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Well that was short lived... tonight none of my movies will play in Plex. But the ones i have in iTunes will play just fine... *sigh*
 
Well that was short lived... tonight none of my movies will play in Plex. But the ones i have in iTunes will play just fine... *sigh*

If none of them will play then check that plex media server is still running on your computer. And that it's set to startup when your computer boots up.
 
Well it looks like the media server is running. it sees all my apple tvs as devices and even sees when i attempt to watch a movie. but nothing happens.

i can see the hard drive on my computer (and move files to and from it.) but Plex is saying the files don't exist????

Edited to add: OK.... now it's working? I was clicking around on stuff and all the sudden I could play a movie on my computer.... Now i can see them on my apple tv (well at least the one in this room) too! AND the new names are there and not "title)))"
[doublepost=1463110658][/doublepost]So is it better to leave each movie in a folder in the movie file? or just put each file into the main movie file?

folder: IRON MAN/iron man (2008).mkv

or just file: iron man (2008).mkv

i know the Plex site says either... but is one way better than the other?
 
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I do a folder such as Iron Man (2008)

Then I name the movie whatever I want. I would do something like imDTSMA71x265 so I know that i'm using a 7.1 DTS-MA HD track and I encoded it x265. But that's just me. As long as the folder it named correctly it works.

It sounds like it might be an issue with the external drive going to sleep and waking up? Do you put your computer to sleep when you aren't using it? Or perhaps the external is going to sleep and the computer then can't find the files until the external wakes up again? I leave my computer on 24/7 so it never goes to sleep and I use a drobo for storage and while the drives in it goes to sleep the drobo itself is always on. So i'm not sure how standard external drives would work with wake/sleep.
 
An easier way (with no timeconsuming transcoding required and DVD menus preserved):
1) Use AnyDVD (RedFox now) to rip DVD to ISO (right click on icon and select "Rip to Image")
2) Buy MrMC Apple TV app (based on Kodi/XBMC) which plays ISOs
3) Open MrMC on your Apple TV, select ISO, and watch your DVD with menus on your Apple TV
 
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I do a folder such as Iron Man (2008)

Then I name the movie whatever I want. I would do something like imDTSMA71x265 so I know that i'm using a 7.1 DTS-MA HD track and I encoded it x265. But that's just me. As long as the folder it named correctly it works.

It sounds like it might be an issue with the external drive going to sleep and waking up? Do you put your computer to sleep when you aren't using it? Or perhaps the external is going to sleep and the computer then can't find the files until the external wakes up again? I leave my computer on 24/7 so it never goes to sleep and I use a drobo for storage and while the drives in it goes to sleep the drobo itself is always on. So i'm not sure how standard external drives would work with wake/sleep.


I think, maybe that my Plex Media wasn't open after all. I was looking at Plex via browser window. I could see the original library with no changes. But then I opened the app so it was in my dock and VOILA it updated to all the correct titles and was able to play the movies and I added some more movies to the hard drive and those showed up on ATV. That was what I think made it work..... I don't know that that was an issue with the computer going to sleep (it does.... and if it does I can't even get to my computer for my movies so I know that's an issue... but yesterday when trying to open Plex on ATV I know the computer was awake cuz I was ripping DVDs) But anyways.... I left Plex in the dock and we'll see what happens this evening. I think i'll try ATV without waking my computer (but I'm betting that will be an issue... but if it is, it's OK... would have same issue with my computer app, as I already said).... Then, if it's an issue, I'll wake the computer and see if that works!

Phew....
[doublepost=1463170875][/doublepost]
An easier way (with no timeconsuming transcoding required and DVD menus preserved):
1) Use AnyDVD (RedFox now) to rip DVD to ISO (right click on icon and select "Rip to Image")
2) Buy MrMC Apple TV app (based on Kodi/XBMC) which plays ISOs
3) Open MrMC on your Apple TV, select ISO, and watch your DVD with menus on your Apple TV

I almost replied to you that I have an imac but then I googled anydvd for mac before answering you! :) I'm actually surprised that AnyDVD is available for Mac cuz I always thought it was just for windows! I own the lifetime version of that (windows version) (and CloneDVD and CloneDVD Mobile) from my windows days..... Still have it on an old laptop. BUT..... unless the AnyDVD for mac is different from my windows version.... it wasn't AnyDVD that ripped the DVD.... it was CloneDVD that did the ripping after AnyDVD took care of the encryption?
 
