Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
NAS with Media Playback
To some, this is simply a NAS with a TV-out socket on the back. To others, it constitutes a paradigm shift, because it
allows you to treat the unit as if it were a portable VCR and video library rolled into one. As with everything, its value is
governed by how you intend to use it.
One of the big selling points of these devices is that they can be moved from room to room, and even from house
to house, without requiring a network. This makes it much easier to show your photographs and home videos to the
ungeeked members of your family and friends because you can simply plug a media-enabled NAS device into any TV,
and it will work. It is also a way of introducing (a small level) of control over what the kids are able to watch, because
they'll be limited to the contents of the hardware.
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There are many applications that block content for kid-safe viewing. But as parenting topics tell you (or, as any
parent knows), you can't solve these problems entirely by technology because it is not really a technological problem.
Note
If you want to expand your media beyond a single room, you will need a version that supports Ethernet, such as
Freecom's MediaPlayer II or cineDISK NAS. These are combined NAS drives, supporting file sharing through Samba,
and media streamers that play back files to a TV or HiFi. They have the benefit of being able to stream from a local
disk, thereby eliminating any network latency and limiting the cost of separate media units such as the MediaMVP.
Furthermore, by distributing your media between several of these devices, you won't lose everything if an
unbacked-up hard drive fails. With minimal effort you can distribute the files to those machines that are more likely
to play them, such as films in the living room, TV series in the bedroom, MP3s in the den, and cartoons in the kids'
room. If you are separating media in this way, be mindful of potential storage upgrades. Some devices provide a USB
port for an external hard drive or memory stick (although some cheaper machines intend this for memory sticks only
and do not support large disk sizes), so place these machines in rooms that are likely to increase their disk footprint
the most. From personal experience, the disks holding TV shows have filled up the quickest.
The problem with these type of devices, as with all embedded hardware, comes from their upgrade path, and
not all companies will add or release new firmware with the latest codecs or fixes to old ones; many of the devices are
too new to have a hacker community to help. Also, unlike the MVPMC, there is not usually a way to use an external
transcoder in this situation.
Also, check the specification of each device carefully, because despite the name “NAS” appearing on the box, not
all provide a network socket. Some manufacturers will claim it's “HD-ready” when what they mean is that it will decode
the files . . . but is only capable of viewing it in standard definition. Also, many are supplied without a hard drive but will
require one, even if you only intend to stream media through the network, such as with the Emprex Multimedia Player.
However, it is always worth keeping an eye on the market for these devices, and they will often provide new ideas
that can be implemented in software, such as the “watch YouTube on your TV” feature.
Configuring a Linux Box
By far the most flexible NAS server is the one that you build for yourself. Any machine is suitable, as the processing
power need not be great, so it can be an old laptop, Mini-ITX box, or NSLU2. The only requirement is that it has
network compatibility. The optional features include USB ports (for additional drives) and a modern BIOS with
48-bit LBA so that it supports disks larger than 137.4GB. This does not just apply to internal disks; it's also necessary
if you are using external USB hardware as they usually rely on the machine to control the disk.
As ever, it is not necessary to store all your media on the one machine nor is the one machine suitable only as
a file server. If you are distributing your media across different physical disks, then it is preferable to store those that
necessitate higher bit rates (such as movies) on internal drives and low-bit rate media (such as cartoons or music)
on external drives or on slower servers.
Each machine needs to be set up as you saw in Chapter 1, but you need to take care with your naming convention
if there are multiple servers or you're likely to move the units.
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