A LAN and Media Server in Your Van

[B and C]

Over on the other forum (where I am still active) there was a post about wanting their own personal cloud.  I took it a step further and added a LAN with security to the mix :-)

Anyone else have both a LAN and Media Server?

This will be a long post.  At the S&B I have a sizeable DVD collection that is stored on Windows Home Server 2011.  I wanted the same capability in my van so I cobbled this together short of a voltage stabilizer (wanted: https://www.amazon.com/KNACRO-Convert-St...+regulator ) for the itty bitty Win 10 Pro computer that will be my on the road server when I am out of cell range or just want to watch something I already have.  I looked at using a Raspberry Pi but it was either Kodi or Plex neither of which does VOB files (DVD files).  My list of parts follow:

Verizon and AT&T hotspots for internet along with a Wilson booster + long range antenna's.

2 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07794...UTF8&psc=1 one for my personal LAN and the other to share when I am camped around others.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CJF...UTF8&psc=1 runs Win 10 Pro and will be the media server and security server.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014ZQ...UTF8&psc=1 

4 - 4 TB  and 1 - 5 TB portable drives

I already have a wireless keyboard, TV's and other computers.

This will also host my security system and will be able to contact my cell phone fron the LAN or cell signal.

This system is working in my S&B.  I just have to move it to the van and install the voltage regulator.

My battery bank is getting old (8 years) so that will have to be the next real thing done.

[Tom_M]

I don't have a LAN but I do use a Raspberry Pi with KODI connected to a 4TB drive for all my video. My files are all Mpeg 4.

VOB files are Mpeg 2. The Raspberry Pi can play Mpeg 2 if you purchase a license that will unlock the Mpeg 2 decoder. The license can be purchased here: http://www.raspberrypi.com/mpeg-2-license-key/.

VOB files are quite large and you would save a lot of storage space it you converted them to Mpeg4. You can use software such as HandBrake to transcode your files. It's free and available here: https://handbrake.fr/

[B and C]

VOB's don't have the limitations or added work of further processing that mpeg2 or mpeg4 have. Storage space is cheap. The five tiny HDD's that I have take up very little space also. If I want to burn a copy to play on a DVD player, it is as simple as burning it to a DVD. The files stored on my home server are also VOB. Makes keeping an off site backup easy. To each their own.

[Tom_M]

VOB is Mpeg 2. Files on a DVD just happen to have a .VOB extension. It's just a name. Change the extension to .mpg and nothing changes.

[B and C]

Not quite the "same".

"VOB has a number of features that are not available with MPEG. The first is the ability to cut the video into chapters to let the viewer jump quickly into predetermined parts of the movie or video. MPEG doesn’t support chapters, so you need to search through yourself. To select the chapters, and to browse through other aspects of the DVD, VOB was also endowed with menus via the use of the remote. Again, this is another feature lacking in MPEG. Lastly, VOB has the ability to incorporate multiple subtitles. This is very important for DVDs that are to be sold in countries that do not share the same language. This is not as important with MPEGs, thus the exclusion.

Read more: Difference Between VOB and MPEG | Difference Between | VOB vs MPEG http://www.differencebetween.net/technol...z5hWf6wUFZ"

Big differences. Mpeg2 will not play on a DVD player without encoding to VOB first. This has been debated ad nauseum on the internet. VOB works best for me and evidently MPEG works better for you. Others like MKV (Matroska Video) format. They all have strengths and weaknesses.