Turning EEE 900 into central media server on wired network?

August 7, 2008 8:29 AM

Best solution for a central media server in an apartment with a wired network on the free/cheap? more details inside.

So my friends and I got a great number in the housing lottery at my school and next year we're going to have our own suite with a common room. I'm trying to come up with a way for us to be able access everyone's music and movies in the common room from the TV. I'm wondering about what other people might use in this situation - it seems like there is a plethora of media-server software out there.

I'd like to be able to use an Asus EEE 900 (currently running Ubuntu) as the computer in the living room that will be hooked up to the television. Everyone has their own ethernet port in the room so I'll be able to use the dorm wired network to connect me and my friend's computers (all Macs) to the common room computer. I'd also like to be able to use a remote to control the setup. And I'd like to do this with free software if possible. I'm pretty technically minded, so don't let that be an obstacle. Also, could this be done better with a Xbox/Wii/PS3? We're thinking about getting one of these systems.

PS. any other cool stuff I could do with this? like, could people "log in" to their computer and use it from the living room? It seems like there should be a fair amount of bandwidth to do this but I wouldn't know where to start.

posted by ofthestrait to technology (6 comments total)

Seems like a waste of an EEE to use it for this, when you could find a cheap desktop machine to do the same thing. You also might want a DVD drive for a media server. And yeah, and (original) Xbox can do this with XBMC. I can't speak for options with Wii/360/PS3

The technologies you want (google them):
XBMC - media server interface
Samba - windows file sharing for Linux
VNC, Windows Terminal Server, NX - remote desktop
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:47 AM on August 7, 2008

I'd hit up slickdeals.net and look around for a cheap Dell desktop, no monitor. You can find em for about $300-$350. I'd check with your school cause you might be able to score a free XP license or there are other ways to get one for not paying.

You might want to figure what you want to use it for.

For the "log in" I have my setup where I use my one rig to use remote desktop (an XP native program that is bundled in) to activate the media center and it is a one-to-one interface, though you can't play games. I do what I have to do, namely move some files around or switch which Linux and other freeware files are on torrents, and then log out.

My media center is connected to the TV, but you can also do a media server without a monitor and just connect to the computer via remote desktop (one is just needed during set-up).

Hope this helps.
posted by thebreaks at 9:21 AM on August 7, 2008

A Tivo speaks ZeroConf (what do they call it nowadays?) and can stream movies, music, and pictures from each mac with little to no setup.

You can get a Series 2 for ~$100, maybe even less.
posted by unixrat at 10:19 AM on August 7, 2008

XBMC probably isn't going to run very well on the EEE, if at all. I seem to recall that the Linux port requires a graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 support, which I doubt the EEE has. You'd either need to rig up a beefier computer or settle for keeping your media well organized and just using the file browser (which is not a bad option, really).

If you did pick up an Xbox 360, and you had a computer running Vista, using the 360 as a Media Center Extender is a very attractive and easy to use option. You can use the controller to navigate the menus, or pick up one of the many remotes for it. And you could still share the files from the Vista machine on the network so that they could be accessed by other computers on the network. The nice thing about this setup is that you have a 360, which is awesome, and the Media Center environment is very nice. On the downside, you wouldn't be able to use it to control other computers from your TV.
posted by sinfony at 11:25 AM on August 7, 2008

Doesn't the AppleTV do this? Not free but worth it for the easy setup and style points. I use an old modded XBox running XBMC, but I've never tried to use it connecting to Macs.
posted by Kupo? at 11:37 AM on August 7, 2008

An original Xbox running XBMC would be perfect for this, should be under $100 including controllers and a remote, plus it will play all those old games college kids love.
posted by bizwank at 11:43 AM on August 7, 2008