Apple Developing a Home Media Server?

[gugy]

The fact that we're reduced to quibbling about the length of time someone keeps their copied data as the "qualifier" for if it's legal or illegal activity tells me we're really splitting hairs here.

As far as I'm concerned, our legal system is already overburdened with work to do, handling serious illegal activities that directly threaten human lives. It's counter-productive (and rather pathetic, really) that we've made it a *federal crime* to duplicate some music or movies and hang onto digital copies for a while! Netflix is successful because they give people access to a VAST library of movie content. They're not going to suffer financially if a customer starts ripping and keeping copies of all the discs rented from them. He or she wouldn't be able to rent everything Netflix has available in his/her entire lifetime, most likely!

The ONLY reason this stuff is "illegal" in the first place is thanks to lobbyists working for the big content industries. They decided to try to maximize their profits by letting our police act as their own personal collection agency.


I agreed.

[mpshay]

I want one. I've got 2 Minis and an ATV connected to different HDTVs. The ATV is streaming content from one of the minis. I'm getting tired maintaining sperate itunes libraries. I'd stream from one mini to the other, but the lack of album art in front row really bothers me. Also I mainitain my iphoto library on my office imac, but sync a couple iphones with the mini in the master bedroom and have yet to find a painless way to keep the photos in sync.

I think this home media server would solve a lot of these problems.

[rhett7660]

I want one. I've got 2 Minis and an ATV connected to different HDTVs. The ATV is streaming content from one of the minis. I'm getting tired maintaining sperate itunes libraries. I'd stream from one mini to the other, but the lack of album art in front row really bothers me. Also I mainitain my iphoto library on my office imac, but sync a couple iphones with the mini in the master bedroom and have yet to find a painless way to keep the photos in sync.

I think this home media server would solve a lot of these problems.

I kind of wish they would also give you the option of just a software version. For those of us that have a server already. An iTunes Server Edition would be nice.

[Canada Chas]

I would disagree. You have better odds of your drives failing before your Drobo does. I use a Drobo and love it. The cost is a little higher, but infinitly more expandable as drives get larger. I would not worry about Drobo going out of business anytime soon.

I wouldn't recommend the Drobo. If the hardware (the Drobo) fails, all your data is not accessible until you ship in the Drobo and get a replacement after a while. And it's a small company, so if you're out of warranty, your data is gone for good, there's no software to read the files.

Instead, buy two same sized USB hard drives, one for data, one for the backup (Time Machine, Super Duper, Carbon Copy Cloner) of the data disk. You can use OSX's built-in software RAID so one drive mirrors the other. Or you set up Time machine, that has the advantage that you can recover accidentally deleted stuff. If you go the Time Machine route, you can also use differently sized drives.

A decent 1500 GB Drive is not really expensive anymore, you can get a Seagate Freeagent Desk (don't bother with the more expensive Mac version) for about 130 Dollars. Those drives are reliable, very quiet an power efficient (they work with OSX's energy saving setting "put hard drive to sleep after x minutes"). Those drives also come with a native OSX diagnostic utility which tells you when a drive is starting to fail (S.M.A.R.T. technology plus some proprietary stuff that looks for corrupted files and sectors).

[jaw04005]

So my enthusiasm for the MediaSmart Server has died off a bit.

"And, while the white paper doesn’t say why… I know why, and I’ll tell you. See, what HP did to enable Time Machine to work with Windows Home Server (WHS), was to patch the way WHS handles SMB stores. Then, on the Mac, they tweak a few settings to override Apple’s backup restrictions. This allows the Mac to see SMB file shares (like, WHS file shares), and then HP’s intermediary on the Mac mounts the special patched SMB file share mount."

I'm not sure I think it's a good idea for HP to be modifying Apple's operating system even if it is a well-known hack.

http://www.christopherprice.net/hp-mediasmart-now-does-time-machine-well...-not-all-of-it.-but-i-can-fix-it.-796.html

[NoSmokingBandit]

Why is it bad for HP to give a feature that apple doesnt? Thats how the market works. If theres a peripheral that needs something tweaked because the OS is restricting it then i say just go for it, give the customer what they want instead of giving more money to apple so they can do the same thing.

[rhett7660]

Why is it bad for HP to give a feature that apple doesnt? Thats how the market works. If theres a peripheral that needs something tweaked because the OS is restricting it then i say just go for it, give the customer what they want instead of giving more money to apple so they can do the same thing.

