NAS for noob advice please?

Jason56d

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I am just about to buy a new TV (has DNLA) which i want to stream direct from my desktop pc, and have a 2nd tv, a Samsung, in the kitchen which I can stream to at the moment by Allshare. I occasionally use my PS3 to stream to my main tv with PS3 Mediaserver.

Have BT Infinity and use 85mbps home plugs at the moment, 1 in lounge wired to TP Link 5 port Ethernet switch, then to SkyHD, PS3 and Wii. 85mbps home plug in kitchen to SKyHD at moment, but going to get another TP Link to link to TV as well.

Also have 2 other tv's in house that I am thinking of buying a Cyclone or similar for to be able to stream to those by home plugs as well.

Usually I put my media on my portable 500 GB HDD or USB stick and move them about as necessary.

Been waiting for the price of HDD to come down to a more sensible price (to me anyway) to upgrade my pc from 500GB to 2TB as I am fast running out of room.

But when looking the prices of 2TB drives, I noticed I could get something like this for £130.

http://www.ebuyer.com/283921-zyxel-nsa310-2tb-1x-2tb-nas-drive-91-016-007009b

Would this be what I need to stream to between 2-4 tv's and my pc? Also, is it any good? Does it stay on even when the pc is off? And importantly is it quiet?

Because my pc is in my office, which is the room next my bedroom, and the Mrs always moans when I have the pc on when she is in bed as it is quite loud. And to be fair it is!

I did think about building my own NAS from 3 old (6+ years) desktops that I have lying around, but by the time I cannibalism them and get a new large HDD, I would spend close to £130 anyway probably.

Am I correct in thinking that I have the correct bits in place, just need to get one of the above or similar? Or could someone recommend something similar for the same sort of price? would it benefit me getting 200mbps home plugs as well?

Anything else anyone can think of in easiest explainable terms as possible please!

I assume this is the same but with wifi? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Personal-Cl...1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1344430316&sr=1-4
 
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You can use a NAS to play media files. DNLA doesn't mean your tv will be able to play every type movie file directly from the NAS.

NSA310

You might need to put something like serviio on to it, so it can transcode movies.

Serviio • View topic - How do I install Serviio on a Zyxel NSA-310 ?

I leave my NAS on all the time, its not very noisy. Whether the network can cope with HD movies, I wouldn't know. You can always update home plugs at a later date.
 
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bubblegum57 said:
You can use a NAS to play media files. DNLA doesn't mean your tv will be able to play every type movie file directly from the NAS.

NSA310

You might need to put something like serviio on to it, so it can transcode movies.

Serviio • View topic - How do I install Serviio on a Zyxel NSA-310 ?

I leave my NAS on all the time, its not very noisy. Whether the network can cope with HD movies, I wouldn't know. You can always update home plugs at a later date.

Thanks. I am pretty sure that the tv I am getting, LG 47LM670, plays most types of file using its onboard player, so I would not need the NAS to transcode, only for storage.

My Samsung in the kitchen plays all the file types I currently use as well.

Will leave the 200 mbps home plugs until after it has been running for a while to see how the 85's handle it.

So now to decide between the WD or Zxyel as they are almost the same price.
 
thinking of buying a nas server.

what to get?

a synology ds212 or hp proliant nl40?
 
I have a ds212j. If you have space get the proliant. You can install xbmc, & it's upgradeable.
 
I don't want to install xbmc on proliant I already have a htpc for that I just need to know which 1 is the better as I don't want to have to keep I spending
 
I don't want to install xbmc on proliant I already have a htpc for that I just need to know which 1 is the better as I don't want to have to keep I spending

You didn't give any specifics, after I posted here, I saw you posted somehwere else.
As I said, if you have the space, the proliant would be better as you can upgrade if you want.
 
Yh I have a htpc just wanted a server for the sole purpose to serve my htpc with media. Which would be the Bette option though? The synology ds212 or hp proliant n40l?
 
Yh I have a htpc just wanted a server for the sole purpose to serve my htpc with media. Which would be the Better option though? The synology ds212 or hp proliant n40l? ..
 
Thanks mate I have checked specs before just wanted an opinion from someone who knows their servers which one I should opt for
 
iceman1207 said:
Thanks mate I have checked specs before just wanted an opinion from someone who knows their servers which one I should opt for..

IMO opinion it is unfair to compare the two. Synology offers a complete solution. With HP you get hardware at an unbeatable price, but you still need an operating system. As your client is an xbmc htpc you don't require the flexibility that the HP microserver offers. IMO the Synology is better suited to your needs.
 
And mine? Original op question?
 
Jason56d said:
And mine? Original op question?

The HP microserver with WHS as the operating system.
It offers complete flexibility with enough power to transcode video on the fly for your PS3. I use serviio for my Samsung and Sony players, but you could use your current s/w media servers.
You may have heard that WHS is being discontinued by Microsoft. This is NOT because there is anything wrong with WHS.
IMO avoid using RAID, it is not required in a home setup, adds an unnecessary level of complexity and most importantly gives a false sense of security. Far better to use extra disks for backups.
 

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