Best software and format to store 4K Ultra HD Blu-Rays?

[JimmerJabber]

Hi all

I just purchased a Pioneer 4K UHD external USB-C Blu-Ray Player (BDR-XS07TUHD) and am looking to backup various 4K UHD Blu Ray movies that I own. Am running a MBP M2 Max with plenty of memory, and latest MacOS.

Am hoping for advice on the following questions please:

1. Does anyone store their 4K UHD movies in the original HEVC (H.265) format, despite the space it takes up? Do you need to use MakeMKV to do this? If yes, is there better software (silicon native or universal binary) to use?

2. Does anyone stick with HEVC to store their 4K UHD movies, but then further compress them to save space? If so, what software and settings do you use? If further compressing a movie, I wouldn't want to loss any quality (ie still wanting to retain excellent 4K Dolby Vision image quality and the benefits of Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio tracks).

3. Does anyone compress their 4K UHD movies into other formats, eg AV1 or VVC (H.266)? If so, what software (silicon native or universal binary), eg Handbrake, do you use?

Thanks in advance!

 

[R S K]

Since I haven't had the slightest thing to do with archaic optical media in well over 10 years I have no clue what's out there for ripping. All I can say is that saving anything uncompressed is completely nonsensical. Never mind that "uncompressed" is not a codec. HEVC and nothing else.

 

[JimmerJabber]

Since I haven't had the slightest thing to do with archaic optical media in well over 10 years I have no clue what's out there for ripping. All I can say is that saving anything uncompressed is completely nonsensical. Never mind that "uncompressed" is not a codec. HEVC and nothing else.

Thanks for the comments R S K. I've updated my original post. If the only compression method available results in significant degradation of a file, then I would say that some people might see sense in saving as uncompressed. Although not relevant in this situation given HEVC is already a compressed format. I also understand HEVC is a codec.
Thanks again

 

[R S K]

… then I would say that some people might see sense in saving as uncompressed.

Sure! Because who doesn't want between 1-2 TERABYTE PER HOUR (depending on the chosen settings) for their BD rips that are already compressed out the whazoo?? 👍🏼

🤦🏼‍♂️​

Good luck with that.

 

[JimmerJabber]

R S K

I refer to your condescending and dismissive comments about the topic of my post.

You stated you "haven't had the slightest thing to do with archaic optical media in well over 10 years".
Yet, you still saw fit to comment, including to say that a Blu-Ray back-up will use "1-2 TERABYTE PER HOUR".

A quick google would have revealed to you that the largest available quadruple-layer disc holds 128GB. Even if a movie runs across 2 discs, we are therefore only talking about a thereotical maximum of a couple hundred gigabytes for 3 to 4 hours of film.

I've now backed up a couple of my 4K discs, and for a 2 to 3 hour film (with no compression) they only take up roughly 50GB to 80GB. So your numbers are well off.

Macrumors has, at least to me, always been about mac users helping other mac users. In that spirit, it is unclear to me why you would waste your time responding to a post about something which, by your own admission, you haven't had the slightest thing to do with.

I've taken this discussion to a couple of AV forums and found a much more pleasant and receptive audience.

Thanks.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Yeah. You hooked a carp here. Just toss it back in and move on, I guess.

 

[R S K]

I've now backed up a couple of my 4K discs, and for a 2 to 3 hour film (with no compression) they only take up roughly 50GB to 80GB. So your numbers are well off.

Well done. Remove any and all relevant context to be "right". Nice. If only you hadn't completely changed your original post removing all reference to your "uncompressed" intentions and you understood what that means, then that claim wouldn't be as wrong as you'd like to think it is. Because I never spoke of a (now) backup taking up that amount of space, but about your claim:

some people might see sense in saving as uncompressed.

Apparently, you do not understand what that means. "Backing up" i.e. copying a BD has absolutely nothing to do with archiving it uncompressed, which you spoke of initially and have now changed while inserting details you clearly knew nothing about before your original post. Clever. If you mean saving it unchanged then maybe say that and don't get all perturbed when someone takes you literally?

