Unfortunately no one can be told what fun_plug is - you have to see it for yourself.
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Hello everybody.
I am a Windows geek but a Linux complete ignoramus. I have been toying w/ the idea of buying a 323 for some time and as a preparation I've been reading this forum.
Unfortunately when you read too much for too long, you may loose the main message that you were looking for to begin with :-)
I plan to use the 323 as a streaming media source on my network and maybe as a simple file storage for data sharing between the PC's living somewhere around the house.
The network is around a Netgear ProSafe FM114P 4x10/100 802.11b router connected to an ADSL modem.
I have 2PCs + 1 Network printer connected directly to the 114P (which leaves one free direct connection to the planned NAS). I also have 6 other wireless devices - two laptops, two PCs, an Archos 704wifi and a WiFi PDA. All the PCs currently have WinXP Pro SP2 but I shall eventually migrate to Vista Home Premium at some point during 2008.
It would be cool to be able to stream media on all PCs and the Archos (it has WiFi streaming capabilities) from the 323. I also plan later on to add small mATX HTPCs in the living room and bedroom with minimal hard disks for the O/S, and stream all the media from the 323.
I realize that if I stream media to ALL the devices at the same time I might bring everything to a standstill, but it would be nice to have at least two do that without hiccups.
So here are three simple questions that should get me going (or not) onto the 323 bandwagon.
1. Is the 323 "man" enough to do what I expect it to do?
2. Is the 323 simple enough for a Linux-challenged person like myself? I certainly know how to flash upgrades and manage network devices from Windows. Can I use it without any special hacks and tricks that I've seen here?
3. I am considering using two Samsung - HD501LJ hard disks (500GB). Does anybody here have any experience with them in the 323 context?
Thanks a ton for any help,
Al
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IMHO i think your router will be a little light for the task. the b standard is not the fastest of the pack and using the GB LAN capabilities of the DNS would be a plus too.
You could solve this by putting a gigabit switch after the router and connect all your devices on this switch, but of course, this is only for wired devices. A strong wireless signal would be a plus too. (new router?)
I think the dns can handle a lot of streaming, haven't had any problems with that (2 devices) and i think it's really simple (i'm also a linux challenged person, but slowly i'm getting the hang of it). I used the dns a couple of months without "upgrading" it, but i found it's just fun to fun_plug it and usefull as well. The risk are kept to a minimum if you are carefull enough.
Don't know about the samsung discs, but 500 GB discs should not be a problem. The box did need firmware upgrades in the beginning, but now it does what it promises.
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Thanks erostiff,
I imagined the router is a bottleneck <g>. Planning to replace it in the near future with a new and more modern unit. Signal quality is not a problem though. Yeah, changing that aging 114P is sound advice.
CLARIFICATION:
I forgot to mention that I plan to stream mainly jpg, WMA, WMV, MP3, Divx and compressed AVI files (some of them HD-quality). My player of choice is still WMP (I can already hear the "booohoooos" :-).
Is this doable? Does the 323 UPnP AV stream these files well enough over a suitable network, say 1GB wired and 802.11g?
Best,
Al
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lalex wrote:
I forgot to mention that I plan to stream mainly jpg, WMA, WMV, MP3, Divx and compressed AVI files (some of them HD-quality). My player of choice is still WMP (I can already hear the "booohoooos" :-).
Is this doable? Does the 323 UPnP AV stream these files well enough over a suitable network, say 1GB wired and 802.11g?
Best,
Al
No problem with all of the above, only streaming 2 HD movies (high bitrates - 720p) over wireless could/will be a challenge...
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Howdy,
I have a 100mb DLINK 602Twireless/router. I have all media stored on the DNS323. I often can watch a movie through a modded xbox, on the main TV and have another one play fine through a wireless connection using PC/VLC. At the same time copying 5gb ISO files to the DNS from another wired computer is not a worry.
Cheers
Chumby
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Thanks guys,
This really helps. I am moving on and place an order for the 323 + the Samsung drives. Hope they are compatible.
I will report back once I have everything running (or not running <g>).
Best,
Al
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