building a media server from spare bits

[{{909}}]

Not sure if I asked this a few years ago but I never got off my ass and did it, and search doesn't find it, so here goes.

Got a kodi revo, 2 smart TV, ipad, laptop and a PC and I'd like them all to be able to access the same media from a bunch of hard drives. I think I have about 5TB worth of drives with media randomly thrown over them and I'd like to stick am all in one box that all the machines can access.

I have a core2duo cpu and mobo, and some other weaker set ive forgotten the specs of, but its not archaic, I think the core2duo mb is mATX, whatever the other one is, its smaller and has onboard gfx, so the weaker cpu may be easier to build a more compact unit from.

I think my original plan when we moved in to this apartment was to use the revo as the server, but using USB and multiple power sockets etc means its a messy option.

I think I have enough parts to get a fully working system out of either the old system, so I'd like to hear whats involved with building a box I can stash next to the router that could do the job at hand, and is it within the limits of my patience.

[muttleymacclad]

Core2duo i think was the minimum spec for plex so i'd use that mobo.

Get a quiet psu as it's going to be on all day. Make sure your psu has enough power connectors and is powerful enough.

Ideally gigabit LAN port on the mobo maybe get a pci card if it's not 'built in' gigabit.

As much memory as the mobo can fit and i'd say windows 8.1 as the os.

don't think graphic card is necessary unless you plan to play directly from the media server, your mobo should have at least 4 sata connectors i'd ave thought (don't really need a dvd drive in a media server) so use them all for your hard drives. Also you could connect portable hard drives via usb if you have too many internal drives.

[{{909}}]

so software wise, I'd use plex (no idea what I'm saying)?

What does plex do where I couldnt use windows to share the drives?

[muttleymacclad]

Well yes you could share the drives with windows no problem.

Plex media server installed on the Windows machine gives a much 'richer experience'. It's not dissimilar from xbmc in what it does but it allows you to instal a plex client on just about any device and then you can watch your content wherever you are if you have an internet connection. (or download locally if you are a Plexpass ( like a premium)subscriber.)

You can also share content with other users. There is a DF plex sharing group where about 8 of us share our content with each other.

[Rick Sanchez]

Have a look at UnRAID 6 buddy

[{{909}}]

Have a look at UnRAID 6 buddy

When I googled the topic, it was plex/unraid and other confusions that made me come and make the post here

I guess the best step would be to get the box running, shoot it up with a copy of windows and then see what the options are software wise. I found the other board out and whatever it is, its the same socket as the core2duo but a lower calibre CPU, couldnt get the heatsink off without a screwdriver to check.

Plex sounds great, but after a few moments of thought I realised I probably wouldnt use the added functions it provides, great as they are and ideally I want to keep the system low spec / low power use / low noise so if I can avoid using complicated software, thats a plus.

[muttleymacclad]

I wouldn't dismiss plex tbh. I only use it for handling my downloaded movies and sharing to and from other peoples content. I did try using the channels etc but gave up. As an interface on all you devices it works like a charm, you can tailor it to what resolution you want, set the quality of streaming.

i don't reckon plex would give you any problems regarding power, spec, etc.

simplest thing to do is to install it on a your pc . Download it and use your pc as the media server for a couple of days streaming to your other devices. Think it only costs a couple of quid for the client on each device, the PMS is free to install to the PC.
mml

[Mystical_2K]

I have built a media server from spares before, ended up getting rid and getting a dedicated Microserver as they were approx £100 after the HP cashback and its a lot of kit for the money in my opinion.

Basically i would do this if you are looking to use spare parts.

Get a case with plenty of HDD mounts.
Install the motherboard, cpu, ram etc.
Install your OS of choice on one of the smaller drives and use this just for the OS nothing else (Windows 7, Windows Server, Xpenology etc. - choice is yours)
Install Plex Media Server (doesnt matter if you wont use the extra functionality its still a good choice)

Depending on what OS you are using you can either have 1 large volume (all hdd's mixed together) or separate smaller volumes (each drive separate)

On your additional hard drives you can then setup your folder structure so as an example:

e.g. 1 Large Volume
/volume1/Media
/volume1/Media/Music
/volume1/Media/Movies
/volume1/Media/TV Shows

e.g. Separate Volumes
d:\Media\Music
e:\Media\Movies
f:\Media\TV Shows

All you need to do then is point plex at the different folders for Music, Movies, TV Shows etc.
Plex will then add all your media to the library, download the artwork, nfo information etc.

Then install the Plex app on your devices, I have it installed on the following:

Phones (IOS, Android and Windows Phone)
SmartTV (we have the Samsung Smart TV's and all mine support the plex app)
Xbox One
Laptops (Windows 7 etc. Windows 8+ includes a dedicated Plex app)
Tablets (IOS, Android and Windows)

Hopefully that gives you some idea mate, happy to help more if you want

[jaygo]

I second the micro server route.
I started my plex experience using an old laptop and external usb drive.
Bought a hp54l with cash back and have it filled with 4 WD Red drives running MSserver 2011.
Not looked back since.
I have plex running on the following devices.

