No included hard drive, but it's got an eSata port on the side, and can also use USB to hook up a hard drive. And when you do there's all sorts of features enabled that I'm not using yet because I haven't plugged one in.
Here's a couple of more useful links about it.
Here's the manufacturer's website: http://www.hdistar.com/en/index.asp
Here's a badly written but very complete review: http://www.mpcclub.com/modules/Reviews/reviews/review_istar.pdf
Here's a youtube video showing someone selecting and watching a video from the HDD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IakGjeyWQTA
It's got a nice list of web features. I just used my first one: Bloglines. I set up a Bloglines account, set it as my first preferred channel, and now I can add RSS feeds to Bloglines and see them on my NMT. I added loadingreadyrun.com and as easy as you please it's right there at the top of the list, just a click and I'm watching my favorite Canadian comedy videos on my TV. I'll need to find more good online video sites with RSS feeds to add and watch. I wonder if Red-v-Blue has a feed? Hmmm....
EDIT: Oh! Network is just a router from ATT that it's plugged into, no special setup. I just turned on sharing on a couple of folders on my main computer and they popped right up on the tank, no huhu. I didnt' have to tell the box my workgroup name or anything like that, it found them on it's own with no problems.
Edited By TPRJones on 1244597232
BluRay Drives/Burners
The main deal-killer for me for any NMT is the HD playback. If it can't play a ripped BD in full 1080P with at least 5.1 sound, I'm not going to bother. The poorly-written review you linked was a bit confusing... he said it had great playback but the audio skipped? What?
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
It didn't "find" folders as in searching for them, but once I shared them I could browse to them through the network and I can set up to five of them as defaults to appear on the main menu of the box.
Turns out I was wrong about SMB and NFS, I thought it meant Samba versus NTFS, but no. SMB is the basic whatever it is that's going on here, and NFS is something else entirely. I don't know what it is, but it seems this box can do it if I ever need it to.
I know it can do 5.1 sound, there's a menu item for that. I don't know about Blu Ray stuff yet, but let me see if I can yoink something off Pirate Bay and play it. It'll take awhile to download, of course. And my output is just old school composite. But it should still be a good test to see if it works feeding the file across my network properly.
Turns out I was wrong about SMB and NFS, I thought it meant Samba versus NTFS, but no. SMB is the basic whatever it is that's going on here, and NFS is something else entirely. I don't know what it is, but it seems this box can do it if I ever need it to.
I know it can do 5.1 sound, there's a menu item for that. I don't know about Blu Ray stuff yet, but let me see if I can yoink something off Pirate Bay and play it. It'll take awhile to download, of course. And my output is just old school composite. But it should still be a good test to see if it works feeding the file across my network properly.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
Suddenly remembered my new laptop has an HDMI port, so I could actually start playing with HTPC (Home Theater PC) apps, and see how I like it.
Now I wish I had an extra HDMI cable.
Also, I haven't torrented in a while... where is a good spot to temporarily grab a torrent of a BD rip, 1080P, 5.1 audio, etc? Fort esting purposes, of course. Don't have the BD drive yet so I can't rip my own movies.
Now I wish I had an extra HDMI cable.
Also, I haven't torrented in a while... where is a good spot to temporarily grab a torrent of a BD rip, 1080P, 5.1 audio, etc? Fort esting purposes, of course. Don't have the BD drive yet so I can't rip my own movies.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
I usually just hit up Pirate Bay fro torrents. Or Google.
There's a 11Gig mkv formatted 1080p Blu Ray rip of The Dark Knight on piratebay that I'm pulling down for the network test. And because I still haven't seen that movie yet.
There's a 11Gig mkv formatted 1080p Blu Ray rip of The Dark Knight on piratebay that I'm pulling down for the network test. And because I still haven't seen that movie yet.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
I use this.GORDON wrote:What's a good torrent client? For testing purposes...
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
I like http://www.utorrent.com/
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
So if you are considering getting a tank, here's a good site for information: http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
It seems the software on these systems is all basically the same, made by those guys and then mildly customized by the different NMT manufacturers. Most of the differences come down to hardware. There's also some info on optional aps that people have whipped up to do extra things.
I've ordered supplies for mine, a 400GB SATA drive to hook up to it, a USB hub, a wireless USB keyboard, and an adapter to hook up an old IDE DVD drive I found laying around. Seems like the better way to go than buying a DVD player to replace the one recently lost.
Edited By TPRJones on 1244683327
It seems the software on these systems is all basically the same, made by those guys and then mildly customized by the different NMT manufacturers. Most of the differences come down to hardware. There's also some info on optional aps that people have whipped up to do extra things.
I've ordered supplies for mine, a 400GB SATA drive to hook up to it, a USB hub, a wireless USB keyboard, and an adapter to hook up an old IDE DVD drive I found laying around. Seems like the better way to go than buying a DVD player to replace the one recently lost.
Edited By TPRJones on 1244683327
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
My current plan is to put all my valuable data in my NMT. Since I'm going to be cobbling together a DVD drive and a naked SATA drive and whatnot, I'm planning to mount the hardware in a small cardboard box with copious amounts of duct tape. I figure that won't look like it's worth stealing, when really it's the part I want to keep the most. 
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
Linked for future reference:
Five Ways to Rip a Blu Ray.
Five Ways to Rip a Blu Ray.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
While playing a video file across the network means rewinding and fastforwarding are messy and to be avoided, it doesn't have that same problem with DVDs. They run very smoothly, just like a real DVD in a real DVD player.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
Heh. I'm watching through random video files I have on my computer that I've never gotten around to watching.
Currently there's one Steve Gordon on my television about to slide a Cross of Death under a nest of hornets.
For some reason I find this amusing, this watching of such things on my television.
Edited By TPRJones on 1244934844
Currently there's one Steve Gordon on my television about to slide a Cross of Death under a nest of hornets.
For some reason I find this amusing, this watching of such things on my television.
Edited By TPRJones on 1244934844
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"