help building media server

[flexo786]

hi
not sure if this is the correct forums so if its not can mods please move it to the correct one.

now at the moment ive got about 1tb worth of videos on a hard drive. this includes iso backups of my dvds and also avi and mkv files. id like to access these from my ps3 and other pcs around the house. reading around it seems i need to build a media server but at the moment im not sure where to start. can anyone point me in the right direction regarding what i need and what os to look at

 

[theheyes]

I'm also thinking of this route, as I have a PS3 too.

My main hurdle is the network, currently on wireless g and looking into powerline adapters.

As for the server there are many options from off-the-shelf Windows Home Servers, NAS boxes with built in server software and DIY linux boxes. It really depends on how much you want to tinker.

At this moment in time, I'm looking at running Windows XP on an Intel Atom/Gigabyte motherboard combo. This won't suit everyone as the motherboard is a bit limited but it's fine for what I need it for and has low power consumption which I'm more concerned about. Rest of the specs are 2nd hand case, borrowed optical drive (not needed after windows install), 1GB ram (only one slot on mobo) and whatever disk storage I can connect to two sata ports. I'm hoping to build it for < £200 not inc. OS.

On this system I plan to import my media to WMP11 which seems to play nicely with the PS3 (already tested it but the slow wifi lets it down, hence looking into wired) and also set up some shared folders that I can point my other PC's to so that they have a remote backup space. I'll also get it running an instance of iTunes and throw all my music into it. It will be headless and chucked into the loft so I'll be VNCing into it to manage it.

Whether all your media files will play nicely with WMP I don't know, you'll have to find out. I'm also still at the "thinking about" stage and don't plan to part with any cash for a good few months so if anyone spots an obvious flaw in my plan please let me know.

edit - there is a WHS thread you may want to look at if you can find it.