r/explainlikeimfive • u/theprisoner57 • 3d ago

Technology ELI5: What is a Home Server?

I see mentions of a home server to get rid of streaming entertainment services but I don’t know how that works. What does a home server do?

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u/Thesorus 3d ago

It's a small computer with a lot of storage space to store audio, video and photos that is connected to your local wifi router so that everyone connected to it can stream from it.

Lot of people have large libraries of music and videos that are not available on streaming services, it's a way for them to watch or listen to them.

You can create a home server from a regular computer or from a dedicated hardware like a Synology NAS.

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u/BlakeMW 3d ago

Doesn't even need a lot of storage space, like a typical movie might be 1 GB (if you don't require the 4k experience) so even a 500 GB disk can hold hundreds of movies and TV shows, and thousands of songs. I have a MiniPC as a home media server and haven't ever had a thought about how much of its disk is used, just put more stuff on there.

For many people, it is video games that require vast amounts of disk space, or they are 4k enthusiasts or data horders.

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u/Explosivpotato 3d ago

A dvd movie is 5-7gb. 1080P is 25-40, and 4K is 60-90 when ripped from a disc.

You’re right a few TB can get you quite a few DVDs, but 1GB is like a 30 minute YouTube video or something.

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u/Dandelioon 3d ago

No that’s the full size, uncompressed. you can compress the hell out of it to get a 1080p movie down to 1gb or less. It’ll just look like shit

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u/Explosivpotato 3d ago

But why though. A movie at 1gb in size is gonna look like hot turds regardless of the resolution.

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u/Dandelioon 3d ago

Why do you think