Rip DVD for Plex is not just about ripping software. Knowing how to set up a library, name, organize and add the DVD files to Plex can help you rip and “play like a DVD”.
To reduce the inevitable learning curve, here are all the things you need to know about how to rip DVDs for Plex.
Quick Navigation:
What is Plex
Plex is a famous media center that helps you easily manage video, audio, and photos from local collections and online services in one app, on any device. Amazingly, you can stream all kinds of media anywhere on nearly all your devices. In fact, it’s a client-server media system so if you install it on your NAS to build your private cloud, your families will enjoy high-quality movies smoothly anytime.
Why Ripping DVD for Plex
Normally, the average longevity of a DVD disc will last only 10 to 20 years, not to mention the scratching and the bending will make it shorter.
So, if you have a decent size DVD collection pile back in the room, and you want to stream the DVD collection on your phone, Smart TV, computer, or when you are away from home, or share your DVD movies with your friend remotely, then it will be a good idea to digitize/rip DVD and use a Plex media server to access these ripped movies over WiFi.
Best Format to Rip DVD for Use with Plex Media Server
Plex supports many common video formats like MKV, AVI, MP4, MOV, DIVX, and more. So, to enjoy your DVD collection with Plex, you should digitize the DVD discs first, then convert them to a format that works well on all Plex clients. But what is the best format for DVD ripping to Plex?
Quick Answer:
Ripped file matching the following is the most stable format and can be played directly in most clients:
- Container: MP4
- Video Encoding: H.264
- Audio Encoding: AAC
- Bitrate: 20Mbps or lower
FYI:
To find out the best format for ripping, I have made a few tests. And here are something I found when ripping DVD for Plex in Different formats:
- The following formats are out of sync by one or two seconds: .mpg,.avi (DivX / AC3)
- MKV is not compatible and will crash the Roku.
- An ISO file can’t be played through Plex, just the same as IMG, VIDEO_TS, and other “disc image” formats, which all are not compatible with streaming over the network currently.
- 265 is not a good choice, because it will pause/stutter during playback and will take more time to encode than H.264.
How to Rip DVD for Plex to Play like a DVD
Part one：Rip DVD Movies to Format That Plex Accepted
Best DVD Ripper for Plex – Tipard DVD Ripper (Does both ripping and converting)
There are many DVD ripping software tools you can choose from. And Tipard DVD Ripper is one of the best which supports to rip your commercial or homemade DVD disc to 500+ video formats and compress at the same time. It is really easy to operate and versatile.
And now we will show you how to rip DVD into mp4 format with Tipard DVD Ripper in steps.
Firstly, you need to download and install it on your PC or Mac, of course.
Steps to rip DVD for Plex
Step 1. Load your DVD disc
Choose the “Local DVD” > “Load DVD Disc” button to load the DVD you want to rip. Alternatively, you can simply drag the DVD file to the interface of the Tipard DVD Ripper.
Step 2. Pick the right titles you want to rip and rename them
When DVD is loaded, Tipard DVD Ripper will extract individual video files of all titles stored on that disc. You can check the “Full Title List”.
Then, from the pop-up windows, there are all the titles and chapters (including feature, behind-the-scenes, deleted scenes, and all kinds of other extras, sometimes also tons of individual scenes you end up throwing away) that the disc contains. So, here are three choices you got:
- Select all titles/chapters, if you would like to load all content on the disc, especially when ripping a DVD concert or TV series;
- Choose the feature-length title (with the longest playback time), if you only want to convert the main movie but not highlights or trailers;
- Preview and pick all the individual scenes/ interviews/ deleted scenes you like to rip for plex.
After selecting, click the OK button and rename the titles correctly from the main interface, so that Plex will allow you to stream the extras alongside the movie. Click here to learn how to naming and organize your DVD properly.
Step 3. Choose output format and preserve the quality
Choose the output file format by clicking the “Rip All to” section. From the pop-up window, select the MP4 tab and choose “Same as source”.
(Optional)Step 4. Configuration
Change video and audio parameters in detail. You can choose one video format in the interface and you can see a panel appear. By clicking the “edit” icon you can set items like frame rate, aspect ratio, channel, sample rate, etc. After setting, Tipard DVD Ripper allows you to save your personal settings by simply clicking the “Save to Custom” button so you can use the same profile to covert different movies.
Step 5. Rip DVD to Mp4 for Plex
To start the conversion, you only need to back to the main interface and click the “Rip All” button on the bottom right corner. In this step, you can also set the output file path.
If you have set the output file directory, just click the ‘convert’ button to start ripping the DVD. When the conversion is completed, you can find the output file in the path you set.
