linux multimedia - simple media server

The problem with multimedia on Linux is really one of too much choice. From desktop players such as Banshee and Amarok to specialist pro audio production systems like Indamixx, and full on media centre servers that integrate with home automation, telephony and security, the challenge is more about deciding what you want to do for how much than what is available.

A simple setup I did for a young family recently was to setup a Mediagate media player for storing and playing a large digital music collection, and as a bonus, it could double as a NAS backup device for their laptop, display their photo collection, and play the odd home videos from their mobiles or friends camcorders.

All they had was a large laptop, a small house, a big TV/home theatre/DVD system, broadband and portable mpeg players. Playing music or videos in any other room at the same time would be silly, as playing any media would be heard everywhere in the small house anyway, and all activity centered on the lounge room/kitchen space anyway. There was no space that could be dedicated to a PC let alone dedicating space for a server.

It was very simple to setup, just put a disk into the enclosure(I used a 250G sata disk), plugin the TV, speakers and some power, then just a network cable to the broadband modem/router. It sits unobtrusively and quietly next to the TV.

The setup interface is through the TV, not pretty but is very simple and utilitarian and is not something you need more than once anyway.

NDAS works fine for both backing up data and sucking down music for loading onto their portable mpeg players for the car/train trips. NDAS is supposed be be connected via ethernet, but works fine with the laptop connected wirelessly to the modem/router, which in turn is connected via ethernet cable to the Mediagate player. So loading photos, videos, and music is all done through the laptop and NDAS. USB is an option as well, but why get up from the couch when NDAS works reliably!

The playback is fairly straight forward through the supplied remote control and on screen interface. The only real criticsm is that the navigation is quite primitive and limited. For example you need to start with the media type, navigate through the folders and select, and if you wish to play a different media type in the same directory, you need to go all the way up, change media type, and back down the tree.

As is, the people are happy, probably as they store mainly by media type so it is not as noticeable, eg mostly for playing their music collection, but it would bug me enough to look at updating the firmware.

That is what is great about gpl software, there are custom firmware images around, and if you have a need and some time you have the freedom to have a go yourself.