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[Gatherum]

So I'm thinking about buying something very low-cost, like a JRiver Id, with the intent of connecting my RAID controller to it and making the whole thing in to a poor person's NAS or something--the intent being to have a very low-powered (therefore, low-energy-cost), always-on system from which I can pull media on the go with JRemote while being able to turn my HTPC off when I leave--but also one that can serve media locally to several client devices, to include said HTPC.

I just have a couple of questions:

• When pulling media from a server in a set-up involving MC, which machine handles all the processing overhead--the client, or the server?
• I need a solution that supports (HD) video--or can at least serve it in an MC media network set-up. The Raspberry Pi Ids look promising in terms of price, but if they're audio-only, then they won't work for me.
• Do any of these options support USB 3.0? Answered my own question by reading.
• If I decided to order an Id Classic, would I be able to request lower-cost internal hardware, such as a smaller SSD and other only-what-is-necessary components to do the above? I literally only need enough space to support the OS, MC, Id firmware, and maybe a copy of RealVNC server for remote-in and maintenance, since all media assets will be stored on an external RAID array.

Anybody have any recommendations?

[JimH]

The Id is an appliance.  It doesn't provide root shell access, for example.

You can add a USB drive.  I'm not sure of your question about your RAID array.

We don't do custom versions of it.

The Pi would not work for video.  The other Ids are low power, so video conversion would probably not work.

[BradATIMA]

Your best option might be to build your own NUC, install something like Debian on it, and then install Media Center for Linux.

[Gatherum]

The Id is an appliance.  It doesn't provide root shell access, for example.

What does this mean?

You can add a USB drive.  I'm not sure of your question about your RAID array.

I'm sure that my RAID array will be compatible, then, right? It connects as an external drive via USB 3.0.

The Pi would not work for video.  The other Ids are low power, so video conversion would probably not work.

Video conversion and ripping would be handled by my HTPC.

[astromo]

I'm sure that my RAID array will be compatible, then, right?

If the RAID array advertises itself on your network as a Samba share, the Id should be able to find it. Mine can find a Qnap NAS without any problem plus the other Windows and Linux machines out there on my network.

[Gatherum]

I should note that my RAID controller is not a NAS; it is simply a four-bay box with a RAID controller capable of RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10. It connects to other devices solely via e-SATA and USB 3.0. Connected as an external drive to a Windows machine, for example, it can be shared to the network by the OS.