So I’m finally taking the plunge and digitizing all my purchased Blurays and DVDs for playback in Plex. That means I want to optimize them for Plex, but keep the quality of the original files as great as possible for longterm safekeeping independent of any playback system so they’re as future proof as possible. Can anyone point me to the most useful threads about transcoding your media for Plex, and what tried and proofed methods there are, with what tools, to create the absolute best files and media library possible? I would really like to draw from all your experience, and avoid known mistakes. Thank you all in advance!
Try @cayars scripts.
You can search for them.
There is also @JuiceWSA who has provided a lot of helpful info.
He is not plexpass so you can’t get to him here.
My 2 cents is simple
mp4
h.264 for 480p around 2-5 mbps
h264 for 1080p 5-7 mbps
h265 for 4K 12-16 mbps
ac3 5.1 audio
acc 2 channel audio
Anyway that’s what I use and most everything direct plays locally.
Thanks @jjrjr1. I hope for more advice like this. Do you have direct links to @cayars’ and @JuiceWSA’ guides?
What are the tools of the trade?
MakeMKV?
Handbrake?
What settings do I choose best? What format is best?
Lemme look
They use Handbrake.
I am a DVDFab user. Much simpler and no mumbo jumbo worries of sooo many copious settings.
Is there a step by step complete guide on this around somewhere? That would be really helpful.
Here is @cayars tips and tricks.
Too many hits on the general forum to find @JuiceWSA stuff.
Why not try going into the General public forum and tag him for an answer
I’m looking for a centralized guide/how-to that is not split up in many many threads and hard to find.
In the end, I want to have figured out a pipeline that just works and produces quality results, without having to tinker with settings and new tools again and again. I just want to insert a bluray/dvd and follow a few steps and be done with it, so I don’t lose too much time in transcoding my 100+ purchased disc collection. Maybe I can make a script with Alfred.
@juiceUSA has a pretty good guide.
@Cayars stuff in that thread is also top notch. (In Fact he is a Plex Ninja now!)
Thanks - do you have links?
Just a friendly reminder to say that while you’re more than free to discuss codec and bitrate preferences or anything like that, discussions about what tools to use to circumvent DRM are not permitted in forums. So feel free to talk quality, but just not what tools to use to circumvent DRM, or how to do it. 
Ok, thank you for your advice so far, everyone!
Yup… There it is.
That should give you a detailed overview…
Google Don Melton Video Transcoding
Thanks again everybody.
What about the extras, such as making of documentaries, on the blurays/dvds? Should I transcode them just the same? How do I integrate these together with the movie in Plex?
@aeonx said:
What about the extras, such as making of documentaries, on the blurays/dvds? Should I transcode them just the same? How do I integrate these together with the movie in Plex?
Have you never done this?
For Local movie Extras I restrict the resolution to 720p and the H.264 profile to 4.0
For me it’s just not worth it to spend so much storage space on extras. Plus, it helps preventing transcoding for several clients.
For tv shows there is only the ‘Episode 00’ workaround available at the moment.
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/779113/#Comment_779113
btw. subtitles need to be muxed-in.
‘Side car’ subs don’t work for extras.
@OttoKerner I have done it before, but not systematically and not with a thought-out plan beforehand to transcode more than a 100 discs.