I think what Jaw was referring to was that fact the hack tweaked apple's OS.

[rahrens]

LOL! Yeah- nice try pal.

What he is doing- copying netflix movies to his hard drive is stealing. I am pretty die-hard about my right to view the media I have purchased any way I want to, but sorry- when you rent from netflix, the time you have the movie begins and ends your right to view it.

Time shifting does not apply when you do not own the right to manipulate the media to watch it the way you want to.

It's called copyright infringement.

Stealing denies the possession of what you steal to the original owner.

Copyright infringement doesn't do that, it makes an illegal copy of the original, but the original is still available to the original owner, assuming he is returning the Netflix dvd.

Not returning the Netflix dvd would be stealing.

Both, of course, are illegal, but one is a criminal offense, and the other is a civil offense.

Two VERY different animals.

[Canada Chas]

If Apple is indeed developing a media server, this might help them with regarding copying DVD's to iTunes. The copied DVD would only be copied once and stored on a central media Server like Kaleidescape (http://www.kaleidescape.com/). Through iTunes DRM it can only be accessed through authorized mac computers and thier corasponding iPods/iphones. Being able to access it only through a mobile me account adds another layer of security that the video files are not tampered with.

I rather like the idea.

[jaw04005]

I think what Jaw was referring to was that fact the hack tweaked apple's OS.

I was. :)

[H.isidorius]

Please! Apple still can't get front row right. Shared cover art in front row still doesn't show up and leopard is over a year old now..... I don't see Apple getting a media server right if they can't get front row correct (in leopard).
:mad:

It is even more a generic problem. Even if you run Leopard Server there is no way to keep libraries from iTunes, iPhoto or what so ever synchronised in a way that multiple users can acces the same libraries and add new stuff to it.

If :apple: moves into this direction it will means that they have to update most of their software products to work in a "local" setup and in a "server" setup. They are capable to do it (see there professional software) but need to make it working in there consumer line of applications as well.

We will see what the show will bring.

Personally I would hope for new software along updated hardware (iMac, mini and MacPro). Especially new software, for example groups calender (with synchronisation), integration with iPhone like they have with Exchange, etc.
O ja, an upgrade to iWork would be nice too :D

[NoSmokingBandit]

I think what Jaw was referring to was that fact the hack tweaked apple's OS.

So? There are a ton of programs that tweak little bits of Windows when you install them because it need the extra functionality to work. OSX is not sacred and people are allowed to tweak it if they see fit.

[rhett7660]

So? There are a ton of programs that tweak little bits of Windows when you install them because it need the extra functionality to work. OSX is not sacred and people are allowed to tweak it if they see fit.

And maybe that might be some of the reasons for the crashes? Never said you can't or shouldn't tweak Mac OS. Never said OS X was sacred either. However I would rather not have a third party tweak/mess/over write parts of the os.

[NoSmokingBandit]

Heres where it gets interesting. Most of the crashes on a windows system comes from 3rd party crap messing with things. If Apple keeps growing at a good rate there will be 3rd party apps that insist on tweaking things to work better for them, reducing osx into a crash-prone system like windows.
So what would you rather have, a more stable system that only works with a select group of peripherals priced higher than anybody else's, or a system that works with cheaper 3rd party peripherals and might crash a bit more?

[rhett7660]

Heres where it gets interesting. Most of the crashes on a windows system comes from 3rd party crap messing with things. If Apple keeps growing at a good rate there will be 3rd party apps that insist on tweaking things to work better for them, reducing osx into a crash-prone system like windows.
So what would you rather have, a more stable system that only works with a select group of peripherals priced higher than anybody else's, or a system that works with cheaper 3rd party peripherals and might crash a bit more?

For me, more stable... I am already paying a premium to not have to deal with crashes etc.

[NoSmokingBandit]

Yes, but some people will quickly grow tired of paying more than everyone else and Apple is going to take the heat for the crashes. Apple needs to be careful that their arrogance in the market doesnt slowly turn on them. Right now they are ok being marketed only to the wealthy, but that wont last forever.

[rhett7660]

Yes, but some people will quickly grow tired of paying more than everyone else and Apple is going to take the heat for the crashes. Apple needs to be careful that their arrogance in the market doesnt slowly turn on them. Right now they are ok being marketed only to the wealthy, but that wont last forever.

I don't know if they are marketed to the wealthy. Judging by who is on this very message board/forum.

