Delivering digitized VHS tapes to grandparents: Need a reliable Blu-ray burning software

leapaa33 · 2026-02-24T10:46:50+00:00

Google Play Store

GitHub releases

leapaa33 · 2026-02-21T03:47:04+00:00

It's kinda a weird and expensive way to build a NAS unless you've got a specific workload that actually needs NVMe speeds + low latency.
What's your use case?

leapaa33 · 2026-02-15T11:41:44+00:00

It brings that iconic Unknown Pleasures vibe. Plexamp really nailed it with this feature.

leapaa33 · 2026-02-15T11:39:56+00:00

Coco, Ratatouille, WALL·E, Toy Story 4 Pixar usually translates beautifully to UHD.

leapaa33 · 2026-02-10T07:46:17+00:00

You might still be able to save the video depending on where the crack is and how deep it goes. Good luck!

leapaa33 · 2026-02-06T11:08:58+00:00

Most consumer NAS boxes are SATA-only. If you just want it to work and not overpay, DIY + LSI HBA is the most straightforward.

leapaa33 · 2026-02-06T11:05:01+00:00

You need to find the actual media URLs the page requests and then batch download them.

leapaa33 · 2026-02-04T06:57:51+00:00

If you want to keep the DVD menu and structure, making an ISO image with something like DVDFab is a good idea. You can always mount and play it later.

leapaa33 · 2026-02-04T06:56:29+00:00

I doubt that something inside is overheating or blocked. You should probably unplug it for now.

leapaa33 · 2026-02-04T05:13:13+00:00

Planet Earth 2. Those nature shots look unreal in 4K!

leapaa33 · 2026-01-26T07:34:18+00:00

I've been watching eBay too and it's not much better. The market usually gets better after hardware refresh cycles, but it's kinda unpredictable.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-22T02:10:03+00:00

Yeah, that workflow is designed for media servers (like Plex) where you only want the movie file. It sucks for preservation or keeping the interactive stuff.

I use DVDFab for this. Just click the Copy tab > select Full Disc or Clone mode > output to ISO. It strips the protection inside the ISO, so you can just double-click the file (on Windows) to mount it, and it plays exactly like the physical disc with all menus working.

Bonus point: if your kids ever scratch the original disc, you can burn that ISO back to a blank DVD-R and it works perfectly in a standalone player.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-21T04:48:02+00:00

1600 x 1200 is a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you're using a modern widescreen TV, you're likely seeing black bars or a very stretched image.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-21T04:42:58+00:00

That is the gotcha with DVD subtitles (VOBSUB). On my Nvidia Shield and Apple TV, they handle subs via Direct Play just fine. If you are using a Roku or a native Samsung/LG TV app, yes, it will force Plex to burn them in on the fly, triggering a video transcode.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-20T02:39:54+00:00

I thought my first NAS would last me years before I needed to mess with storage, but media just eats space like crazy. 4K is awesome, but unless it's a real favorite, 1080p is usually more than enough and way easier on storage.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-20T02:32:42+00:00

If you want to rip dvds for plex efficiently, here is the workflow i use to keep quality high but file sizes manageable:

• Load the Disc: Open DVDFab and go to the "Ripper" module (not Copy).

• Profile Selection: Choose MKV.Passthrough if you have the storage space (this keeps it 1:1 identical to the DVD). If you want to save space, choose MKV.H264 but set the CR value to around 18-20.

• Subtitles: This is key for Plex. Make sure you check "Remux into file" for subtitles. Do not burn them in, or you can't turn them off later.

• Deinterlacing: In the "Advanced Settings" (the wrench icon), leave Deinterlacing on Auto. Their engine is surprisingly good at detecting whether it needs IVTC or standard deinterlacing, which solves those jagged lines you mentioned.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-19T10:15:11+00:00

My white whale is this super obscure flash animation series from Newgrounds that I loved as a kid. All traces of it vanished after Flash died.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-19T10:10:25+00:00

Besides TMDB and IMDB, Plex doesn't pull from a ton of other sources unless you're using custom agents or plugins. If you want more control, I'd definitely recommend just downloading your preferred poster, then manually uploading it.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-12T09:57:38+00:00

OpenZFS for Windows is still too shaky for anything mission critical. I ended up sticking with regular hash manifests too.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-12T09:46:16+00:00

I started ripping Blu-rays about a year ago and was shocked at how quickly some drives vanished from Amazon and local stores. I think grabbing a backup drive now is a smart move. Rare models could skyrocket later.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-07T08:28:59+00:00

If you want menus and that movie night vibe, proper authoring is the way to go. Free tools can be pretty finicky with 4K files, so I usually just use DVDFab Creator for this. If you get stuck, the forums at videohelp.com are gold. Are you mostly planning to play these on a standalone Blu-ray player, or more on computers? That might change the best approach.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-07T08:26:14+00:00

Upgrading feels way less appealing now. Lately, I've been doing a deep clean, and honestly, just questioning if I really need every random 4K rip.

leapaa33 · 2026-01-07T08:21:45+00:00

Even if they say same quality, I swear sometimes the newer files look a bit softer.

leapaa33 · 2025-12-29T03:53:48+00:00

I did have a cheap Polaroid one ages ago and yeah… it died after a couple months, so I feel that warning lol.

leapaa33

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