So I got some of the collection stored on the network. It's pretty cool being able to watch stuff on different PCs throughout the house. I need a wifi TV now.
A networked household is indeed interesting. It gets even crazier when you start streaming live desktops from one device to another.
It actually flummoxes me that everyone is getting so Cloud obsessed when we finally are getting to local network wireless speeds that can support heavy home network traffic (like video). My MacPro acts more like a server then it does a personal computer these days.
For the TV you may want to consider one of the little boxes out there these days. The advantage for attaching an extra box is that you can hook up that functionality to other devices as needed. Best example would be if you rent a projector for an evenings large screen movie watching at a birthday party or the like. Hook up the box and now your projector has acess to your networked content. The other advantage is if you really want a feature update (say when 802.11ae takes off) you can replace the box for a lower cost then replacing the TV.
It actually flummoxes me that everyone is getting so Cloud obsessed when we finally are getting to local network wireless speeds that can support heavy home network traffic (like video). My MacPro acts more like a server then it does a personal computer these days.
I tested the network last night and it looks like we're good to go. So, yeah, I don't intend to store my data up in the clouds. My ultimate goal is to acquire an external "cradle" for two or three 1-1.5 TB drives. Then, I can just hook up the cradle to whatever box I have at X-time. I'm kinda done with internal drives at this point.
For the TV you may want to consider one of the little boxes out there these days. The advantage for attaching an extra box is that you can hook up that functionality to other devices as needed. Best example would be if you rent a projector for an evenings large screen movie watching at a birthday party or the like. Hook up the box and now your projector has acess to your networked content. The other advantage is if you really want a feature update (say when 802.11ae takes off) you can replace the box for a lower cost then replacing the TV.
I've considered a dedicated media box, but I'm not real keen to shell out for Win 7. I know I can use an old copy of Win XP or even a free version of Linux Mint (curse you, Samba), but even so... I guess one thing that would make that tolerable was if I installed a blu-ray player.
Cloud service isn't being rolled out for the techno geek. It's for the masses. People using Android tablets and Ipads, and smartphones. And they have one advantage that you don't with your overpriced media box.
I don't listen to music or watch movies on the go, certainly not to the extent that I need my entire collection ready to roll.
I have 16gb of music on my DX and that's more than enough to keep me busy in the car.
Why do I want to store my data up in the clouds where I'm reasonably sure it is not secure. Why wouldn't I want my data on a local disk, where I am reasonably sure it is secure?
They can access their music WHEREVER they can get a wireless connection.
Screw wireless; nothing will ever beat a hard-wire connection in terms of speed. And when I'm at McDonald's (which is freaking never) I'm not stting alone, rather I'm with someone and I probably want to interact with them.
Lazar X - kindly see yourself out of the topic.
I've considered a dedicated media box, but I'm not real keen to shell out for Win 7. I know I can use an old copy of Win XP or even a free version of Linux Mint (curse you, Samba), but even so... I guess one thing that would make that tolerable was if I installed a blu-ray player.
Actually the point of the little settop boxes isn't to host the media but to be another access point. I did get my iPad to play remote screen with Splashtop during a party and piped in some live footage from my tower as everyone was interested in seeing/trying Skyrim but not every had it yet. It's not always convenient to plop a tower down in a rather small living room and hook it to the screen. Again the advantage is the box can be connected to any "screen" and/or replaced at a lower cost then a whole panel.
Ya a MacPro is overkill as a basic media server, but then again it's just basic media server... just more frequently then it was two years ago.
I'm using my old Adam tablet as my media hub. Even though it only has a 1 GHz processor it can handle all of my media server needs. If the Adam ever fails I'll just switch the media hub duties to my PS3 or X-Box 360.