But hey, this is about Home Media Servers............. :)

[diamond.g]

I was gonna get a Mac Mini (on my Amazon Wishlist) but now I am kinda hoping for this OS X Home Server version to come out. Hopefully it should be easy since Windows Home Server is just Windows Server 2003 with some ancillary applications added on to it.

OS X server could just be tweaked to offer the integration like that of WHS.

[rickeym]

Yes, but some people will quickly grow tired of paying more than everyone else and Apple is going to take the heat for the crashes. Apple needs to be careful that their arrogance in the market doesnt slowly turn on them. Right now they are ok being marketed only to the wealthy, but that wont last forever.

A mac is a good buy when you compare equivalent systems from Dell and HP. :apple:

[NoSmokingBandit]

A mac is a good buy when you compare equivalent systems from Dell and HP. :apple:

That depends on how you view the cost/benefit ratio. I know a ton of people who like OSX and would love to use it but refuse to pay the "mac premium" or "mac tax."
They would rather spend half as much on a laptop that has the same specs or better.
Apple will have crossed a huge line if they make it so that only their media server works on osx. Vendor lock-in like that is only tolerated by zealots and fanboys. Though, to be fair, most mac users are zealots and fanboys so it probably wouldnt hurt them at all :p

[rickeym]

Though, to be fair, most mac users are zealots and fanboys so it probably wouldnt hurt them at all :p

Hey, I resemble that remark! :D

[rhett7660]

That depends on how you view the cost/benefit ratio. I know a ton of people who like OSX and would love to use it but refuse to pay the "mac premium" or "mac tax."
They would rather spend half as much on a laptop that has the same specs or better.
Apple will have crossed a huge line if they make it so that only their media server works on osx. Vendor lock-in like that is only tolerated by zealots and fanboys. Though, to be fair, most mac users are zealots and fanboys so it probably wouldnt hurt them at all :p

Of course you might want to do a search for comparisions between Mac's and PC's. There are a ton of threads on this.

[macsamillion]

I have spent teh better part of this weekend trying to figure out how to implement this at home. Wife got me my second AppleTV I bought her a Macbook, add in my MAcBook Pro and an iMac and we have vast file confusion. Remote access would be great but not needed immediately for me, I just need a central place to store all this media.

Apple has been quietly pointing to this eventuality for some time. First the AirPort Extreme and the MacMini, next the Apple TV, then the MacBook Air—lost it's optical drive—finally the advent of the Time Capsule. Add this all up and you have a 802.11n Media Server; all that's missing is RAID—kind of a no brainer. It's just a matter of time.

[Trip.Tucker]

HP's newly updated MediaSmart server just beat them to the punch.

Only if Apple release a device with the same functionality and features. Once (if) Apple release a product that surpasses the MediaSmart, then HP never beat them to the punch because they cannot be compared against one another.

[Trip.Tucker]

I hope they do this. We were talking about one of these back when the "Brick (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=6346620#post6346620)" rumor was going on.

Ugly mock-up:

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=137134&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1222584093

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=137135&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1222584093

God thats ugly. Who mocked up that nightmare? That's worse than the worst p.c. case from Taiwan. Uggh!

[Trip.Tucker]

That only affected a small number of users with specific apps under very specific circumstances. And it was fixed long ago.

Ahhh no. It still exists for quite a large number of people and thus far, Microsoft is doing very little to correct it. No public acknowledgement is being made (aside from the placebo patches which fixed a small number of end users) and so far, the only feedback that has been given has been to upgrade the system to W2K3.

End result = not fixed.

[Trip.Tucker]

So... they can't even get Back to My Mac working properly and you guys expect this thing will actually work?

Technically, Back to My Mac does work. The problems are most commonly with cheap routers (read crappy) and a lack of knowledge on how to configure and forward ports. That is out of the control of Apple.

[Trip.Tucker]

Sounds like this would be in high demand based on the comments in this thread. You could add me to that list. I would love something like this!

I am just sad that I bought my 1TB Time Capsule only a few months ago :( I still haven't even ripped half my DVDs.

P.S. Anyone in here have a lot of experience with Hand Brake? I would say 1 out of 5 movies I rip gets all screwed up with either the audio out of sync or chapters being skipped and screwed up video etc. Is this pretty common with HB??? It is starting to really piss me off :mad:

Bring on the Time Capsule Pro Apple :D

Dump HandBrake, buy (yes, it's worth the cash for something that just works) Roxio Popcorn.

[Trip.Tucker]

It would be very interesting for apple to make a unit that really brings the whole entertainment (music, movies, pictures, etc) to a centralized server for the home. Here is the main sticking point:

IF IT WILL NOT PLAY XVID, AVI,MKV AND OTHER FILE AND CONTAINER FORMATS THAN THEY MIGHT AS WELL NOT MAKE THIS!!!

As we all know with many apple products, they stick to their monopoly, i.e. MP4 and apple friendly formats. This is the reason I have stuck with just their computers (just bought a MBP, upgrade from powerbook G4) and not products like apple tv, iphone, ipod....

Love the company, hate what they have become.

Hope life is smiling on you all.

You know... Perian will allow you to play those formats...and it's a free Pref Pane.

[Trip.Tucker]

Please! Apple still can't get front row right. Shared cover art in front row still doesn't show up and leopard is over a year old now. Yes I hope someone from apple reads this, as they are not reading their own support discussion forum. Someone in Apple QA needs to go! When you have user after user complaining about this functionality not working for over a year on your own support forum, and do nothing, something else is wrong. I don't see Apple getting a media server right if they can't get front row correct (in leopard).

Two threads on this over 1 year old issue:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1197140&tstart=0

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?referrerid=59552&t=461932


:mad:

I have zero issues with cover art, if you are talking about movies. Music-wise my album has been fine, but on that front I haven't done anything extensive. Use MetaX to write the metadata in your .mov files and FrontRow (and iTunes for that matter) will happily show all cover art.

[Trip.Tucker]

Why?

Remote into it.

With what? That's a naive response. Imagine the home user purchases this device only with no other computers in the home.

[AidenShaw]

Ahhh no. It still exists for quite a large number of people and thus far, Microsoft is doing very little to correct it. No public acknowledgement is being made (aside from the placebo patches which fixed a small number of end users) and so far, the only feedback that has been given has been to upgrade the system to W2K3.

End result = not fixed.

Please back up this claim - or we can dismiss it.

The feedback from Microsoft that I've seen is:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946676/

July 21, 2008

A bug has been discovered in the way that the initial release of Windows Home Server manages file transfer and balancing across multiple hard drives. In certain cases, depending on application use patterns, timing, and the workload that is placed on the Windows Home Server-based computer, certain files could become corrupted. ...

RESOLUTION
...To resolve this problem, install the Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 update.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 944289 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/944289/ ) Description of the Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 update

Please, if you have evidence that it wasn't fixed almost half a year ago - post the links.

[Eidorian]

With what? That's a naive response. Imagine the home user purchases this device only with no other computers in the home.What's the point of it without another computer then?

[AidenShaw]

Originally Posted by Eidorian
Why?

Remote into it.

With what? That's a naive response. Imagine the home user purchases this device only with no other computers in the home.

I'm sorry, but did you miss the main idea that we're talking about a home file server here?

I can't for the life of me figure out why someone who didn't have any computers in the home would go out and buy a home file server! :eek:

[Trip.Tucker]

What's the point of it without another computer then?

This fabled device has not been defined. What Apple products have strictly followed other similar marketplace devices? One cannot make a comparison with what HP is doing (which is crap on the home scene) or other vendors.

If it has no video out then it is an Apple Airport Extreme with hard drive attached. The Time Capsule also has this functionality in the form of remote storage.

The Apple TV has local storage, video out and input in (albeit remote only) and does not require another computer to operate.

So where do you think this fabled device would sit? In between these two appliances? Above the Mac mini? As a full server for the home? - Which just brings us back to a power munching full computer as some have put forth as the negative. Apple have already provided a lower power file sharing appliance in two forms.

The original post talks about a notion of a media server-esque device, or to further clarify my points, this thread is steering towards the idea of a Mac mini replacement for home theatre setups. Tell me if I have misread the trail of posts.

[AidenShaw]

This fabled device has not been defined. What Apple products have strictly followed other similar marketplace devices? One cannot make a comparison with what HP is doing (which is crap on the home scene) or other vendors.

My BS alarms just went off the scale here.

The MediaSmart server from HP is spot on for the home. You might not want to give one to your grandmother (give her a Drobo as long as she's not colour-blind).


If it has no video out then it is an Apple Airport Extreme with hard drive attached.

The HP MediaSmart has no VGA/DVI or other video out, nor keyboard/mouse ports.

And it's much more than a wireless router.


