Home Media Server?
Discussion
So I'm looking for something that I can use as a 'set & forget' home media server for music, DVD & Blue-Ray - with clients being the lounge AV rack, 3 x TVs around the house, and the usual iPads etc.
Key is the ability to rip & forget for the DVDs, music & BluRay - with DVD & BluRay being multi-region. Preferably with nice GUI & nav system, that can be age aware re kids and that auto-populates sleeves & details etc.
Been habing a brief look at these guys http://www.dbmservers.co.uk/index.html but very interested in recommendations...
Key is the ability to rip & forget for the DVDs, music & BluRay - with DVD & BluRay being multi-region. Preferably with nice GUI & nav system, that can be age aware re kids and that auto-populates sleeves & details etc.
Been habing a brief look at these guys http://www.dbmservers.co.uk/index.html but very interested in recommendations...
Been using VortexBox for years. Completely free.
Will run on pretty much any old PC.
If you haven't got an old PC pick one up for £50'from a boot sale etc.
Install and try it.
Stick a half decent sound card in the PC and hook up direct to your amp or DAC.
Used on many different PCs and works fine.
Will run on pretty much any old PC.
If you haven't got an old PC pick one up for £50'from a boot sale etc.
Install and try it.
Stick a half decent sound card in the PC and hook up direct to your amp or DAC.
Used on many different PCs and works fine.
tvrforever said:
So I'm looking for something that I can use as a 'set & forget' home media server for music, DVD & Blue-Ray - with clients being the lounge AV rack, 3 x TVs around the house, and the usual iPads etc.
Key is the ability to rip & forget for the DVDs, music & BluRay - with DVD & BluRay being multi-region. Preferably with nice GUI & nav system, that can be age aware re kids and that auto-populates sleeves & details etc.
Been habing a brief look at these guys http://www.dbmservers.co.uk/index.html but very interested in recommendations...
Ok. You have backend and frontend systems to think about.Key is the ability to rip & forget for the DVDs, music & BluRay - with DVD & BluRay being multi-region. Preferably with nice GUI & nav system, that can be age aware re kids and that auto-populates sleeves & details etc.
Been habing a brief look at these guys http://www.dbmservers.co.uk/index.html but very interested in recommendations...
What clients are you planning to run on the TV's/music systems? The client is what will provide the nice gui and navigation and probably the age aware elements. Plex is a good option as is xbmc(kodi) your TV's might have DLNA which isn't very friendly or pretty.
The backend can be anything really a basic PC is fine as long as it had plenty of storage. Something like a HP microserver is a good start (£99 with rebate) bung some extra hdd in and it's job done from a hardware point of view.
Lots of choice on the ripping side makemkv is popular for video and dbpoweramp for cds. Both will rip to a lossless format and tag any metadata needed. The client will pick up that data and pull the pretty fanart and posters etc for your gui (depending on you choices) it's going to be a tedious job ripping lots of media but should be as simple as swapping the discs over as they complete.
It will all depend on how hands on you want to be. That link looks like a vortexbox solution in a fancy box for a big mark up. Nothing wrong with that if you can't or won't get your hands dirty.
I use a Microserver with Windows running lots of storage, Squeezebox server for music on there with the same clients for multiroom. Video is presented to a Raspberry Pi running xbmc in the the Cinema room, an xbmc client on windows in the office and a couple of Amazon fire TV's with xbmc sideloaded. I also run a mysql instance on the server which allows me to share the metadata (posters/fanart) across clients and also start and resume movies on different clients.
I rip any content via makemkv or dbpoweramp on my office PC and store it on the server (which is hidden away) the server runs in headless mode and I have to remote access if I need to do anything on there, which is rare.
The real issue comes if you want to do the ripping automatically, I.e. Insert a disc and have it pop out automatically once it's been added to your library. It's easily done for music, I.e. Audio CDs, but a much more complicated process for Blu-Ray. I've been looking into this myself and have built myself a compact server/ripping machine (already have a 16 bay Thecus NAS unit for storage purposes) but have yet to settle on software.
