ping

The year of Media-players, Media-servers and Media-hubs?

In the first real post on this website, I described the basic infrastructure in my home: A LAN with primarily wireless access to a server and the internet. I thought I would gradually build up to describing more and more media-rich functionality by starting to describe the most basic functionality first. But it seems like this, the beginning of 2007 is becoming the year where digital media-centres of various types are really starting to take of.

My own media-centre setup consists of TwonkyMedia on the server and a D-Link DSM-320 media-player. The basic idea and functionality behind my own setup I like, but I am not 100% happy with the implementation. In general it is a specialty that has yet to mature. Which is obviously why it is still so interesting
The Microsoft Windows Media Center has been out for some time but without a lot of success.

Now Microsoft has introduced the Microsoft Home Server, I still don’t quite understand what it is about and I’m a little sceptical as to whether it will be a success. It is going to be sold by other hardware vendoes who can OEM the concept and software from Microsoft. What happens if or when they lose interest?
Apple are releasing the Apple TV. Again I’m a little sceptical, for one the avalable hard disk space is woefully inadequate plus it sounds like it is tied very closely to iTunes.

What I want are devices that support the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standards such as uPnP. My current setup does that, but it is lacking in usability.

No comments yet.

Leave a comment