How to Set Up a Raspberry Pi Media Server - Beginner's Guide

With the world moving closer to digitisation, it's no surprise that more people are discovering the world of 'do it yourself' servers and deciding to set up their own at home.

One such home project involves setting up a Raspberry Pi as a Media Server. These inexpensive and simple computers are a great way to dip your toes into the world of servers. This guide will see you comfortably through setting up your very own Raspberry Pi powered Media Server.

What is a Raspberry Pi?

A Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers developed in the UK to promote the teaching of basic computer science. Despite their small size, they can be used for many of the things your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word processing, browsing the internet, and playing games. They can also play high-definition video.

One of the many strengths of the Raspberry Pi is its ability to stream multimedia content. This makes it a fantastic platform for setting up a Home Media Server.

What is a Media Server?

A Media Server is a device that acts as a central location for users to access and store digital media content, such as videos, music, and photos. Essentially, it's a 'one-stop' location for all your digital content.

Essentials You Need

Here is the list of the hardware equipment you'll need to setup your Raspberry Pi Media Server:

1. A Raspberry Pi (we recommend the Raspberry Pi 3 or 4)

2. A MicroSD card (16GB minimum)

3. HDMI Cable

4. Raspberry Pi power supply

5. An Ethernet cable (optional)

6. USB Keyboard and Mouse

7. External storage (optional)

Setting Up Your Raspberry Pi

Before we set up our Raspberry Pi as a Media Server, we need to set it up with an operating system, connect it to the Internet, and make sure it's running smoothly. Here-

1. Download the Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) from the Raspberry Pi website.

2. Install the Pi OS on your MicroSD card using imaging software such as BalenaEtcher.

3. Insert the loaded MicroSD card into your Raspberry Pi, connect your display, keyboard and mouse, and finally plug in the power supply.

Setting Up Your Raspberry Pi Media Server

Once we have our Raspberry Pi up and running, we can begin setting it up as a Media Server. For this, we will be using a piece of software called Plex.

Installing Plex Media Server

Plex is a popular software that allows you to access your personal media library from anywhere in the world. It’s widely available on all major platforms, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

1. Open a Terminal window on your Raspberry Pi.

2. Download Plex Media Server by typing the following command: ‘curl -L https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-media-server/0.9.16.4.1911-ee6e505/plexmediaserver_0.9.16.4.1911-ee6e505_armhf.deb -o plex.deb’

3. Install Plex by typing the following command: ‘sudo dpkg -i plex.deb’

After setting up Plex, you can add your media to Plex and start streaming to your devices. You can manage it through a web interface that is accessible through your local network.

Setting up a Raspberry Pi Media Server is a great project to undertake if you have a large media collection and would like a simple, yet effective way to access your content from anywhere.

Remember that although the Raspberry Pi is a tremendous piece of hardware, it is not going to perform as well as commercial grade servers or higher end PCs. Adjust your expectations accordingly, but most of all, have fun learning and experimenting with your new Raspberry Pi Media Server!