I have started to do this now as well. The convenience of iCloud hosting my content simply works best for me at this stage in my life. I will still buy the discs for favourite films (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, LOTR, etc) and some classics. Otherwise iTunes it is. There are dozens of films on sale right now for $6-8.
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iTunes HD vs Bluray rips?
- Thread starter Bokes
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I have started to do this now as well. The convenience of iCloud hosting my content simply works best for me at this stage in my life. I will still buy the discs for favourite films (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, LOTR, etc) and some classics. Otherwise iTunes it is. There are dozens of films on sale right now for $6-8.
Does anyone else use this method?
So I thought I'd weigh in since there is no shortage of opinion.
I have found a solution that works well for my purpose and maybe it is easier or harder than what others do?
I have a machine just for storage (it happens to be a windows home server). I use MakeMKV to rip the bluray to my Imac. I then use handbrake set to ATV3 preset to make a file for storage. On that machine, I run Itunes and use the airplay feature (accessed from ATV3 menu under Computers) to access my movie library.
Upside? The 3-12GB file size per movie maintains the visual quality and I can't tell the difference between the original bluray or my file when played on my 50 inch plasma tv (2010 Panasonic).
Downside? I've found as my library grows, some files will not play every time I call on them. I'm not sure if this is due to the number of movies (300 or so) available in my itunes library or something else. About 90% of the files play fine. 100% can be played remotely on my imac from the server though so I'm not sure where ATV3 is failing in that respect.
If worse comes to worse, I just pull the movie and put it on a USB stick to play directly.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
So I thought I'd weigh in since there is no shortage of opinion.
I have found a solution that works well for my purpose and maybe it is easier or harder than what others do?
I have a machine just for storage (it happens to be a windows home server). I use MakeMKV to rip the bluray to my Imac. I then use handbrake set to ATV3 preset to make a file for storage. On that machine, I run Itunes and use the airplay feature (accessed from ATV3 menu under Computers) to access my movie library.
Upside? The 3-12GB file size per movie maintains the visual quality and I can't tell the difference between the original bluray or my file when played on my 50 inch plasma tv (2010 Panasonic).
Downside? I've found as my library grows, some files will not play every time I call on them. I'm not sure if this is due to the number of movies (300 or so) available in my itunes library or something else. About 90% of the files play fine. 100% can be played remotely on my imac from the server though so I'm not sure where ATV3 is failing in that respect.
If worse comes to worse, I just pull the movie and put it on a USB stick to play directly.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
I had a chance to compare an iTunes file vs the same show on blu ray.
IMO:
Overall the iTunes files was watchable and looked fine.
The blu-ray had a much nicer pop in regards to the image and color.
BUT- The real difference is the blacks.
Dark scenes from the iTunes file (lower bit rate) suffered from a murky, blotchy look vs the rock solid black of the blu-ray.
That said- two other people in the room did not even notice the poor black quality until I pointed it out and showed them the difference.
IMO:
Overall the iTunes files was watchable and looked fine.
The blu-ray had a much nicer pop in regards to the image and color.
BUT- The real difference is the blacks.
Dark scenes from the iTunes file (lower bit rate) suffered from a murky, blotchy look vs the rock solid black of the blu-ray.
That said- two other people in the room did not even notice the poor black quality until I pointed it out and showed them the difference.
I run the blu Ray mkv thru handbrake on ATV3 or high profile (generally for anime for higher decomb) at a resolution of 720p (1280 horizontal). Output files are relatively small (very slow encode) and typically look better then the HD stuff I buy from iTunes.
I feel I can make a better digital copy then Apple.
I feel I can make a better digital copy then Apple.
I used to be a hardcore, snot-nosed, videophile bore on this issue. I've softened enormously since accepting that, while iTunes HD's picture quality is undeniably inferior to Blu-ray's, it's still very good and - by Christ - iTunes is *fantastically* convenient. The files are small, you can have a movie in your possession within minutes of deciding that you want to watch it...
... worth the technical sacrifice, in my opinion. Though I do have one or two issues with iTunes that I'm hoping other members can help me with (I'll open my own thread...).
... worth the technical sacrifice, in my opinion. Though I do have one or two issues with iTunes that I'm hoping other members can help me with (I'll open my own thread...).
I doubt it is your library size causing the issues. Mine is far larger and I do not have issues access any/all of my content from the 3 Apple TVs in my house. I have the following numbers in my iTunes library:
Movies - 1551
TV - 2355 Episodes
Music - 11600
For your movies that are not playing properly on the ATV, check the files to see how they are encoded. The ATV is more stick on what can be played that your iMac is (which can play for formats).
Also worth checking first - if the MOOV atom has been moved to the head of file (File > Optimize option in Subler, HandBrake seems to do it automatically).
After that - if the MP4 profile and bitrate are suitable for aTV.
Mac can cope with more complex files, than aTV.
Yep. Same goes for blue skies and expanses of still water. Where there's a big slab of colour that should be smooth and pristine, you can see artificial texturing.
