Hello. I'm currently looking to start/set up my first home theater and was hoping for some guidance from my new MacRumor friends.
I currently have a very large blu-ray collection and a Windows 7 desktop with multiple external hard drives. My desktop is fairly old and I was looking into purchasing a Mac Mini to replace it and use it as my home theater server using Plex. I figured if I start ripping them now, by the time Christmas comes around and I buy the Mac Mini I can have my media server up and running in no time.
My questions are:
1. If I wanted to rip the Blu-rays now on my Windows 7 PC and store the files on the external drives, do I need to reformat them first to whatever is compatible with the Mac OS?
2. What will the best file format be to rip the Blu-rays & DVDs to so that I can play them on my PS3/XBOX and maybe Apple TV in the future?
3. Would a refurbished Mac Mini be able to power this server and be able to trans code if I'm accessing Plex on multiple devices at the same time? Or should I get the Mac Mini Server box instead?
4. Does a Plex sever depend on the processor more or RAM?
Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks!
I currently have a very large blu-ray collection and a Windows 7 desktop with multiple external hard drives. My desktop is fairly old and I was looking into purchasing a Mac Mini to replace it and use it as my home theater server using Plex. I figured if I start ripping them now, by the time Christmas comes around and I buy the Mac Mini I can have my media server up and running in no time.
My questions are:
1. If I wanted to rip the Blu-rays now on my Windows 7 PC and store the files on the external drives, do I need to reformat them first to whatever is compatible with the Mac OS?
2. What will the best file format be to rip the Blu-rays & DVDs to so that I can play them on my PS3/XBOX and maybe Apple TV in the future?
3. Would a refurbished Mac Mini be able to power this server and be able to trans code if I'm accessing Plex on multiple devices at the same time? Or should I get the Mac Mini Server box instead?
4. Does a Plex sever depend on the processor more or RAM?
Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks!