I am looking to get a mac mini, an eyetv (or other tv recording system) and NAS to function as a media server in my living room and had several questions as to the best way to set this up correctly. what i want to achieve is use the mac mini to record tv programmes and connect it up to the tv in the living room with the media all residing on the NAS hard drive. So my questions are as follows:
1. is it possible for both my macbook pro and the mac mini to share the same media library on the NAS drive? Can i access the library from both at the same time (agree not likely, but i may want to watch one thing and my girlfriend another)
2. Ideally i have my entire media collection on the NAS and then make a local copy as well of the music and podcasts onto the macbook so i have them when i travel without having my hard disk full with all the movies and shows. Is it possible to do this or to automate copying these files at given points in time. I heard there is an application that allows itunes to redirect to files located in other location. what is the name of that program and would this help me.
3. Any recommendations as far as which NAS i use? i would like to use it also in a RAID1 mode so that i have a backup of my media files in case something happens. I would also like to use it to backup my macbook pro. I would ideally go quite big on this front, given that i have quite a few DVD i am looking to rip and will likely have a couple of terabytes of data. Given i travel quite actively for work being able to access it remotely would be an added advantage and if i can do it from apps for ipad and iphone (both locally and or remotely) that would be an added advantage.
4. any recommendations as to the TV recording system. i presume elgato eyetv hybrid given it is the most prevalent but are there any other alternatives.
5. given that the mac mini's sole purpose is going to be to record tv and serve as a media server, both on the tv screen in the living room and to stream to my bedroom where i will put the Apple TV, i was hoping to save a little bit of money by buying a second hand mac mini. Would you say there are any minimum requirements to be able to handle what i want, or recommended requirements or am i good to go with the cheapest mac mini i can find on ebay. i intend to upgrade to mavericks when it becomes available in the fall on my macbook and might be easier if the mini is running it too.
as it might be of use when answering these questions i would like to go for mac mini because all my other gadgets are apple and find it easier to stay within the ecosystem. i also live in the UK so availability of certain things might be an issue.
many thanks for any help.
1. is it possible for both my macbook pro and the mac mini to share the same media library on the NAS drive? Can i access the library from both at the same time (agree not likely, but i may want to watch one thing and my girlfriend another)
2. Ideally i have my entire media collection on the NAS and then make a local copy as well of the music and podcasts onto the macbook so i have them when i travel without having my hard disk full with all the movies and shows. Is it possible to do this or to automate copying these files at given points in time. I heard there is an application that allows itunes to redirect to files located in other location. what is the name of that program and would this help me.
3. Any recommendations as far as which NAS i use? i would like to use it also in a RAID1 mode so that i have a backup of my media files in case something happens. I would also like to use it to backup my macbook pro. I would ideally go quite big on this front, given that i have quite a few DVD i am looking to rip and will likely have a couple of terabytes of data. Given i travel quite actively for work being able to access it remotely would be an added advantage and if i can do it from apps for ipad and iphone (both locally and or remotely) that would be an added advantage.
4. any recommendations as to the TV recording system. i presume elgato eyetv hybrid given it is the most prevalent but are there any other alternatives.
5. given that the mac mini's sole purpose is going to be to record tv and serve as a media server, both on the tv screen in the living room and to stream to my bedroom where i will put the Apple TV, i was hoping to save a little bit of money by buying a second hand mac mini. Would you say there are any minimum requirements to be able to handle what i want, or recommended requirements or am i good to go with the cheapest mac mini i can find on ebay. i intend to upgrade to mavericks when it becomes available in the fall on my macbook and might be easier if the mini is running it too.
as it might be of use when answering these questions i would like to go for mac mini because all my other gadgets are apple and find it easier to stay within the ecosystem. i also live in the UK so availability of certain things might be an issue.
many thanks for any help.