I think, maybe that my Plex Media wasn't open after all. I was looking at Plex via browser window. I could see the original library with no changes. But then I opened the app so it was in my dock and VOILA it updated to all the correct titles and was able to play the movies and I added some more movies to the hard drive and those showed up on ATV. That was what I think made it work..... I don't know that that was an issue with the computer going to sleep (it does.... and if it does I can't even get to my computer for my movies so I know that's an issue... but yesterday when trying to open Plex on ATV I know the computer was awake cuz I was ripping DVDs) But anyways.... I left Plex in the dock and we'll see what happens this evening. I think i'll try ATV without waking my computer (but I'm betting that will be an issue... but if it is, it's OK... would have same issue with my computer app, as I already said).... Then, if it's an issue, I'll wake the computer and see if that works!

Phew....
[doublepost=1463170875][/doublepost]

I almost replied to you that I have an imac but then I googled anydvd for mac before answering you! :) I'm actually surprised that AnyDVD is available for Mac cuz I always thought it was just for windows! I own the lifetime version of that (windows version) (and CloneDVD and CloneDVD Mobile) from my windows days..... Still have it on an old laptop. BUT..... unless the AnyDVD for mac is different from my windows version.... it wasn't AnyDVD that ripped the DVD.... it was CloneDVD that did the ripping after AnyDVD took care of the encryption?
I also was a big user of AnyDVDHD (Windows). It was the ultimate for flexibility in that you could rip an iso file using the CloneDVD. From there, with the proper player, you could play the file just as though it was a DVD (menus, extra, etc). Or you could copy to MKV. However, it is Windows only and what you are seeing is AnyDVD Alternative for Mac which is really MacXDVD ripper, a totally different product. I don't think it rips BR's. If I'm incorrect about that let me know.

Anyway, one of the reasons I use Infuse (an aTV app) is that it will play your fail natively using the aTV. Which means you don't have to have your iMac running (or awake), or the app running on a computer. It does it all in the aTV. It also plays 7.1 DTS-HD and does not convert it to Dolby Digital as Plex does.
 
When I got home from work I turned on the TV and ATV... computer was asleep (lazy computer!)

The movie played! WOOT! So it seems that I'll be able to play movies without first making sure to come in here to make sure the computer is awake. I just have to make sure that Plex is left in the dock!
 
RF depends on other setting, this is a good example.
https://mattgadient.com/2013/06/20/comparing-x264-rf-settings-in-handbrake-examples/
Forced sub, i don't recall id have to go and find a movie from the collection and look

Still comes back to the same for me, HB, no thanks. I just cant be bothered to decrypt it and then mess about with it. Leawo is much quicker and easier and thats all i need to get BR quality rips onto my NAS drive and into iTunes.

RF 18-20 seems ok..

I still always say if file size is reduced, something is lost,,, if its video, then either audio is lost a bit, or video (bit rate etc), or any sort of so i always like to go for an "average" (yes its 100x bigger file size than RF 20, but that must means its also better)

I don't believe that u can have a smaller file size and still have 1-to-1 same quality..... something is always lost to reduce any size
 
Anyway, one of the reasons I use Infuse (an aTV app) is that it will play your fail natively using the aTV. Which means you don't have to have your iMac running (or awake), or the app running on a computer. It does it all in the aTV. It also plays 7.1 DTS-HD and does not convert it to Dolby Digital as Plex does.