That a movie on a BD is compressed is a given. Duh. 🙄 When you use the term "uncompressed" you're talking about NO COMPRESSION which, surprise surprise, would in fact take up TERYBYTES not MEGABYTES, yes, sorry. So if you don't understand what it is you're saying, what you actually want, or how to convey it so as not to be misunderstood, not my problem. But to then pretend as if I'm the one who doesn't know what he's talking about will illicit that type of response, yeah. Go figure.

It is unclear to me why you would waste your time responding to a post about something which… you haven't even understood.

You stated you "haven't had the slightest thing to do with archaic optical media in well over 10 years".
Yet, you still saw fit to comment

🤦🏼‍♂️

Maybe try quoting the ENTIRE sentence next time? Meaning try including the "I have no clue what's out there for ripping." part?? Therefore referring to the fact that I don't know how to RIP a BD nowadays. Compression, on the other hand, the part I was speaking to, is completely independent of where the media is coming from. Nice try though.

Changing the context to fit your narrative appears to be a pattern. And you wonder why someone might get impatient trying to answer your own staunchly insistent and disingenuous responses? OK then.

Does anyone store their 4K UHD movies in the original HEVC (H.265) format, despite the space it takes up?

So you don't even understand why HEVC exists and most of all why it's used to compress films for BD in particular? 🙄
It's because it is factually the smallest while still the best quality compression there currently is! That's why.

So on one hand you talk of "preserving quality" but then ask about transcoding it to yet another, undoubtedly much worse format and get all defensive when you're told that's completely unnecessary (and therefore nonsensical)? Right. Well then… go right ahead. Don't worry, you won't be getting any more facts or advice (to ignore and misinterpret) from me. Good luck.

I think we all know what your next response will be. 💤

 

[JimmerJabber]

That a movie on a BD is compressed is a given. Duh. 🙄 When you use the term "uncompressed" you're talking about NO COMPRESSION which, surprise surprise, would in fact take up TERYBYTES not MEGABYTES, yes, sorry.

My post always expressly referred to 4K UHD blu ray discs. Disc buyers don't have access to the original raw footage, so storing the disc without further compression (or "uncompressed" as I initially made the terrible mistake of saying) can never get back the original raw data and blow out back-up sizes to a magnitude of terabytes.

So you don't even understand why HEVC exists and most of all why it's used to compress films for BD in particular? 🙄
It's because it is factually the smallest while still the best quality compression there currently is! That's why.

So on one hand you talk of "preserving quality" but then ask about transcoding it to yet another, undoubtedly much worse format and get all defensive when you're told that's completely unnecessary (and therefore nonsensical)?

The most commonly used technology, including codecs, is not necessarily the best quality. Commercial issues, compatibility and licensing and patent issues can come into play.
HEVC (H.265) is not in fact the best quality compression. There has been a direct successor to HEVC since mid 2020 - VVC (H.266). There is also AV1.
You can also use the same codec and change various settings, eg video quality and video bitrate, to reduce file size.
Hence my post.

 

[R S K]

Whatever dude. I get the feeling you don't want to get it. Good luck finding that H.266 encoder and player! 👍🏼

🤦🏼‍♂️​

 

[JamesMay82]

Hi all

I just purchased a Pioneer 4K UHD external USB-C Blu-Ray Player (BDR-XS07TUHD) and am looking to backup various 4K UHD Blu Ray movies that I own. Am running a MBP M2 Max with plenty of memory, and latest MacOS.

Am hoping for advice on the following questions please:

1. Does anyone store their 4K UHD movies in the original HEVC (H.265) format, despite the space it takes up? Do you need to use MakeMKV to do this? If yes, is there better software (silicon native or universal binary) to use?

