Talk To Me About Big Storage

Irish_Tom

Irish_Tom

Irish_Tom

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18 Oct 2002
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15,177
Lo all,

I've been struggling with this question for some time and just when I think I've got the answer, I find a hole in my argument and end up back at square one.

Essentially I want a lot of expandable storage to save music and films, backups and general data. I have a large iTunes Library which I intend to expand but I've maxed out my current space (external HDD, Time Capsule and laptop HDD). I would also like to be able to watch all of my HD content on my TV and rent HD movies from the iTunes store.

It seems the only way I can do the latter is with an Apple TV. This is fine, except the ATV requires another computer with iTunes running at the same time to stream content. I already have too much video content to fit on an ATV and apparently you can't just keep the iTunes Library on an external HDD and link to it from there.

So if I want an ATV then I'll need a dedicated machine as well to manage the iTunes Library. It would make sense for this machine to house all of my storage. However, the only solution I can think of is a Mac Pro with a RAID card and unless I'm otherwise mistaken, you can't expand a RAID array ad-hoc without re-building the array each time you add a new drive. This solution will be very expensive as I'll have to buy all of the Hard drives up front and a Mac Pro!

This leads me to think something like a Drobo Pro would be the answer: it's got huge storage capabilities which can be upgraded over time but I'd still need a separate computer to manage the iTunes library that's stored on the Drobo, probably a Mac Mini. This solution is also expensive and it's adding a third device into the mix which I would like to avoid.

Option 3 is a Linux-based self-build, using something like FreeNAS – I could put together a base unit fairly cheaply, it would allow me to expand the HDD space over time but it wouldn't be a native Apple environment and I'm not 100% I could get iTunes working on it. This option would also take the most man-hours to implement. One of the reasons I moved over to Apple was for an easy life where I wouldn't have fudge around with hardware and OS installs.

The final option is to go and buy a 4TB external HDD. However, it will be expensive, and I imagine I will fill this by this time next year. I'll also still need a computer to run iTunes.

Can anyone suggest a solution? There must be a happy medium for everything I want to do. I'm starting to lose the will to live with this one.
 
Put a Mac Mini under your telly with Plex or Front Row and have a Drobo hanging off it?

Or does that not support renting stuff through iTunes, I'm not sure?

You could also put something like Boxee on the ATV and connect a Drobo directly to it, that might be an option.
 
Wow fast reply! :) Cheers Feek.

Can you get HD film rentals through Plex though? Also, all of my video content has been purchased through iTunes, doesn't Plex had to open FrontRow in order to play iTunes content?
 
Ermm im not all to clever on this things but how about just sticking a mac mini or itx box werever and just have the drobo/external hdd plugged in and run all your things as you do now through itunes on the mac or am i missing something lol?
Then using a keyboard with a built in touchpad?
 
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The problem is that Apple, in their infinite wisdom, see fit to withhold HD films from those of us without an Apple TV. an ATV would also help as it has HDMI so I wouldn't need additional cables.

However, add an ATV on top of a Mini and a Drobo and you're talking about a lot of £££ and yet another device next to / under the TV.

It's just getting a bit overkill for what essentially should be quite an easy thing to achieve.

I could always build a Windows server and run a copy of iTunes on that, but again, I'd rather not have to faff about with a new build and Windows/Linux.

I might be being a bit fussy but I know what I want. :p
 
Boxee will allow you to connect external storage direct to the AppleTV and use that for your media library. It also leaves the existing capabilities of the AppleTV in place so you still have the full functionality of the device.
 
Just a quick question about Boxee – Does it allow you access iTunes DRM video content on the networked drive? From what I've read about it, it can only access non DRM content. Can it find the networked video files and then play them through the ATV player?
 
Think I've found a potential solution (although it's not ideal).

I'm now thinking of building a HTPC/NAS box which will do everything I'm looking for (except renting iTunes HD content) all in one single solution. It should be cheaper too.

The only issues I'm having at the moment is that it seems iTunes 9 doesn't like Windows Home Server and I'm not sure if Windows 7 does the same HDD management as WHS. Also, I'm not sure about a front-end to use it all with. I could go with XBMC but just like my initial Boxee question, I'm not sure if it will run the iTunes DRM content. <sigh>.

Nothing is ever simple is it!
 
Can't you hook a Drobo up to your existing desktop Mac and leave that on?

If not, I'd go with the three box solution - Drobo + Mac Mini + Apple TV. I've been really impressed with my Drobo. I leave it attached to my PC and it has no problems streaming music and video to my Apple TV. I've currently got 3.4TB of redundant data storage and it's good to know that I can expand on that with zero hassle in the future.
 
Panzerbjorn said:
Wow fast reply! :) Cheers Feek.

