Creating a Home Streaming Server on the Cheap
Here's the situation, you've got a stack of DVDs from back in the day. You see them at yard sales selling for a dollar apiece. Netflix and Hulu are raising prices every month. What can you do? You don't even have a DVD player any more. Well, if you have an old laptop or desktop around anywhere, for less than $100 and a little effort, you can use free software to set up a streaming server in your home that you can access from your AppleTV, Roku, ChromeCast or Amazon Fire Stick. Even most Smart TVs will let you download a client.
Here is what you need:
- DVDs (or already ripped movies you've collected from friends)
- Ripping software (Handbreak)
- A cheap external DVD player
- A computer - doesn't need to be up to date
- An external hard drive for storage. The one I suggest can hold 100-200 movies depending on the quality you rip them at
- Streaming software (Plex)
None of the Amazon links are affiliate links because I don't roll like that, so feel free to shop around if you want to.
Here is a helpful guide on how to rip DVDs on a Mac:
To rip DVDs on a Mac, you can use a software like Handbrake. Handbrake is a free and open-source tool that allows you to convert DVD videos into digital files. You can download Handbrake from their official website here: Handbrake Official Website
Once you have installed Handbrake, follow these steps to rip a DVD on your Mac:
- Launch Handbrake and insert the DVD you want to rip into your Mac's DVD drive.
- Click on the "Source" button in Handbrake and select the DVD drive as the source.
- Choose the title and chapters you want to rip from the DVD.
- Select the output format and settings for the ripped file.
- Click on the "Start" button to begin the ripping process.
Media Server Downloads | Plex Media Server for Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD and More
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