Share your setup - media server/small form pc

Kemik

Kemik

Kemik

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Joined
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Hi guys,

I've just moved into my own home and have the TV setup in front of the sofa with my surround sound amp next to it and then a small form PC next to that. The problem is it makes the area look messy. Eventually I will all mount the TV and close off the Besta Ikea unit I have the TV sitting on.

I previously used the small form PC for gaming on the TV (don't have a separate monitor) but now a-days it is mainly used to manage my TV show and movie collection. I also have a PS3 hooked up for USB media and blu-rays.

With the view of minimising the amount of boxes on show near my TV, I was wondering if you could share your setups for similar arrangements. For example;
- Do you keep the box in a separate room and stream to something like raspbmc that is attached to the TV? If so, how do you manage the PC and downloading? VNC using a tablet?
- Did you minimise the media server as much as possible and hide it somewhere directly attached to the TV/amp?

Thanks

Note: I realise there is a dedicated "share your HiFi setup" thread but this is more about media management than surround sound, tv, etc.
 
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I have a server in the cellar, which is a standard, cheap (£20) mATX case with an 1155 based motherboard and dual core processor, and ~7TB of storage, running Windows Home Server 2011

Underneath the TV in the living room, I have an ATX HTPC case, a Yamaha AV receiver and my B&W LCR60 centre speaker, which fills my Ikea unit.

IMG_4156.jpg


Since that photo, I've changed the software from Windows 7 Media Centre to Windows 8.1 with XBMC.

The HTPC is water-cooled (radiator mounted behind the TV) and running an SSD, and it is essentially inaudible from the seating position. The noisy hard drives are in the server in the cellar.

The server is maintained (when needed) by using TeamViewer from another machine. Downloads are handled automatically using applications like Sickbeard and CouchPotato.
 
I was quite lucky with our new house that we had a big cupboard in our hallway that falls directly behind the TV.

Was using the N54L with 12TB storage in the photo for a XBMC media player, but since this photo moved everything into a bigger more powerful system to playback Stereoscopic 3D movies.

I control everything in the cupboard through the wall using a Logitech Harmony Ultimate.

Also got 2-3 Cat 6 and one HDMI cable running for this cupboard to each room in the house.

9fmjvn.jpg


10e3t47.jpg
 
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As above -old pc in the garage (E8200, 4gb ram, P35 board, ATI 5450 card) with 7tb of storage. Hooked up to my (currently dead) Onkyo 609 reciever, streams everything using XBMC to my system in my cinema/office room. So no sound issues etc.

Also used for backups, itunes server for various logitech boxes' around the house for music etc.

Use my main pc to remote access server if needed and teamviewer if away from the house.
 
Thanks for the responses so far guys. It sounds like ferrying the box off to the spare room and networking it to a slave in the living room running Plex or similar is the best bet.

Considering I need a back-up option for my photography (currently don't have one at all... oops!) and something to automatically download items as required, I need to weigh up between getting a basic NAS and running my current media server on 24/7 or getting something that achieves both purposes. Wonder how much my media server would cost to run 24/7... Seems a bit of an overkill at the minute with its spec and no gaming.
 
Kemik said:
Thanks for the responses so far guys. It sounds like ferrying the box off to the spare room and networking it to a slave in the living room running Plex or similar is the best bet.

Considering I need a back-up option for my photography (currently don't have one at all... oops!) and something to automatically download items as required, I need to weigh up between getting a basic NAS and running my current media server on 24/7 or getting something that achieves both purposes. Wonder how much my media server would cost to run 24/7... Seems a bit of an overkill at the minute with its spec and no gaming.
Click to expand...

I put a power meter on my N54L and it runs around 30-55w depending on load. As mentioned in my earlier post I am now using a different system for XBMC which I have added SSD, so I can turn it on and off quickly when I want it.
 
My server tends to run around the <50w mark, but to have it instantly available to any PC within the house (and those outside it, too!) is more than worth it for me.

