Further to last month’s online leak of pricing for the HP MediaSmart EX470 and EX475 home servers, HP yesterday confirmed final pricing and availability for the systems in a press release. Seems that the leak was accurate, and the 500Gb EX470 will retail at $599, whilst the 1Tb EX475 will hit the market at $749.
The release also confirms the slight delay in shipping due to a scheduled September update for Windows Home Server will will make improvements to initial setup, automatic router and firewall configuration and help files. HP announced that the MediaSmart will be available in the USA from the Fall (my guess, hang on until November). The systems will ship in Europe from January 2008.
Here’s an excerpt from the release:
HP MediaSmart Server – Powered by the Windows® Home Server platform and AMD LIVE!™, the HP MediaSmart Server provides a central location for more secure, easy access to movies, photos, music and documents through any Internet-connected PC, anytime, anywhere. Expected to be available in time for the holidays this fall, the server is offered in a 500-gigabyte version for $599 and 1-terabyte model for $749.(1)
Meanwhile, PC World has revealed more about the bundled software shipping with the MediaSmart Server, which extend the functionality of the system, in a Hands-On Preview.
The following new functionality will be included:
Suggested Configuration Steps
An alternative setup dialog that allows you to customise the server once it’s connected to the network. This included options to check the HP site for software updates, configuring your router and remote access settings, as well as configuring HP’s Photo Webshare add-in.
Remote Access Domain Setup
As well as providing access to Microsoft’s homeserver.com free domains for accessing your home server remotely, HP also include an alternative option (provided by TZO.com) which defaults to xxx.hpmediasmart.com. This appears to be free only for the first year, so why anyone would want to use it instead of Microsoft’s fully free option is beyond me right now. You can also select a fully customised domain name (whateveryouwant.com), again provided by TZO, for a fee.
HP Photo Webshare
HP also include additional software to allow you to share your images remotely on your home server across the internet, to family and friends. How this stacks up against a Flickr/Photosync combo remains to be seen, but my hunch is “not very well”.
iTunes Library Sync
One very powerful addition to the HP MediaSmart server is an extension to iTunes – the home server has the ability to sync individual iTunes libraries on all of your home computers to create one large master library held on the server. The purist in me hates the fact that you’d still have files scattered all over the place on various home computers, rather than held neatly on the server, but it’s a great option for the disorganised and lazy 
So far, it looks like the HP MediaSmart Server is shaping up nicely for an Autumn release in the USA. We’ll bring you more news as we get it.
