Quantcast

Hands-On: HP MediaSmart Home Server

HP and Microsoft combine forces to deliver some user-friendly features that take this early Windows Home Server box beyond mere network-attached storage.

Tom Spring, PC World

  • 0 Yes
  • 0 No

Customizing MediaSmart Software

At setup, HP presents you with a Suggested Configuration Steps tab that guides you through customizing the server once you've connected it to your network. Here you set up user accounts, thereby restricting or permitting access to the server.

Click to see a full-size image. HP also steps you through setting up remote access to the server from outside your home network. This remote-access feature enables you to connect remotely to your home server so that you can upload and download files, or access other PCs on the network via a built-in remote-desktop application.

A tool in the MediaSmart Server Console helps you assign your server a common name, either by using the HP Customizable Domain service or by going to Windows Live Custom Domains, where you can assign your server a domain name such as YourName.hpmediasmart.com or YourName.homeserver.com. Both Microsoft and HP offer the service for free.

Media Sharing

One of the chief benefits of any server is that it establishes a centralized storage location accessible from multiple PCs. In a typical multi-PC home, users want to share multimedia content--as opposed to spreadsheets in an office setting. HP has tools for streamlining content sharing, both from within a network and from beyond it.

Click to see a full-size image.

Though I appreciated the Photo Webshare feature, I still think that third-party sites like Flickr do a better job of displaying pictures. They deliver a great slide-show experience, give you flexibility in labeling photos, and make it easy to invite friends to view your photos and leave comments. With Photo Webshare, you lose some functionality, but at least you don't have to upload your photos to a third-party service, which can take a long time.

MediaSmart's iTunes access.The MediaSmart Home Server shines when it comes to sharing content from within your home network. I easily shared and streamed digital music and video files from any networked PC. One nifty iTunes feature that HP has added enables you to configure the server to sync iTunes libraries on connected PCs to the server, creating a single giant iTunes library that the entire household can connect to and enjoy.

If you have an Xbox 360 or other Windows Media Connect-enabled device, you can stream audio and video content from the Home Server for live viewing, rather than having to download it before playing it.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

"Hands-On: HP MediaSmart Home Server" Comments

Print 65% more pages than with refilled inks. Trust Original HP Inks. Hit Print Reliably.

Featured APC Accessories For Your System
10% Off Entire Cart at Online Store

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.

People who read this also read:

  • 2007 Microsoft Office Suites Comparison This paper compares and contrasts four suites of the 2007 Microsoft Office system: Microsoft Office Standard 2007, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 and Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007. This paper is intended to help organizations understand the applications and capabilities offered, and to identify the suite that best fits their needs.
  • Windows Vista Migration: The Business Proposition It's not so much a matter of "if" but "when" for most organizations regarding migration to Windows Vista. Laying the groundwork now for this migration can yield higher ROI than waiting until later. This Computerworld Technology Briefing explains it all.

PC World's Marketplace