Media Server/HTPC help!

Bahumat

Bahumat

Bahumat

Associate
Joined
12 Jan 2011
Posts
22
Hi all,

I was hoping someone could help me with a little project. I know what I want, but I'm unsure on how to achieve it.

I have attached a picture showing the idea in my head as I struggle to explain it with words...but here goes!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86404740/Home Setup.jpg

My PC is connected to the router in my bedroom. My aim is to have a folder on my PC which is shared and monitored via another machine. I think the most suitable piece of hardware for this is a HTPC, however please post your suggestions :)

My aim is to have a small, quiet machine in the lounge which is connected to the TV. This device will have something like VLC installed so it can play any media file, then push that signal onto the TV. I guess HDMI is the best method.

The machine (lets just call it HTPC to make life easier) will have an internal hard drive, but this is not used to store the media. This means something like a 32GB or 64GB SSD would be ideal as it only needs to hold the OS and a few programs.

I will have an external hard drive plugged into the HTPC. The idea is the HTPC will store data onto this external drive.
====================================
Side Notes

The router, PC, TV cannot change rooms. I currently use a Buffalo Nfiniti Wireless-N Dual Band Etherner Converter which would allow the HTPC and XBOX etc to have a connection.

You might think, why not get a Raspberry Pi and just stream from your PC upstairs to the Pi. I do not think this would be suitable due to the wireless speed. The plan is to wait X minutes for the files to transfer onto the HTPC, then play them without any lag etc.

The reason I want to use a portable hdd to store the media is for when I go to friends etc. I can just unplug the drive and plug it directly into their TV. Ok I won't have the VLC functionality, but I don't mind. Most of my files run on TV's via USB anyway.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
 
Hi Badcompany,

Although that is an option, I purchased the Buffalo Nfiniti Wireless-N Dual Band Ethernet Converter (about a year ago) to get round that part of the puzzle. If I did purchase a power line adapter I still have the same issue.

My plan is to download legal torrent files onto a folder on my PC. The HTPC will monitor this folder whilst running the torrent client and download the files. This way I do not have to have the PC switched on once the download starts on the HTPC.
 
Surely it would be easier to put a large hard drive in your htpc and share this on your network so that you download torrents from your pc straight on to the drive of the htpc. Seems a lot simpler and you won't have to keep adding and removing files. You could build the HTPC with low enough power components that it could idle and use little power or even go to sleep and wake up on pan when you want to download files to it. You could also het your HTPC a tv tuner so that it can record TV on to its own hard drive.

You can build a nearly silent system with hard drives in if you choose the right drives. I have a WD Red 3tb in my home server and its pretty damn quiet.

You could theoretically do what you want to do but it does seem much more complicated.
 
Hi Wildman_33. Maybe I did not explain it well enough :( I plan to use the main PC to click on the torrent files I want to download (the 1kb seed files or whatever they are called). They go into a folder. The HTPC monitors this folder and then uses its own torrent program to download straight to the external drive plugged in to the HTPC

The reason I want to use an external drive is so I can take it to friends houses and plug into their TV etc.
 
I am looking at those Zotac machines at the moment. I was unsure what other good brands were available for this sort of thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom