HP Unveils Mac Compatible Home Media Server

Hewlett-Packard on Monday introduced the HP MediaSmart Server, the company's home media server, compatible with both Macs and PCs.

The MediaSmart Server allows users to access content like digital music, videos, photos or back-up data from any computer on the network. The server makes the information available over the Internet, as well.

Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server gives users the ability to schedule backups of digital files from computers on the network. You can also use the server as a centralized location for your iTunes Library, with music being available to any networked computer running iTunes.

The server includes HP Photo Publisher, which allows users to upload photos to Facebook, Picasa, and Snapfish. The server is also Time Machine compatible, allowing Mac users to utilize the server as a backup drive.

The HP MediaSmart Server ex485 with a 750GB hard disk is $599 and the HP MediaSmart Server ex487 with a 1.5TB hard disk is $749. The servers will be available for pre-order on January 5, 2009.