Amazon Fire stick
3 now TVs
iPad
3 Amazon kindles
As well as sharing it with a few members of my family that use them on android and iOS as well as Windows.

It's like hammerite paint

Does exactly what it says on the tin.


Thanks

Jaygo

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[{{909}}]

I wouldn't dismiss plex tbh. I only use it for handling my downloaded movies and sharing to and from other peoples content. I did try using the channels etc but gave up. As an interface on all you devices it works like a charm, you can tailor it to what resolution you want, set the quality of streaming.

i don't reckon plex would give you any problems regarding power, spec, etc.

simplest thing to do is to install it on a your pc . Download it and use your pc as the media server for a couple of days streaming to your other devices. Think it only costs a couple of quid for the client on each device, the PMS is free to install to the PC.
mml

great idea, im turned onto the idea of plex now, so will give that a shot after the weekend. I'm not sure the Xiaomi TV can run Plex, but that would be a big deal as its mainly the wife viewing Chinese TV shows on that anyway.

[spyke]

Another vote for HP Microserver running Xpenology and Plex..............works flawlessly on all devices I've tried, except the new 4k fire tv where you need to disable dolby digital in the sound menu.

Jaygo.....it Ronseal BTW not hammerite ..................just sayin!!!!

[CallmeGoose]

For someone who doesn't know where to begin with a microserver setup, can someone tell me what I need to get started. Want mine to run sab and sickbeard as well as kodi. Which model microserver do I need?

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

[Mystical_2K]

For someone who doesn't know where to begin with a microserver setup, can someone tell me what I need to get started. Want mine to run sab and sickbeard as well as kodi. Which model microserver do I need?

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

I run 2 of these mate

HP Microserver g1610t
each server has 4x 6TB Western Digital Red HDD's
plus a 120GB ssd for plex transcoding so it should be super fast

i have upgraded 1 of the microservers to 16GB ECC Ram and the other has 4GB
Plex only runs on the 1st server and the 2nd server is just a file store, the 1st server has a folder mounted with access to everything on server 2
If you need anything else mate let me know and im happy to help you get setup

[jaygo]

I run 2 of these mate

HP Microserver g1610t
each server has 4x 6TB Western Digital Red HDD's
plus a 120GB ssd for plex transcoding so it should be super fast

i have upgraded 1 of the microservers to 16GB ECC Ram and the other has 4GB
Plex only runs on the 1st server and the 2nd server is just a file store, the 1st server has a folder mounted with access to everything on server 2
If you need anything else mate let me know and im happy to help you get setup

I may be contacting you mate for a chat.
I'm having stuttering issues on my n54l when trying to play 1080p files.
Would having the os or plex on an ssd drive help with this??


Thanks

Jaygo

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mystical_2K]

I may be contacting you mate for a chat.
I'm having stuttering issues on my n54l when trying to play 1080p files.
Would having the os or plex on an ssd drive help with this??


Thanks

Jaygo

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Strange your having issues playing 1080p as i never had a problem when using my N54L for streaming, i still have one that i now use just for downloading
What kind of network are you running? wireless? gigabit?
You should be able to stream full Bluray ISO's without issue

Putting the OS on an SSD wont help with the streaming as the media is will be held on different drives, the ssd for plex is only for the transcoding so you dont need plex installed on it (wouldnt do any harm however)
will try to help you where i can

cheers,

[jaygo]

Strange your having issues playing 1080p as i never had a problem when using my N54L for streaming, i still have one that i now use just for downloading
What kind of network are you running? wireless? gigabit?
You should be able to stream full Bluray ISO's without issue

Putting the OS on an SSD wont help with the streaming as the media is will be held on different drives, the ssd for plex is only for the transcoding so you dont need plex installed on it (wouldnt do any harm however)
will try to help you where i can

cheers,

If I could be so rude if you have some free time at some point can I get you to look over my system and advise of anything I could change?
I'm mainly using wireless but there is 2 devices that are via Ethernet


Thanks

Jaygo

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mystical_2K]

If I could be so rude if you have some free time at some point can I get you to look over my system and advise of anything I could change?
I'm mainly using wireless but there is 2 devices that are via Ethernet


Thanks

Jaygo

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah no worries mate, happy to help
I am going to say that its most likely due to using wireless as im not sure if it has the bandwidth to handle full 1080p files (depending on size)

[{{909}}]

followed a few tips on here and got plex on my main PC, ipad and android phone and so far, very very impressed. For my brief look, it seems that the android client seems to be free, but the IOS client wants me to cough up some cash to do the same, why dat?

Gonna look into getting it onto my revo and the mitv later.

[Mystical_2K]

followed a few tips on here and got plex on my main PC, ipad and android phone and so far, very very impressed. For my brief look, it seems that the android client seems to be free, but the IOS client wants me to cough up some cash to do the same, why dat?

Gonna look into getting it onto my revo and the mitv later.

see if theirs somewhere you can enter your login details to avoid paying for the app
to be honest i have a lifetime membership with Plex so it might be different for me but that usually avoids me paying for it

[muttleymacclad]

Not sure about the payment but i had to pay for it on each device so iphone ipad and android phone. I don't have lifetime membership.

Now get yourself signed up to the DF sharing group.