It's not everyday you see a home server that looks and acts like a desktop computer - and actually costs less than the average desktop.
HP has somehow managed to invigorate the geeky home server market with a couple of home media products that promise to make it easier than ever to venture down the personal server path.
HP's cheapest MediaSmart model, the LX197, is an Atom-powered mini tower with 1TB of data on board for just $599. That's good value considering the average 1TB drive costs around $120 at current market prices.
The attraction of a home media server comes from its accesibility and price. HP are targeting families, students and business users - who are keen to access their digital content remotely, from anyway in the world - and not pay an arm and a leg for the privilege. The unt is also tiny enough to blend into the home without feeling bulky.
The HP MediaSmart LX197 also features a useful video converter that will automatically turn video libraries and DVDs into digital, home stored versions. There's even a function called 'media collector' which can automatically organise the files on your PC via media type or file location.
Fortuately, Mac users won't be left in the lurch either. There's full Mac compatibility using Microsoft's new Remote Desktop Connection Client. For iPhone (or Touch) owners, the iStream app will enable users to connect to their home servers via their phones. Now if that isn't simple enough to entire you to start your own home media server, we can't think of much else.
HP have a really good product on their hands here, and with space for up to 7TB of internal storage, it's an interesting alternative to storing movies, music and pictures in the cloud.
HP's other MediaSmart model, the LX490, which features much the same spec as the LX197 is slightly better powered with an Intel Celeron processor model for $899.