Where does flixster save files on pc2/27/2023 ![]() The Plex software taxes your system a bit, too, especially when it’s indexing files and transcoding them while streaming.īack in December, PCWorld’s Alex Castle detailed how to get started with Plex, so I won’t rehash that setup process here. The downside is that you need to leave your PC running 24/7, at least during the times when you want to have streaming access to your movie library. Plex indexes all of the media on your PC, and then streams it to mobile and connected devices alike-so you can watch movies on your smartphone or tablet while you’re on the go, or on set-top boxes like the Roku, PS3, and Xbox. Plex Plex is free software that gives you a slick interface for managing your media-streaming PC.Ī program like Plex offers the best of both worlds. The limitations aren’t terrible, but I think most people would be better off setting up a personal media server with free streaming software. What’s more, it takes time to upload a big batch of movies, and you won’t be able to stream them to set-top boxes. However, a free account on Dropbox or SugarSync nets you only a few gigabytes of space, so plan to pay a monthly fee for storage if you need lots of space. Using a cloud service affords you a built-in remote backup of your movie library and lets you stream videos via the service’s mobile app-a nice option when you’re traveling. You have a couple options at this point: You can upload everything to a remote-storage service like Dropbox or SugarSync, and then stream movies on demand to whatever devices support that service or you can turn your PC into a media server and effectively host your own “cloud.” ![]() Once you’ve liberated your movie library, you’ll want to make it available for viewing anytime, anywhere-not just on the PC that houses the files. Then remove that DVD from your PC and park it in storage somewhere-you won’t need it in the foreseeable future. Once HandBrake finishes doing its thing, play back the final product to confirm that it looks okay. If you plan to watch the movie mostly on mobile devices, select the formatting option that best matches what you have-or opt for Universal if you want something that can play just about anywhere. Click Start, and then be prepared to wait: The ripping and conversion process can take some time. HandBrake looks a little austere, but it offers myriad options for converting and formatting your movies for smartphones, tablets, HDTVs, and more.įinally, choose a preset for the conversion. Now select Browse, and choose a destination and filename for the video file you’re about to create-a file named with the film’s original title in the Windows Videos folder would be the obvious choice. If the runtime seems way too short, open the Title drop-down menu and look for an entry that has an appropriately movie-length runtime. When HandBrake has completed its preliminary work, the Source field should display the name of the movie, and the Title field should list something with a runtime that matches the movie’s length. ![]() After installing the program, you have to obtain a file called libdvdcss-2.dll, which you can download from this public archive site. It, too, converts DVDs, though it needs a little help to remove copy protection. You can buy a commercial ripper like DVDFab DVD Ripper ($50) or WinX DVD Ripper Platinum ($40), both of which circumvent most copy protection schemes and convert the discs to the mobile- or home-theater-friendly format of your choice.īut a free option works nearly as well: perennial favorite HandBrake. That said, you’ll need a DVD-ripping utility that can remove the Content Scrambling System (CSS) or similar built-in protections that prevent straight-up copying. Digiarty Software If you want the solace of having a tech support team to call in case of technical difficulties, you can buy decent DVD-ripping software like WinX DVD Ripper Platinum. Still, as long as you’re not sharing movies on BitTorrent or selling copies on the street, it qualifies as fair use-just as ripping CDs (which is technically legal) does. ![]() ![]() One quick caveat: Though the police won’t break your door down for ripping DVDs that you already own, the process does technically violate copyright law. In order for this to work, obviously, you must have access to a PC with a DVD drive. As with ripping CDs, you’ll copy the contents of a DVD to your computer, and then convert those contents to a cloud-friendly format. To turn a real-world DVD into a digital file that you can stream to the viewing platform of your choice, you have to rip it from the disc. ![]()
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