Build a Jellyfin 4K UHD Blu-ray Library: MakeMKV Drives, Remux Storage and Playback

The short version of the workflow​

Burgess's setup comes down to four decisions:

• Use a UHD-capable external drive that is already set up for ripping. He ended up with a pre-flashed Buffalo BRXL-PUS6U3B after an LG WH10LS30 (too old for UHD) and an ASUS BW-16D1HT (worn out).
• Rip with MakeMKV and skip routine re-encoding. He picks the movie, the audio track and any subtitles, then saves the MKV straight into the right Jellyfin folder.
• Don't rush. He no longer tries to rip a whole collection in one weekend. Storage is running low, so he paces the 4K rips.
• Use a dedicated PC. He moved from an old Dell XPS 8700 and then an HP Omen, which doubled as his production machine, to a preconfigured ABS desktop used only for ripping and file management.

The figures and hardware history are his own account. He says the pre-flashed drive cost roughly $100 more, and that the seller confirmed it worked as advertised with screenshots before he bought it. He reports no trouble with dual-layer (BD-66) or triple-layer (BD-100) discs, except badly smudged or scratched ones. He gives no exact prices, firmware versions or benchmarks, so treat this as one person's good experience with one unit.

Why the drive is the hard part​

Burgess says the drive matters more than the CPU or RAM. Community documentation on the MakeMKV forum agrees on the principle.

• A LibreDrive-compatible drive is required to read UHD discs.
• LibreDrive is a mode where the disc data is accessed directly, without restrictions enforced by drive firmware.
• A forum reply notes that if you only rip DVDs and regular Blu-ray, you don't need a new drive or LibreDrive compatibility. The same reply says ripping UHD discs requires a UHD-capable drive.
• Not every drive qualifies. In one forum thread, a user's LG UH12NS30 was judged not UHD-capable. A reply there says UHD-capable drives usually have UHD mentioned on the drive itself.
• Another forum reply cautions that LibreDrive does not necessarily equal UHD friendly.

That is why Burgess's "pre-flashed" shortcut is attractive. Flashing is a known step, and he says he has done it before, but a drive that arrives ready saves time. It is not a guarantee, though. MakeMKV's UHD FAQ says some discs may not open because their volume key isn't known yet. Because LibreDrive does not by itself provide the ability to decrypt UHD content, per a forum explanation, drive status, disc version and software support all matter. A pre-flashed label doesn't remove those variables.

If you buy a drive, ask the seller for proof of the exact model and firmware, as Burgess did. Check it against the MakeMKV forum's drive guides before paying a premium. Prices and availability for the Buffalo unit are not independently verified here.

Remux versus re-encode: the real trade-off​

Burgess first re-encoded his MakeMKV output with HandBrake to save space. He gave that up because each film needed different judgment calls and he worried about the picture and audio quality. He still re-encodes the occasional title.

What each tool does:

• MakeMKV transfers an exact, lossless copy of the disc content into the MKV container, according to its FAQ. The FAQ says it does not compress video or audio, with a few audio-option exceptions.
• MakeMKV's "nested" audio tracks. The FAQ says lossless DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD tracks come with a lossy core as a fallback. If you want only the top-quality audio, you don't need to tick the nested track as well, and ticking both gives you two full-size audio tracks.
• HandBrake works on a quality-versus-size dial. Its documentation says raising quality increases file size and lowering it generally shrinks the file. It lists a recommended constant-quality range of RF 22-28 for 2160p sources, and warns that drastically lower settings can lose significant detail. That is why encoding choices can feel title-specific.

For storage, a remux is the "decide once" option, and the cost is disk space. Burgess says storage is already tight, so expect to plan capacity and backups carefully if you go this route. Re-encoding is the opposite choice: smaller files, but more decisions per title.

"Lossless" has limits​

Burgess calls his files lossless. That is fair for the streams he selects, but a title-level MKV is not a copy of the whole disc.

