Most recently, I'd been accessing the digital accumulation by plugging the drive's USB directly into our LG TV. Its WebOS software player worked well for the task.
I am extremely organized and have accurate file names. The drive has folders for every decade and subfolders for individual years. Still, that was not a very efficient way of browsing hundreds of feature films. Therefore, today, I decided to directly plug the Seagate drive into my modem/router.
Modifying the router's firmware to use one empty USB port was not very difficult. Then, I set up the drive as network storage so all devices in my apartment can access its folders. Android was a cinch but getting Windows 10 to access via BCRM-LVG took a bit of sleuthing. Yay, success. There is no more need for plugging and unplugging the movie drive!
I happened to find the most marvellous Android software for my Nvidia Shield. It's called Nova Media Player. It is an open-source app based on the former Archos player. As it allows for passthrough, my receiver can best decide what to do with the audio tracks.
Perhaps the best part is how Nova runs a great library front-end. It scrapes IMDb for movie posters and tons of information. It automatically organizes everything into a large number of categories. Because a TV-friendly version runs on my Shield device, I can simply pick up the remote and, by saying the name of the title, search the collection. Every time I add a new file, the app will automatically add it to the easy-to-use menus. It has been years since my movies have been this well organized.