Background:
I have a Dell Inspiron Zino HD that faithfully serves as my HTPC, running Windows 7 Media Center. I have a HD Home Run, connected via its Ethernet port, for watching local TV. The Zino is wirelessly connected to my Linksys WRT54G.
Problem:
I want to take my DVD and BluRay ISOs and stream them to my HTPC. I've been doing research to assess my options, specifically in terms of whether I should purchase a DLNA NAS (such as this) or just use a spare PC.
I've tried the spare PC option with some DVD ISOs and found it sufficient. I use a Windows Homegroup to connect the remote PC to my HTPC. MyMovies can see the ISOs over the network and seems to handle playback decently.
However, I keep reading about DLNA certified NAS devices and they seem to be popular. I understand they offer RAID but so does my PC. I realize they support wireless streaming, but so does my PC and router setup. Are there features that DLNA NAS devices offer that my PC can't replicate? Is using a DLNA NAS better, or does a PC approach have some advantages?
Best Answer
NAS is about doing one thing. Providing storage on the network. You PC can do this too, but NAS is supposed to be designed SPECIFICALLY for doing this. There are NAS that use stripped versions of Linux. In effect they are a computer with a hard drive. So why would someone want to use NAS on their network?
Whenever you are using your computer, you are using resources. Maybe you are watching a movie and running data through the bus to the video card as an example. When someone else tries to pull a file from your computer, that data also goes through the bus. You slow things down because of this. If I move my files to NAS, I'm not competing for the resources of the computer while it is in use.
With the information I've provided, I'll let you decide what the best solution to your problem is.