DVD Player advice

[Tio64]

Sorry, an ISO file alone will need some work to be usable,
At one point you were looking at buying some hardware, iirc.
Lost in all the feedback is my idea that you get a portable media player like a Popcorn Hour 500: -

The Popcorn device is wired rather than WiFi but is a good place to start a search.

I don’t have a Smart TV but those are likely to have an ISO media player built in or be compatible with.

In my experience the ISO idea is worth looking at. The ISO file will play and look like the actual DVD, with a menu you’re used to etc, but with faster load times

Thanks for that, but the Popcorn Hour 500 is very expensive, is it not, did I see £180 or so?

I'm now attempting to digitise dvds onto a solid state 1TB hard drive, but frustratingly I can't just nip out and try it in my tv. Tomorrow afternoon will be soonest, I was just wondering if anyone had some knowledge on how I'm likely to fare...

 

[kevenh]

Thanks for that, but the Popcorn Hour 500 is very expensive, is it not, did I see £180 or so?

I'm now attempting to digitise dvds onto a solid state 1TB hard drive, but frustratingly I can't just nip out and try it in my tv. Tomorrow afternoon will be soonest, I was just wondering if anyone had some knowledge on how I'm likely to fare...

You’ll need something to add a Kodi or VLC player onto.
A Smart TV, Roku stick or Amazon Firestick can work with the former. I’ve only used VLC on a Windows PC.

My media server is an ancient Netgear Elite EVA 9150. That’s low on the portability stakes and needs mains.

 

[Tio64]

So, I made some copies of discs, in ISO files and MKV files http://www.makemkv.com/ , plugged my hard drive into my Avtex TV, and ta-da, the MKV files play nicely but not the ISO.

Right, I know what I'm doing the next 2 days.

No need to carry dvds, nor to buy and carry a separate dvd player in the van, of course. This has allowed more space, though not weight because I'll be using the dvd space to carry more... books.

Thanks very much for all the help guys.

 

[kevenh]

Sounds like you’re making progress
MKV is the best option for getting a suitable player easily. Your TV has one

ISO is a workable copy of the DVD. Where MKV is (can be? ) a loss copy of some or all of the original DVD.

I’ve only used MKV a little bit to strip out bits of a Blu-ray disk. But not yet a menu driven copy.
As my number of Blu-ray disks increase I need to look at getting an ISO or MKV ‘image’,

 

[pampam]

It is nice going in a charity shop and buying a dvd tho,
ive just been downloading things on my ipad to take away with me on bbciplayer,i hope ive done it right,times move on dont they wherever we were in the van we would get a book and a dvd watch them and read them ,then drop them at next charity shop, now its kindle and ipad…. Not as much fun really(i like charity shopping lol)

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[Tio64]

It is nice going in a charity shop and buying a dvd tho,
ive just been downloading things on my ipad to take away with me on bbciplayer,i hope ive done it right,times move on dont they wherever we were in the van we would get a book and a dvd watch them and read them ,then drop them at next charity shop, now its kindle and ipad…. Not as much fun really(i like charity shopping lol)

I like that idea, someone earlier in the thread said likewise, to buy a dvd in a charity shop, copy it then hand it back in or onto the next shop. Not strictly legal but I have to confess, I don't really care.