Best solution I've come across so far is to use a version of Windows Server and the server version of MyMovies which allows for automated movie ripping, subject to the additional purchase of AnyDVD.
I'd be interested to hear other people's views on this subject.
PLEX is a good front-end being available for lots of different devices - most TVs have a Plex client built-in or downloadable.
Best solution I've come across so far is to use a version of Windows Server and the server version of MyMovies which allows for automated movie ripping, subject to the additional purchase of AnyDVD.
I'd be interested to hear other people's views on this subject.
PLEX is a good front-end being available for lots of different devices - most TVs have a Plex client built-in or downloadable.
I have a QNAP NAS, basic and a couple of years old now and I have just started using one of these in on the bedroom TV.
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-sti...
For the money (£120) it works brilliant once I sorted my wifi out, I have added one of these to it though to get hard wired ethernet.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PC0J1VC?psc=...
Installed XBMC on the stick and everything works great.
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-sti...
For the money (£120) it works brilliant once I sorted my wifi out, I have added one of these to it though to get hard wired ethernet.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PC0J1VC?psc=...
Installed XBMC on the stick and everything works great.
stuart313 said:
I have a QNAP NAS, basic and a couple of years old now and I have just started using one of these in on the bedroom TV.
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-sti...
For the money (£120) it works brilliant once I sorted my wifi out, I have added one of these to it though to get hard wired ethernet.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PC0J1VC?psc=...
Installed XBMC on the stick and everything works great.
I've been wondering about those. Can they handle DTS-MA / Dolby THD passthrough? Do they support CEC?http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-sti...
For the money (£120) it works brilliant once I sorted my wifi out, I have added one of these to it though to get hard wired ethernet.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PC0J1VC?psc=...
Installed XBMC on the stick and everything works great.
marctwo said:
I've been wondering about those. Can they handle DTS-MA / Dolby THD passthrough? Do they support CEC?
Looks like it doesn't 
AnandTech said:
As of April 2015, the Intel graphics drivers for Bay Trail-T (32-bit) have support only for bitstreaming of DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9167/intel-compute-stick-review/4marctwo said:
marctwo said:
I've been wondering about those. Can they handle DTS-MA / Dolby THD passthrough? Do they support CEC?
Looks like it doesn't AnandTech said:
As of April 2015, the Intel graphics drivers for Bay Trail-T (32-bit) have support only for bitstreaming of DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9167/intel-compute-stick-review/4intel marketing drivel said:
Intel has worked with the industry to develop a new specification for integrated audio that is capable of delivering the features and high-end performance of an add-in audio card. Intel® High Definition Audio (Intel® HD Audio) is capable of playing back more channels at higher quality than previous integrated audio formats. In addition, Intel High Definition Audio has the technology needed to support the latest and greatest audio content. By enabling enhanced usage models, Intel High Definition Audio, available with the Intel® Express Chipsets, will also change how computer users interact with sound.
The Challenge to Find Better Audio
When Analog Codec '97 was initially developed, users were typically listening to only music and movies with stereo sound. With the success of DVD movies encoded with Dolby Digital* and DTS* multi-channel audio formats, users have become accustomed to listening in full surround sound with anywhere from six to eight speakers. While Analog Codec '97 technology has struggled to keep pace with all these advancements, Intel® High Definition Audio is designed specifically for the high-quality multi-channel audio experiences. Newer audio and video encoding and decoding algorithms also enable a higher-quality listening experience.
More and more consumers are moving their computers into the living room or family room so they can enjoy digital music or movies throughout the house on state-of-the-art multi-channel audio systems or big screen TVs. With better speakers connected to their computers, the limitations of current computer sound subsystems, whether integrated or add-in, can degrade the overall digital experience.
