Cheap media server setup?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Fairly simple/archaic setup at home, but I'd like to have some sort of media server where I could copy on all my DVDs and CDs to be served quickly and easily without rifling through hundreds of discs.

As I say, no 5.1 or HD requirements or anything (just using a simple Philips widescreen CRT and 2 channel Arcam setup).

My brother used to use an old XBox which had been flashed with some new firmware, connected to a server somewhere.

Is my best bet an ebay Xbox and one of those netserver things with a big hard disc?

[Austin3000]

Not sure of your budget but I use a HP MediaSmart Server and a PS3.

Will stream music and SD video to PS3 over wireless and if you connect over gigabit ethernet you can stream 1080p video. MediaSmart server is fully DLNA compliant and a lot of the newer model TV's coming out can play media over DLNA too.

If you want to add access in another room just buy another PS3!

Its not the cheapest option granted but gives you much more than some far more expensive setups.

Plus you get a games machine and blue ray player...

[NiceCupOfTea]

Budget is less than that! 1-200 quid maybe? Was thinking a second hand Xbox and a cheap network hard disk?

[Austin3000]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Budget is less than that! 1-200 quid maybe? Was thinking a second hand Xbox and a cheap network hard disk?

Ah - you would need approx £700 for my suggestion.

Take a look here though, Stuff website have a round up of devices that sound like what your after.

http://stuff.tv/News/Digital-video-streaming-5-of-...

[Nimbus]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Budget is less than that! 1-200 quid maybe? Was thinking a second hand Xbox and a cheap network hard disk?

yepp, an xbox, ( running xbmc ) and a networked hard disk would be perfect for what you want.

That's exactly what I use, but with a more expensive Raid array NAS, and powerline networking plugs, so my NAS lives in a cupboard nice and quietly out of the way..

Easily doable for £100ish.

ebay xbox £25
xbmc patching kit £10
500Gb HD and cheap NAS caddy £60
crossover network cable, ( unless you are using a hub ), to directly connect xbox to nas £5

Converting the xbox to xbmc takes about 15 minutes the first time you do it, but its simple and there are good instructions on the net.
The latest versions of xbmc runs 'everything', looks pretty much like media center, and as long as you dont want HD, or to drive a fancy 40inch plasma, is pretty much perfect.

Best of all, if you try it, and dont like it, you can almost certainly get 90% of your cash back by reselling the converted xbox back on ebay..

Ask if you want to know more, but it really is very easy to do

[NiceCupOfTea]

Thanks chaps