Home media server

[winjim]

Figured there might be a few weird nerds (complementary) on here who know about this sort of thing...

I'm sick of subscription services so I'd like to set up a media server to stick my music on and access via my phone, preferably also remotely when I'm out and about although I'd compromise on being able to easily transfer a few albums or playlists at a time onto my phone for the day's listening. I'm also skint so I'd like to do it as cheaply as possible. I did vaguely look into it many years ago but I can't remember what I found out and it's probably changed since then so starting from scratch.

I'm kind of alright with computer stuff if I know what I'm doing but by no means an expert. Is this even feasible?

TIA

 

[ianrauk]

I use YouTube Music which was formerly GoogleMusic.
I have my whole record collection on there which means as long as I have an internet connection or good data coverage I can stream my music from anywhere on my phone, a tablet or a computer.

 

[markemark]

No expert but I think ISPs aren’t too hot on you doing this. Obviously I coundlt care less how happy VM etc are but I think they make it difficult by changing your IP address or throttling your uploads if they suspect. I’m no expert so could be wildly off the mark.

 

[Pblakeney]

My guess is what you are looking for is a NAS.
Googling that should keep you occupied for a while.

 

[winjim]

My guess is what you are looking for is a NAS.
Googling that should keep you occupied for a while.

It would. If I did. Which I won't.

 

[winjim]

I use YouTube Music which was formerly GoogleMusic.
I have my whole record collection on there which means as long as I have an internet connection or good data coverage I can stream my music from anywhere on my phone, a tablet or a computer.

That's an idea, subscription iirc though, what's the price like? I used to use googlemusic but ditched it when it went to YouTube cos it was mostly dodgy uploads of dubious quality rather than legit artist uploads. (Obv not a worry if it's my own collection)

 

[Drago]

How about a computer. Save all your shizzle on the drive, just need the necessary software to dial into it from afar.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

I have a media server at home, which I run myself, for both video and music. It used to be Plex but they now require a subscription to cast to anything other than the server itself.

I have therefore moved to Jellyfin, which remains free. I’ve set port forwarding on the router so I can access it whilst out and ab.

 

[winjim]

I have a media server at home, which I run myself, for both video and music. It used to be Plex but they now require a subscription to cast to anything other than the server itself.

I have therefore moved to Jellyfin, which remains free. I’ve set port forwarding on the router so I can access it whilst out and ab.

Have you got that all on a PC or on a separate NAS? My laptop is too old and knackered to run anything but cost is an issue so I can't afford to buy too much hardware.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Have you got that all on a PC or on a separate NAS? My laptop is too old and knackered to run anything but cost is an issue so I can't afford to buy too much hardware.

I have Jellyfin running on a Raspberry Pi with a pair of 512Gb SSDs attached to i’s USB ports.

 

[winjim]

I have Jellyfin running on a Raspberry Pi with a pair of 512Gb SSDs attached to i’s USB ports.

Hmm. That sounds worth a try.

 

[ianrauk]

That's an idea, subscription iirc though, what's the price like? I used to use googlemusic but ditched it when it went to YouTube cos it was mostly dodgy uploads of dubious quality rather than legit artist uploads. (Obv not a worry if it's my own collection)

It costs nothing, just as Google music cost nothing. It's all my albums uploaded to the YouTube cloud servers, so no adverts etc

 

[richardfm]

I use JRiver Media Center.
It will do what you want and runs on Window, Mac, Linux and Android.
You have to be a bit of a nerd to get the most out of it.

 

[PeteXXX]

Would VLC work?

 

[winjim]

It costs nothing, just as Google music cost nothing. It's all my albums uploaded to the YouTube cloud servers, so no adverts etc

Could be a plan, might take me a while to transfer it over to YouTube but I'm resting up with a blood clot in my leg right now so I'm at a bit of a loose end. Deffo the cheapest option which is a positive.

I use JRiver Media Center.
It will do what you want and runs on Window, Mac, Linux and Android.
You have to be a bit of a nerd to get the most out of it.

I don't mind being slightly nerdy but probably can't commit to learning a whole new skillset. I'll have to check out the price of hardware. Raspberry Pi option seems inexpensive.

Would VLC work?

Very little clue.