constant 5-9+ client load I constantly have, and I haven't had any major issues. once in a while I have to reboot the router to refresh it but outside of that, nothing else.
 
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I have an airport extreme from a few years ago and it was awesome. I was checking out the newer ones today and like the smaller footprint, but was surprised to find just 1 USB 2.0 port. ASUS seems to have a few reasonable options and most of the negative reviews seem to have been addressed with a firmware update.
 
yeah the new airport extreme's are the top dog in most test on SNB or come in a close 2nd.

a few outliers make the airport drop down a few spots, but overall I would get an airport extreme if you need range/speed.

I love the asus line, but I always read about people having issues with the firmware/menu/config of them so I just move on.

d-link the last few years slacked off on updates, netgear was pretty good on the updates, Linksys I stayed away due to the cloud requirement (really you need a cloud account to setup your router? they have moved away from that, but the damage is done).


the new Linksys ac1900 (ea6900) looks promising and slots in spot 2-3 in the charts roughly.

edit: forgot to add, I think belkin bought out Linksys from cisco, so that might be a change in how they do business now.
 
NoDak said:
yeah the new airport extreme's are the top dog in most test on SNB or come in a close 2nd.

a few outliers make the airport drop down a few spots, but overall I would get an airport extreme if you need range/speed.

I love the asus line, but I always read about people having issues with the firmware/menu/config of them so I just move on.

d-link the last few years slacked off on updates, netgear was pretty good on the updates, Linksys I stayed away due to the cloud requirement (really you need a cloud account to setup your router? they have moved away from that, but the damage is done).


the new Linksys ac1900 (ea6900) looks promising and slots in spot 2-3 in the charts roughly.

edit: forgot to add, I think belkin bought out Linksys from cisco, so that might be a change in how they do business now.
Click to expand...

Back in the day it seemed like I went through a router every year. D-link was the worst, followed closely by Netgear, imo. I had a Linksys before I replaced it with the Airport Extreme on a whim (stupid Apple store gets me every time...) and was amazed at the improvement and used that for everything from VPN connection to gaming for a couple of years. It was rock solid.

When I moved here I decided to lease the ISPs modem/router combo and have gotten terrible interference on the cordless phones ever since, which is a pain in the rear since I work from home. I also get much worse performance on the PS3 for gaming and streaming. I can blame myself for not troubleshooting that yet or just disabling the wireless and hooking up the Airport... but this rental sucks. The only phone jack downstairs is above the kitchen counter.
 
I would see if you could rent the modem that had NO wifi in it. those rental's with built in wifi suck to no ends.

that's what I didi with my isp, just got the wifi less and added my own wifi router. simple call in to add the mac address of the router to their system and I was up and running.
 
the nighthawk is the one I currently use. be careful on the Linksys 1900 routers, they are about the same but the price difference is a biggie, the EA6900 is about $200 and the WRT1900 is about $350.

NETGEAR R7000 Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router
1 usb3 port and 1 usb2 port

Linksys EA6900 Wireless AC Router SMART Wi-Fi Dual Band AC1900
1 usb3 port and 1 usb2 port

Linksys WRT1900AC AC1900 Dual Band Wireless Router
has 1 usb3 port and a usb2/esata shared port

ASUS RT-AC68U
1 usb3 port and 1 usb2 port
 
It is also worth noting ... Does OP really want a NAS?

Or does he just want to be able to shink his bluRay to hard disk? And then play it in the living room.

A good NAS setup would probably be $1500, assuming you buy the $800 Synology that comes without disks.

The other solution will work great and can be had for $300.
 
BrianSD_42 said:
It is also worth noting ... Does OP really want a NAS?

Or does he just want to be able to shink his bluRay to hard disk? And then play it in the living room.

A good NAS setup would probably be $1500, assuming you buy the $800 Synology that comes without disks.

The other solution will work great and can be had for $300.
Click to expand...

Want? Yes. But if it's cost prohibitive I may decide to hold off. External drives are a good plan B at the moment.
 
a starter nas can be had for around $150 or 199 for a 2 bay depending on model. add in 2 hdd and you could get out the door for under $350 to $400.

now if you just want to hook up a external hdd using usb that works, but then you have to lug the unit around to what ever item you want to watch movies from. smart TV's, regular TV's, don't usually have eSata connections (but have usb) unlike laptops, and iPads don't even have a usb connection.

with the NAS he could connect it to a computer and then share it out thru the network and/or wifi.

or connect the external hdd to his main computer and share it that way on the network, but that computer has to be up and running all the time.

it just depends on what level of hassle you want to put up with :)

now my case, I've spent years building up my network and building my file/media server upgrading or adding piece by piece. I share all my movies via the media/file server to every device that connects to the network, just easier to manage in my current setup.

my first file server was a regular computer I replaced with a newer computer and regulated the old one to a poor man server (just a computer sharing out folders).
 
You could also just buy a 3TB for one room and another for 2nd room. Get a WD HDTV or other device in each room and you'd still be < $500 with full speed access to HD data.
 
NoDak said:
here are some basic starter NAS

Newegg.com - Synology DiskStation DS214se Diskless System Network Storage

Newegg.com - Synology DS213j Network Storage
Click to expand...

Thanks, those seem reasonable. What's the main difference between starter and mid-tier units?

BrianSD_42 said:
You could also just buy a 3TB for one room and another for 2nd room. Get a WD HDTV or other device in each room and you'd still be < $500 with full speed access to HD data.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's definitely up for consideration. I've had great luck with the Seagate externals and you can land the 2TB for $90 or so every once in a while. This doesn't serve my original intent, but if the cost is right, I could see this as another alternative for now. The one thing I like is that I could them group them by genre this way so at least I'll get some sense of organization.
 
bofa said:
Thanks, those seem reasonable. What's the main difference between starter and mid-tier units?
Click to expand...

basic nas have lower hardware capabilities, ie : slower cpu's, slower transfer speeds, single network port, etc.

but if cost is the biggest issue, I would go with brian_sd route, the initial outlay is cheaper and it may satisfy your needs long term. it wouldn't hurt as you could reuse the hdd from the externals when/if you decide to move up to mid/upper tier NAS.
 
[MENTION=80047]bofa[/MENTION]

just got this email from newegg.com

30% off coupon for select Netgear AC routers


code : EMCPFWC26

valid until 11:59pm 4-17-2014 or sooner.
 
NoDak said:
[MENTION=80047]bofa[/MENTION]

just got this email from newegg.com

30% off coupon for select Netgear AC routers


code : EMCPFWC26

valid until 11:59pm 4-17-2014 or sooner.
Click to expand...

Thanks! This one seems to the only option with the discount.

Newegg.com - NETGEAR R6250 Wireless AC1600 Dual Band Gigabit Router IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n

Looks reasonable.

While I was browsing though, I saw this

NETGEAR Centria WNDR4720-100NAS All-in-One Back-up, Media Server, N900 Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router; 2TB Version (WNDR4720) - Newegg.com

Built in 2GB hard drive and 2x 3.0 USB ports. That might be the one.
 
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