2. Does anyone stick with HEVC to store their 4K UHD movies, but then further compress them to save space? If so, what software and settings do you use? If further compressing a movie, I wouldn't want to loss any quality (ie still wanting to retain excellent 4K Dolby Vision image quality and the benefits of Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio tracks).

3. Does anyone compress their 4K UHD movies into other formats, eg AV1 or VVC (H.266)? If so, what software (silicon native or universal binary), eg Handbrake, do you use?

Thanks in advance!

am I understanding it right that you've purchased your 4k BR discs etc but now want to back them up on your computer?

I find it quite impossible on the Mac and the best way is windows software which will allow you to pull off the ISO file to store which will then be in the full quality.

Although I really don't understand the benefit of doing so for you? its very time consuming and costly once you factor hard drive storage etc.

 

[JimmerJabber]

am I understanding it right that you've purchased your 4k BR discs etc but now want to back them up on your computer?

Yep, exactly. I then plug the computer into HiFi receiver via HDMI. You can also set up a NAS or media server, but I've not done that at this stage.

Although I really don't understand the benefit of doing so for you? its very time consuming and costly once you factor hard drive storage etc.

Good question. Space! The disc boxes fill all the drawers in a very large tv cabinet (and beyond), in a small apartment where space is a premium. It's much cheaper to buy a few SSDs than to move to a bigger apartment! I can then store the discs offsite or within inaccessible storage within the apartment. It also means I don't need a dedicated HDMI 4K Blu-ray player in the living room. As well, I don't have to worry about the optical discs getting scratched or degrading over time.

I really haven't found time to be an issue. As long as you're home for the day, it's very much just a "set-and-forget" process every 1.25 to 1.45 hours.

I find it quite impossible on the Mac

It's definitely more challenging on Mac, and there are some limitations, but I've got it all working. Feel free to give me a message if you want more details.

 

[JamesMay82]

Yep, exactly. I then plug the computer into HiFi receiver via HDMI. You can also set up a NAS or media server, but I've not done that at this stage.


Good question. Space! The disc boxes fill all the drawers in a very large tv cabinet (and beyond), in a small apartment where space is a premium. It's much cheaper to buy a few SSDs than to move to a bigger apartment! I can then store the discs offsite or within inaccessible storage within the apartment. It also means I don't need a dedicated HDMI 4K Blu-ray player in the living room. As well, I don't have to worry about the optical discs getting scratched or degrading over time.

I really haven't found time to be an issue. As long as you're home for the day, it's very much just a "set-and-forget" process every 1.25 to 1.45 hours.


It's definitely more challenging on Mac, and there are some limitations, but I've got it all working. Feel free to give me a message if you want more details.

how do you control the computer from the couch once its plugged in? I've never been a fan of plex so if I did this I would like to use the Apple TV app on my Mac when it's connected to the tv. is that possible to control the Mac with a remote app of some kind?

but my other problem is once we have the mkv file we then need to rip to format that Apple TV app will play.. have you found away to rip it to an MP4 that keeps the original blu ray quality in tact? and can we have subtitle options as well still?

thanks

 

[iStorm]

but my other problem is once we have the mkv file we then need to rip to format that Apple TV app will play.. have you found away to rip it to an MP4 that keeps the original blu ray quality in tact? and can we have subtitle options as well still?

MP4 files cannot have the original subtitles. You would either have to burn the subtitles into the video, or find/create an SRT file to go with the MP4 file. Or just keep it as an MKV and use another media player app, like VLC.

 

[JamesMay82]

MP4 files cannot have the original subtitles. You would either have to burn the subtitles into the video, or find/create an SRT file to go with the MP4 file. Or just keep it as an MKV and use another media player app, like VLC.

yeah I'm not so convinced on the process of backing up. Blu rays can last 20-30 years and hard drives could last 5 if you're lucky so I can't get my head around that.

I'd like it work but I'm unconvinced..... it feels easier to just to buy digital or physical .