In order to make your comparison of media servers easier, we have provided convenient side-by-side comparison tables of the Top 3 Media Servers in each of our categories.

However, most other media servers we have reviewed are worthy of consideration and we encourage you to also check out our media server product gallery for a quick look at all media streamers reviewed so far.

Whilst the categories are essentially set around price (up to $200, from $200 to $400 and over $400) the old adage that you get what you pay for applies equally to media servers.

Certainly prices are coming down and the amount of features included in the devices is increasing, but generally the higher category of media server will have better networking options, a nicer user interface, more video and audio options (both in terms of the formats it will play and the output alternatives) and will look better when added to you existing home entertainment system.

However, they will all do the job of bringing multimedia content from the Internet or your local devices to the comfort of your lounge room.

We provide an overall rating star system for each media server, and within each comparison type we provide a tick or cross assessment to allow you to quickly determine where the respective strengths and weaknesses are.

The side-by-side comparisons can be found as follows:

Basic Media Server (up to $200)

Mid Range Media Server (up to $400)

Premium Media Server (over $400)

Happy comparing!

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about media servers.

If you have any queries of your own, please contact us and we will include a response here.

How does a streaming media server fit into my home network and entertainment system setup?

You may want to check out some of our blog posts under Home Entertainment Trends and take a look at the image reproduced below. Note that most media servers include a variety of connections so that you can directly hook up a video camera or personal music system for example, which can be enjoyed through your living room equipment as well as content streamed from the Internet or a disk drive.

What things should I be looking for when buying a media server? First up, make sure you set a budget. Our media server reviews are organized by price category so you can see at a glance what are the standard inclusions for a media server in your budget. Next, consider consider the content you wish to view – local videos and images or stuff from the Internet, and also the type of network setup you have (wired or wireless). For the full story on the considerations when buying a media server, see our article Top 5 Considerations When Buying Your Media Server.

I am confused with the terminology surrounding media servers – is it media server or media player, and what is a HTPC for goodness sake? A great question and the product we are talking about can be called a media server or networked media player. Note the emphasis on networked – a media server is networked by implication. There are many other terms for a media server – check out the Glossary for an ever-growing list of “synonyms” for media server.

HTPC? HTPC stands for Home Theater Personal Computer. Before the media server became the efficient and feature packed box that it is now, enthusiasts used to build (and some still do) their own media servers using a PC. Compared to most media servers now available, building your own is more expensive and the resulting product can be noisy and consume a lot of power, plus not look so good with your other home theater components.

A lot of media servers now have their own disk drives. What can I store on this? The advantage of a local disk drive on your media server is that you store media for later viewing or listening. This can be entertainment that you have downloaded from the Internet, your PC or an externally connected device like a digital camera or camcorder.

If a media server has a 500 GB disk drive, how much stuff will this hold? As a guide, 500 gigabytes (GB) will hold approximately 125,00 songs in MP3 format or about 200,000 digital photos or nearly 200 hours of DVD video or around 60 hours of HD video. Of course, if your media has more disk capacity, say 1 terabyte (TB) or 1000 GB, then you can roughly double these numbers as a guide.

Why haven’t you included gaming systems (like Wii, Xbox and PS3) since they can act like a media server too? The media server is quickly gaining status as a focal point of the modern home entertainment system. It is becoming a specialized product with enhanced capabilities. We want to focus on products dedicated to the media server role and avoid those hybrids that can do only part of the job.

What about Apple TV? Part of the answer to the question above applies here too, but the bigger issue is the proprietary nature of the Apple product and the manner in which it locks users to iTunes. Our preferred media server is one which gives consumers flexibility and choice.

And while we are at it, Windows Media Server? Similar answer again. There are some media servers which are more accurately termed media extenders as they use Windows Media Server – a digital media software control program which runs on most Windows PCs. Increasingly, media servers are moving away from the extender role and are providing users with flexibility as to the type of media files they stream, and how they do it. The result is a more pleasurable home entertainment experience.