Transferring DVDs to Portable Hard Drive to play on Smart TV

RobertA101

Newbie Location: Gosford. NSW Central Coast Joined: Jan 01, 2013 20:16 Messages: 37 Offline

Solved by

Aug 15, 2021 21:03

I hope that these comments might help others and perhaps elicit
suggestions for improvement.

No copyright issues – these are my own family and travel videos.

Applications like Powerdirector has made videoing accessible and a satisfying
hobby for amateurs such as myself.

Burning DVDs was always a bit of a pain, what with faulty discs and failed
burnings. With technology advancing, and odd discs starting to fail,
I decided to start transferring all my product to one HDD location
and play on my Samsung TV where the DVDs were normally played anyway.

The results to date are not entirely satisfactory.

The TV does not recognise iso files, so depending on backups available I
have to use mp4 backups or use PD and reauthor the VOB files.

On the DVD I might have 10 or more chapters which can be accessed by the
menu or skipping to the the desired location (quicker than using the
menu which can be quite klunky).

PD files do not seem to record the chapter markers, but using Handbrake
can achieve this.

However my remote control does not have a skip button.

Alternatively you can record each chapter as a separate file.

My problem here is that the TV cannot display the files in list mode,
only as icons which it neatly displays in 2 rows, odd on top and
evens below. This means you cannot have the files automatically display
sequentially, it plays the odds first then the evens.

That sums up my progress to date. RobertA101
Win10
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
mobo Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5
RAM 16
Geoforce GTX 550 Ti
PowerDirector17 Ultra 17.0.3005.0

tomasc

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 25, 2011 12:33 Messages: 6464 Offline

Aug 15, 2021 23:12

Quote My problem here is that the TV cannot display the files in list mode,
only as icons which it neatly displays in 2 rows, odd on top and
evens below. This means you cannot have the files automatically display
sequentially, it plays the odds first then the evens.

That sums up my progress to date.

I solved this problem ages ago by using a HTPC. Today you can buy a small cheap used laptop for <$100 to store DVD, BD, and AVCHD Disc folders. Menus and chapters work great with the folders or iso if you use the right media player. You can play more modern 1060/60p avchd 2.0 with PowerDvd. With Windows 7 or 10, you can cast any video to your TV wirelessly from any room.

You can also buy a better BD player that can play multiple AVCHD(HD resolution) folders from a usb stick. An external usb hard drive might work too but I haven’t tried it. Menu and chapters work on these. This is my preference today.

RobertA101

Newbie Location: Gosford. NSW Central Coast Joined: Jan 01, 2013 20:16 Messages: 37 Offline

Aug 16, 2021 19:49

Quote

I solved this problem ages ago by using a HTPC. Today you can buy a small cheap used laptop for <$100 to store DVD, BD, and AVCHD Disc folders. Menus and chapters work great with the folders or iso if you use the right media player. You can play more modern 1060/60p avchd 2.0 with PowerDvd. With Windows 7 or 10, you can cast any video to your TV wirelessly from any room.

You can also buy a better BD player that can play multiple AVCHD(HD resolution) folders from a usb stick. An external usb hard drive might work too but I haven’t tried it. Menu and chapters work on these. This is my preference today.

Thanks tomasc,
Will investigate your suggestions and reply in due course with how I go
Regards,
Robert RobertA101
Win10
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
mobo Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5
RAM 16
Geoforce GTX 550 Ti
PowerDirector17 Ultra 17.0.3005.0

RobertA101

Newbie Location: Gosford. NSW Central Coast Joined: Jan 01, 2013 20:16 Messages: 37 Offline

Aug 20, 2021 03:22

Quote

Thanks tomasc,
Will investigate your suggestions and reply in due course with how I go
Regards,
Robert

Hi tomasc,
Not ignoring your suggestion, have got that on my itinery.
In the meantime spent a bit of time on Google and found I had to setup my network properly to share files and allow streaming.
I can now access my media directly on the PC rather than the Samsug, easier to use my folders.
Thanks again.
Robert RobertA101
Win10
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
mobo Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5
RAM 16
Geoforce GTX 550 Ti
PowerDirector17 Ultra 17.0.3005.0