Home media player/media storage/home server

Jnr202 on 30/01/2017 - 14:54

Hey People, I need some help.

At the moment our set up is as follows. we download movies to laptop where i transfer them to a USB which is then played through PS3 to watch movies. This is getting annoying as all files cant be played and its not a great idea having to keep buying USB's or deleting and puting new movies on.

I'm basically after something that i can store all our movies/music and photos that can be wirelessly accessed by our tv and laptop. At the moment our tv isnt a smart tv buy we are upgrading.

What should i be looking at? are any of the names in the heading what i should be looking at?

Computing

Comments

  • ESEMCE on 30/01/2017 - 15:06

    Install PS3 Media Server
    Case closed.

    • Jnr202 on 30/01/2017 - 15:07

      Any ideas on how to do that? I've got a very small PS3 so it doesnt have a lot of storage.

      • ESEMCE on 30/01/2017 - 15:07
        +1

        You install it on your laptop

  • yummycoot on 30/01/2017 - 15:07
    +2

    Plex is your friend in both PS3 and PS4, although IIRC, plex was not free in PS3.

    you can install plex in your windows/mac and then access those movies from PS3/PS4. Also you can get a chromecast and plug it in your tv, then get plex premium pass and stream your content from laptop/desktop to your TV via chromecast.

    Network Attached storage(NAS) is another option.

  • ode1online on 30/01/2017 - 15:09

    If you have a pc that's always on
    You could download PLEX SERVER for you PC
    Plug a USB HDD into the PC and store your Ripped Media files there., if you format the folders correctly Plex will download the media artwork and synopsis for you

    EG MOVIES/AVATAR/Avatar.avi

    TV SERIES/ The Big Bang Theory/ SEASON 1/ bigbangtheory S01E01.avi (ETC)

    Music / Prince / Prince Collection /Track 1

    Then download the PLEX app onto your PS3 which should play most file formats.
    The only downside is u need to leave your PC on always.

    Plex also has an IOS and android app so you can cast from your phones or tablets to a chromecast also.

    Otherwise you could build a server if that's the path you want.

    I have a HP Micro server and I run server 2012 essentials. and use plex with all my devices including the xbox one, I can access it with my tablets etc.

    Anyway good luck with your journey

  • Jnr202 on 30/01/2017 - 15:10

    I think a NAS is where im leaning towards. I dont want the files clogging up the laptop and as we download more and more, ill eventually need something big to store it in. Any recommendations on a NAS?

    • Ryanek on 30/01/2017 - 16:55
      +2

      Synology NAS is the way to go as it can be used for more than just a media server. Even an older model like the DS214 still holds up extremely well.

      • Jnr202 on 30/01/2017 - 18:20

        Thanks for that.. I think this is the best approach.

    • MelbEng on 30/01/2017 - 16:57
      +1

      I took the NAS approach and couldn't be happier. I have a 2 bay Synology and it does a great job in serving up movies to the Playstation and smart TV.

      • Jnr202 on 30/01/2017 - 18:20

        Exactly what I'm looking for.

    • ESEMCE on 31/01/2017 - 08:38

      Why do you need to store it?
      How much of this stuff are you going to re-watch, ever?
      There's a few you might want to keep, but the vast majority will be watch once and discard.

      • Jnr202 on 31/01/2017 - 09:30

        We have a 5 year old son and twins on the way..Kids movies you never delete.

        • ESEMCE on 31/01/2017 - 09:43

          Yeah, so you've got 20 kids movies (I also have kids, they just watch the same stuff over and over), another 20 for you.
          There's say 40Gb of static storage… even if you have only a 500Gb Hard Drive, there's still a few Hundred Gigs of space you have left over for photos (more static storage) and a rotating selection of stuff you haven't watched or haven't deleted yet.
          A Terabyte portable HDD is a cheaper solution than a NAS.

          NAS are a pain to set up and maintain.

        • Ryanek on 31/01/2017 - 10:44

          @scubacoles: Read the OP's prompt, this is not what he wants. He wants a dedicated device that can be used to access media from various devices. How do you plan on doing that with a portable HDD?

          A Synology NAS could not be any easier to setup, you basically turn it on and keep it on. You can then access it from your TV or a tablet/phone even if you're not at home.

        • ESEMCE on 31/01/2017 - 10:45

          @Ryanek:
          No, he wants a wirelessly accessible device. At no point is the word "dedicated" mentioned.

        • Ryanek on 31/01/2017 - 10:46

          @scubacoles: Ok then how do you wirelessly access a portable HDD?

        • ESEMCE on 31/01/2017 - 10:48

          @Ryanek:
          Through the laptop he currently uses to download and a media server application on the laptop as per the top few posts.

