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DVD storage on board


magictime

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Potentially we're only a couple of years away from moving aboard a narrowboat now, so I'm having to face up to the realities of downsizing!

For a bit of context, I've always tended to accumulate books, films/TV shows (on VHS, then DVD, then Blu-ray), and music (on CD). My house(s) have in the past had a lot of space given over to storage for these collections, not to mention the associated hi-fi separates system, projector and screen etc.

Things have been moving in the right direction in recent years. The hi-fi separates and projector are gone, and almost all the books and CDs are on their way out as I make the switch to Kindle and MP3. However, although I've got rid of all my old VHS tapes and several hundred DVDs, I still have probably 1000-ish DVDs and Blu-rays that I'd really rather hang on to if at all possible. Streaming isn't a viable alternative, as even setting aside concerns about internet connection and data use, 90% of what I own just isn't (legally) available on Netflix etc.; nor do I think ripping thousands of hours of mostly HD content is really an option.

BUT (and here comes the actual question) I've seen plenty of boats with under-gunwale shelving for things like books and DVDs, sometimes quite extensive, so I'm wondering if I might be worrying unnecessarily to some extent. Is it easy enough to fit such shelving? Does it eat into otherwise useful space? Could I reasonably count on being able to store a large-ish movie collection on a 58ft-ish boat with a bit of planning?

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What I have done, in my flat, is to lose the cases and put them in sleeves, takes up a fraction of the space.

With my CD's they are all now on iTunes and the discs at the charity shop.

Tim

 

Edited by Tim Lewis
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I think you should consider how often in say the last 10 years, you have viewed each of your 1000 DVDs. Sorry but it does sound like you want to hang on to clutter for the sake of it and because you are struggling to part with it, rather than because you will actually watch it. Personally I struggle to see why anyone would want to watch a film more than once anyway!

Plus, you will be too busy dealing with your own poo, filling up with water, stoking the fire, charging your batteries  - and even enjoying the great outdoors! - or even talking to each other! - to have any time to watch endless DVDs. I say bite the bullet, rip those few films you are actually likely to watch again (mass storage is really cheap these days) or pick one in ten, and send the rest to a charity shop. Harsh, but I am a realist! And think of the dusting you'll save!

Edited by nicknorman
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You could always store them at a friends and every month get a few swapped out so you have a small number on the boat. Bit like your own love film rental library. Or do what Nick suggests and take them to your local charity shop who probably won't want them as there is little demand for old films as everyone streams these days.

Edited by Rob-M
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I record every DVD to caddy drives, using a free programme called MakeMKV. After recording some 850 films, the programme only failed about three times, so, it's pretty reliable. The quality is Mpeg 2, and is good. File sizes are between 3 and 7 Gigs each. The DVD's, I place in wallets, taking up minimal space. CD's are treated the same and recorded to Mp3 format.

Some of the films I reduce to format Mpeg4. Can usually get about 30 films on a 64 Gig Micro SD and use in a tablet. At tablet size, Mpeg 4 resolution is good.

Most laptops now have HDMI and the films on the caddies, through the laptop and HDMI cable, are good to view on the telly or via a projector - something I'm currently looking at buying.

Apart from trying to reduce storage size, one day I might be really old. I'm stocking up on entertainment for the future. Television doesn't really cut it now, can't imagine it getting any better in the future.

Edited by Higgs
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I've got about 300 DVD's and 150 CD's removed from their cases and stored in a Maplin flight case (45x30x20 cm), i used to open it occasionally, but with the improvement of mobile data, not for about two years.  More often used as a lending library to other non-internetted neighbours.  I'd rip everything to a portable hard drive (4Tb should cope) back that up to another one in a safe place, and use a raspberry pi running kodi to manage/view the resultant library.

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Copy the DVD's onto a large external hard drive or NAS drive and view from that. 

I am in the process of doing thiso with my collection. The only issue is the time it takes to copy DVD's (sometimes almost real time) and occasional DVD's with hard to crack copy protection.

