thanks so much Paul!
Just to clarfy, I can use jriver on my ipad and control it? so, download on PC and ipad?
I'm also thinking of just using an external drive off of my laptop for now?
If I am following you, then the answer is yes to both. JRemote has no trouble controlling JR Media Center running on Windows, MacOS, Linux, or any combination. (I have JR Media Center running on all three platforms at home, and JRemote sees and controls all of them without any issues.
Using an external drive on a laptop running JR Media Center works just fine too. In fact, I keep any local libraries on external drives. For example, I have a 2TB disk attached locally to the MC instance that I use to view movies and television shows.
-Paul