Looking for advice on simple setup

[kryptonking 1]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm looking for some advice on the best approach to building a setup for my parents. I'd like to keep it as simple as possible so that it's very straightforward for them, and also so I'm not getting troubleshooting phone calls every time they want to watch something. Here's what I was thinking:

 

- Emby server running on a NAS

 

- Emby client on Roku

 

- all video is max 1080p with x264 codec

 

- FLAC audio? AAC? AC3? I'd like to have the best quality audio while keeping transcoding to a minimum (or none if possible) so they'll need a format that the client can decode without issue. I know Roku can support these but not sure about multi-channel support. They don't currently have an AVR, only a soundbar but it does have rear satellites so multi-channel would be good.

 

- external blu-ray hooked up to my Dad's laptop with DVDFab as the all-in-one ripper/converter. I think a makemkv/handbrake setup might be a bit too complex for him. It's been awhile since I've used DVDFab so I don't know if it's the best choice here or if there is a better all-in-one alternative. He's on Windows 10.

 

I'm going to help them get the initial library set up, but after that I'd like it so my Dad can just pop a new blu-ray into his external reader, rip/convert it with a preset I've set for him, copy it to the NAS/server, go downstairs and turn on the client, and then watch without any tinkering or fiddling in between.

 

So based on what I listed above, do you guys think this will work? Any suggested changes I should make to the set up? Better server solutions? Better client? Once again simplicity is key. Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Any advice is much appreciated.

Edited October 27, 2017 by mikeveli20

[naeonline 27]

Best for roku is h264 vid, aac audio if you want max compatibility with no transcoding. Some tv's and speaker systems can handle other audio output fro. The tiki as well, so I would suggest streams of h264 video, aac audio, ac3 audio within your media files in that order. The newer premier Rokus can also handle h265 video as well.