Using Mac for DVD/video server?

andrewt

Registered
Okay, well, I have no idea which forum to post this in, so I'll start fishing here and see where it gets me.

First, a brief background: My wife and I are getting ready to build a new home. I'm interested in setting up some kind of DVD server - similar to a Kaliedascape system - that will allow us to watch any of the several hundred DVD's we own on any of the TVs throughout the house. I can't spend the bucks on the Kaliedascape system, and the only similar setup I've found is also pretty pricey (think on the order of $10-$15 thousand). That's a lotta bucks just to watch TV.

I know a little about MS Windows XP MCE, but the thought of having to use windows to watch TV just gives me the creeps.

So, my question is, how does one do this on a Mac (or network of Macs)? Would I mount an Xserve in my equipment room, copy all my DVDs to it, and then put Minis at all the TVs? Or is that overkill? Is there some software out there that's in the same ballpark with Kaliedascape or Axonix?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
 
Thanks for the reply. I checked out the Canopus website, and, to be honest, I'm not sure exactly what their product is used for.

I may not have stated my question as clearly as I could have. I understand how to get a DVD onto my hard drive. I understand how to browse to that file using the finder (or DVD player) and play it on the computer. I understand the concept (if not exactly the physical connection required) of outputting that video stream, in some form, to my television.

What I do not understand - and, after much searching of the internet this morning, it appears that it just doesn't quite exist yet - is how to, from the comfort of my couch, browse my DVD titles on-screen, select one and have it start playing. I don't want a laptop on my coffee table - I want an HTPC-like front end that makes it quick and easy to navigate and select a movie on-screen - from any TV in the house.
 
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