As a full server for the home? - Which just brings us back to a power munching full computer as some have put forth as the negative. Apple have already provided a lower power file sharing appliance in two forms.

The Mini is brain-damaged for a home server. One laptop drive - are you kidding?

Please look again at the MediaSmart with an open mind - it's like a Mini, but with 4 hot-swap drive slots with flexible post-RAID configurations, intelligent power management, and a very user friendly web UI.

[simoleon]

What do you think the chances are that this home server functionality could be added to existing Time Capules through a software update?

[rhett7660]

My BS alarms just went off the scale here.

The MediaSmart server from HP is spot on for the home. You might not want to give one to your grandmother (give her a Drobo as long as she's not colour-blind).




The HP MediaSmart has no VGA/DVI or other video out, nor keyboard/mouse ports.

And it's much more than a wireless router.




The Mini is brain-damaged for a home server. One laptop drive - are you kidding?

Please look again at the MediaSmart with an open mind - it's like a Mini, but with 4 hot-swap drive slots with flexible post-RAID configurations, intelligent power management, and a very user friendly web UI.

For some reason I don't think he/she gets it.

[theTechnician]

Do you guys think this home server will be released at macworld 2009? Or it this rumored product just in the development stages? What do you think?:cool:

[weldon]

Do you guys think this home server will be released at macworld 2009? Or it this rumored product just in the development stages? What do you think?:cool:

I think it's a fantasy and is not a real product from Apple. But that's just me.

That said, I am hoping for some more sharing options in the next desktop version of iTunes.

[Evangelion]

Yes, but some people will quickly grow tired of paying more than everyone else and Apple is going to take the heat for the crashes. Apple needs to be careful that their arrogance in the market doesnt slowly turn on them. Right now they are ok being marketed only to the wealthy, but that wont last forever.

There's a saying in Finland: "Poor people can't afford cheap things". Meaning: Cheap stuff is usually crap that ends up costing more in the long run because they break down and/or don't function properly. If you don't have much money, it's usually better to buy something that costs a bit more, but which is also better built/functions better.

Yes yes, year after year we get the stupid comparisons that show how you can get better "specs" for same money if you bought a PC. But there are more to computer than mere specs. Do you decide which car to buy based on hp alone? No you do not. Do you buy your house based on the amount of square meters alone? No you do not. And if you buy your computer based solely on how many Mhz and GB it has, you would be dumb.

Are Macs marketed to the "wealthy"? I don't think so. Are Macs suitable for only the wealthy? No, not even if they cost more (which they don't). They might cost more than bottom-of-the-barrel PC's, but those PC's are cheap because they are crap. If you compared comparable machines, the prices would also be similar. And no, "comparable" does not mean specs alone.

Just because Apple does not really sell low-end machines, does not mean that they are "expensive". It just means that they do not have cheap 'n crappy models available.

Is Toyota expensive because you could get a Lada for a lot less money? No. Lada might cost less, but it's crap. You get what you pay for. "value" is not defined by how much the item costs, it's defined by how much use you can get from the item when compared to the price of the item. Is it good value to buy a computer that is very cheap, but it's so badly made that it's practically useless? No. What IS good value is to invest a bit more, and buy a computer that is well built and that will be useful for years to come. And no, it doesn't have to be a Mac, it could be a PC as well.

[OllyW]

What do you think the chances are that this home server functionality could be added to existing Time Capules through a software update?

I don't think the hardware in the Time Capsule is up to the job of doing much more than it currently does. Even the current model HP MediaSmart servers have been struggling to cope as more functionality has been added through Add-ins and these have a lot more power than the Time Capsule.

In fact, HP had to change their warranty (http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/2008/09/25/hp-to-allow-mediasmart-server-memory-upgrades-without-voiding-warranties/) to allow owners to upgrade the memory from the base 512MB. The new models announced this week have improved processors and 2GB of RAM.

[Kilamite]

With what? That's a naive response. Imagine the home user purchases this device only with no other computers in the home.

Haha. You're response is naive and ignorant, not his!

Maybe you over looked the "server" bit and just saw Home Media. Whole point in these things is to share huge amounts of data across home network (and possibly WAN) - which will be ideal for the Apple TV if it integrates an iTunes server.

Really, if you have no idea what this is, then you shouldn't be a smart arse.

[dnguyen]

i don't think they're really making one

[MacFly123]

Dump HandBrake, buy (yes, it's worth the cash for something that just works) Roxio Popcorn.

