Best place to store iTunes library?
I'm loving my Apple TV 2. However, I have one snag which is really more of an issue of best system set-up. I have a growing amount of TV and film media on my iMac and am increasingly getting used to the idea of having all my media at home then being transferred to my iPhone for use on the move and in my car and at home streamed to my Hi-fi and Apple TV. However, it seems that whenever my iMac goes to sleep my Apple TV cannot access my library - it can't wake it from sleep. I've considered using my Time Capsule to store my iTunes library to then be accessed by all systems, but I like the fact that at present my Library is stored in two places - my iMac and backed up to Time Capsule. How do you suggest I set up my home so my library is 'always on' (without keeping my computer awake and wasting energy) whilst ensuring as many copies/backups are available as possible and that all systems (including my iPhone) are kept up to date?
Comments
My solution is having a MacMini set up as a home iTunes server. The Mini is always on, sitting on a shelf, no screen attached... set to have iTunes start at power-up and to automatically re-start after power interruptions. A 2TB external HDD attached to that old (intel) Mini has the iTunes Library on it. My two aTV's can access it no matter the state of the iMacs that get used as actual computers.
Home Sharing allows you to access that library from other computers as well.
It ain't cheap (though used intel Mini's can be had for less than $400) but it works well.
Well... the AppleTV can only access your library through a running instance of iTunes... so even with the library stored on the Time Capsule, your iMac will still need to be on and awake for the aTV to access it.
My solution is having a MacMini set up as a home iTunes server. The Mini is always on, sitting on a shelf, no screen attached... set to have iTunes start at power-up and to automatically re-start after power interruptions. A 2TB external HDD attached to that old (intel) Mini has the iTunes Library on it. My two aTV's can access it no matter the state of the iMacs that get used as actual computers.
Home Sharing allows you to access that library from other computers as well.
It ain't cheap (though used intel Mini's can be had for less than $400) but it works well.
Is there anyway the aTV can wake the iMac from sleep? Isn't Back to my Mac meant to be able to do that? Also, I can't understand why Apple doesn't give the aTV the functionality to access an iTunes library on an external HD like the Time Capsule - that seems to me the most sensible way of having a large, always on HD with which to access content.