Anyway... (please be patient with this long dribble that follows)
I have to admit I am waaaaay behind the times when it comes to this. After seeing and listening to some home server/central storage solutions I have realized how convenient central mass storage could be. However, all my video equipment is outdated and my music connectivity is almost non-existent. None of my equipment has any HDMI inputs/outputs (except for the tv, nothing else) and we do not even own a bluray player. Heck, I do not even have ANY movies ripped and stored, only real DVD's. I "think" I would like a better way to manage my collections, so I am looking for some direction.
My situation may be different than most others and will perhaps change which products and/or software will work best for me. I travel, a lot. I am home about 2-3 days a week; otherwise, I am long gone. Because of this my 17" behemoth, "My ENGAGEMENT ring cost less!" of a laptop is my universal center. The one home PC is a two generations removed internet only machine. It is so low power that my CPU is passively cooled. Our last one is an even older laptop running WinXP connected to our living room stereo. (More on that later.)
When I travel I like to have all my music with me, so I download, edit/tag, and manage the master database on my travel laptop. Unfortunately, the only portable music player with enough storage when I walk about is a 60GB 5th gen iPod. (You have NO idea how much this pains me since I hate, loathe, and despise Apple :M) I use Media Monkey Gold to manage music - no iTunes here thank you very much! - in mP3 format since iPod cannot read flac. grrrrr....
There is an external 500GB drive connected to our home wireless router that serves as a backup of all our files/pictures/music. From that backup I copy all my music to my second WinXP laptop so I can use Media Monkey hooked to a Schiit Audio Modi DAC to my listening rig's preamp. So when I add/edit any music on my travel laptop I have to run a backup program to copy my library to two different sources then "recreate" my database on the XP laptop so I can play the stuff on my listening rig. Confused yet? I know I am.
What I am looking for is a central and simple solution for my particular needs. I would like an easier solution to my music storage conundrum and start to digitally store movies so I can play them without the physical discs. I know we are talking about 3 different needs here - storage, remote music/movie playback, software compatibility. There are so many new products and digital solutions lately that I do not know where to start.
Since all of my music is ripped straight 320-bit mp3 will I hear a difference in my playback system between playing it from the XP laptop natively and streaming it from the backup HDD? What about HD movies? What video format would I rip a movie so it can be accessed to watch. What products can connect a receiver/tv to a central server to access stored content? What about controlling all this central content?
Whew...I am winded just from typing all this stuff. But I thought I would post this here so perhaps others like me can learn something from your answers.
Thanks for all the direction here.
I have to admit I am waaaaay behind the times when it comes to this. After seeing and listening to some home server/central storage solutions I have realized how convenient central mass storage could be. However, all my video equipment is outdated and my music connectivity is almost non-existent. None of my equipment has any HDMI inputs/outputs (except for the tv, nothing else) and we do not even own a bluray player. Heck, I do not even have ANY movies ripped and stored, only real DVD's. I "think" I would like a better way to manage my collections, so I am looking for some direction.
My situation may be different than most others and will perhaps change which products and/or software will work best for me. I travel, a lot. I am home about 2-3 days a week; otherwise, I am long gone. Because of this my 17" behemoth, "My ENGAGEMENT ring cost less!" of a laptop is my universal center. The one home PC is a two generations removed internet only machine. It is so low power that my CPU is passively cooled. Our last one is an even older laptop running WinXP connected to our living room stereo. (More on that later.)
When I travel I like to have all my music with me, so I download, edit/tag, and manage the master database on my travel laptop. Unfortunately, the only portable music player with enough storage when I walk about is a 60GB 5th gen iPod. (You have NO idea how much this pains me since I hate, loathe, and despise Apple :M) I use Media Monkey Gold to manage music - no iTunes here thank you very much! - in mP3 format since iPod cannot read flac. grrrrr....
There is an external 500GB drive connected to our home wireless router that serves as a backup of all our files/pictures/music. From that backup I copy all my music to my second WinXP laptop so I can use Media Monkey hooked to a Schiit Audio Modi DAC to my listening rig's preamp. So when I add/edit any music on my travel laptop I have to run a backup program to copy my library to two different sources then "recreate" my database on the XP laptop so I can play the stuff on my listening rig. Confused yet? I know I am.
What I am looking for is a central and simple solution for my particular needs. I would like an easier solution to my music storage conundrum and start to digitally store movies so I can play them without the physical discs. I know we are talking about 3 different needs here - storage, remote music/movie playback, software compatibility. There are so many new products and digital solutions lately that I do not know where to start.
Since all of my music is ripped straight 320-bit mp3 will I hear a difference in my playback system between playing it from the XP laptop natively and streaming it from the backup HDD? What about HD movies? What video format would I rip a movie so it can be accessed to watch. What products can connect a receiver/tv to a central server to access stored content? What about controlling all this central content?
Whew...I am winded just from typing all this stuff. But I thought I would post this here so perhaps others like me can learn something from your answers.
Thanks for all the direction here.
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