I did extensive research online in forums etc to be able to find the setting I use in HandBrake that is compatible with Apple TV, iPhone, & iPods, and looks good even on the Apple TV yet maintains a pretty decent file size while also including standard and 5.1 audio.

Does Popcorn have something comparable or would I have to tweak and do more research???

Thanks!

[ObsidianIce]

Supporting 6 drives would be a little much for a home user. 4 would probably be more likely. Also i can pretty much guarantee that the whs you're using is a serious power hog. Housing and running 12 drives would require some serious cooling and power. 6 would be quite bad as well really. I agree with supporting various sizes and parities though.

I use a WHS machine I built myself and can house 12 drives and it works great.
So if i'm to get one from apple it needs to support at least 6 drives and allow for drives of any size and support parity as opposed to mirroring for redundancy. Then I would consider it.

[rhett7660]

Supporting 6 drives would be a little much for a home user. 4 would probably be more likely. Also i can pretty much guarantee that the whs you're using is a serious power hog. Housing and running 12 drives would require some serious cooling and power. 6 would be quite bad as well really. I agree with supporting various sizes and parities though.

I don't. I think 4 is small. But that is me. I am looking at something that houses 15 drives of all sizes (http://lime-technology.com/). However I am thinking of holding off until after MWSF to see if something does come up.

Originally Posted by Trip.Tucker
Dump HandBrake, buy (yes, it's worth the cash for something that just works) Roxio Popcorn.

I have yet to have a single problem with handbrake. It even plays well with MetaX. No complaints what so ever.

[Quu]

Supporting 6 drives would be a little much for a home user. 4 would probably be more likely. Also i can pretty much guarantee that the whs you're using is a serious power hog. Housing and running 12 drives would require some serious cooling and power. 6 would be quite bad as well really. I agree with supporting various sizes and parities though.

It doesn't really take as much cooling and power as you would think.

I have a Home Server with 8 Hard Disks, the case is cooled by only 2x120MM fans and each drive according to its own SMART monitoring system is around 24c to 41c (As not all drives are directly infront or behind 120MM fans so the temps vary) The drives I use are certified for operating up to 60c (Samsung 1TB's) Those temps were taken under extremely high load on all drives so I would never expect them to get any higher.

Power wise each drive will consume 6 watts Idle and 12.5 Watts at maximum I/O load. Equating to just 100Watts under full Load. With the CPU (45Watt Model that spends most of its time around the 20Watt range) Raid Card (10 Watts) and Motherboard (35Watts) with 2 Dimm Slots and no Graphics Card the entire system comes at just 165Watts @ Highest Disk Load. With a Maximum power draw of 200 to 210 Watts if the entire system (CPU and all) were under maximum stresses. A Home Storage server spends most of its time Idle though or with only mild disk access, Which would average out the power consumption to around 113Watts. I have in my Server an ultra-quiet 520Watt Tagan PSU and overall the Server is very quiet and low power but I get some excellent performance 60-70MB/ps Read and Write over the network with over 200MB/ps read/write on the local system with benchmarks like HD-Tune.

Now obviously I don't think the average home needs a 6 or 8 drive NAS. Two and Four drive Network Attached Storage devices is all that the majority of Consumers need but there are Prosumers out there who do need lots of storage, be that to backup large quantities of Digital or Physical media to saving personal projects, photos or video. Hell if you have a Windows Media Centre and you regularly record High Def through it your eat through gigabytes of storage per day.

I'm quite happy with my NAS as its expandable to 16 drives and thats what I wanted when I built it, expandability and high performance. But I think Apple could definitely shake up the market with a 6 to 8 drive unit because there really is a market for it. If you look at the NAS's available right now in the 4 drive region they mostly run on ARM processors (like the iPhone) and use Software RAID for data integrity. These processors are really slow for doing RAID5 calculations and the performance is not very good. Alternatively you have products like the Drobo which has a more beefy Intel x86 processor but its crippled by a 100Mb ethernet connection (Which is only capable of 12.5MB/ps transfer speeds)

I do think Apple could shake the market up but I don't think they will. Their recent products have been quite ... unremarkable. They seem to be aiming for Size and Weight more then Performance. I remember a time when Apple loved to spout how the PowerBook G4 was the fastest Notebook in the world and then they brought out the iBook and compared it to $1000 Competitor notebooks that were just not as fast. I think having let go of the performance crown and aiming for a size and weight margin has hurt Apple in the Prosumer and Buisness area where Form isn't a factor in a purchase decision. You don't buy a Porche to plow a field because its sleeker then a Tractor and with Apple only releasing 2 or 3 products in a range it limits the markets that would want to buy those products.

