[Gyzmo]

Hello there

You will probably have read posts like this more then you would like but everyone has to start at some point right ?
Several months ago my Emtec S800H mediaplayer wouldn't start anymore, the front light just stays blue and it doesn't show up on the screen. After trying a bunch lot of things to get it fixed I gave up and decided to buy something new.

After browsing a lot of time on the internet and forums ( this one was particulary helpfull, for that I would like to thank the crew ) I think I know what i want.
First of all I will tell you what I would like. I want some kind of storage system that I can connect to my home network. I want to be able to put films, series, music, etc... from computer(s) in the network onto the hard drive ( preferable by WiFi ) or download directly onto the storage system. Later on I would like to be able to stream all that content to other computers in the network, portable devices ( android phones ), and my telivision ( I have a Sony bravia KDL-46HX720 who supports DLNA ) ( in HD 1080p, no 3D). As my router is behind my TV and therefor also the hard drive would be, I would like it to be as silent as possible.
There, I think that will be all.

With that in mind I started searching on this forum for something that would suit my needs. I think I have a good idea of what I want but i'm still fairly new to this so I would like to hear some advice from people who are experienced at all this.

My solution:
A NAS server: a synology or qnap 2 bay NAS.
I would like to run XBMC on it as it seems a kick ass mediacenter. ( is xbmc already installed on the NAS ? Or do you have to do it yourself ? Iff yes, are there certain things that I need to know ? )
Would this be a good solution for me ?

Also I would like to re-use the hard drive that was in my Emtec mediaplayer, this one ( the 3.0GB/s version )

Later on I would also buy a second hard disk to put in the bay, can I mix for example a hitachi hard disk in bay one and a seagate hard disk in bay two ? Or should I go with 2 hitachi hard disks ?

Also I've read alot about HTPC's, one thing that wasn't very clear for me was that they don't have a lot of capacity to store movies, etc.. ? I may be wrong in this but I tought for that reason it wasn't a good solution for me ..

My budget is around 400$ , € 300 ( as I am from Europe ).

Iff anyone would help me to get this cleared out, I would very much appreciate it !
Thanks in advance !

[Christer K]

Premium value for low budget money.. Use the searchfunction! 300€ wont suffice at all,

[nokdim]

Best bang for your buck I would say build an unRaid box.
you can reuse the current drive you have and add more in the future.

You can't run XBMC on it and I wouldn't recommend you run XBMC on a storage device keep them separate.

Synology is good but will cost you your whole budget easy for a 2 bay system and is limited to 2 bays.

[outatouch0]

You are not going to be able to run XBMC on the type of NAS devices you mentioned. You would need a separate device (HTPC) for that.
Look at the stickies at the top of the forum - that is the best place to start.

[Gyzmo]

Best bang for your buck I would say build an unRaid box.
you can reuse the current drive you have and add more in the future.

You can't run XBMC on it and I wouldn't recommend you run XBMC on a storage device keep them separate.

Synology is good but will cost you your whole budget easy for a 2 bay system and is limited to 2 bays.

First of all, thanks for responding.
I've done some reading on the unRaid box you proposed. It looks like it could suit my needs but not the big ones as i need to put the box next/behind/.. my TV. I can't put a computer case next to it right ? Wouldn't be beautifull. But i've found this unRaid box wich is quite small. The one question I have about this box is the noise, i see there are 2 fans ... wouldn't they be to noisy ?

You mentioned that you can't run XBMC on " it ". what do you mean by it, the NAS server or the unraid box ? Or do I still need to combine the unRaid box with a HTPC to have a full working mediacenter ?

Are you obligated to buy the $69 unRaid software or does the basic free software suffice ?
Is it possible to remote controle the unRaid box ?

You are not going to be able to run XBMC on the type of NAS devices you mentioned. You would need a separate device (HTPC) for that.
Look at the stickies at the top of the forum - that is the best place to start.

