Need advise setting up Media server (1 Viewer)

[jang]

Hello all. I want to ask your opinion in building a media server that streams videos, pictures and music to multiple rooms.

I currently have a single pc setup. The pc downloads movies, pictures, and music. The pc has mediaportal installed. My video card outputs videos to secondary monitor (LCD TV) and I watch my videos from there.

I want a setup that allows me to store all my videos, photos and music in a central location. Each room has their own frontend. I was wondering if:

1. the storage area can use either unraid or freenas?
2. the storage area has to have a very good video card? Should it have very powerful processor?
3. the storage area have to have special mediaportal version installed to be able to serve videos to htpc acting as frontend (also installed with mediaportal)?
4. can devices such as wd tv live also stream videos from the storage area sans mediaportal look and feel?

I don't use TV-server btw.

Thanks.

 

[darkside40]

I use unRaid for the Scenario you describe. In my case i have one unRaid Server that simple serves my Movies etc. via SMB (Samba) to my Mediaportal Client in the Livingroom. In the next months i will extend this to a second client in the bedroom. In my case the clients are Windows PC's because all of them will have there own TV Cards for watching satellite television.

To answer your questions:
1. Yes you can use unRaid or Freenas. I have chosen unRaid because of it's crashplan technology where you dont loose that much useable space. Only disadvantage, it cost's money if you want to use more than 3 HDD's and doesnt support 3TB disks till now. I didnt look further into freeNas and i am not sure about there Raid capabilities.
2. Integrated Graphics are enough, because that machine should only hold your data, and if you only plan to server your MP Clients or WD TV where no transcoding is require an Sempron, Atom or Brazos / Zarga CPU ist enough.
3. No need to have Mediaportal installed, because Mediaportal can get the data from any SMB Share.
4. I think the WD can also stream via SMB, cant tell you anything about the look and feel of that because i dont have one of them, because without TV tuner they are useles for me.

Hope that helps

 

[jang]

darkside40, Thank you for taking the time to answer the questions 1 by 1. It's all very clear now. Thanks.