Standard definition iTunes is absolutely insufferable with this - artefacts the size of postage stamps. Hence I never bought anything from iTunes until iTunes HD arrived.
I use the preset for ATV3 on Handbrake. It makes M4V formatted files...they are all done the same as far as I know.
Oddly enough, this past weekend I was able to play every file I tried...even old ones. I'm wondering if it may be something to do with the Windows Home Server OS it is sitting on?
To update anybody who might be interested...
... with the help of other users, I've recently devised a way of playing my iTunes HD content through a Popcorn Hour media streamer to my 42" television. It's the first time that I've been able to do any side-by-side 'Blu-ray vs. iTunes HD' testing, and thought I'd offer my opinion on the results.
In a nutshell, Blu-ray is appreciably better. The colour is more vivid, the detail is more crisp - if you're a hardcore videophile, iTunes HD isn't going to do it for you. Added to which, the audio is AC3 - on a Blu-ray disc, you can expect all sorts of glamorous HD audio formats that iTunes HD is never going to give you.
However, iTunes HD offers me certain benefits that make it, I think, my new format-of-choice moving forward. Among them:
1). iTunes HD files look better than DVD rips, and sound as good (DTS tracks excepted...). They also tend to be slightly smaller.
My DVD collection comprises almost 800 movies and God-only-knows how much TV. Some of these discs are more than 15 years old, and starting to degrade. Much as I would like to replace everything that I have with Blu-ray discs, a). that would cost me many thousands of pounds, in both Blu-rays and additional hard drives to rip them to, and b). I don't have the tens-of-thousands of man-hours required to rip, de-branch, remux, back-up and catalogue 1,000-plus Blu-ray discs. When I was a university student I would spend whole days doing this, but now, it's not even a question.
2). Now that I can move the files between devices, iTunes HD is essentially a universal video format - I can sync them to my iPad or my MBP when I'm on the move, watch them downstairs on my PCH when me and the girlfriend are having a 'movie night', or if I'm in my office procrastinating on my new iMac (which I'm going to buy soon...!) then I can have a movie running in a window on my desktop. This is priceless.
3). As I've said before, you can't beat the convenience of first spotting a movie on the iTunes Store and having it in your possession in under 10 minutes. Sure, you might be able to get the Blu-ray shipped next-day through Amazon Prime, but the immediacy of iTunes is great for someone like me.
So, then - for someone with my needs - in conclusion:
Blu-ray = excellent quality, poor convenience
iTunes HD = good quality, excellent convenience
Only you can know which is more important to you. Personally, now that DRM is no longer blighting the issue, it's a no-brainer for me.
... with the help of other users, I've recently devised a way of playing my iTunes HD content through a Popcorn Hour media streamer to my 42" television. It's the first time that I've been able to do any side-by-side 'Blu-ray vs. iTunes HD' testing, and thought I'd offer my opinion on the results.
In a nutshell, Blu-ray is appreciably better. The colour is more vivid, the detail is more crisp - if you're a hardcore videophile, iTunes HD isn't going to do it for you. Added to which, the audio is AC3 - on a Blu-ray disc, you can expect all sorts of glamorous HD audio formats that iTunes HD is never going to give you.
However, iTunes HD offers me certain benefits that make it, I think, my new format-of-choice moving forward. Among them:
1). iTunes HD files look better than DVD rips, and sound as good (DTS tracks excepted...). They also tend to be slightly smaller.
My DVD collection comprises almost 800 movies and God-only-knows how much TV. Some of these discs are more than 15 years old, and starting to degrade. Much as I would like to replace everything that I have with Blu-ray discs, a). that would cost me many thousands of pounds, in both Blu-rays and additional hard drives to rip them to, and b). I don't have the tens-of-thousands of man-hours required to rip, de-branch, remux, back-up and catalogue 1,000-plus Blu-ray discs. When I was a university student I would spend whole days doing this, but now, it's not even a question.
2). Now that I can move the files between devices, iTunes HD is essentially a universal video format - I can sync them to my iPad or my MBP when I'm on the move, watch them downstairs on my PCH when me and the girlfriend are having a 'movie night', or if I'm in my office procrastinating on my new iMac (which I'm going to buy soon...!) then I can have a movie running in a window on my desktop. This is priceless.
3). As I've said before, you can't beat the convenience of first spotting a movie on the iTunes Store and having it in your possession in under 10 minutes. Sure, you might be able to get the Blu-ray shipped next-day through Amazon Prime, but the immediacy of iTunes is great for someone like me.
So, then - for someone with my needs - in conclusion:
Blu-ray = excellent quality, poor convenience
iTunes HD = good quality, excellent convenience
Only you can know which is more important to you. Personally, now that DRM is no longer blighting the issue, it's a no-brainer for me.
Through the use of a certain commercial program that I found with a Google search.
(I don't think I'm allowed to endorse such a practice or product... but, if you want it, the information is easy to find).