Home media setup advice please

[monty77]

..not sure where to post this, crosses a few categories!

My soon to be kit list is:

iMac - main machine
Mac Mini - Media server running iTunes for media streaming (video and audio to Apple TVs and airport express devices)
2 x Apple TV (1 1st gen, 1 new one)
2 x Airport Express
AEBS

The Mac Mini will run 24x7 and will hold a clone of my iTunes / iPhoto library from the iMac which it will stream to the Apple TVs and Airport express devices on demand.

My question is: Would it be possible somehow to do away with the cloning of the iTunes (not as fussed about iPhoto as it's that much smaller although it would be nice) library in 2 places? I know I can share my iTunes between 2 installations but on the sharing computer it's not as flexible .. I cannot see artwork, or sync to an iPhone/iPad etc..

Is there something really obvious I'm missing here? Or another way to achieve the same thing?

Thanks!!!
Monty

 

[pMad]

Couldn't you hook and external HD to one of the Airport Expresses via USB and then set that for your library for iTunes on both the iMac and the mini?

Thus one storage with two machines reading it?

 

[monty77]

Couldn't you hook and external HD to one of the Airport Expresses via USB and then set that for your library for iTunes on both the iMac and the mini?

Thus one storage with two machines reading it?

Unless I'm mistaken I dont think 2 iTunes apps can read the library at the same time ... I just tried it with fast user switching and I get an error message telling me the library file is locked.

Thanks,
Monty

 

[monty77]

It would appear the locked file thing will always prevent me from having 2 iTunes apps open the same library at the same time which is kind of annoying.

The only thing I can think of is to have the main core iTunes library out on the Mac Mini media server and then import over what I want to sync to other devices as and when. The pain then becomes evident when I want to move new content into the main library - how do I best go about that? I could set auto import for the home library on the media server in iTunes but that'll only sync iTunes purchased content, not my own stuff.

Cheers!
Monty

 

[maturola]

Explain to me again why the iTunes sharing doesn't work for you? I got 2 machines, and using the iTunes sharing feature i can read my local library and my remote library without an issue, i can see artwork, title, reating, everything.

With an iMac (which is not mobile) I don't see why you cannot share both library and got 'ALL" you media available "all" the time on "all" devices,,, (well...i guess you want to only keep the mini on, and be able to shot down you mini).

In that case, just share the folder that you have your music on with the network, make sure you save your music to that folder and read the Library on the iMac using itunes share (every time the imac is on)

 

[pMad]

Unless I'm mistaken I dont think 2 iTunes apps can read the library at the same time ... I just tried it with fast user switching and I get an error message telling me the library file is locked.

Thanks,
Monty

True, but how often would you be using the same file on both computers simultaneously?

 

[monty77]

Explain to me again why the iTunes sharing doesn't work for you? I got 2 machines, and using the iTunes sharing feature i can read my local library and my remote library without an issue, i can see artwork, title, reating, everything.

With an iMac (which is not mobile) I don't see why you cannot share both library and got 'ALL" you media available "all" the time on "all" devices,,, (well...i guess you want to only keep the mini on, and be able to shot down you mini).

In that case, just share the folder that you have your music on with the network, make sure you save your music to that folder and read the Library on the iMac using itunes share (every time the imac is on)

I have 3 problems:

1) I'm in iTunes on a machine that doesn't hold the main library. I select the shared library on the left and then underneath that 'Music'. I see all of my tracks from the core library but the view buttons up top which would usually allow me to see the cover art / switch to coverflow etc.. aren't available. If import the tracks from the main library it's there, but it makes browsing a shared library more of a pain.

2) My media server is stashed away so I cannot plug portable devices into it in order to sync content so it would have to be done from a secondary computer with access to the shared library. I cannot sync directly from a shared library so I must import first to the local iTunes library, then sync, so I end up with duplicated content again.

3) I cannot simply share the core iTunes library and get iTunes on other devices to read it as I'd have to shut down iTunes on the media server while I access it which would mean anything I was streaming at the time would shut off too

4) I also cannot just add stuff to a secondary iTunes library and have it update to the core one automatically as the automatic import only works for purchased content with home sharing.

I can't believe I'm being that needy, I just want a core library that'll take it's updates from any other iTunes library that's linked automatically, share it about and let me sync it to my devices

Cheers,
Monty

 

[monty77]

True, but how often would you be using the same file on both computers simultaneously?

...I need iTunes to run 24/7 on the server, that's the whole point. Shutting it down each time I want to add a few tracks from the iMac is a bit of a pain - I may as well just screen share the Mini and manage my iTunes that way .. not very 'Apple' though.

Cheers
Monty

 

[monty77]

....and I've just noticed that for some of the music I import through home sharing the cover art is missing - something to do with embedded artwork vs non-embedded artwork no doubt - are Apple losing their mastery of fine detail here? Things dont seem to work quite as they should as much as they used to - or just me being moody because Home sharing doesn't do as I'd like?

Monty