Choosing an External SSD for Laptop
Thinking about purchasing an external SSD for a laptop? Find out how to choose the best portable SSD to suit your needs at Crucial.
Read moreHow to build a media server
What is a home media server?
A media server is a dedicated computer system that stores and organizes media files—everything from movies to music and books—and streams them to devices like TVs, computers, or mobile phones. It essentially becomes your private, customizable version of Netflix, Spotify, or Kindle, all in one. It means you won’t have to choose between multiple subscription payments as you can buy a disc once and keep it forever. Gone are the days when you need stacks of DVDs, CDs, or physical books to store your favorite entertainment.
Why build a home media server?
The appeal of a media server lies in its versatility and independence. Here are some reasons to consider building one:
- Cost Savings: Streaming services add up. A media server eliminates monthly fees and lets you enjoy second-hand DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K discs. Many of these discs have extra features and commentaries you can’t get on streaming services. Older DVDs, in particular, are a great choice for the movie buff, with exclusive content available on older discs which can’t be found anywhere else. Look for special edition releases and 2-disc box sets for the best finds. Plus, get thrifty and find your favorite films in the DVD section of your local thrift store to add to your collection.
- Reliability: Forget about buffering or fluctuating internet speeds. With locally stored files, playback is seamless. One caveat is that buying used discs could mean they have scratches on them. Light scratches from the center to the edge of the disc may be ok, but circular or deeper scratches could cause issues, as this damage may be too much for the error correction in the discs to resolve.
- Content Preservation: Some older media may never see a digital release. Your media server becomes a personal archive for rare or niche content. Streaming services are convenient, but some movies and TV shows may never get a streaming release if the rightsholders have complicated existing arrangements.
- Independence from Wi-Fi: No internet? No problem. Your media collection remains accessible anytime. Store it on a portable hard drive like the Crucial X10 Pro, and you can take everything with you wherever you go. Perfect for those long camping weekends with no cell phone service!
What will you need?
Setting up a media server requires some hardware and planning. Here’s what you’ll need:
1. A computer or network attached storage device
Mini PC
A small cheap mini PC might be the best place to start before you invest in serious hardware. There is a wide range of inexpensive computers available which are perfect for building a media center PC. You don’t need a super-powerful computer if all it is doing is storing and serving media files, so they are ideal. The only thing you may need to add would be extra hard drive space, and depending on the model you use, this could be an internal hard drive or an external SSD.
Custom PC
A custom-built PC gives you more options when it comes to design, features, and expandability. Plus, you can add more powerful CPUs and GPUs to your machine. These won’t necessarily make for a better home media server, but you will have a more powerful multi-purpose machine available. See our guide on how to build a computer for more inspiration.
Network attached storage
A Network Attached Storage device, or NAS, is a less-powerful computer designed to provide massive amounts of storage to a network. If you are building a home media PC to share files around your house, a dedicated NAS might be the answer. You will need another computer or tablet to actually play the files, but a NAS means you can centralize a media collection for everyone in the house to access. NAS devices can be bought as dedicated machines you fill with hard drives, but these can be expensive. An alternative is to build your own NAS. It’s just like building a PC, except you are trying to maximize storage space over CPU and GPU power. This is an ideal project if you are wondering what to do with an old computer.
Check out the Crucial System Scanner if you are upgrading an old PC to guarantee compatibility.
Your media server does not need to be a computing powerhouse, so consider a cheap all-in-one mini PC for your first media server. You can find these for a few hundred dollars, and adding more storage might be the only thing you need to do.
2. Storage Space
Hard drive space is where you need to invest. Movies, especially in higher resolution Blu-ray and 4k discs, can consume significant storage, so at least one big hard drive is a must. Here are the typical file sizes you can expect:
- DVD: 4-6 GB
- Blu-ray 35-50 GB
- 4K: 50–100 GB
Consider large-capacity internal or external hard drives. You don’t need to put everything on one drive. You could have one drive for TV shows and another for 4k movies. Considering Blu-ray movies are about 35-50GB you can store approximately 23 Blu-ray movies on a 1TB drive.
