Media Server Streaming on Shuffle Play (1 Viewer)

[bigshot]

I have a large collection of DVDs, many of which are complete runs of TV series, animated cartoons and classic comedy shorts. I've been toying with the idea of ripping all of them to m4v and streaming them on shuffle play through my house using an AppleTV. Sort of like my own TV station that plays only the good stuff. I'd like to rip to full DVD quality, so I can pack the DVDs up and put them in the garage. I've done this with my CD collection, and freed from having to pick the disk and put it in the player, I've been able to listen to and enjoy my whole collection better.

Has anyone here done anything like that? Any suggestions for handbrake settings? What sort of file naming and tagging structure should I follow? Is it possible to create smart playlists of videos on the AppleTV the way I do with iTunes and my music library?

Thanks!