Similar Models
Top PC Reviews
|
Sponsors »
Based on the Microsoft Windows® Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.(1)
The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet,(2) and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.
“A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of strategy, Worldwide Attach Group, HP. “The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected.”
“HP continues to innovate on the Windows Home Server platform giving consumers even more options to enjoy and protect their precious memories and valuable data,” said Charlie Kindel, general manager, Windows Server Solutions, Microsoft. “We believe consumers will embrace the new MediaSmart Server as one of the most exciting computing products for the home.”
Features
HP Media Collector: conveniently schedules the MediaSmart Server to copy and centralize digital files and libraries from networked PCs
Media Streaming: remotely streams photos and music to any Internet-connected PC or Mac
Server for iTunes: centralizes iTunes music libraries on the server for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes
HP Photo Publisher: easily upload photos to Facebook®, Picasa™ Web Albums and Snapfish(3)
HP Photo Viewer: allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family
PC Hard Drive Backup: backs up networked PCs via the Windows Home Server backup feature
Mac Hard Drive Backup: backs up Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software
Server Backup: duplicates designated shared folders to a separate hard disk drive
Online Backup: duplicates designated folders to Amazon’s S3 online backup service for an additional layer of protection
Smart Power Management: can schedule times for server to go to “sleep” and “wake up,” saving on energy costs
Processor: Intel® Celeron®, 2.0 GHz 64-bit. Two gigabytes (GB) of 800-MHz DDR2 DRAM now standard on MediaSmart Server
Expandability: additional drives can be added for up to 9 terabytes (TB)
Review By Reviews.digitaltrends
The previous version of the MediaSmart (the EX475) looks almost identical to the new EX487, which has 1TB of storage in two drive bays. (There’s also a EX485 that comes with 750GB of storage.) The first-gen model was just as compelling for network storage and back-up, but got off to a slow start when Microsoft announced early on that there was a very minor bug (one that is almost un-producible) in Windows Home Server that can deletes files at random, including MP3 and MPEG media. There’s nothing like a file deletion bug that can quell a new product line, but HP has rebounded just fine.
Read Full Review Here
Review By Slashgear
Flip the EX487 around, and there’s not much difference there, either. Connectivity remains at gigabit ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports and an eSATA port, together with power. On the inside, though, the old processor has been junked in favor of a 64-bit compatible 2.0GHz Intel Celeron 440, future-proofing for the next-gen version of Home Server that’s predicted to be 64-bit only. It’s also been paired with 2GB of RAM, rather than the miserly 512MB in the first-gen model. Given the rapid growth in third-party add-ins for the Windows Home Server platform, it’s nice that the stock HP model can comfortably run several of them simultaneously.
Read Full Review Here
Review By Mediasmartserver
While the interface has a new look and feel, much of the functionality is the same as it existed for the EX470 except for the new “Wake Server” button. There is no real configuration to be performed in this application as the Media Collector config occurs in the Server Console. This is definitely a needed application on the client side to provide the end user with centralized access to the Server’s functionality, help files, and support links. However I would prefer to see this encompassed in a tool bar, sidebar widget, system tray icon, or some other less intrusive yet easily accessible way. Even making the GUI resizable and letting the user choose which icons are displayed would go a long way to making this feature more appealing.
Read Full Review Here
Review By Wegotserved
When it comes to Windows Home Server, however, we’re all still trying to figure out exactly what it can (and indeed, should) do beyond its backup and restore capabilities. Unlike Media Center, WHS is a true platform and the flexibility that’s inherent in such a platform means that a home server can do or be pretty much anything you want it to.
Read Full Review Here
Review By News.softpedia
According to the OEM, EX-485/EX-487 will be powered by a 64-bit Intel Celeron processor at 2GHz, and by 2 GB of DDR2. The two new flavors of the MediaSmart server would start being available to the general public in February 2009, HP revealed. In terms of operating systems, since the introduction of Windows Home Server, Microsoft has also offered Power Pack 1 in mid-2008, the equivalent of a service pack for the Home Server operating system.
Read Full Review Here
Posted on February 4th, 2009 Written by: PCMAN
Categories |
|