The problem with that is all the media is on your computer. If you want it direct on the apple tv you have to move an external back and forth to copy data on it. A bit of a hassle. Especially when you need to copy data all the time(as your computer is auto downloading content like a DVR) and have 16tb+ of storage. infuse also can't handle h.265. Sure, you could leave your computer on and stream to infuse that way but infuse is slower and not as nice as plex.
It sends DTS-MA HD out as PCM and doesn't bitstream it. Which is fine only if all your movies use only 48hz audio, otherwise it would be downsampled. PCM doesn't mean the audio hasn't been altered, it only means it was decoded before it hit the receiver. At least with plex it will play everything that infuse can't. And still work on anything and everything out there and not lock you into the ATV as infuse does.
 
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You could use a mycloud external drive or a NAS. Then you could have your computer off and avoid having to plug and unplug a usb drive.
 
You could use a mycloud external drive or a NAS. Then you could have your computer off and avoid having to plug and unplug a usb drive.

you could. But why does your computer need to be off? Whats the big deal? I always leave mine on 24/7. Its not an issue. And i'm sharing via plex to friends and family and my computer auto downloads using sonarr. Hard drives can spin down when not in use. Display can go to sleep. But computer stays on.
NAS can get expensive for any meaningful amount of storage and processing power.
 
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I don't think NAS drives are all that expensive. You can pick up a 4tb mycloud drive for a reasonable amount. And you can use it for time machine backups too. It doesn't have great processing power but that's where infuse suddenly becomes a better option than plex because it transcodes on the Apple TV.
 
The problem with that is all the media is on your computer. If you want it direct on the apple tv you have to move an external back and forth to copy data on it. A bit of a hassle. Especially when you need to copy data all the time(as your computer is auto downloading content like a DVR) and have 16tb+ of storage. infuse also can't handle h.265. Sure, you could leave your computer on and stream to infuse that way but infuse is slower and not as nice as plex.
It sends DTS-MA HD out as PCM and doesn't bitstream it. Which is fine only if all your movies use only 48hz audio, otherwise it would be downsampled. PCM doesn't mean the audio hasn't been altered, it only means it was decoded before it hit the receiver. At least with plex it will play everything that infuse can't. And still work on anything and everything out there and not lock you into the ATV as infuse does.
Have to disagree. All my files are on an HDD connected to my AEBS. I rip a file and transfer it to the HDD using wifi. No moving HDD around at all to copy anything. Also, I think h.265 is a non-issue at this point in time and with what the OP is doing. I have used both Plex and Infuse, used Plex for years and started with it again when the app was available for the aTV. And I'm not saying it's not a good app, although I did get some stuttering with it when trying to play mkv's, but I have found Infuse to be much more straightforward to use. It's been updated regularly since released, has good support. In my situation, everything is just as fast as Plex.
 
I don't think NAS drives are all that expensive. You can pick up a 4tb mycloud drive for a reasonable amount. And you can use it for time machine backups too. It doesn't have great processing power but that's where infuse suddenly becomes a better option than plex because it transcodes on the Apple TV.
Infuse doesn't transcode anywhere. 4tb isn't that much storage. And you'll want some form of redundancy meaning more drives.
 
Infuse doesn't transcode anywhere. 4tb isn't that much storage. And you'll want some form of redundancy meaning more drives.

Yeah you said this before and it confused me though I'm probably misunderstanding. Plex requires the server running and transcoding is a problem on a low powered NAS if you try and play anything which isn't a file which Apple TV plays natively. Infuse plays a far wider range of files without any issues and my understanding was that it was using the Apple TV to convert rather than using a server as plex does.

The idownload blog review contains this quote.

"Unlike most other iOS media player applications, Infuse doesn’t require a helper Mac app as media transcoding into an iOS-friendly format happens on-the-fly, directly on your Apple TV, which tremendously simplifies the whole experience."

4tb is considerably cheaper on a NAS than it is for my iMac which has zero redundancy. I have an 8tb ex2 ultra though so redundancy isn't an issue and it also backs up my Mac. I was just suggesting the 4th mycloud as it was cheap and cheerful.
 
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You are correct that Plex will transcode if the client doesn't natively support a particular file. Which is nice because no matter the device and what it supports your files will always play. I don't use a nas because on the cheap side they don't have much processing power and generally cost more than a direct attached unit or simply using the computer you already own.
Infuse has lots of codecs so it can play things the Apple TV otherwise couldn't. As long as infuse has the codec.
 