        • Jnr202 on 31/01/2017 - 10:49

          @scubacoles: I have been doing this with a USB and a HDD at the moment. When we upgrade tv. It will be smart, hence not needing the PS3. The PS3 will go with our current tv into the main bedroom. I'd rather all TV's and tablets being able to access files rather than one at a time.

        • Jnr202 on 31/01/2017 - 10:50

          @scubacoles: I don't want to have to leave the laptop on all the time.

        • Jnr202 on 31/01/2017 - 10:52

          @scubacoles: 20 for kids and 20 for us? We are movie people. I've got 600 for us and about 150 for kids. We don't go out a lot :(

        • Ryanek on 31/01/2017 - 10:58

          @scubacoles: You're describing the function of a NAS.

        • ESEMCE on 31/01/2017 - 11:02
          +1

          @Ryanek:
          In some respects yes.
          Except you spend $0 (if you already own the hardware as in this case) versus $200 (or more if you don't have HDD's to fill the NAS).
          Plus it's more portable, simpler to set up and can do transcoding.

  • EightImmortals on 30/01/2017 - 15:25

    A wireless streaming box (Popcorhour?) with a hard drive? A NAS? A raspberry Pi 3 with wireless and an external hard drive?

  • Randxyz123 on 30/01/2017 - 17:12

    NAS?

    Dedicated media PC?

    Plug your laptop in to the TV via HDMI?

  • Reapered on 31/01/2017 - 09:12

    Cheap option:

    Buy a HDMI cable and plug it into your laptop. I don't see the reason to putting it on a USB then playing on a PS3.

    • Jnr202 on 31/01/2017 - 09:31

      It's an option but then they will clog the laptop which I use for work.

      • Reapered on 01/02/2017 - 14:48

        Purchase a portable hard drive that you can keep a library of movies on after you've watched them. That way you can keep the movies on the hard drive without cluttering your work laptop. It's a $60-200$ option (HDD + HDMI cable) rather than buying a NAS or a smart TV.

        BTW. Be sure to check that your new smart TV can decode the movie format you're downloading. Most of them should be able to do .mp4 but .mkv may not play on all smart TV's. I haven't seen .avi formats in a while but they should be playable.

  • moar bargains on 31/01/2017 - 12:23

    I've recently been through this exact process/situation.
    We used to do the Plug-the-laptop-in-to-HDMI thing, but that's annoying to do all the time. Especially if someone else wants to use the Laptop.

    Basically what it comes down to is how much (time and money) you're willing to spend on this.

    The setup I've gone with so far is a WD NAS drive (don't get this even though they're relatively cheap and available, get a Synology), with a Fetch TV box to stream from the drive, record shows and watch catch up/Netflix etc. Cost about $500 all up I reckon.
    The other option you could look at is an always-on PC and then get a Chromecast or install Plex as others suggested, but this could be more expensive and/or require more maintenance long term.

    Feel free to ask further questions if you'd like more info :)

  • Gr8deel on 02/02/2017 - 23:44

    Like others have been through this exact scenario and best solution is PLEX server (free) running on your laptop/PC/whatever with an attached storage USB stick/HDD etc. Then buy a chromecast which plugs into HDMI (either version 1 or 2 are cheap $25-$50) and stream the movies/music/photos etc to your TV via wireless. Works awesome and the media library organisation is fantastic. Use the Plex app to control it via PC (free), Android ( $5.00), etc. So the way its works for me is laptop sits in study (or sometimes I move it around house) with the media files on a usb hdd, sit in front of TV in Tv room, switch on to the correct HDMI source, open my plex app on my android smartphone…browse the media (which PLex auto adds cover art, description, rating, synopsis, subtitles etc very cool!) and then select spaly, then click the little chromecast icon..boom media playing on TV flawlessly. And whats more multiple people can access the plex server and watch different things on their own TV, laptop, phone , tablet etc in the house so no more fights!

  • Advv on 05/02/2017 - 15:14
    +1

    I just plug my USB HDD into my router and access all files through whatever media player I'm using

    • PVA on 13/02/2017 - 21:14

      yep, nice and simple.

  • Rusty4 on 08/02/2017 - 08:14

    As many others have said already, PLEX is without a doubt he best option for what you want.

    Take a look here: https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200264746-Quick-St…

  • never waz on 13/02/2017 - 21:05

    Kinda in the same boat as the original poster. I have plex half running (I quite often have to turn off my laptop and router due to issues with connectivity), but when it runs, it runs very well. Our Sony tv has a dedicated plex app, so no need for a chromecast for plex.
    The complicated bit seems to be if you wanted a folder for the kids films and one for the adults. I couldn't work out how to do it properly.

  • PVA on 13/02/2017 - 21:13

    i just have a hard drive connected to our router. downloads on the laptop are set to save to that. The playstation can see the shared harddrive on the router and play them from that.

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