How to Save Dual Resolution Rips in Apple TV App?

[rayward]

I have only recently updated to the new Apple TV app (I finally upgraded my mid-2010 iMac which was maxed out on High Sierra). I have haul resolution rips, where I have a full 1080p "HD" version for the big screen and a 480p "SD" version for my portables. iTunes would let you store both "nested" in the library, and direct the appropriate file to the appropriate device.

Now that I'm on Big Sur, how do I replicate this on the Apple TV app?

I can save both files in the library, but this confuses the app for many (but not all) movies. Sometimes they appear as one movie, sometimes it shows them as two (I make sure to match the references exactly, save the resolution). When I try to sync the movies to a portable, it only shows the HD versions, despite having checked the "prefer SD" option.

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[waw74]

look at plex

it runs a server program (on windows, Mac or linux)
the server will catalog all your media, and give you a Netflix like experience.
there are client programs for pretty much any playback devices (windows, Mac, linux, iOS, android, appleTV and other streaming boxes, and most smart TV platforms) you can also playback in any web browser.

it'll let will you have side by side files with different resolutions like that. (although you might not need to)
It will automatically transcode files to a new format or a lower resolution if the playback device can't playback the file as-is. if you've got 2 files, you can stream the lower version instead of transcoding the higher version.

this requires a paid upgrade, but it will also sync media to portables. You can choose the quality you want to use for each TV show/movie. it will convert files as needed and then sync to your device. For TV shows you can even pick how many episodes you want, and also choose "only unwatched episodes" and it will keep a buffer of the next few episodes as you work your way through a show. converting new ones, syncing them to your device and removing the ones you've watched.


as long as your server is on at home, you can sync shows from anywhere over the internet.
You can also stream shows anywhere, if the connection isn't fast enough, the server can re-convert on the fly so that it will stream smoothly. (although how pretty that stream is depends on your connection speed)

you can also have friends create their own account and share your library with them, and they'll be able to stream anywhere. (also depending on your connection)

 

[rayward]

look at plex

it runs a server program (on windows, Mac or linux)
the server will catalog all your media, and give you a Netflix like experience.
there are client programs for pretty much any playback devices (windows, Mac, linux, iOS, android, appleTV and other streaming boxes, and most smart TV platforms) you can also playback in any web browser.

it'll let will you have side by side files with different resolutions like that. (although you might not need to)
It will automatically transcode files to a new format or a lower resolution if the playback device can't playback the file as-is. if you've got 2 files, you can stream the lower version instead of transcoding the higher version.

this requires a paid upgrade, but it will also sync media to portables. You can choose the quality you want to use for each TV show/movie. it will convert files as needed and then sync to your device. For TV shows you can even pick how many episodes you want, and also choose "only unwatched episodes" and it will keep a buffer of the next few episodes as you work your way through a show. converting new ones, syncing them to your device and removing the ones you've watched.


as long as your server is on at home, you can sync shows from anywhere over the internet.
You can also stream shows anywhere, if the connection isn't fast enough, the server can re-convert on the fly so that it will stream smoothly. (although how pretty that stream is depends on your connection speed)

you can also have friends create their own account and share your library with them, and they'll be able to stream anywhere. (also depending on your connection)

Thanks for your comments. I’ve actually fixed the issue with movies appearing twice in the lists (it was my fault - it was movies where there is no Apple content ID available, so I needed to generate one myself), so the only issue I have now is not seeing the SD versions when I sync my iPad. Plex doesn’t fix that, unfortunately,

 

[waw74]

Thanks for your comments. I’ve actually fixed the issue with movies appearing twice in the lists (it was my fault - it was movies where there is no Apple content ID available, so I needed to generate one myself), so the only issue I have now is not seeing the SD versions when I sync my iPad. Plex doesn’t fix that, unfortunately,

plex will make it's own SD version to sync so you don't have to keep your own separate copy, and once it's on your mobile device, that SD version will be removed from your server. It does take a bit of time to convert, mine typically runs at 5-7X speed, so for every hour of media it will need a bit over 10 mintues.

if you have multiple versions, when starting playback, you can pick which one you want. I think it always generates the copy to sync from the highest quality file though.

it would be a bit clunky, but you could also make a second library with all your low-res stuff, and just sync from that. As long as you choose a sync quality higher than the SD file, it will just sync the file without converting. It would be less than ideal though, as watched status wouldn't transfer between your regular and low-res libraries. For movies, this isn't too big of a big deal, but if you're working through a TV show, it would require some attention to keep yourself in the right place.