movie archiving/media server

[triggerstep]

Hi,I have a huge(600+)movies in my collection that I want to put on a media server that I have thought about building.I have done some file conversions and made vcd,dvd ect.I have tried some of the software that is avalible here with mixed results.I know to get the best quality it is better to do each video and audio track seperatly but with that many movies to darn long.What is the absolute best 1 or 2 click method to get my movies on hard disk.I figure that I am loking at 2 to 3 TB for all of them.I don't mind if I have to buy the sofware I really need to know.All help with this will be greatly appreciated.I don't care how long the pc takes to do it either.

[aedipuss]

what are you going to play them on/with? what format do you want them in on the server?

if you are just going to keep them in original dvd format, buy anydvd and start copying the audio and video ts folders off the dvds to labeled folders on the hard drives.

[yoda313]

As far as hardware is concerned you may already have what you need. The xbox 360 is a windows media extender and can be networked to a windows pc (xp or vista). The ps3 also has network capability though i don't have one so I don't know its advantages and weakness.

By the way the xbox 360 has recently had a update to play divx files and I have tested it and works well for divx.

Also - for conversions you need to decide if you want to keep the original format or compress. If you are using a pc as your playback device on to a tv and you are looking at multiterabyte storage you could calculate the space needed for iso ripping. You would essentially make an exact backup of your disc and not lose any quality - not to mention being tons faster since you don't need to convert. Single layer discs are around 4gbs and dual layers are around 8gbs.

There are also many many dedicated media servers available. Plus search the web for ones that allow you to simply plug in your own 2.5inch or 3.5inch harddrive and playback that way.

[Krispy Kritter]

Since the files are obviously for PC/HTPC playback, conversion to a different format will save you a lot of HDD space. You can use AutoGK (free) to convert your DVD images to avi (DivX/Xvid).