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How to Back Up Your Blu-ray Collection to a NAS

Learn how to choose a Blu-ray backup format, check drive compatibility, estimate NAS storage from your own discs, and protect the library with a separate backup copy.
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You can store Blu-ray copies on a NAS, but first choose what you want to keep: a copy of the disc’s folder structure or individual movie and feature files. You’ll need a computer, a Blu-ray drive compatible with that computer and your software, enough NAS capacity for your chosen outputs, and a separate backup destination. Before using software that bypasses disc protection, check the law where you live: owning a disc does not automatically make circumvention lawful.

Choose what to save from each Blu-ray

MakeMKV offers two different workflows. Its Blu-ray Backup function copies the disc structure to a hard drive and can optionally decrypt video; it creates a folder structure, not an ISO image. Alternatively, you can open a disc and save selected titles as MKV files. Neither format should be assumed to preserve interactive Blu-ray menus when played through a NAS media player.

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Output What you keep When it fits
Full disc structure The disc’s file and folder structure, with optional video decryption in MakeMKV’s Backup function. When retaining the disc structure matters more than creating a simple library of individual video files.
Selected-title MKV files The titles you choose, such as the main feature or bonus content, as separate MKV files. When you want individual files for a media library and do not need to retain the full disc structure.

MakeMKV says it does not change or compress video and audio, except for some audio options. Do not assume either output will be small or that one movie has a predictable size. If you are considering transcoding to reduce storage, test your chosen tools and settings separately; the cited MakeMKV information does not establish the resulting size or quality of a transcoded copy.

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Check the legal rules before copying protected discs

Copyright and anti-circumvention rules depend on where you live. In the United States, the Copyright Office describes the DMCA’s Section 1201 as generally prohibiting circumvention of technological measures that control access to protected works, including movies. Owning the disc does not, by itself, establish that bypassing its protection for a personal backup is lawful.

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Section 1201 has limited exemptions set through periodic rulemaking. The 2024 regulation includes defined exceptions for certain educational accessibility activities and for specific preservation or replacement copying by eligible libraries, archives, or museums under conditions. It does not establish a general personal Blu-ray backup exemption. The Copyright Office’s 2027 triennial proceeding is underway; it says current exemptions, if renewed, would remain effective from October 2027 through October 2030. A proposed renewal is not an exemption already in force. Check the current rule for your circumstances.

Canada illustrates why the U.S. position cannot be applied worldwide: section 29.24 permits a backup reproduction only under conditions that include a sole backup purpose, a non-infringing source, no circumvention of a technological protection measure, no distribution of copies, and destruction when the person stops owning or being licensed to use the source. This is a jurisdiction-specific summary, not legal advice; check the law that applies to you.

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Gather a compatible drive, computer, and NAS

The optical drive reads the physical disc; the computer runs the copying software; and the NAS stores the resulting files. You also need a separate destination for a backup copy. Before buying a Blu-ray drive, verify the exact model’s firmware, connection, operating-system support, and compatibility with the software and disc types you intend to use. General drive documentation is not a guarantee that a particular current drive will work in your setup.

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NAS drive-bay count, supported disks, usable capacity, RAID behavior, and backup features vary by model. Check the NAS maker’s current compatibility and capacity information for your intended disks. No particular drive, NAS model, or price is established here.

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Estimate storage from your own discs

There is no reliable universal storage allowance per Blu-ray in the available product information. Since MakeMKV generally does not compress or change video and audio, full-structure backups and selected-title MKVs should not be budgeted as though the software will automatically shrink them.

  1. Choose a representative sample that includes feature films, bonus content, and any discs you expect to keep as full structures.
  2. Make lawful test copies in the format you plan to use, then record the actual size of each output.
  3. Use those measurements to estimate the rest of your collection, accounting for differences in disc content and how much you select.
  4. Allow room for future additions and the separate copy required by your backup plan before settling on NAS capacity.

This estimate is specific to your discs and settings; it is not a guaranteed per-disc figure. Revisit it if you change the output format or start keeping more bonus content or full disc structures.

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Copy files to the NAS and verify them

Software menus and NAS interfaces vary, so use the labels shown by your installed versions rather than assuming a universal click path. A practical sequence is:

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  1. Connect the Blu-ray drive to the computer and confirm that the operating system and chosen software can read your disc.
  2. Choose either the software’s full Blu-ray Backup function or its selected-title MKV workflow. Use only a method permitted by the law that applies to you.
  3. Save the output to a staging folder on the computer or directly to a NAS share, if your software supports it and the connection is reliable.
  4. After copying, check that the expected files are present and readable. For selected-title output, confirm that the titles you wanted were saved; for a full structure, confirm that the folder contents finished copying.
  5. Copy the completed output to its intended NAS library location, then make the separate backup copy described below.

This workflow does not guarantee playback of interactive menus or compatibility with every NAS media application. Check playback in the software or client you plan to use.

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Make a backup of the NAS library

A NAS is a useful place to keep and access your library, but a single copy on it is not a complete backup plan. Synology describes the 3-2-1 approach as three copies of data, on two types of media, with one copy offsite—for example, a NAS and an external drive, plus cloud storage or a remote server. A second external drive kept in the same home helps with some device failures or accidental deletion, but does not protect against a home-wide incident. An offsite copy addresses that distinct risk.

RAID can help a NAS remain available after certain disk failures, depending on its configuration, but it is not a substitute for a separate backup copy. Choose a backup method you can maintain, and verify that copies complete and can be read.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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