Need help with deciding...NAS or HTPC?
#16
Will it be able to handle 2 hd movies playing at the same time?
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#17
ignore what i said above. Change of plan. I'm going to keep a pc for directly watching a movie in 1 room. However i will give shared access to a player such as Apple TV or WDTV live.

Here is my new layout (somewhat less confusing, lol):-

Image
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#18
Alright, so could you please state which questions, out of your original, remains?
HTPC: LibreELEC 7 on Shuttle XS35GTv2 & Raspberry Pi 3
NAS: NAS4Free 2x 3TB Raid1
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#19
since im going to use a pc to watch movies, i want to have a simple setup for family to use. currently the pc has win7 and xbmc. i want the pc to:-

1. quickly boot up using least resources and load to a locked down xbmc.

2. be able to accept files i send from upstairs pc when transferring.

3. be able to auto download and categorise files in the relevent folders

4. be used like a nas to share files around the network
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#20
Sorry for the delayed reply. I have been doing the rj45 wiring from the upstairs office pc to the downstairs super hub. I've got to do it bit-by-bit to avoid too much mess. I still have a little bit more to do, so that should be sorted by tomorrow.

Right! To make life easier, lets just forget that we are going to have a 2nd media player such as apple or WDTV or DLNA...For now lets ONLY concentrate on the HTPC which will be downstairs for the family to watch movies.

I want to have a simple setup for family to use. currently the pc has win7 and XBMC. I want the pc to:-

1. quickly boot up using least resources and load to a chosen media interface, which is very easy to use by the family.

2. be able to accept files i send from upstairs pc when transferring.

3. be able to auto download and categorise files in the relevant folders

4. be used like a nas to share files around the network

5. be locked down, so when I'm not around, kids can't suddenly delete everything.
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#21
Have you actually moved away from the initial questin (NAS or HTPC?) or are you just a little confused still (no irony in the statement, just want to help)?

Anyhow, let's get the basics straight:

Media player/HTPC
  • Provides playback of media
  • Does not need necessarily provide any kind of storage
  • Can be turned on-off/suspended-awakened freely, as the user is at the machine when it's needed
NAS or File/media server
  • Difference is mainly if it's based on a full OS or not, what they have in common is the function to share files across a network, hence "Network Attached Storage" (as opposite to computer attached)
  • Technically, a NAS has some kind of OS, but it's usually in the form of what could (simplified) be referred to as Firmware, i.e. an OS and file sharing application bundled. A NAS can basically only do one thing, namely share files, although some NAS software for DIY hardware may have more features
  • A server is based on a full OS and can have multiple roles outside of file sharing. If you share a folder on your office computer, it basically turns it into a "server" (and the computer fetching the file thus a client). The term server is however usually referring to a machine which is configured to exclusively provide one or more server only roles.
  • A full fledge computer running file sharing software (Unraid, FreeNAS) or a Windows computer sharing files over the network can be seen as a kind of hybrid, since the former are more competent than the over the counter consumer/SoHo NAS's (ReadyNAS, Qnap etc)
  • In addition to it's file serving role, many/most NAS/servers also provide various kinds of data reliability, most often by various implementations of RAID (also see unRAID, which is quite popular in the XBMC community)
  • NAS's and servers typically need to be powered on 24/7, since one wants to be access them from any computer on the network, without having to walk over to the machine for power on and then also wait for boot
For various reasons, people do however choose to build a combined machine for data storage and HTPC, but unless it also shares files to other computers/HTPCs on a network, that's then rather a combined HTPC and local storage machine, than HTPC and NAS/file server.

In my view, there's only one way to go if wanting to do it properly, namely separate playback from file storage. That allows for a low power, small size HTPC (which may lack storage capacity altogehter and boot from a USB, or take the shape of a WDTV or ATV) which can also be turned off/suspended when not in use. A NAS or file server then provides file access and streaming to one or more playback devices, allowing for good flexibility.

If I were you, and since you already seem to have the cabling in place, I'd buy and set up a low power HTPC in the living room and lounge and a NAS or server in the office. Heck, data reliability aside, you could just slam an extra HDD into your office PC, set up a shared folder and be done with it part 1.
HTPC: LibreELEC 7 on Shuttle XS35GTv2 & Raspberry Pi 3
NAS: NAS4Free 2x 3TB Raid1
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#22
Hi mate,

I was originally going to get rid of the htpc (50watts) and buy a nas (20-40watts) due to power consumption costs, but i realised that i'd be spending more on very little benefits and will end up with a limited system. So i had an idea...keep the pc, use it as a media player for the living room and share the folders via the network to allow players like "wdtv/apple/low power pc" to play the files in the lounge. Also my upstairs pc can connect too and send files downstairs as i wish. Would this idea not work?

So to answer your question, i want to use the PC as a hybrid.

I know what your saying, but its just the costs of buying everything. So my concern for now is somehow make the HTPC as an easy to use media machine for the family, whilst still giving me access from anywhere in the house to it's folders. So i don't want them to be able to browse net, view folders....only media/movies etc
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#23
noobnas Wrote:Hi mate,

I was originally going to get rid of the htpc (50watts) and buy a nas (20-40watts) due to power consumption costs, but i realised that i'd be spending more on very little benefits and will end up with a limited system. So i had an idea...keep the pc, use it as a media player for the living room and share the folders via the network to allow players like "wdtv/apple/low power pc" to play the files in the lounge. Also my upstairs pc can connect too and send files downstairs as i wish. Would this idea not work?

Given that information, that's what I would do myself. Both from a personal pocket and environment perspective, it's a bad trade off to produce, ship and buy a new computer, just to save some 20-30w a few hours a day. Aiming at low power consumption is something for a needed replacement buy, not an upgrade reason itself (perhaps unless using a very power hungry PC for 24/7 server use).

Then if the time comes, you can always recycle it again into a dedicated file server and buy yourself a low power HTPC.
HTPC: LibreELEC 7 on Shuttle XS35GTv2 & Raspberry Pi 3
NAS: NAS4Free 2x 3TB Raid1
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Need help with deciding...NAS or HTPC?0