Home Media Center Questions

[Dakana]

Ok so I'm looking to make a home media center / network file storage system. The key things I'm looking to do are have an easy way to get files from my main PC to my laptop and also be able to play video files form that central place on my TV.

I'm mainly deciding on whether to have a small media server or just a network hard drive for the storage device.

Also I'm about to get an xbox but I'm looking at Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link Video Players and Recorder reviews - CNET Reviews to use to play back my files.

Any thoughts on suggestions on what I should do?

Key Factors I'm worries about:
The network HD is small and simple but I can't effectively add on more storage
However A server will be larger/louder and more expensive.

Since I'm getting an xbox using it for playback it basically free but I'm not sure on how easily it will be to get files into a playable state for the 360 where the TV Link is very accessible does anyone have any experience with that?


Thanks in advance~

[Cephius]

Well, first of all, you can set up your PC as a media server, and that'll let you stream movies to your 360, laptop, ps3, or whatever. You can do this through windows media player, or through a media server program like Tversity.

There are media center devices that allow you to just hook them up to your TV and play from there, one of them that I think is a Mvix Player that allows you to wirelessly stream anything to any TV or monitor you hook it up to.

Though it seems your best option is to get an Xbox, and set up your home network to stream media. You can do this pretty easily and it's cheap, and the Xbox can play a decent number of media files.