Thanks for your response outatouch0,

I've read all the stickies at the top of the forum but as I am totally new to all this it is a bit overwhelming to me.
So far I think i got it right, you need:
1/ a storage device ( NAS, unRaid )
*Can an unRaid box run xbmc ?
2/ a htpc ( to stream it to your tv ? )
3/ a home network to connect to ( do you connect both 1 & 2 or just 1 or 2 ? )
4/ a TV who supports DLNA

[noggin]

unRAID is a Linux-based server operating system - effectively you build a low-power unRAID server, fill it with hard drives and hide it out of the way

It's purely a file server which also incorporates a web-server for config purposes. My unRAID server has no keyboard or monitor attached, lives in a cupboard off our stairway, and is remotely configured from my laptop (via a web browser)

unRAID can run plugins to do additional tasks that make sense on a server - but you wouldn't run XBMC on it.

The free version is limited to a small number of hard drives. The two paid-for options increase the number of hard drives you can use.

unRAID and NAS solutions for use with XBMC will be two box solutions - one as the server, one as the XBMC client.

You need to look at a separate solution for media playback if you use unRAID as your server. I run XBMC on a couple of home-built, reasonably low cost Intel builds. However €300 is probably too tight unless you go for something like a Raspberry Pi as your XBMC client (and that might be a bit underpowered for you)

How much storage do you need? If it's only a couple of hard drives, you could just build a bigger HTPC with the storage in it? I wanted a small HTPC - so the storage needed to be elsewhere (and also I didn't need to worry about it being quiet or pretty if it was in a cupboard!).

[Gyzmo]

unRAID and NAS solutions for use with XBMC will be two box solutions - one as the server, one as the XBMC client.

You need to look at a separate solution for media playback if you use unRAID as your server. I run XBMC on a couple of home-built, reasonably low cost Intel builds. However €300 is probably too tight unless you go for something like a Raspberry Pi as your XBMC client (and that might be a bit underpowered for you)

How much storage do you need? If it's only a couple of hard drives, you could just build a bigger HTPC with the storage in it? I wanted a small HTPC - so the storage needed to be elsewhere (and also I didn't need to worry about it being quiet or pretty if it was in a cupboard!).

Now that was a verry helpfull respond Noggin, thanks for that !

Finally it became clear to me that it is a 2 box solution or 1 box iff you put storage in a HTPC.

My situation is the following : I have a corner in my studio ( I live small as I am still a student .. ) where i have everything: TV, router, ps3, etc .. So in the end i don't have the choise to put my HTPC or 2 box solution anywhere else. Therefor i would like it to be silent, i don't want to be bothered by noise when i'm watching something. I think for the comming 2 years 4 TB will very much suit my needs & after that I will be graduated and making money so that iff i want something more advanced i'll have the money to buy it.

Now I still have something - probably very easy for you guys - where I'm still struggling with.
You have 3 or 4 things ( depending the 2 or 1 box solution ) that you need to make your mediacenter come true :
1/TV
2/Wireless router
3/unRaid/NAS + XBMC client
4/HTPC

Now, what do you connect with what ? I think I got the right solution but i'm not quite sure of it so i would like your opinion
I also pumped up my budget to 400 - 450 € / 550-600 $
What do think about this xbmc client ?
Wich solution would be the better one for me ? a HTPC with storage in it or a unRaid/NAS with a xbmc client ?

Thanks in advance !

[tboggie]

HTPC with storage. You can download directly to the drive and share all your files across your network

Asrock 350M1 + 4GB Ram(2 x 2GB) + 4TB sata + Case(with PSU) + MCE Remote + XBMC

[Gyzmo]

HTPC with storage. You can download directly to the drive and share all your files across your network

Asrock 350M1 + 4GB Ram(2 x 2GB) + 4TB sata + Case(with PSU) + MCE Remote + XBMC

Could someone give me a more precise build ? ( I used to know alot about hardware.. but not anymore ! )
I've got about 300-400 € to spend.
Iff later on I decide that I want to buy a NAS, could I connect it to my HTPC ?

Thanks in advance !