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1 hour ago, cuthound said:

Copy the DVD's onto a large external hard drive or NAS drive and view from that. 

I am in the process of doing thiso with my collection. The only issue is the time it takes to copy DVD's (sometimes almost real time) and occasional DVD's with hard to crack copy protection.

 

Use MakeMKV. Recording times vary between 10 minutes and 30. Hardly ever fails. Once the programme has read the disc and is ready to copy, you have the option to select or leave out the extras that invariably come with the DVD. The file you need is usually the largest. I also usually leave on the English subtitles. The subtitles can be deselected on playback.

 

Edited by Higgs
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Thanks everyone.

I know I have options if I absolutely have to do without all or most of my collection - rip 'em and get rid, throw away the cases & keep the discs in wallets, share them out round my relatives and borrow them back a few at a time - but I was hoping to get some thoughts on the feasability or otherwise of storing it on a long run of shelves under the gunwales before I resort to drastic measures!

And Nick, I appreciate that moving on board will and should be a major change of life that involves more time enjoying the great outdoors etc., but at the same time, I'm not just going to stop being a film/TV buff after 25+ years just because I live on a boat. I am (honestly!) trying to be pretty ruthless about whittling down my collection, getting rid of things that don't tend to get repeat viewings, but when it comes down to it there's always going to be a pretty long list of titles I wouldn't want to be without - a lifetime's worth of classics and guilty pleasures alike that have given me a lot of enjoyment down the years.

Edited by magictime
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25 minutes ago, magictime said:

Thanks everyone.

I know I have options if I absolutely have to do without all or most of my collection - rip 'em and get rid, throw away the cases & keep the discs in wallets, share them out round my relatives and borrow them back a few at a time - but I was hoping to get some thoughts on the feasability or otherwise of storing it on a long run of shelves under the gunwales before I resort to drastic measures!

And Nick, I appreciate that moving on board will and should be a major change of life that involves more time enjoying the great outdoors etc., but at the same time, I'm not just going to stop being a film/TV buff after 25+ years just because I live on a boat. I am (honestly!) trying to be pretty ruthless about whittling down my collection, getting rid of things that don't tend to get repeat viewings, but when it comes down to it there's always going to be a pretty long list of titles I wouldn't want to be without - a lifetime's worth of classics and guilty pleasures alike that have given me a lot of enjoyment down the years.

Fine. A suggestion though - perhaps it is time to look forward to a new future different life, rather than clinging on to the past?!

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Just now, nicknorman said:

Fine. A suggestion though - perhaps it is time to look forward to a new future different life, rather than clinging on to the past?!

Have you got any long-standing interests/hobbies? Will you be guilty of 'clinging on to the past' if you fail to give them up tomorrow? Sorry, I feel as if you're taking a pretty extreme view of what it means to make a change in your life.

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23 minutes ago, magictime said:

Have you got any long-standing interests/hobbies? Will you be guilty of 'clinging on to the past' if you fail to give them up tomorrow? Sorry, I feel as if you're taking a pretty extreme view of what it means to make a change in your life.

Yes, and yes. But I can do that because I don't live on a boat! And it's is why I don't expect I ever will - at least, not giving up the house. I have a huge amount of clutter, junk and stuff necessary for my various hobbies, but none of it is in the boat!

Anyway I was just playing devil's advocate a bit, but it remains an issue that if you want to live on a boat you need to give up a lot of material things, or risk having your life dominated by them (ie spending a lot of time moving stuff from one pile to another to get at stuff under stuff!

I suppose ultimately and as I said earlier, I don't really understand why anyone would want to see films over and over again - you already know what's going to happen! But perhaps that's just me!

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3 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Yes, and yes. But I can do that because I don't live on a boat! And it's is why I don't expect I ever will - at least, not giving up the house. I have a huge amount of clutter, junk and stuff necessary for my various hobbies, but none of it is in the boat!