Can you get HD film rentals through Plex though? Also, all of my video content has been purchased through iTunes, doesn't Plex had to open FrontRow in order to play iTunes content?
Click to expand...
Plex can play your purchases via Front Row inside Plex.

Once you finish watching the film it will resume the Plex UI (it never closes to desktop, just a fade to black).

Not sure why you'd want an Apple TV when you could just as easily use the money on rentals for a proper rental service like Lovefilm.

EDIT: I have Mac Mini + DroboPro
 
Tunney said:
Can't you hook a Drobo up to your existing desktop Mac and leave that on?

If not, I'd go with the three box solution - Drobo + Mac Mini + Apple TV. I've been really impressed with my Drobo. I leave it attached to my PC and it has no problems streaming music and video to my Apple TV. I've currently got 3.4TB of redundant data storage and it's good to know that I can expand on that with zero hassle in the future.
Click to expand...

I currently only have a MBP, otherwise your first suggestion would be a good one. The three-box solution is a possibility but it's the most expensive (by a stretch) and seems like a bit of a waste of a Mac Mini when really all it would be doing is directing content from the NAS to the ATV.

EVH said:
Plex can play your purchases via Front Row inside Plex.
Once you finish watching the film it will resume the Plex UI (it never closes to desktop, just a fade to black).

Not sure why you'd want an Apple TV when you could just as easily use the money on rentals for a proper rental service like Lovefilm.

EDIT: I have Mac Mini + DroboPro
Click to expand...

The ATV appeals for a few reasons: it's got HDMI out, HD rentals, it's small and as all of my media is iTunes based so I don't need other codecs etc.

The downside is, it needs a computer on at all times to stream content and I have far to much content to fit on a poxy 160GB hard drive.

As far as rentals goes, I'm too impatient for Lovefilm and too lazy to leave the house to go to Blockbuster. I don't have a Blu-Ray player (don't really need one) so currently the only HD content I can get is over the web.

If Apple would either allow HD downloads through normal macs rather than just the ATV/iPad or if they would allow the ATV to stream from a NAS running an iTunes server I wouldn't have this stupid dilemma on my hands.

It really is quite frustrating.
 
I don't know how this would work for you, but I do the following.

iMac gets connected to TV through a MiniDisplay Port adapter/with usb audio plugged through HDMI.

I then run plex as an external monitor and play all my films etc through it from the comfort of my settee with the apple remote. Got a 15m HDMI cable running along the skirting board.
 
The Mac Mini does HDMI out via a Mini-Display Port -> HDMI adaptor.

That's how I run my Pioneer 60" plasma :D
 
It would be a good solution if I didn't want HD movies.

Although it's far from elegant requiring a MDP>HDMI adaptor (not the end of the world I appreciate).

Otherwise, with both alternatives, there's an extra device for a very minimal task. Either the Mac Mini is forwarding media to the ATV or the ATV is only used for HD films.

I'm not happy with either of the above solutions, especially as I'm not made of money.
 
The reason I chose the Mac Mini over the ATV is you can use the Mini as a real machine when it's not in media centre mode.

I know what you're saying but you either a) pay money b) stop being lazy and rent films the proper way ;)

Mini-Displayport is HDMI without the audio, so it's merely a pinthrough adaptor.

minidisplayporttohdmico.jpg
 
The thing is, I don't need a real machine. The Mini would never be anything but a media server because I've got my laptop for that.

I know you can mini-display>HDMI and you can even get that cable which does audio into HDMI as well as the video. It just seems like a much of a muchness.

It's not just the added expense of another box, it's the extra power it will need and the extra device under the TV.

I know it sounds like I'm being fussy but I don't think it's really asking for that much. The only sensible option I can see is a Windows based box but I'm far from happy about the prospect.

also with regards to renting – A Mini still wouldn't do HD renting because it cant play Blu-Ray.
 
Skully said:
Hang on, you're saying a £40 cable is an unneccessary expense but you'd be willing to buy a windows PC? o_O
Click to expand...

Where did you get that idea? Did Steve tell you that? :p

That's not what I'm saying at all. It wouldn't be £40 for a cable, it would be £40 for a cable and £510 for a Mac Mini and you're looking at £550 not £40. Add that to the £1000 for a DroboPro and £223 for an ATV. (that takes into account a single 2TB WD Green HDD to start with for the DroboPro)

Over £1700 plus an extra device, just to do the job of a NAS and an ATV seems a little ridiculous. Especially when you consider that I could build a NAS/HTPC for about £500.

Are you so made of money that you can afford to triple your costs just the get the functionality you want?

I love the Apple products I own and I'm prepared to pay their premiums because by-and-large, I'm able to do what I want to do without the hassles of Windows based computing.

However, in this instance Apple are withholding fairly basic services for reasons I can't fathom. As a result I'm having to resort to alternative solutions.
 
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