media servers?

[Daniel1]

Does anybody know anything about media servers? Are they PC's with lots of storage or is there more involved? I want to get it to at least 3 tv's - im assuming i can do it via VGA cable and splitter, but is there any chance of being able to get someone on a laptop to connect via a wireless network? Any reason why i should look for a specific 'media server' or should i just buy a large spec PC

any help appeciated as i have no idea what im talking about.

[Plotloss]

Depends on whether you want to watch the same content on all the televisions concurrently or whether you want to watch different things concurrently.

[Daniel1]

what if i wanted to watch different things?

[rsv gone!]

Daniel1 said:

what if i wanted to watch different things?

Then you need good bandwidth. That means a more powerful server. HP do a range of servers for the home market running Windows Home Server.

For slightly lower performance, and less cost, you can use network-attached storage.

In any case, if you're wanting decent HD streaming then you'll need a wired network.

Edited by rsv gone! on Sunday 14th November 12:28

[TonyRPH]

rsv gone! said:

Daniel1 said:

what if i wanted to watch different things?

Then you need good bandwidth. That means a more powerful server. HP do a range of servers running Windows Home Server.

For slightly lower performance, and less cost, you can use network-attached storage.

In any case, if you're wanting decent HD streaming then you'll need a wired network.

And you would almost certainly need ethernet to run three concurrent streams.

[cliffe_mafia]

How do you get from the media PC to several TVs using ethernet cable if your TVs don't have ethernet ports?

[rsv gone!]

cliffe_mafia said:

How do you get from the media PC to several TVs using ethernet cable if your TVs don't have ethernet ports?

You can stream to Xbox360/PS3 or to various dedicated streamers like the WD HD Live.

[Crafty_]

A regular PC with multiple tv cards would do the job.

Some cards are twin feed, so you can record one and watch the other.
You can also get DVB-S cards that you can link a dish to (think freesat etc, but there are many more channel out there on other satellites).

You can stream to another machine using VLC, or use DLNA (PS3, XBox etc use this).

[Plotloss]

Daniel1 said:

what if i wanted to watch different things?

Then you would need different 'heads'

There's a few ways to achieve this, at varying price points.

[cliffe_mafia]

rsv gone! said:

cliffe_mafia said:

How do you get from the media PC to several TVs using ethernet cable if your TVs don't have ethernet ports?

You can stream to Xbox360/PS3 or to various dedicated streamers like the WD HD Live.

Cool. I didn't know the newer WD media boxes had ethernet - I've got one of the older ones you can only plug a harddisk into.

[Daniel1]

so....

i need to get a server type PC with windows home server - run ethernet cables to TV's - then buy some WD media boxes and connect to TV

Is that close?

[rsv gone!]

Daniel1 said:

so....

i need to get a server type PC with windows home server - run ethernet cables to TV's - then buy some WD media boxes and connect to TV

Is that close?

...tying it all together with a gigabit switch. That would certainly work.

As PL says, there are loads of ways of doing this.

I use a Synology NAS box to keep my media on. I stream to an xbox or just watch on a Shuttle PC under the TV.

[Daniel1]

rsv gone! said:

Daniel1 said:

so....

i need to get a server type PC with windows home server - run ethernet cables to TV's - then buy some WD media boxes and connect to TV

Is that close?

...tying it all together with a gigabit switch. That would certainly work.

As PL says, there are loads of ways of doing this.

I use a Synology NAS box to keep my media on. I stream to an xbox or just watch on a Shuttle PC under the TV.

and without googling how much do i need to spend, as a minimum to make it work - im sure you can go bananas with it if need be.

[rsv gone!]

The WD HD streamers are about £80

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Live-Media...


8-port Gigabit hub is around £40 (eg Netgear GS608)

A NAS box can be had for £150 inc a hard drive; eg Synology DS110j + Samsumg Spinpoint F1 1TB. An alternative with more oomph; a PC based server such as the HP ones are around £400+.

Alternatively, you could just use an old PC and put a gigabit network card in it, along with a big hard drive or two.

[Daniel1]

top job, thanks

[samuelellis]

At home im running an ubuntu box with 4 1tb drives in a software Raid5 array that acts as a file server for my network allowing any PC to access the media on it and that copes feeding the pc downstairs connected to the tv via ethernet over power, my pc sat ont he same gigabit switch and the laptop downstairs over wireless while simultaneously aquring data from the internet maxing the virgin 20mb cable connection

Here is the build thread for my server - http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/ipb/index.php/topic/283...p__3377465__hl__server__fromsearch1#entry3377465

now i will admit i have had problems and it has not all been smooth sailing but that was the first time i used linux so you have to expect a few issues here and there