Anyway I was just playing devil's advocate a bit, but it remains an issue that if you want to live on a boat you need to give up a lot of material things, or risk having your life dominated by them (ie spending a lot of time moving stuff from one pile to another to get at stuff under stuff!

I suppose ultimately and as I said earlier, I don't really understand why anyone would want to see films over and over again - you already know what's going to happen! But perhaps that's just me!

I am getting worried now. Thats two of your posts on the trot that make absolutely perfect sense.

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3 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Yes, and yes. But I can do that because I don't live on a boat! And it's is why I don't expect I ever will - at least, not giving up the house. I have a huge amount of clutter, junk and stuff necessary for my various hobbies, but none of it is in the boat!

Anyway I was just playing devil's advocate a bit, but it remains an issue that if you want to live on a boat you need to give up a lot of material things, or risk having your life dominated by them (ie spending a lot of time moving stuff from one pile to another to get at stuff under stuff!

I suppose ultimately and as I said earlier, I don't really understand why anyone would want to see films over and over again - you already know what's going to happen! But perhaps that's just me!

 

Yes. :) 

I've watched 'The Draughtsman's Contract'  many times. I'm not quite senile either.

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I agree with the OP about keeping hold of DVD's, we have several hundred that bear watching more than once so have not been discarded - something to watch on those days that telly is junk and we just want to chill - most have been converted to mkv format files and stored on a NAS / Media Server (using MakeMKV, it really is a nice piece of software) and can be played on whim.

For the boat we have a big USB hard drive and a little Android box that will play the MP3 and MKV files through the TV, minimal power draw from batteries and still good entertainment.

Folllowing the suggestion of flight cases it might be worth the OP looking for alternative spaces on the boat also, on our little boat there is quite a large space in the bow between water tank and saloon 'wall' that we currently store 3 sacks of coal and the TV aerial - apart from the water pump it would otherwise be 'dead' space.

Granted we are not liveaboards but still appreciate unexpected storage space :D

(incidentally I feel the same way about books, something my OH doesn't so my library has shrunk a bit and is well hidden!)

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12 hours ago, Higgs said:

 

Yes. :) 

I've watched 'The Draughtsman's Contract'  many times. I'm not quite senile either.

It's a personal thing, some people want to see even a very good film only once, I have a couple that I watch probably about once a year, and while knowing what is going to happen already, I still enjoy them, almost as much as the first time.

 

My favorite is :"The Worlds Fastest Indian", call me crazy, I don't care.

 

Peter. 

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5 hours ago, bargemast said:

It's a personal thing, some people want to see even a very good film only once, I have a couple that I watch probably about once a year, and while knowing what is going to happen already, I still enjoy them, almost as much as the first time.

 

My favorite is :"The Worlds Fastest Indian", call me crazy, I don't care.

 

Peter. 

Some films are worth repeated viewing. Like a favourite piece of music is worth listening to over and again or, a piece of scenery at a place visited never seems to lose its appeal. Whatever rocks your boat, I suppose.

I record anything and everything that might come in useful on a wet Sunday afternoon. Digital storage is very convenient. 

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Higgs, I agree for 100% with you, I'm the same, still listening to my favorite music of the 60's and 70's, and just can't get enough of it.

 

One day I should become a bit more clever, and store it all on a hard disc, or some other means of digital storage.

 

Peter.

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On 14/04/2017 at 16:10, nicknorman said:

I don't really understand why anyone would want to see films over and over again - you already know what's going to happen! But perhaps that's just me!

I keep watching Bambi hoping his mum won't die. Are you telling me I'm wasting my time?

Anyway, what the OP needs is some under-gunwale shelving. ;)

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We had literally 1000s of CDs. I sold them all on eBay and music magpie after downloading them all onto our Mac. All my listening is now via laptop,iPad, iPhone through a rechargeable Bose sound dock. 

my wife is an avid reader and all her books we also sold and donated apart from a few cherished ones. She uses a kindle or buys 2nd hand books and donates them after they've been read.

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