Many consumers are also asking for the ability to play two different audio streams through their PC at the same time—perhaps classical music in the study and a movie in the living room. These demands cannot be met with previous audio solutions.
An Outstanding Audio Experience
Intel HD Audio delivers significant improvements over previous generation integrated audio and sound cards. Intel HD Audio hardware is capable of delivering the support and sound quality for up to eight channels at 192 kHz/32-bit quality, while the Analog Codec '97 specification can only support six channels at 48 kHz/20-bit. In addition, Intel HD Audio is architected to prevent the occasional glitches or pops that other audio solutions can have by providing dedicated system bandwidth for critical audio functions.
Innovative Uses for the Digital Home
Dolby Laboratories selected Intel HD Audio to bring Dolby-quality surround sound technologies to the PC as part of their recently announced PC Logo Program. The combination of these technologies marks an important milestone in delivering quality digital audio to consumers. Intel HD Audio is able to support all the Dolby technologies, including the latest Dolby Pro Logic* IIx, which makes it possible to enjoy older stereo content in 7.1 channel surround sound.
Intel® G965, P965, Q965, Q963, 946GZ, and 946PL Express Chipsets
Intel® 975X, 955X, 945G, and 945P Express Chipsets
Intel® 925XE and 925X Express Chipsets
Intel® 915G, 915P, 915GV, 915GL, and 915PL Express Chipsets
Intel® 910GL Express Chipset
Consumers also want the ability to play back two different audio tracks simultaneously, such as a CD and a DVD, which can't be done using current audio solutions. Intel HD Audio features multi-streaming capabilities that give users the ability to send two or more different audio streams to different locations at the same time, from the same PC.
Microsoft has chosen Intel HD Audio as the main architecture for their new Universal Audio Architecture* (UAA), which provides one driver that will support all Intel HD Audio controllers and codecs. While the Microsoft driver is expected to support basic Intel HD Audio functions, codec vendors are expected to differentiate their solutions by offering enhanced Intel HD audio solutions. The result is high-quality PC-based audio that delivers a seamless convergence of digital entertainment between the PC and consumer electronic devices.
Enhanced Features
Intel HD Audio also enables enhanced voice capture through the use of array microphones, giving users more accurate speech input. While other audio implementations have limited support for simple array microphones, Intel HD Audio supports larger array microphones. By increasing the size of the array microphone, users get incredibly clean input through better noise cancellation and beam forming. This produces higher-quality input to voice recognition, voice over IP (VoIP), and other voice-driven activities.
Intel HD Audio also provides improvements that support better jack retasking. The computer can sense when a device is plugged into an audio jack, determine what kind of device it is, and change the port function if the device has been plugged into the wrong port. For example, if a microphone is plugged into a speaker jack, the computer will recognize the error and will be able to change the jack to function as a microphone jack. This is an important step in getting audio to a point where it "just works"—users won't need to worry about getting the right device plugged into the right audio jack.
The Solution for the Future
Designed for "glitch-free" audio playback, multi-streaming, jack retasking, and UAA support, Intel HD Audio offers an audio solution for years to come. As one of the many new technologies introduced with the Intel® 955X, 925, 915, and 910 Express Chipset family, and now the Intel® 945 Express Chipset family, Intel HD Audio enhances the end-user experience and enables the convergence of digital entertainment for both PCs and consumer electronics (CE) products.
The Challenge to Find Better Audio
When Analog Codec '97 was initially developed, users were typically listening to only music and movies with stereo sound. With the success of DVD movies encoded with Dolby Digital* and DTS* multi-channel audio formats, users have become accustomed to listening in full surround sound with anywhere from six to eight speakers. While Analog Codec '97 technology has struggled to keep pace with all these advancements, Intel® High Definition Audio is designed specifically for the high-quality multi-channel audio experiences. Newer audio and video encoding and decoding algorithms also enable a higher-quality listening experience.