I would say that I TeamViewer into the server on average a couple of times per month, other than that, it just runs in the background and just works.

Keep your back-end storage solution and you front-end viewing solution separate, IMO :)
 
Im running my server with WHS 2011. Hardware is Athlon 4850e dual core, 4GB RAM and 6x2TB WD green drives. Basically it runs metabrowser in the background to scrape metadata automatically. Also shuts down to hibernate in the day when im at work and overnight so its not on when I don't need it to save power. Components were chosen for efficiency rather than brute power, runs <60W loaded and at some point I vaguely worked out worst case this was £15/year or something in electricity - nothing basically.

My HTPC is running windows 7, TMT5 and mediabrowser. Core2 duo E5600 I think @3.6Ghz, 2GB RAM, 32GB corsair SSD and 250GB 2.5" HDD for buffering TV. Dual TV tuner card. Blu-Ray/HDDVD Drive. This one is basically set up for quick booting and silence.

Works really well, even the Mrs loves how nicely it all works despite her initial "what the hell is the point of all this" type comments.

Hawker
 
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Confused, are you using a standard rad, just mounted outside of the av stand or a 'proper' external rad? I want to do something similar with my setup. Pump/res/rad outside of the cabinet with just the tubing running into the PC.
 
Just a standard 360 rad, attached with a couple of small right-angle brackets from B&Q or somewhere similar.

IMG_4155.jpg


I've since added a 6970 to it, and changed the CPU to a QX9650, and added a couple more fans, all running at ~600rpm. But the single fan was fine for the Q6600 and 8800GT I had previously.
 
Very simple setup but has worked pretty much flawlessly for a year or so now

PulseEight pre built media PC running OPENELEC off a USB thumb drive hooked up to 12tb of storage.

 
I have a HP micro server hidden in the dining room connected to my av amp in the living room via a 10m HDMI cable.
The server runs windows 8.1 and boots directly into xbmc and is 100% controlled via yatse app on my tablet.
Its all pretty wife friendly well looks wise anyway, she hasn't a clue how to use it :)
 
HP microserver in the garage running ubuntu, with 24port switch and full cat6 around house. Intel nucs in living room and bedroom running Linux (one Ubuntu, one openelec), both controlled via TV remotes and b USB Cec (pulse eight USB hdmi Cec adaptors) .
 
HP Microserver (12TB storage) next to my main PC in backroom with shares enabled and Plex running.

Chromecast setup in the living and controlled via tablet/laptop. (Stream content from my microserver via Plex)

HTPC in my bedroom running W8 & XBMC controlled via tablet and yatse app. Connected via 20m Cat6 cable to downstairs.

Simple setup but works great for me.
 
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I've got a AMD E450 server running Windows Home Server with 4x2tb hard drives in the backroom along with a 240gb SSD for the OS. I need to add a couple more drives to it as i'm hitting capacity. It runs 24/7 as its used at various times of the day depending on who's at home.

I tend to rip cd's/movies on my laptop and then transfer them over to the server over the network (wifi only as the network port on my laptop is broken)

This streams to the following

HTPC in the front room which is completely silent and boots in around 10 seconds. It runs XBMC and Windows 8.
Acer Revo in the bedroom also running Windows 8 and XBMC
Various Logitech Squeezebox's dotted around the house
Both of the kids laptops/computers
My Google Nexus tablet.

EDIT: Streaming to both HTPC's is done via 500mb Homeplugs, everything else is wireless.
 
Marvt74 said:
I've got a AMD E450 server running Windows Home Server with 4x2tb hard drives in the backroom along with a 240gb SSD for the OS. I need to add a couple more drives to it as i'm hitting capacity. It runs 24/7 as its used at various times of the day depending on who's at home
Click to expand...

Do you run those 2tb hard drives in RAID?

Might be cheaper for me to take my current box, which already has a SSD and 1TB drive, remove the 1TB drive and install two 2TB drives. Would I need a RAID controller in that case? I only want them mirrored.

Setting it up as a time machine backup might be difficult in this case though.
 
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