To elaborate what I mean exactly, if you look at their Desktop systems you have 3 systems. The Mac Mini which only supports 1 Laptop sized Hard Disk and cannot be upgraded Graphics or CPU wise. You have the iMac which comes with a screen weather you want it or not and also cannot be upgraded, and you have the Mac Pro which is like a leapfrog from the iMac. Dual Processors very large enclosure and very pricey for the ability to upgrade its components. What is missing is a Middle class Buisness/Prosumer tower one with a Single Quad Core processor in a form factor like Prystar are currently offering. Something cheap but fast with full upgradability. And I see this happening to the Notebooks as-well (Removing choice of Matted Displays, DVI, Charging $99 for a connector adapter that no one wanted to buy).

For all these reasons and more I see an Apple NAS as a nice addition to a family that already had / wanted a Time Capsule but nothing that will make us geeks hearts flutter and that is a real shame from the little Apple company I love.

[hhlee]

What is missing is a Middle class Buisness/Prosumer tower one with a Single Quad Core processor in a form factor like Prystar are currently offering. Something cheap but fast with full upgradability.

please god

[Patcoola]

isn't the apple tv already the media server?
sounds more like a update to the apple tv

[sighlent]

Technically, Back to My Mac does work. The problems are most commonly with cheap routers (read crappy) and a lack of knowledge on how to configure and forward ports. That is out of the control of Apple.

Exactly. I've had my router configured to direct all traffic to my home server well before Apple ever introduced Back to My Mac. Set up an SSH tunnel and Network Beacon to have my home iTunes library come up in my iTunes shared libraries at work. However again none of this would be possible without either your only one computer connected directly to your modem to get the public IP or configuring your router properly.

[Jiff Lemon]

isn't the apple tv already the media server?
sounds more like a update to the apple tv

Apple TV is more like an I-pod for your TV set.

A media server would be central store for your Itunes, I-photo libraries and the like. You could then use any device (Atv, ipod or mac) to access these.

[NightStorm]

I really hope the "Apple Media Server" is a software extension off of 10.6 and not a dedicated piece of hardware. I've already got a ReadyNAS for storage, but would really like a better way to manage the library across multiple computers.

[rhett7660]

I really hope the "Apple Media Server" is a software extension off of 10.6 and not a dedicated piece of hardware. I've already got a ReadyNAS for storage, but would really like a better way to manage the library across multiple computers.

I have been asking for this for sometime. I would love say a server version of iTunes to manage all my media for all my computers. I couldn't agree more.

[AidenShaw]

I have been asking for this for sometime. I would love say a server version of iTunes to manage all my media for all my computers. I couldn't agree more.

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/img/alt_gallery17_400.jpg

Serve up iTunes music - any computer on the network that runs iTunes can access an iTunes shared library on the HP MediaSmart Server

The HP MediaSmart Server has a “Server for iTunes” feature whereby you can automatically copy iTunes music from family members’ PCs to the HP MediaSmart Server to be easily shared around your home network. The Server for iTunes feature even preserves playlists from each user’s PC.

The Server for iTunes feature will synchronize new music to the server as that music is added to individual PCs. Music on the server can then be accessed from each individual PC’s iTunes library. Note that the MediaSmart Server does not count as one of the five playback devices in iTunes. The Server for iTunes feature is designed for sharing music across the local network only.

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/alt.html#overview

[NightStorm]

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/img/alt_gallery17_400.jpg

Serve up iTunes music - any computer on the network that runs iTunes can access an iTunes shared library on the HP MediaSmart Server

The HP MediaSmart Server has a “Server for iTunes” feature whereby you can automatically copy iTunes music from family members’ PCs to the HP MediaSmart Server to be easily shared around your home network. The Server for iTunes feature even preserves playlists from each user’s PC.

The Server for iTunes feature will synchronize new music to the server as that music is added to individual PCs. Music on the server can then be accessed from each individual PC’s iTunes library. Note that the MediaSmart Server does not count as one of the five playback devices in iTunes. The Server for iTunes feature is designed for sharing music across the local network only.