However, I'm going to take a look at Subler and see what it's all about!
Subler has amazing functionality, especially considering it's zero price. And so far it has been maintained well and regularly.
In addition to all already mentioned feats, it also now can search for chapter information and add a chapter track, together with JPEG thumbnail track.
Unfortunately the list of titles in chapterdb.org is nowhere near to what is available in all possible subtitle sites, but the database is constantly growing.

PS in my experience, about 90% of recent MKV-s don't need heavy video transcoding, as they all tend to have H.264 video stream in them already. That's the de-facto HD codec and what comes off directly from blu-ray disks anyway.
Another story with audio tracks, because aTV does not play DTS, but audio is transcoded in minutes on modern CPU-s.
If you want to be future-proof, you can even keep the DTS track in your MP4 file, but for surround playback on aTV, you need to have AC3 and for general compatibility on iTunes and iPhones/iPad, you also need the simple 2-channel AAC track.
Subler can handle all of this.
As bonus, if your MKV has bitmapped subtitle track (be it from DVD or BD), it can do dictionary-based OCR to transform them to text-based subtitle tracks, supported in Apple ecosystem. For different language support in OCR, you just install the dictionaries to your Mac. Alas, there is no Subler for Windows.

At the end of the day - after Subler, your MP4 file will look very much as if coming directly from iTunes Store. Minus the DRM, of course. There is also no support for EAC3 (DD+) yet.
 
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OP,

Check to see if any of those DVDs come with an iTunes code. This will save you having to rip that DVD. Just redeem the code and it will show up on your other Apple devices.
 
So i'd rather spend a small amount on Leawoo and save 3hours per film from my life..!

http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1514
"With every successful product come fakes. A Chinese company recently released a product "leawo blu-ray ripper" which is a re-packaged MakeMKV with custom interface. Obviously embedded MakeMKV copy would stop working after 45 days of evaluation, so their business model is to sell a program before it expires. If you bought this product we suggest getting a refund, since you have been scammed.

Technical details: tiger.dll in leawo install folder is a renamed makemvcon.exe with all "makemkv" strings edited out. Despite being called tiger.dll it's still an executable - you can execute "tiger.dll info disc:0" to see a familiar interface."
 
It's still a chinese ripoff. Not cool. Espeically seeing as makemkv is free and they're trying to profit from someone elses product.
 
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But it doesn't just do what mkv does so I'm cool with it and the better interface..

Not sure if it's still the case but since it based off makemkv it's similar to using an outdated version of makemkv with a better interface. Like AACS v60 support.

However they may have moved away from a direct port, that was a long time ago.
 
I use MakeMKV and Plex for ripping both BluRays and DVDs.

I have a "Movies" folder for all of my movies, and each one rips into it's own folder within that folder. So I have "/Movies/{folder name}/{file name}.mkv". I don't rename anything because it doesn't really matter. Plex will recognize the movie and download all of the appropriate metadata (movie name, year, move poster, actors, description, etc.). Occationally it doesn't recognize it so I have to name the movie correctly in Plex, then do a manually search (again, within Plex) for it to locate the movie. But that's only happened for about 5 or so movies, and I've ripped over 300.

The only times I've renamed anything was for movies that are multiple discs, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They need to be named correctly (with something like "Return of the King_disc1.mkv" and "Return of the King_disc2.mkv") so Plex will automatically play the second one when the first one finishes.

Other than that, I just use the default naming that comes off the disk.

Also, I will sometimes rename the movie name within Plex. When you edit the info for a movie you can have the "Title" and the "Sort Title". For example, a movie such as "The Shawshank Redemption" will have a title of "The Shawshank Redemption" but a Sort Title of "Shawshank Redemption" without the "The", so it sorts correctly to the S's. Also, for movies that are part of a series, like Star Wars, I will name the Sort Title as "Star Wars 1", "Star Wars 2", etc. so they all sort as you would expect them to in the movie list.
 
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