Which BluRay drive for copying films

william149

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Decided to give this whole copying films to a hard drive so i can stream them a go so looking to purchase a few bits to see how i get on with it.

I have a Mac, so looking for an external drive that will read UHD 4k discs to enable me to store them on a suitable storage device, any pointers to which is the best for this application, not bothered about it being able to burn discs, i only need it to read discs..

Secondly storage, am i better off with A NAS drive or just a couple of large external HDD's, again any advice pointers muchly appreciated.

Just done a test run with a dvd on my Apple superdrive & used Infuse which seems ok, i'll probably go down the dedicated streamer route at some point, i really want to see how i get on with just the drive & storage for now though?

Thanks guys..

ps if this is in the wrong section can you (a mod) please move..
 
Just going down the same route myself.

I've just bought one of these, they have been optimised for ripping of both blu ray and 4k and are recommended from the makemkv site.

 
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Gees, wasn't expecting them to be so expensive, but hey ho..
Just been having a quick read up, do you need to flash it or anything or is it ready to use?
Also are you using a NAS or just a HDD to store them on?
 
I will be using a NAS as the storage for discs is pretty large.

This drive comes ready to use and its super quick by all accounts.
 
I will be using a NAS as the storage for discs is pretty large.

This drive comes ready to use and its super quick by all accounts.
Took the plunge & bought the last one from the seller (robin) you lionked me to.

He seems like a really nice very knowleadgable chap, i've had loads of messages regards my queries & has offered support if i get stuck..
Gotta decide on a NAS next, but might hang fire & just see whether i can get things running & stored on my Imac for now..
I hope Apple don't announce their next gen of Apple TV will allow Lossless sound or that'll throw a spanner in the works...
 
Took the plunge & bought the last one from the seller (robin) you lionked me to.

He seems like a really nice very knowleadgable chap, i've had loads of messages regards my queries & has offered support if i get stuck..
Gotta decide on a NAS next, but might hang fire & just see whether i can get things running & stored on my Imac for now..
I hope Apple don't announce their next gen of Apple TV will allow Lossless sound or that'll throw a spanner in the works...

sounds like I’m at the exact same stage as you!!
 
sounds like I’m at the exact same stage as you!!
What streamer will you be using, i fancy the Zappiti but still deciding which way to go, it can be quite daunting with so many different devices around & not one of them being able to do it all, so to speak..
 
What streamer will you be using, i fancy the Zappiti but still deciding which way to go, it can be quite daunting with so many different devices around & not one of them being able to do it all, so to speak..

Ive ordered a zappiti one already, I like the filing system/movie wall.

If I could justify it, I’d also get the zappiti rip as that looks a piece of cake to use.
 
Yeah i'd seriously been toying the idea of the Zappiti rip, just toss a disc in & voila, job done..

Ive been looking at the Zappiti Pro, but i believe the Zappiti range is due a refresh this year??
 
For me the Zappiti rip seems over priced for what it offers. I've got a silent PC with three optical drives to rip 4K, blu and DVD which also acts as server with loads of hard drives attached to it. But if money is no issue I can sort of see the convenience.
 
For me the Zappiti rip seems over priced for what it offers. I've got a silent PC with three optical drives to rip 4K, blu and DVD which also acts as server with loads of hard drives attached to it. But if money is no issue I can sort of see the convenience.

I completely agree, it seems well overpriced & i simply can't justify spending that on what is essentially a ripper / NAS combination, apart from anything else, you still have to populate the hard drive bays
If this had been circa ÂŁ1500 i may well of took the plunge, but especially now i simply couldn't afford one.
It's a pity as it does, at least on paper seem an ideal solution.
If anyone owns one of these i'd love for you to chime in with some comments..
 
I’m still toying, although I’ve get a mega powerful racing PC (i9 processor, 2080ti graphics card, etc) that will make mince meat out of ripping, if I didn’t have it, I’d definitely be getting one just because of the convenience.

I’ve just sold my Oppo 203 for £750 which will be going towards the memory.
 
Just going down the same route myself.

I've just bought one of these, they have been optimised for ripping of both blu ray and 4k and are recommended from the makemkv site.

Does that drive connect by USB?

at the moment I have a Pioneer portable BR drive that I connect to my laptop but it doesn't rip 4K
Seagate portable drives for storage
Playback via a Zappiti one
 
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Does that drive connect by USB?

at the moment I have a Pioneer portable BR drive that I connect to my laptop but it doesn't rip 4K
Seagate portable drives for storage
Playback via a Zappiti one

yep it’s an external unit

78D0E05D-2BBA-4F0B-BB25-2806D1DA2E70.png
 
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seems like the original listing has ended this is suggested as an alternative
looks exactly the same but far cheaper

i don’t think it has either the right firmware to rip UHD drives or external case.

My limited understanding is that he flashes the firmware to make it a much higher spec unit/faster than originally sold, so I don’t think it’s a apples for apples comparison.
 
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Yeah i think i got the last one yesterday from the same guy (Robin), apparently very short on stock at the moment.
I have to say he seems really knowledgeable & has offered to help if i have any problems etc, can't grumble at that..
 
i don’t think it has either the right firmware to rip UHD drives or external case.

My limited understanding is that he flashes the firmware to make it a much higher spec unit/faster than originally sold, so I don’t think it’s a apples for apples comparison.
and this is the danger zone not all drives are born equal most have copy protection
only a limited amount of drives have found to be 4 K and BR friendly most are internal drives
but if you update the firmware you might find you lose the capability to rip your discs
 
and this is the danger zone not all drives are born equal most have copy protection
only a limited amount of drives have found to be 4 K and BR friendly most are internal drives
but if you update the firmware you might find you lose the capability to rip your discs

yeah he did say don’t update the firmware.

If you look at the makemkv forum, he’s well respected, quite a few people have bought drives from him as he manages to get the maximum performance with the easiest plug and play method.
 
yeah he did say don’t update the firmware.

If you look at the makemkv forum, he’s well respected, quite a few people have bought drives from him as he manages to get the maximum performance with the easiest plug and play method.
hopefully he will get new stock so I will keep an eye out or just be satisfied with BR rips using my Pioneer
 
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I am also looking to do this, problem is I have a mid 2015 MacBook Pro. Can this be achieved as Apple dont really support Blu-Ray??
 
Just going down the same route myself.

I've just bought one of these, they have been optimised for ripping of both blu ray and 4k and are recommended from the makemkv site.



Just bagged one :smashin:
 
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