• MakeMKV does not create ISOs. Its separate Backup function for Blu-ray and UHD can copy the entire disc to your hard drive, with an option to decrypt the video files, and it keeps the folder structure rather than producing an ISO.
• Choosing a main title and a few tracks means you may leave behind menus, extras, other cuts and tracks you didn't tick.
• MakeMKV's guidance on titles applies here too. Some discs list several versions of the main feature, such as theatrical and extended cuts, or language-specific playlists. The FAQ tells you to check runtimes and the audio and subtitle options before choosing.

Getting files into Jellyfin cleanly​

Burgess says he points output "straight to the right folder." Jellyfin's documentation spells out what that folder should look like:

1. Put each movie in its own folder.
2. Name the folder Movie Name (year), optionally followed by a metadata-provider ID. The year and ID are optional but help Jellyfin match the film more reliably.
3. Give the video file the same name as the folder, for example Movie Name (year).mkv.
4. Avoid characters Jellyfin reserves, which include <, >, :, ", /, \, |, ? and *.
5. For several versions of one film, keep them in the same folder. Each filename must begin exactly with the folder name and then add a version label, such as - 2160p. Jellyfin lists versions with the highest resolution first.

Jellyfin's docs also say MKV and similar containers are supported, but disc images should be remuxed into MKV or extracted into BDMV folders rather than left as ISOs. That supports Burgess's MKV-first approach.

What "lossless" doesn't promise: playback​

Ripping is half the job. A 4K remux still has to play on your devices, and Jellyfin's codec documentation is direct about the stakes. Hmm, wait Rather than rely on memory, here is what the docs say:

• Jellyfin aims to direct play all media. If the container is unsupported, the server remuxes it. If the video codec is unsupported, the server transcodes it, and that is the most CPU-intensive case.
• Audio that a client can't handle, such as DTS on browsers, gets converted. That load is much lighter than video transcoding.
• Burned-in subtitles are the heaviest case. Picture-based subtitle formats like PGS are supported in MKV, but a client that can't render them forces the server to burn them into the video.
• HDR support is limited to specific clients. On Windows, HDR works with Edge or Chrome on an HDR-enabled display. Dolby Vision requires Edge plus the Dolby Vision add-on from the Microsoft Store. HEVC in Edge also requires the HEVC video extension from the Microsoft Store.

In practice, a library of big UHD remuxes works best with capable clients, such as a modern TV app or streaming box. A weak client or a small server can end up transcoding 4K HEVC, which is the situation the remux-everything approach cannot fix.

Is a dedicated ripping PC necessary?​

Burgess's own story argues against it. He started on a roughly 13-year-old Dell and says the right drive matters more than the latest CPU and RAM. His reasons for the ABS desktop are practical:

• His HP Omen was also his production machine, and it was struggling during rips.
• He wanted a machine for ripping, file management, re-ripping and occasional re-encoding.
• He wanted something that would last several years without a custom build.

That is a convenience and workflow argument, not a measured speed gain. He also mentions he could have put a lightweight Linux distribution on the old Omen. If you have a spare PC, it may be enough. A mobile external drive, which he says he wanted so he could move it between machines, gives you flexibility.

Practical takeaways​

• Verify the drive before you rip. Check that the exact model and firmware are UHD-capable and LibreDrive-enabled in MakeMKV's drive information. Don't assume a "pre-flashed" claim covers every disc.
• Keep MakeMKV current. The UHD FAQ says to use the latest version. It also notes that unreadable discs can be a key issue, in which case you can submit a dump file or use Backup to test the disc.
• Clean discs first. MakeMKV's FAQ says read errors often mean the disc needs cleaning, even when it looks clean.
• Decide on storage and backups early. Remuxes are large. Pace your ripping to match capacity, as Burgess does.
• Name files the Jellyfin way. It prevents mismatched metadata later.
• Test on your real clients. Play a sample UHD rip on every device you use before committing the whole collection.

One caveat applies beyond the technology: whether you may circumvent disc encryption for personal backups depends on where you live. That's general industry knowledge, not something the source addresses, so check your local rules.

Burgess's conclusion is modest. He says he'll keep learning, and that the key was the right drive. The documentation backs that up, and it also shows where the weak points are: drive compatibility, disc keys and client playback. That makes this a useful starting point for building your own workflow.