You may have heard the term “media server” thrown around a lot lately. You may already have one, or you may be feeling a little behind the eight ball when it comes to the current tech trends. Don’t worry, because we thought that this week we would give you the basics on what a media server is, and how you might find one useful.

The term “media server” is vague and can take many different forms, so we are going to describe the type of device you would most probably use in a home environment.

A media server is a dedicated device or computer built to store your home media, such as your favourite movies, tv shows, photos, music etc. Anything that you may wish to view or listen to, can be held within this system and accessed on demand at any time. These specifically designed computers come in various shapes and sizes, can be individually built by the home enthusiast or commercially bought from a wide range of tech stores.

As the server’s main job is as a media storage facility, the key requirement is hard drive space and the power  which consists of RAM (random-access memory) and the CPU (central processing unit) to allow reliable transfer of the files when you want them.

Once you have purchased your device, you are then able to begin storing all you media (including video, audio, photos, e-books etc) in this central location. Follow the user instructions for your device when uploading, downloading, or capturing any of your media files, as each device will vary.  These files can become accessible throughout your home and indeed from a remote location via the internet.

It is a fantastic way of not only backing up your precious home movies and photographs, but storing copies of your digital bluray collection and protecting the hard copies from continual handling. The convenience of being able to simply access your entire collection via remote control can really open up how you view and listen to all your media. Some media servers also contain the extra software feature which allows you to capture and record from your television.

You may also like to consider incorporating some infrared technology into your home, which can then allow access to your media server from various televisions around the house. (View our infrared systems online)