HDD library that it easy to build and access

[Count]

I have done a fair bit of research but I still find I cannot get simple answers to the best options for what I would like to do, your advice would be appreciated to help me before I start !

Firstly, I have a good-sized collection of DVDs that I own and want to archive on a HDD and then store the DVDs away (my children are too young to respect optical media surfaces) Some of the DVDs are now Blu-Ray and going forward that is likely to be the main format.

I have a dedicated media room with a HTPC and a PS3. I use a Windows Home Server for central storage and archiving and any rips will be on that.

I already have AnyDVD HD and CloneDVD mobile. I also have PowerDVD Ultra as a player

What I want to do is simple, create a HDD library of my DVDs that I can then access and play easily. I would like to be able to buy a DVD for my kids, rip it on my PC and then store it away knowing the original was safe while they could still play the movie, preferably on either the PC or the PS3.

I don't want to start down a path of ripping existing DVDs and then have to revisit this, I want the best quality I can get for sound and vision and have plenty of HD capacity so don't care really about compressing the movies.

So far everything seems to end up with something that whilst I can get to it, is not easy for someone less comfortable with Windows etc.

In an ideal world I would have a folder of movies, accessible via the Windows Home Server on either the PC or the PS3 that anyone could double click and they would play.

What are my options please ?

 

[Webslinger]

Some of the DVDs are now Blu-Ray and going forward that is likely to be the main format.

Neither Clonedvd nor Clonedvd mobile currently support Blu-ray.

What I want to do is simple, create a HDD library of my DVDs that I can then access and play easily.

Just rip using Clonedvd.

Run Clonedvd. Select "Clone DVD" from the main menu to ensure that you're doing a full disc backup


click http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=476 and follow the steps but note the differences below that I you should do instead:

a)Select "dvd+/-r DL" near the quality bar in Clonedvd. This avoids compression (so you won't lose video quality)

b) Select "dvd files" as the output method--and rip to your hard drive. Clonedvd also rips slightly faster than Anydvd ripper.


Then you need to setup a file server, and you may need to install Powerdvd locally on each computer. Then run Powerdvd locally and select the "video_ts" folder from the file server that you ripped to as the source.