More and more consumers are moving their computers into the living room or family room so they can enjoy digital music or movies throughout the house on state-of-the-art multi-channel audio systems or big screen TVs. With better speakers connected to their computers, the limitations of current computer sound subsystems, whether integrated or add-in, can degrade the overall digital experience.
Many consumers are also asking for the ability to play two different audio streams through their PC at the same time—perhaps classical music in the study and a movie in the living room. These demands cannot be met with previous audio solutions.
An Outstanding Audio Experience
Intel HD Audio delivers significant improvements over previous generation integrated audio and sound cards. Intel HD Audio hardware is capable of delivering the support and sound quality for up to eight channels at 192 kHz/32-bit quality, while the Analog Codec '97 specification can only support six channels at 48 kHz/20-bit. In addition, Intel HD Audio is architected to prevent the occasional glitches or pops that other audio solutions can have by providing dedicated system bandwidth for critical audio functions.
Innovative Uses for the Digital Home
Dolby Laboratories selected Intel HD Audio to bring Dolby-quality surround sound technologies to the PC as part of their recently announced PC Logo Program. The combination of these technologies marks an important milestone in delivering quality digital audio to consumers. Intel HD Audio is able to support all the Dolby technologies, including the latest Dolby Pro Logic* IIx, which makes it possible to enjoy older stereo content in 7.1 channel surround sound.
Intel® G965, P965, Q965, Q963, 946GZ, and 946PL Express Chipsets
Intel® 975X, 955X, 945G, and 945P Express Chipsets
Intel® 925XE and 925X Express Chipsets
Intel® 915G, 915P, 915GV, 915GL, and 915PL Express Chipsets
Intel® 910GL Express Chipset
Consumers also want the ability to play back two different audio tracks simultaneously, such as a CD and a DVD, which can't be done using current audio solutions. Intel HD Audio features multi-streaming capabilities that give users the ability to send two or more different audio streams to different locations at the same time, from the same PC.
Microsoft has chosen Intel HD Audio as the main architecture for their new Universal Audio Architecture* (UAA), which provides one driver that will support all Intel HD Audio controllers and codecs. While the Microsoft driver is expected to support basic Intel HD Audio functions, codec vendors are expected to differentiate their solutions by offering enhanced Intel HD audio solutions. The result is high-quality PC-based audio that delivers a seamless convergence of digital entertainment between the PC and consumer electronic devices.
Enhanced Features
Intel HD Audio also enables enhanced voice capture through the use of array microphones, giving users more accurate speech input. While other audio implementations have limited support for simple array microphones, Intel HD Audio supports larger array microphones. By increasing the size of the array microphone, users get incredibly clean input through better noise cancellation and beam forming. This produces higher-quality input to voice recognition, voice over IP (VoIP), and other voice-driven activities.
Intel HD Audio also provides improvements that support better jack retasking. The computer can sense when a device is plugged into an audio jack, determine what kind of device it is, and change the port function if the device has been plugged into the wrong port. For example, if a microphone is plugged into a speaker jack, the computer will recognize the error and will be able to change the jack to function as a microphone jack. This is an important step in getting audio to a point where it "just works"—users won't need to worry about getting the right device plugged into the right audio jack.
The Solution for the Future
Designed for "glitch-free" audio playback, multi-streaming, jack retasking, and UAA support, Intel HD Audio offers an audio solution for years to come. As one of the many new technologies introduced with the Intel® 955X, 925, 915, and 910 Express Chipset family, and now the Intel® 945 Express Chipset family, Intel HD Audio enhances the end-user experience and enables the convergence of digital entertainment for both PCs and consumer electronics (CE) products.
stuart313 said:
I don't really understand any that but Intel have quite a bit to say on the matter.
No mention at all of DTS-HD MA or Dolby True HD. I know some Intel chipsets can support them as it can be done on the NUC, but I hoped the ComputeStick would be the same.intel marketing drivel said:
Intel has worked with the industry to develop...
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