Media Storage Solution

[dotsmada]

I am looking for a cheap media storage solution. I have accumulated around 1,600 DVD/Blue-rays over the past 15-20 years and I am looking to put these DVDs on my home network so that I can watch them on any of my devices (computers, tablets, smart phones, TVs, etc.). I already have software on my main desktop that can organize and stream my media to all of these devices and I have no issue with having my desktop on when I plan on doing any streaming. My issue is having enough storage space to include my large collection. I have looked at NAS storage but they are too expensive for me and don’t appear very flexible as far as adding additional storage at a later date. What I would like to do is use my router that includes a USB port (Linksys E4200V2 I believe is the model) to add additional storage to my network. Since the router only has 1 USB port I was planning on purchasing a $30 powered USB hub that includes 4 USB 3.0 ports. That way I could add 4 3TB external hard drives at about $140/piece. I would then have 12 TB of storage for about $590. One reason I really like this set-up is because I can start small with a $30 USB hub and $140 3 TB hard drive and then add drives at a later date. Also, if I wanted more than just 4 3TB hard drives I can just purchase a bigger USB hub with more USB slots for less than $100. Would I be able to stream good quality (720P) video with this type of set up? Do you foresee any issues?

 

[Nothing_But_NAS]

That option will eventually saturate the single USB port on the router. Have you consider adding the drive to your existing PC or building a dedicated NAS device?