[rdk45]

I'm not sure which category, if any here, is the right one for this question, so please bare with me...

I'm a real novice when the streaming content subject.  Actually I'm from the generation that had problems configuring a VCR.  So please consider me just plain "challenged".  I have set up OSMC/KODI on a Raspberry Pi with a 250 GB hard disk.  

I have been reading and trying to understand KODI and all of it features.  Loading music from my CD collection was simple, but I guess that was because they were ripped on my PC directly from the CDs and then copied to the above hard disk?  I'm working to get a couple home movies for which I have the original content.  I have them (mpg files) on the Pi but for now the KODI menus for them are a "work in progress".

What puzzles me is that all of you folks seem have amassed large collections of movies and TV shows which you have then loaded into KODI for your personal entertainment.  Let's say I would like to have the first season of "Hawaii Five-0", how would I go about getting that content?  Or, perhaps, one of the earlier James Bond movies?

I've tried Googling this but I must not be using the right key words.  Can you help?  Maybe some good references or tutorials....RDK

[Klojum]

Basically you need separate root folders for movies and tv shows. From there on you place place each movie and tv show in their respective (sub) folders.

General info can be found here: https://kodi.wiki/view/Adding_video_sources

[mcelliott]

There are various programs that you can use to rip DVDs to your hard drive the same as you have done with your CDs. DVDs are encrypted, so I'm not 100% clear on the legality of ripping DVDs, but I'd say that if you own the physical DVD, and you are ripping it for personal use only, then you should be fine.

In general, if a plugin for Kodi allows you to access content that you haven't paid for, then it's likely to be dodgy and you won't get any support on the forums for that.

[rdk45]

OK, I'm not about doing something illegal!!!  Thanks for the reply

It just seems to me that some of the stuff I've read on the web sounds like that there is a way to capture movies and TV shows locally for later playback.  Or a site where one can buy and download content for use with KODI?  As I said before, I'm a challenged novice, so maybe I just don't yet understand what they are doing?

Thanks again....RDK

[jjd-uk]

That lots of possible legal sources.

As already mentioned there's optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray that can be ripped to hard drive similar to what you've done with your CD, however these come with DRM which needs to stripped. Discussion on using and playing DRM free files from such sources is fine, however we don't want any detailed discussions on how they became DRM free as the breaking of DRM is illegal in the US where this forum is hosted.

There's the PVR feature which allows you to connect to and control several popular PVR software apps, so you can view your local TV terrestrial or satellite (not sure if cable is possible) services and in most cases you can also record from these services (perhaps this is what you meant by capture for local playback).

There's IP services that can be live/catch up services from your local television service providers or legal streaming sites via addons such as Youtube/Netflix/Disney+.

There are download services such as iTunes however most of these with have DRM applied similar to DVD's, and similar to DVD's you can discuss having & using these files but not how they became DRM free.

[jjd-uk]

As questions are not to do with scraping I have moved the thread.

[rdk45]

As questions are not to do with scraping I have moved the thread.

OK, where did it get moved to?  And thanks for the earlier reply....RDK

[Karellen]

Some tools that may be useful... https://kodi.wiki/view/Supplemental_tools

[jmgibson1981]

In my case I've scoured thrift shops, swap meets, and the occasional new buy for my video content. I have every disk thus far in my garage in boxes, all dvd or cd based (I need to buy a blu ray drive). If I want something specific I likely have to order it new. They are ripped via Makemkv & compressed with Handbrake. That is the "legal" way to do it. It's designed for content you own.

[jjd-uk]

That is the "legal" way to do it. It's designed for content you own.

Not necessarily true as in some countries it's illegal to break DRM even though it might not be illegal to make backups, but unless you start selling your DRM free copies it doesn't really matter what the law is as it extremely unlikely to carry any consequences.

[jmgibson1981]

 even though it might not be illegal to make backups

https://arstechnica.com/information-tech...-is-legal/

For the US, this is what I follow. I consider what I do fair use as I don't share files, or hand out disks. I have every single disk in my garage boxed up.

To be honest though regardless of where you are there are laws that say you can do something, then another that says you can't. While ignorance is no excuse anyone with any shred of sanity would know that it is impossible to always do it right when stuff conflicts like that.