2quik

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Dec 6, 2012
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I would like to build a media server for streaming movies through out my house. I currently stream movies with DLNA over the wifi but i can only stream one at a time so that's why i am considering building a server. I would like to stream movies to a Panasonic tv and 3 panasonic blu-ray plays through DLNA. Could one stream to all 4 units with out a hickup? I plan on wire all the rooms with cat5e wire and connect my router to a gigabit switch that leads to each room. but i have a few questions first.

1. How do you set up you connection between router, switch and server? -->router-->switch-->Ethernet to each room?

2. What kind of CPU and motherboard combo would i need? i won't be transcoding anything, all my files are mp4 and play on all my tv's and blu-rays players through DLNA. Again could one stream to all 4 units at the same time without a hickup?
Would a combo like this Significant or to weak ? http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1161981


3. What are all the components of building a server? Can some one share/post there complete server spec's please?

Any input would be appreciated!
Thanks.
 

scorpinock2

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That could work, but I would get a cheap cheap dedicated GPU like an HD 6450 to take all pressure off of the integrated graphics, I would also LOAD UP ON RAM, as streaming multiple videos will take memory, load up with about 8GB. Get a small micro atx case so this will not take up a lot of room, and get a huge hard drive to store all of your content on it. I would say get a small boot up drive (not SSD if money is a factor) usually the smallest you can get nowadays is about 250 GB, but the cheaper and smaller the better, and then get a separate 2TB or so hard drive for your content. Using one hard drive will slow everything down as windows will read and write to the hard drive as you stream, slowing things down, two will solve this issue. Finally, get a 400 to 450 watt power supply to power all of this and you are good to go. Connections should be automatic, wire the PC to the internet in on a switch, and then from the switch go to each TV. If you want internet on that media PC, it would be best to get a dual Ethernet card (or use a single Ethernet card and the port on the motherboard), and use one port for internet (or put in a wireless card, and get internet on that PC from your network that way) and the other for streaming content to each room.
 

2quik

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Dec 6, 2012
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thank you for the reply.

From my understanding is that i don't need a beefy cpu or ram because the server is just sending raw files to the tv and blu-ray player and not transcoding video on the fly. I heave read some people have used a single core processor and 2 gigs of ram. is this correct? thoughts?

I am not worried about using it for internet i have a separate pc for that.