HTPC options and advice for 2 large libraries

[Bozley0621]

My hard drive is filling fast with content. I use my 2012 MacBook Pro to work full-time from home, travel quarterly for work, iTunes to store all media, and iPhoto for all pictures. I maxed it out with a 1TB hard drive and 16 GB Ram.

I'm considering my options to store all media in one place. I would like the storage to have room to grow, store media for both my husband and I, and have easy access for all idevices for both of us.

I have a late 2009 white 13" MacBook. I am pondering setting up two accounts for my husband and I on this same computer and moving all of our iTunes and iPhoto content to an external drive connected to the laptop. I figure this way the Apple TV would be able to access both libraries all of the time. Currently, we need to open iTunes on our respective computers to access content. I would sell my 2012 MacBook (higher resale value than 2009 MB) and buy a TB Display and 13" MBA to use solely for work purposes.

Does this plan sound sensible for handling our media? Is the 2009 MB able to access idevices wirelessly? Would a refurbished Mac Mini server or other option serve my purposes better?

 

[linds15]

whats your budget like? foo you require a laptop for doing work outside of the house or are you just used to having one? i'd look into getting a mac mini, using that to stream files to any of your ATVs AND use it as your work computer connected to the thunderbolt. then keep one of the two laptops for whenever you need to do work on the go. this route could be much cheaper

 

[Bozley0621]

whats your budget like? foo you require a laptop for doing work outside of the house or are you just used to having one? i'd look into getting a mac mini, using that to stream files to any of your ATVs AND use it as your work computer connected to the thunderbolt. then keep one of the two laptops for whenever you need to do work on the go. this route could be much cheaper

I agree. At the moment, the Mac Mini and TB Display with miniStack Max (suggested in another thread for storage) set-up is a strong contender.

The MBA is a consideration since the 2009 MacBook is too old for my needs and the MBP is overkill. I just need something fast and powerful enough to run Mac Office and Citrix with A LOT of browser pages open. As an added bonus, it would be a few pounds lighter on my back when I travel. Otherwise, 128 GB flash storage is more than enough storage for work documents and email (I think).

 

[DaPhatty]

I agree. At the moment, the Mac Mini and TB Display with miniStack Max (suggested in another thread for storage) set-up is a strong contender.

The MBA is a consideration since the 2009 MacBook is too old for my needs and the MBP is overkill. I just need something fast and powerful enough to run Mac Office and Citrix with A LOT of browser pages open. As an added bonus, it would be a few pounds lighter on my back when I travel. Otherwise, 128 GB flash storage is more than enough storage for work documents and email (I think).

I'm currently using the Mac Mini (2010 model) + MiniStack combo as my HTPC and I love it. I definitely recommend this route. It's an elegant solution that still allows for fast connectivity via Firewire 800. The only thing I need to figure out is how to host these files to my iOS devices. If I can manage that, my setup will be golden.

 

[Bozley0621]

I'm currently using the Mac Mini (2010 model) + MiniStack combo as my HTPC and I love it. I definitely recommend this route. It's an elegant solution that still allows for fast connectivity via Firewire 800. The only thing I need to figure out is how to host these files to my iOS devices. If I can manage that, my setup will be golden.

Allow me to pick your brain, please. Do you mean that content stored on the Mini Stack can't be accessed through iTunes or iPhoto by iOS devices?

 

[DaPhatty]

Allow me to pick your brain, please. Do you mean that content stored on the Mini Stack can't be accessed through iTunes or iPhoto by iOS devices?

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that content stored on the Mini Stack can't be shared with iOS devices. I simply haven't spent any time figuring out how to share my content with my iOS devices. I presume all of this is possible since the Mini Stack is simply an external enclosure and is seen as an external hard drive by OS X. But most of my efforts thus far have been focused on fine tuning my Mac Mini/Mini Stack environment to interact with my Apple TV. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[linds15]

assuming home sharing is turned on in your itunes, and this is how you access files on your atv, you can do the same on your ipad. just go to videos and there should be a tab for your htpc content.