MediaSmart Home - Express Your Media'Smarts' Giveaway

Go Back in Time Marty McFly Style, 88 Miles Per Hour Not Required - 12-24 - 12-30

MediaSmartHome Team — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:01:02 GMT

Anyone who's used a computer in the last ten years has probably heard the old addage, "Save early, save often." And while that's great advice that everyone should adhere to, that can, occasionally, come back to bite you in the rear. Say, for example, you're resizing a bunch of picture files in bulk to fit them in an e-mail, only to discover that you accidentally resized the orignals. What's worse, you may not realize it until weeks later when you go to print them. Or, what if you've been working on the last chapter of your next great American novel, but named the last chapter the same as the first by mistake, and blindly clicked "yes" when asked if you really want to overwrite the existing file with that name. In both of those cases, the saving has led to a loss. In the case of the photos, your originals are gone. For the book, have fun re-writing Chapter One. That is, unless, you have the HP MediaSmart Server working for you. Back in week 4 we talked about backups, and how the HP MediaSmart Server can help you keep your data safe in case of a full drive failure....

They Grow Up So Fast, Don't They? - 12-17 - 12-23

MediaSmartHome Team — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:28:39 GMT

Wouldn't it be great if the stuff you owned could adapt to fit different needs? Sure, you may have a pair of pants with an elastic band that stretches a bit for the egg nog filled, ham and turkey stuffed holiday season. But aside from clothing, flexible furniture, and a mini-van with fold-in-the-floor seats, how many things do you have that can grow and adapt to your family's needs? It's not like your TV can magically grow from twenty-seven to sixty-five inches if you get a new home with a bigger family room. Technology is, for the most part, what it is. With growing families comes growing data storage needs. The storage space on your home computer may be enough for your digital music library and photo needs today, but when little Johnny and/or Susie comes around you may find yourself unprepared to store a massive archive of home video and a half billion baby pictures. As Susie and Johnny get a little older they'll need their own space to store their digital stuff, and before you know it, you're juggling removeable hard drives and burnt DVDs by the dozens to keep everything around AND backed up in case of...

Power Up Your Home Server - 12-10 - 12-16

MediaSmartHome Team — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:18:03 GMT

The HP MediaSmart Server, on it's own, performs many wonderful functions that makes it easy to backup, share, and access your personal data and media. However, the flexibility and features available to the Home server owner don't necessarily stop there. The HP MediaSmart Server is based on Microsoft's Windows Home Server Operating System, which has been specially created for products like the HP MediaSmart Server. Since it's a real Windows OS under the hood, you can customize and enhance your Home Server with new features and abilities using something called "Add-Ins." Add-Ins are specially created programs for Windows Home Server made by anyone with a vision and some programming experience. Many are even given out free by add-in authors. To install an add-in, simply download the add-in file, move it to the Add-Ins folder in the shared Software folder, then visit the admin console. You'll see your add-in ready to be installed in the Add-Ins area of the settings menu. Add-Ins can can be anything, and can let you use your Home Server in ways never thought possible. With this kind of flexibility, you can can continually expand the usefullness of your HP MediaSmart Server for years to come. Browse...

Miracle on MediaSmart Server Street - 12-3 - 12-9

MediaSmartHome Team — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:13:18 GMT

What comes to mind when you think "Holidays?" Sure, drinking egg nog, carefully decorating trees, and unwrapping presents are probably the first popular traditions you'll think of, but one of the most common traditions of the modern age is often overlooked. Movies! Since the mid 20th century, timeless holiday classics have made their way out of Hollywood and into our regular holiday festivities. In fact, many look forward to Thanksgiving ending just so they have an excuse to pop in their favorite holiday hits. Weather you like to laugh while Clark W. Griswold staple Chirstas lights to the roof, get choked up inside when Ms. Walker realizes the crazy old man at Macy's really is Santa Claus, or sing "White Christmas" along with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, these fabulous films bring a little magic to the holiday season... if you can find the old tape or DVD. That's where the HP MediaSmart Server steps in. Last week, we talked about home movies, and how you can make your personal memories easier to access by storing them on the MediaSmart Server and accessing them on a digital media receiver or personal computer. But did you know that you can do...

Serve Up Home Memories for the Holidays - 11-26 - 12-2

MediaSmartHome Team — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:00:10 GMT

The holiday season is upon us, and it's the time of year that goes beyond turkey and stuffing, Christmas presents, and stapling 25,000 miniature imported Italian twinkle lights to the house. It's the time of year we spend extra time with friends and family, from parents and siblings, children and grandchildren, and even the coat-tail relatives we see only on special occasions. With all this time spent with our loved ones, it would seem like a perfect time to whip out the home movies and share memories of the prior year. Jr.'s little league home run, little Cindy's school play, baby's first crawl, and even Mom's destruction of the kitchen during the Thanksgiving preparation. But we don't... Only rarely do home movies make it into holiday festivities. Has the reputation of home movie watching really beenso tarnished by crappy slideshows and 8mm projectors that we just give it a chance in the modern age? Or, is it that modern day hard drive and flash camcorders, the kind that store those digital memories in a folder on your home PC, make it too difficult to share during family occasions because no one wants to huddle around the office computer? It's time...

Know Who's Peeping Your Pics - 11-19 - 11-25

MediaSmartHome Team — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:01 GMT

Grab a stack of photos from your last family vacation, then flag someone down on the street and hand them over. What? You would never do that? Sound a little too crazy? Well guess what... people do it every single day. Think about it. Uploading your most personal photos to a photo sharing service isn't really any different than giving a random stranger your vacation pictures. First of all, you put a log of faith into the service by expecting your digital memories to stay secure. Second, if you don't take advantage of the privacy options available to you (if available at all), anyone with a web connection... even strangers, wackos, psychos, and weirdos alike can browse through your personal pictures. Can't you feel they're googly eyes peering at you? Fortunately, the HP MediaSmart Server can help. Photo Webshare is a new way of managing and sharing photos. Not only does it give users the ability to upload and share pictures to anywhere with an Internet connection, but it also ensures the photos are stored safe and sound on a device inside your own home (instead of on a web site somewhere). Having it on the household network means that...