Media Server, NAS, Other??

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Last response: April 23, 2012 7:12 PM in Networking

zero610

April 23, 2012 1:48:49 PM

I just wired my house for gigabit ethernet. I'm now trying to figure out how best to setup my network. Currently, I have 3 computers wired in. Mainly used as HTPCs for different rooms around the house; with one main computer for everything else.

I'm wondering how to setup the streaming/file sharing capabilities. I want to have access to stream HD/audio/files from any computer on the network.

Am I looking for a media server, NAS, keep existing setup (and use wake-on-lan if I need to pull content from one computer to the other), or something else?

My only criteria is if I do need a NAS/media server it have gigabit capabilities.

Keeping this as low budget as possible (less than $500).

If I need a media server, can I setup the network to have all the processing be done by the local machines and not the server (since the local machines have better processors).

Thanks in advance.

More about : media server nas

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sk1939

April 23, 2012 6:42:41 PM

QNAP TS-419PII-US, or if throughput is really important to you, Synology DS712+. Alternatively you could get an HP MicroServer and add media server OS of your choice.

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zero610

April 23, 2012 7:00:53 PM

Those NAS drives are pretty pricey. Is there any benefit over the media server? Dumb question but does the PC or the server do the processing if I'm streaming a movie?

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sk1939

April 23, 2012 7:12:00 PM

The lower end one's are either 2 bays, limiting you to 2 drives, or slow. Benefits? Ease of use, space taken up, support.

Streaming is done by both devices. The Server serves up the file, encodes, and sends, while the PC receives, decodes, and displays.

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