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/alt.html#overview
Can the HP handle video, or AppleTV paring? The ReadyNAS has a built-in iTunes server (based off of Firefly), but it only does audio and cannot pair directly with an AppleTV (no functionality for the 4-digit passcodes). If this functionality is ever added to Firefly, I'd run it off of the NAS and call it a day.

[Eidorian]

Serve up iTunes music - any computer on the network that runs iTunes can access an iTunes shared library on the HP MediaSmart Server

The HP MediaSmart Server has a “Server for iTunes” feature whereby you can automatically copy iTunes music from family members’ PCs to the HP MediaSmart Server to be easily shared around your home network. The Server for iTunes feature even preserves playlists from each user’s PC.

The Server for iTunes feature will synchronize new music to the server as that music is added to individual PCs. Music on the server can then be accessed from each individual PC’s iTunes library. Note that the MediaSmart Server does not count as one of the five playback devices in iTunes. The Server for iTunes feature is designed for sharing music across the local network only.

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/alt.html#overviewI like where this is going.

[glide]

Can the HP handle video, or AppleTV paring? The ReadyNAS has a built-in iTunes server (based off of Firefly), but it only does audio and cannot pair directly with an AppleTV (no functionality for the 4-digit passcodes). If this functionality is ever added to Firefly, I'd run it off of the NAS and call it a day.

Nope. Only audio. One of my major complaints about the current MediaSmart Server...

[AidenShaw]

Can the HP handle video, or AppleTV paring? The ReadyNAS has a built-in iTunes server (based off of Firefly), but it only does audio and cannot pair directly with an AppleTV (no functionality for the 4-digit passcodes). If this functionality is ever added to Firefly, I'd run it off of the NAS and call it a day.

Looks like music only - according to this blog, HP runs firefly (http://blogs.technet.com/seanearp/archive/2007/12/02/hp-mediasmart-as-an-itunes-server.aspx).

[NightStorm]

Looks like music only - according to this blog, HP runs firefly (http://blogs.technet.com/seanearp/archive/2007/12/02/hp-mediasmart-as-an-itunes-server.aspx).

For all the manufacturers that make use of the Firefly server, you'd think there would be a lot of development work on it. But alas, the project has sit practically dormant for awhile now as the sole (?) developer is busy with his real world responsibilities.

I really wish all these companies making use of open source projects would contribute something back... they are making a ton of money off of this project without giving anything in return. I'm pretty sure a couple programmers familiar with the communications between iTunes and the AppleTV could figure it out fairly quickly.

[MacsBestFriend]

Sounds like a Mobile Me Time Capsule to me: there could be an :apple:TV update that will allow the Time Capsule to sync with it...

[bergmef]

What if it's this old plug in module patent. You can add things as you need them, like more storage.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070415-new-patent-hints-at-apple-tv-expansion.html

Seems like the next step. Sorry if it was posted before, I'm on vacation. :D

[rhett7660]

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/img/alt_gallery17_400.jpg

Serve up iTunes music - any computer on the network that runs iTunes can access an iTunes shared library on the HP MediaSmart Server

The HP MediaSmart Server has a “Server for iTunes” feature whereby you can automatically copy iTunes music from family members’ PCs to the HP MediaSmart Server to be easily shared around your home network. The Server for iTunes feature even preserves playlists from each user’s PC.

The Server for iTunes feature will synchronize new music to the server as that music is added to individual PCs. Music on the server can then be accessed from each individual PC’s iTunes library. Note that the MediaSmart Server does not count as one of the five playback devices in iTunes. The Server for iTunes feature is designed for sharing music across the local network only.

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/alt.html#overview


This is a nice feature. Something I have been wishing apple would do for a while. If it did movies too I would be sold.

[louden]

If there is some product, I'm hoping that it's an easy upgrade to any existing Time Capsule. Otherwise, us Time Capsule users might be a bit chaffed...

[macmtnman]

I guess this product will be a Mac mini with all time capsule and Apple TV functionality integrated. Price target to be likely somewhere around 10 to 50 percent north of the current mini depending on drive capacity. This product should sell to existing base of ipod, iphone, laptop customers as well as mac mini upgraders. Might scavenge iMac sales. I guess Apple will prefer to sell one of these, a couple of laptops, and multiple iphones/ipods to each household anyway. It will be a brilliant progressive move towards Apple's goal to dominate home based entertainment and computing. Will provide all backup functions for the household as well as central entertainment and software that can be transferred to portable devices as needed.

[Goona]

How far is this coming along?