Do you want to know what a home media server is? Do you want to build your own home media server? Do you like to know about some popular home media server software, then sit back and read this article,because all your queries will be answered in this article. In this article you’ll know what a home media server is and how does it work. So let’s start with part 1.

Part 1: What is a Home Media Server?

A media server is a special hardware or software which is used to get on demand multimedia entertainment. A media server has its own storage which is attached to a network. This network is shared between multiple devices within the same home. Multiple devices can access this network attached storage and get on-demand movies. A Home media server can be a PC, NAS hard drive, or a special media server device with attached storage.

A Home Media Server is meant to work with home theater systems and 4K UHD players with a digital surround sound. You can just put all your movies on the NAS storage and watch them on-demand. You just have to take care of few connections between your home theater and the media server.

Part 2: How to Build a Home Media Server?

To build an average Home Media Server you don’t need any special hardware. Your PC or laptop would be enough and you can turn them in a home media server. But if you are looking for a proper home media server then you have to invest some money. First of all you should have a NAS storage. A NAS storage is a mini computer that has hard drives attached to it. A NAS system comes with its own proprietary software to manage the files over network or USB interface. A NAS system also provides room to install several media center apps.

Installing media center apps on a NAS system will turn them in a media server. Well for a media server we recommend NAS hard drives which are designed to work 24/7. But if you aren’t that high on the budget then any 7200 RPM SATA 3 hard drive will get the job done. But there is a risk of hard drive failure if it performs 24/7,because normal hard drives aren’t meant for a 24/7 operation.

After getting a NAS system you just only have to transfer your media to it and install a media server app like Plex to manage your video library on the NAS system. To save your Wi-Fi data you can sometimes connect a LAN cable to it and make a connection to your TV if it has a LAN port. Otherwise you’ll have to rely on your Wi-Fi network.

Part 3: Popular Home Media Server Software

If you are building your own home media server then you’ll be requiring several media server software to manage your movie library. A media server software is a software for your NAS system which helps you manage your video library and play your movies. Here is the list below of the popular media server software.

1. Plex

Plex is choice of millions when you want a basic home media server software. It is a multi-platform free media server software with powerful features. Plex’s user interface is very easy to use and it can be easily used on multiple devices with little to no efforts. Some features of Plex includes support to encrypted connections, parental control, and media optimizer.

2. Kodi

Kodi aka XBMC is another free media server software which has multi-platform support including android. Kodi has the most beatiful user interface among media server software. It is highly

customizable and should be your first choice if you’re looking for a powerful media server software even for your DIY movie servers. Some features of Kodi include a web interface, supports addons, supports televisions and remote controls, can record live TV etc.

3. Subsonic

If you want a reliable and secure media server then Subsonic should be your choice. Not only it is secure and reliable but it is also easy to use. It is highly customizable and supports all the common video formats. What makes Subsonic secure is the unique server address where you can login.

4. VLC

VLC is the number one free media player and media server software. It plays high definition movies and since we are familiar with it since a long time now then nobody will find it difficult to use. It has various customization features with support to popular video and audio formats. If you’re not in a mood to spend on a paid movie server software then VLC should be your first choice.

Part 4: DVDFab Movie Server- Media Server to Manage and Play All Your Movies

The DVDFab Movie Server is the first hardware product in the DVDFab product line series. The DVDFab Movie Server is an Android based media player with UHD, HDR(HDR10), and 3D movies support. The DVDFab movie server has a built in 3.5 inch hard drive bay for installing a hard drive. On that drive you can store your 4K UHD movies. The device also has built-in SMB network feature which makes it eligible for a NAS setup.

DVDFab Movie server has various ports on the back. It also includes the standard AV connectors and can be used with simple TVs with this setup. For 4K UHD output a HDMI 2.0 port is given which can give a maximum resolution of 2160p depending on the HDTV connected. A port for connecting a LAN cable and an optical port is also present. If you want to watch movies off a USB then you can find two USB ports on the back. One is USB 3.0 and other one is the USB 2.0

DVDFab Movie Server comes with its own software program which provides poster wall and smart filtering features, and which can play DVDs/Blu-rays/4K Ultra HD Blu-rays with menu supports.

DVDFab Movie Server supports multiple apps as it is an Android based product. So you caninstall any Android apps to play video games, listen to your beloved music, read the breaking news, etc. And don’t forget about the fully functional remote which comes with backlit keys and has the feature of universal remote. You can teach your movie server remove to learn the basic functions of your TV so that you can control your TV and movie server with a single remote. For more info you can check the official DVDFab Movie Server page.

Conclusion

So, I hope you now know about a media server, what it is and what it does. There are many ways which let you make your own home media server. You can also use your laptop or computer as movies server without investing extra money. But laptops and computers may always not be suitable for 4K UHD video decoding because 4K UHD requires a compatible hardware decoder which isn’t supported by older desktops. Now you can either make your own movie server by investing some money in hard drives, mother boards, and newer CPUs. But if you want to save a lot of money then you can simply go for movie servers like DVDFab movie server. Since products like DVDFab movie server are easy to handle, support a wide variety of media server apps and work with multiple devices with the SMB protocol.