* It is inadvisable to use this tool to rip rental DVDs or back up DVDs for commercial use.
Part Two: Store and Stream Ripped DVD with Plex
Since you have ripped your DVD collection with the aforementioned method, then the follow-up steps will be how to set up the Plex, so you can access all your ripped DVD movies, concert, or TV series all at once on all of your devices.
Step 1. Download and Set Up Plex Media Server
Go to the official site of Plex and free download a Plex Media Server for your platform. Assuming you have stored your DVD collection on your primary computer, then you can download and install Plex on your PC.
Before we move on to the next step, there is one more thing to do, which is to register and create your Plex account.
Step 2. Server Setup
Launch Plex Media Server. From the pop-up window, enter a name for your server to help you identify it in Plex apps and on your network.
Check the “Allow me to access my media outside my home” option to make a better experience of your Plex.
Step 3. Create Libraries and Add Ripped DVD file to Plex
Click on the ADD LIBRARY button and set the media type to Movie, TV Show, or Music, etc.
Name the libraries to house the movies, TV series, or concerts ripped from your DVD collection. Then click Next > Add Folder to browse and pick the folder containing the media file you just ripped. Please note that you have already renamed and organized your media files before you add DVD to Plex. If you haven’t, check the information below, take some time to name and organize your file with the correct structure.
How to Name DVD Files Right and Organize Them Properly for Plex Media Server
Even Plex can scan and add the metadata automatically, but you definitely don’t want this “automated metadata” to mess up the playback order of your movies.
So, to name the content in the correct way, here are the naming and organizing examples of your Movies, TV shows, Concert, Home Movies, feature, behind-the-scenes, deleted scenes and all kinds of other extras ripped from your DVD collection.
Naming and organizing
Example For Movies
/Movies
/Avatar (2009).mp4
/Batman Begins (2005).mp4
/The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008) – pt1.mp4
The Dark Knight (2008) – pt2.mp4
/Green Book (2018)
Green Book (2018).mp4
/Spider (2019)
Spider (2019).mp4
Spider (2019).en.srt
poster.jpg
Example For TV show
/TV Shows
/Looney Tunes (1929) (folder)
/Season 1929 (folder)
Looney Tunes (1929) – s1929e01 – Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid.mp4
/Season 1930 (folder)
Looney Tunes (1929) – s1930e01 – Sinkin’ in the Bathtub.mp4
Looney Tunes (1929) – s1930e02 – Congo Jazz.mp4
/Doctor Who {tvdb-76107}
/Season 01
S01e01 – An Unearthly Child (1).mp4
S01e02 – The Cave of Skulls (2).mp4
/From the Earth to the Moon
/Season 01
From the Earth to the Moon – s01e01.mp4
From the Earth to the Moon – s01e02.mp4
/Grey’s Anatomy
/Season 00
Grey’s Anatomy – s00e01 – Straight to the Heart.mp4
/Season 01
Grey’s Anatomy – s01e01 – pt1.mp4
Grey’s Anatomy – s01e01 – pt2.mp4
Grey’s Anatomy – s01e02 – The First Cut is the Deepest.mp4
Grey’s Anatomy – s01e03.mp4
/Season 02
Grey’s Anatomy – s02e01-e03.mp4
Grey’s Anatomy – s02e04.mp4
/The Colbert Report
/Season 08
The Colbert Report – 2011-11-15 – Elijah Wood.mp4
Example For Concert
/MusicVideos
ABBA – Concert at Royal Albert Hall-concert.mp4
ABBA – Dancing Queen.mp4
ABBA – The Making of Dancing Queen-behindthescenes.mp4
/ABBA
ABBA – Take a Chance on Me-video.mp4
Knowing Me Knowing You-live.mp4
Super Trouper.mp4
Example For Home Movies
/Home Movies
/Christmas
/2019
Christmas – s2019e01 – Getting Ready.mp4
Christmas – s2019e02 – Stuffing the Stockings.mp4
Christmas – s2019e03 – Christmas Morning.mp4
/2020
Christmas – s2020e01 – Kids Unwrapping Presents.mp4
By creating folders with clear classification and normalizing the style of file names, Plex will scan the information and show the content intelligently. For more information about the Plex requirements for file naming & organization, you can check the support page here.
Step 4. Get the Plex Apps and Play “Like a DVD” with Plex Media Server
Now that you have housed your own DVD to the Plex Media Server, you can now install Plex apps on all your favorite devices and start streaming your ripped DVD movies, concerts, TV shows everywhere.