3 Simple Steps to Create a Home Media Server
The
Lenovo IdeaCenter D400 is a media server that can transmit your movies,
photos and more from your PC to your TV. It costs around $500 -- but
you can build one yourself. (Lenovo)
Streaming video and
audio from the Web is now commonplace. Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, Spotify
and other services make it simple to watch or listen to what you want
when you want.
You don't even need a computer. Most services have
apps for smartphones and tablets. Many newer TVs are Internet enabled,
so they can stream online video and audio with no extra gear.
For
non-Internet TVs, you can grab an Apple TV or Roku box for $100 or less
and plug it in. You might already have a Wii U, Xbox 360 or PlayStation
3. These all include media streaming.
Google's new $35
Chromecast takes a different approach. It plugs in to your TV via HDMI
and connects to your Wi-Fi network. You can stream online video from
your smartphone or tablet, or the Chrome browser on PC and Mac, right to
the TV.
That's all fine for bringing in outside media, but what
about media already in your home? You might have a collection of music
that isn't on any service. You probably have thousands of photos. Don't
forget any home videos or purchased movies you have on your hard drive.
How do you bring these to your TV? You could just connect your computer directly and use the TV like a monitor.
Of
course, that doesn't help you stream to mobile gadgets. And you might
already have a streaming box plugged in to your TV. Who needs more
clutter in your entertainment center?
There's another solution: Set up a home media server.
Don't let the name intimidate you; it's actually not that hard once you know how. And that's what I'm going to tell you.
There are three things you need for this to work.
1. A media server to stream content
2. A fast home network to carry the content
3. Gadgets to receive and display the content
Let's
start with the server. A server is just a computer that stores and
shares information. Any computer can be a server. You could use your
existing home computer or an unused older computer you have sitting
around.
If you're just serving photos or audio, you don't need a
high-end system. Almost any Windows Vista or 7 machine will do fine.
Just make sure the computer's hard drive is large enough to hold
everything.
As a side note, I know people still have Windows XP
computers at home or sitting in a closet. I wouldn't use that. Most of
the software I'm going to talk about won't work as well on it. Plus,
Microsoft is dropping support for XP in less than a year. At that point,
no one should be running XP.
For streaming video, you'll want a something a bit newer. It should really run Windows 7 and have 4 gigabytes of RAM.
Once
you have the hardware, you need software. There are some paid options
out there like Pogoplug PC ($30) and PlayOn ($40 a year, $25 a year on
sale). These make it simple to stream your media to mobile gadgets and
other compatible electronics. Plus, they include plenty of other online
media sources.
However, there are free options as well, such as
Orb and Plex. When I say "free," I mean the computer-based streaming
software. Additional hardware and apps will cost some money.
For
example, Orb has hardware you can plug into your stereo ($79 per unit)
and TV ($99 per unit). The Orb software detects these automatically,
making streaming simple.
I should point out that Orb is the only service with an easy solution for stereos. So, if that's what you're after, start there.
Orb
can stream to other hardware, like a video game console and some
streaming gadgets. Orb also has apps for smartphones and tablets. You
can watch your media on your home network or on the go.
If you're looking for the most powerful system, however, check out Plex.
You
download the Plex Media Center for free and install it on your
computer. It works on PC, Mac, Linux and some standalone network
attached storage (NAS) units.
Plex organizes your media and
streams it wherever you want. It has apps for iOS, Android, Windows 8,
Roku, Internet-enabled LG and Samsung TVs, and Google TV. These apps
range from free to $5, depending on the gadget. Of course, Plex also
streams to newer video game consoles.
Then there's the free
myPlex service. This streams your content to a smartphone or tablet on
the go. It even streams to an Internet browser on any computer. You can
use it to share photos and videos with friends and family. Not a bad
deal.
The one drawback to Plex is that it can be a little harder
to set up than some other systems. However, every new version makes it
easier, and it's free. So, there's no harm in giving it a try.
A media server doesn't work if you can't send the information anywhere. You need a network.
Any
wired network set up in the last 10 years is going to be fast enough
for streaming media. For wireless, however, you really need an 802.11n
router. This has the speed, range and signal strength you need for
streaming media.
An older 802.11g router could work if you're
only doing a little streaming here and there. However, you might find
your network bogging down very quickly.
Then, of course, you need
gadgets on the other end to receive and display the media. I mentioned
most of them already: mobile gadgets, streaming video gadgets, video
game consoles, and so forth.
Given the number of gadgets out there, this can seem overwhelming. How do you know what works and what doesn't?
Start by listing what gear you already own. Then compare it to what each streaming service says is compatible.
When you do this, you might find you already have the gear you need. That's thanks to DLNA.
DLNA
stands for Digital Living Network Alliance. It's a set of standards
built into many network-connected electronics. DLNA makes it easy for
various gadgets to communicate and do just this kind of thing. There is a
certification system, so DLNA-compatible electronics will list it as a
feature in the manual.
Any DLNA gadget should be able to receive
streaming media from your server. That includes many TVs, Blu-ray
players and audio receivers.
That's enough to get you started on your media-streaming project. Have fun!