Like a lot of geek girls (and guys), I have a lot of media repositories in my home. And between Rose and I, we also have a lot of digital content. I've been looking for some way to share that content across devices. Also, we're a mixed household: I'm on a Mac, she's on a PC plus we have another PC with some legacy content as well.
We also have a Playstation 3. I got it mainly so I could play around in the new Sony HOME virtual world (ahem .. where is it, Sony?) and to have DVD player b/c our old one died. It's wifi-enabled, so the ideal situation would be that it's part of the media network as well since it's the device that's actually hooked up to the TV.
Now, in theory, this should have been enough to have a functioning network. I was able to download a piece of software (EyeConnect) that SHOULD have let me stream content from my Mac via the PS3 to the TV. And it worked fine for photos, mostly OK for music and not at all for movies. Fail.
So my home network dream died as wedding, honeymoon and real-life took over.
But then, recently, I got a call from HP. They were offering to let me try out their new HP MediaSmart Server - it was about to make it's debut into Canada. I clapped my hands with glee - dreams of my home media empire network were revived!
OK. So, the HP MediaSmart Server arrived! I had cleared a space for it next to the new router (the dog knocked the old one off the shelf - bad dog). The HP MediaSmart Server is super-cute, sleek and shiny with a relatively small footprint. Tasty! I unpacked it, plugged it in and followed the start-up directions. Hmm, I didn't get the final set of lights that were supposed to flash. Hmm. No matter, I thought, surely the software will fix the problem. (Right.)
So I totally went ahead and installed the HP MediaSmart Server and the Windows Home Server software on Rose's machine (yes, it requires the MSFT Windows Home Server software). After trying to install the software it hung a few times saying it couldn't "see the server on the network". Sigh. I don't like making support calls.
So, just for fun, I tried to look for it on my Mac. And hey, my Mac saw it! And could play music from it in iTunes. And see photos and watch video (the person who had it before me didn't take all their content off - it is WEIRD flipping through someone else's pics; however, he had pretty good taste in music). I also booted up the PS3. It found the MediaSmart server and could pull pics and music, no problem. But couldn't see video.
The PC couldn't see it at all. But hey, this was my project (Rose just wanted her computer back), so I went along merrily for a few weeks with a partially realised dream.
After returning from a conference, I had about a week left of my time with the MediaSmart Server. I was determined to get Rose's PC networked as well. So I got on the horn with HP support (very nice helpful folks!) and essentially ended up wiping the server and doing a full reinstall of its software plus a reinstall of the HP and Windows Home software. That took a lot of time (note - if you're trying to set up a home network; plan for about three times as much time as you think it will take).
So, we got that all worked out and I was able to access and configure the MediaSmart server via the PC - just like it was intended. I set up user accounts, copied assets over. The PC and the HP were getting along like gangbusters.
Then I tried to check in via my Mac. No more server in my iTunes. No more friendly access. Sure, I could get to it as a network drive, but it wasn't as seamless as it was before the reinstall. On the PS3, access was pretty much the same - but it still couldn't play movies (and before you ask, yes, I did check compatibility of formats on the PS3 and made sure the digital versions were in a format the PS3 can read).
After the big reinstall, I didn't get to spend a lot of time with the server, so this review is a bit incomplete. The stuff I got to play with: different user accounts with protected levels of access and regular backups worked pretty well on the PC. The interface to the software was pretty easy to use. Some of the configuration options were a little fussy (particularly when I was setting up the backups).
When you get an HP MediaSmart Server, you also can get a personal URL (via TZO) which lets you have the server (protected) on the Internet available for sharing assets (for both upload and download). I didn't get this working on mine, but I did use it on another HP MediaSmart Server and it worked fine. This functionality is one of the main things that attracted me to the MediaSmart server - privately sharing photos (or other assets) with dispersed (extended) family members in one central location that isn't someone else's service. Sure, there are a number of photo-sharing sites out there, but they are all under someone else's control. By using something like the HP MediaSmart server, you retain the control of your pictures (with any of the digital assets you choose to share within your family network).
So, I had a pretty good experience with the HP MediaSmart Server, but I don't think it's the best solution for us. I'm thinking I need to try a network device from the Apple side of things - to see if it works better with my Mac and then brings the PC and the PS3 along for the ride. Is Apple TV what I need to be playing with next? Any thoughts?
I would like to say thanks to HP and to the folks at their PR agency, H&K. I had the opportunity to meet with reps from both organizations, received an excellent briefing and wonderful tech support. I was really delighted with how they wanted to reach out to different bloggers and make their products available for trial - not just to traditional journalists, but to regular folks like me.
And HP, if you EVER want someone to review your sexy MediaSmart HDTV (TV with WiFi built in, people!), call me!