3. RAM
A computer built only to serve media files does not have huge RAM requirements. 8GB RAM will probably be enough for most people. If the computer is a multi-purpose machine, then you will need more RAM. Read our article if you are not sure how much RAM you need for your computer.
4. Network setup
A reliable home network is key for streaming if you are planning to watch your movies in multiple locations. You might have a TV in the den, the family room, and the bedroom. If you are watching the original movie files from a hard drive, then your Wi-Fi might struggle with the data rates of Blu-ray and 4K movies. Compressing the movies into smaller files will make it easier to stream and store them, but you will need more computing power and time to compress the files. A wired Ethernet network is your best option for speed and reliability. If you have a mini PC plugged into your TV, all you need is an HDMI cable.
5. Disc drive
If you are backing up files from a disc, you will need a disc drive to do this. You may already have one in your PC, or you can find external DVD drives that connect via USB. Make sure the drive you are using can read the discs you buy. You will need a Blu-ray or 4K drive if you want to make backups of those discs, and you might need special software. Any disc drive will be able to read a CD.
Where to get the media files
To populate your media server, you'll need to provide it with digital copies of the movies, TV shows, music, and books that you own.
Before music streaming apps became popular, songs and albums could be bought and downloaded as .MP3 files, and before that, as Compact Discs (CDs). Many countries allow you to convert the songs on your CD (the physical media) into a popular format like MP3 (the digital media). You can still buy MP3 files from sites like Amazon. Some companies, such as Bandcamp, offer even higher quality music formats like FLAC.
You can still buy new CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs from many retailers, but they are becoming less common as the entertainment industry turns to streaming. Used or second-hand discs are a cheap way to build a big media collection fast. Look for websites selling used discs, or check out local garage sales and tag sales—you might find whole collections available to buy.
Ripping
Ripping software allows you to copy DVDs and Blu-rays to your storage. Many programs also remove ads and unnecessary content for a streamlined experience. This makes watching a movie from your collection as simple as pressing play. The downside is that if you have a DVD with lots of extra features, it might be difficult to find and organize them on your media server too. As long as you keep hold of the disc you own, you can have the convenience of watching the movie easily with the benefit of all the extra features when you want them.
Compression
While ripping preserves quality, it also consumes space. Compression reduces file sizes but may take time and require a powerful computer. Tools like HandBrake can help you strike the right balance between size and quality. There are lots of different video and audio formats to choose from, so find a balance of quality, speed, and file size that works best for you.
Software for playing and managing your media
Once you start adding files to your media server, you will need a way to play them. Common video formats are MP4, AVI, and MKV. If you have backed up a DVD to your computer it may be in MKV format, but if you have compressed the video file it might be in MP4. Both file types are easy to play with the built-in media players that ship with Windows and MacOS. VLC is a popular media player alternative that will be able to play almost anything you give it.
You can play media files directly from your computer’s operating system, just like any other video or audio file, but if you want to make your library a little more special you can look into media management software. These can add fun and specialized interfaces to your library, and populate it with extra information like reviews, descriptions, cover art, and cast information.
- Plex Media Server is a conventional streaming service that lets you connect your own media so you can see it side by side in the same interface.
- Kodi is a free open-source home theater application that is endlessly customizable,, but can be a little more complicated to set up. Its wide range of add-ons makes it a good option for enthusiasts.
- Jellyfin is another free open-source alternative for privacy-focused users. Jellyfin excels as a media management library. You can connect it to other applications like Kodi for playback if you choose.
Building a media server is a satisfying project that lets you take control of your entertainment library. Whether you're a movie buff, music enthusiast, or avid reader, your custom server will keep your media accessible, organized, and safe. With a little investment in hardware and software, you'll never need to rely on streaming services again.
Start building your media server today and unlock a world of personalized, on-demand entertainment.
People also viewed
External Hard Drives for Music Production
Learn more about how external SSDs can play an important part in your music production and how to get the most out of storing your music externally.
Read moreHow to use an external SSD as boot drive
Want to know if you can boot from an external SSD? Get an explanation with Crucial’s helpful guide and learn more about external SSDs.
Read more