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[idsticky]

I have a 900+ dvd collection, going to burn it to a Hard Drive, best way, any insights please?  A few Questions below..
Almost all are standard 480p resolution, want it stored with the disc with all features/languages etc.   I run Windows by the way, not Apple at present!

QUESTION: Mpeg4 or MakeMKV or ?

QUESTION: Any great link I can trust for how to do this? 
This forum, Reddit too much information.  I looked at lots of different links on search's???  I figure Jim H has the right link..

QUESTION: I can then use the server feature on MC34 for playback on my future boat without Internet connection to ChromeCast correct on SmartTV or Wi-Fi connection or do I need to hardwire?  Run through my Oppo player, I would rather not bring it on boat.

Time to burn 900 movie DVD's. I have about 20 Blu-ray movies, I understand 50GB each is expected for storage do 1TB figure for those.
I plan on buying a 12TB Drive for this, I figure 6TB for Movies then have audio on Drive as well and figure server interface with JRiver Media which is not my primary concern here, mainly burning Movie collection. 

QUESTION: 6TB right for approx. movie storage?

I have an audio collection of 5,000+ albums (3TB) streaming on Lyrion currently to my Squeezebox Touch using JRiver MC for organizing and tagging, works great!!
All in FLAC files, LOVE JRiver!!

Now on to my DVD collection sitting in Costco bins...  Slog of burning will start soon, THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND HELP, please no hecklers...

[Awesome Donkey]

I think you mean ripping instead of burning. Burning would be putting them on optical discs like DVDs and BDs.

QUESTION: Mpeg4 or MakeMKV or ?

MPEG-4 is a video standard, which includes formats like H.264. To rip DVD/BD discs you'd have to use an app like MakeMKV or DVDFab as commercial DVDs and BDs have copy protection on them. By default Media Center can't read discs (nor can you rip discs) without removing the copy protection. MakeMKV is able to rip the video portions of a disc to MKV video files, but it doesn't maintain menus or anything like that. To make a full backup of a disc while removing the copy protection, that would probably require DVDFab or AnyDVD (assuming that still works, it's more-or-less dead now) and ripping them to ISOs or to folder structures.

QUESTION: I can then use the server feature on MC34 for playback on my future boat without Internet connection to ChromeCast correct on SmartTV or Wi-Fi connection or do I need to hardwire?  Run through my Oppo player, I would rather not bring it on boat.

Media Network access requires an internet connection and direct access to the device the MC34 server is running on. So you'd need to either bring the hardware that Media Center is running on and directly connect it or if you want to use a remote app or something like that you'd need a Wi-Fi network with access to the MC server (that is open to connections from the internet with ports forwarded, etc.). Either way I have a feeling that's going to become very complicated and cumbersome. For example, a lot of people these days use Plex with Plex Pass and put all their content on a NAS at home then stream all the videos online from their Plex library through Plex's servers to whatever device you want to play it on via Wi-Fi or mobile data. This, however, won't work with ISO files, folder structures or anything like that. Ripping full discs to ISOs (or folder structures) creates problems like that.

QUESTION: 6TB right for approx. movie storage?

Depends if you're intended on doing full disc rips or just the movie portions. I'd honestly get the biggest drive you can get and afford. You can get large capacity hard drives on https://serverpartdeals.com/ for some good deals. This is where I exclusively been getting all my hard drives for the last few years.

Personally, I would only rip the main movies from the discs using MakeMKV to MKV files and use those, adding in menus and extra features off discs and things like that further complicates things greatly.

Good luck, I have a feeling you're going to need it.

[idsticky]

Thanks!

Yes Ripping

I can take all the discs out of cases and put in four 256 qty DVD binders is my other option.  Simple is always better. Then play with Oppo player that plays everything directly to TV.  Might be the way to go. 

So MakeMKV for ripping just Movie portion, this is probably my best option if I go this route?  I NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS.  I knew little about the copyright issue, only for me, not reselling anything here.  Pure selfishness.  Not as is easy as building an audio album library...

On my boat I will have a Wi-Fi System and a Smart TV.

Regarding Hard Drives. I have WD external Hard drives for back up with my PC and laptop including my 3TB audio files.  Bigger can be better!!  I see 18Tb WD HD pretty cheap these days, I will check your link THANNK YOU!

I appreciate the honesty Awesome Donkey!!

Sitting on a 900 dvd collection, need to ponder this....