How to build a media server

Level of difficulty: Easy

Who likes having a PC in their living room? Besides being advanced in design and power management, they still make noise and are not meant to be put under the TV. So, pick an option and build a media server. From your home or office, you can transmit music and movies to a personal network via a media server. To create a personal media server is cheap, all you have to do is follow some simple steps and your personal media server will be made.

Materials Needed:
- Specialized hardware and software
Step 1
You will require a computer to run the media server, and the processor should be at least 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, with a network card, Ethernet port and a drive of 500 GB. For back up of the data, an external hard drive can be used.
Step 2
The computer should have an operating system installed; an option of either Linux of Windows is suitable. Windows is a better option; it can be bought from any electronics store.
Step 3
A TV with a S Video or a RCA cable will be connected with a computer, with a mouse and keyboard too connected to the computer. Put the computer on and a display of it should be shown on the TV.
Step 4
An Ethernet cable will be connected to the media server from the Internet modem, use a wireless card. A physical cord will take less time to transfer and download data. Checks if the network is protected with a password, then configure the connection.
Step 5
Now start installing the media software, this will have a CD and a DVD copying software, DVR software, with video and music players.
Step 6
Several software are available which you can download and purchase.
Step 7
Now onto the hard drive, rip the current CD and DVD. Keeping DVDs at home can get destroyed over a period of time. So keep copies of them on the hard drive. This will save all the files, which you would want to keep with you.