Network Media Library

[ajsethi]

Hi,

I am looking at setting up a Networked Media Library for my house. The base setup is as follows-
Output-
Marantz PM6004 Stereo amp feeding a pair of KEF Q4's
Input-
A Marantz UD5005 UD player, Apple TV and Apple Airport Express
The setup is linked to my Sony TV as well.

So I am looking at storing and streaming both Audio and Video files to this setup, largely through the Apple TV and Airport Express, but I also have a USB input on my Marantz UD5005.

I would like to be able to achieve the following tasks with it-
Music-
Store all my music files here and access them wirelessly through iTunes on various devices (mac and PC, ipad and iphone). Once I have it on iTunes, I can stream it to my amp using the airport express.
Pictures-
Would like to store all my pictures from various sources (DSLR, iPhone, iPad etc.) so that it is accessible to me on multiple computers. A master backup so to speak.
Movies-
I currently stream YouTube videos through my Apple TV and it works quite well. iTunes movies stream through Apple TV as well. If I have any downloaded movies I usually transfer them on a USB stick and play them through my Marantz UD player.

So will it work for me if I just add a NAS device to this setup and plug it permanently to my Marantz UD5005 or would I need something more than that? I would need to copy media files to this storage device on a regular basis, then I would need to access it through the various devices as required to play music and movie files.

Any recommendations for a NAS device? Synology? Any other..

 

[ajsethi]

Any help on the above topic of setting up a home media library will be appreciated.

 

[Shivam]

Get a NAS and a wireless router. Connect the NAS to the router and setup your wifi and NAS.

I use a Netgear ReadyNAS and Netgear N600 router to do this for me.

 

[aashish351]

Apple is particularly nasty in getting a seamless network library functioning unless its from an apple computer. Earlier, NAS devices such as Iomega, WD etc. used have iTunes Server and the software in Apple devices (iPhone, Mac, Apple TV 1) used to access these shared libraries. Now Apple has banned this functionality and only allows "Home Sharing" which is part of their new iTunes and OS versions. There may still be a way to have a network library for apple tv without running a Mac mini, macbook or mac desktop. You will have to do some research.

 

[aashish351]

More information here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3945488?start=0&tstart=0

 

[GeorgeO]

I use a 4Bay ReadyNAS NV to do the tasks you outlined, it works very well for me. Both audio and video( and pictures) are stored in the NAS and audio is accessed wirelessly by my two Squeezeboxes, and via GbE using a GbE switch by my Marantz AV 7005 as well as video and audio by my media players. I transfer data to my NAs over my network when needed.