Media Server Or Media Extender - Which Do You Need?

With all the new gadgets you can get for your home network it can be a bit confusing. Some of the names and acronyms can become like a blur some times.

So you want to stream videos, music and other files out to the other computers on your home network but you're not quite sure how you want to go about it. While looking around you may have come across two very similar sounding terms.

Media server and media extender.

Both perform close to the same function but in very different ways.

Media Server

A media server is basically additional storage space for your network. It's usually a hard drive or series of hard drives connected to some electronics that allow you to access the files you store on it easily from across your network. It's not quite a full-fledged computer but very close. Media servers are also refereed to as Network Attached Storage or NAS for short. Most Media Servers come with back up software that can be used to back up the computers on your network.

Media servers are easily configured from a built-in web interface you can access by typing in the devices IP address into you web browser and entering your username and password. Usually you'll connect a NAS device to your wireless router using an ethernet cable which allows you to access it wirelessly through the router.

Media Extender

The word "extender" in this context means you are "extending" access to the media files on your PC to your TV and home entertainment center. Once your PC is connected to a media center extender it becomes sort of like the Media Server mentioned above. The big difference is instead of streaming all its data out to other computers on the network it converts the data on your PC to a format that can be accessed through your HDTV.

Now you can access all your music, video and picture files from the comfort of your living room with a remote and convenient menu options on your TV screen! If you have an XBOX360 or Playstation3 you already own a media extender!

Some high-end wireless routers come with a built-in media server. This usually does not include storage of any kind. What you get is actually a built in USB port you can plug memory sticks and external storage devices into. The data on the external device can then be shared out to devices on your network. In terms of performance this type of device is slower then a dedicated or stand alone server.

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Media Planning Vs Media Buying: Which Is More Important?

A media planner is like a writer who creates the screen play for a film. A media buyer is like the actor who brings the film to life. A politician with a good message who fails to get out the vote loses the election. And a good media idea, poorly executed, might as well have been a bad idea. Sometimes execution is everything.

A media plan might be brilliant, but will it be executed with equal zeal? Will the plan be executed on budget with the right media vehicles, in the right place, at the right time and with maximum communications impact? If not, the plan might not look so brilliant any more. Media planning, media buying, and media selling are all equal communications partners in driving ROI.

Why is Buying Underestimated?

Since all of the disciplines (planning, buying, selling) are all of roughly equal in importance, I have always wondered why media textbooks dedicate only a few pages to the art and science of media buying and no pages to media selling. Clients probably place the highest importance on the cost effectiveness of the buys negotiated on their behalf. Agencies can lose clients on the basis of poor media buying performance, bu I don't think I can ever remember an agency losing an account because of a media simulation model.

Perhaps some academics believe that media planning is more conceptual, more creative, more research oriented, and provides better mettle for the mind. But these assumptions aren't necessarily so. Media buying at its best requires honed negotiation skills which could be a course in psychology. Buying also it requires an understanding of the communications process that rivals media planning. And media buyers need a knowledge of the research documenting how different media variables, such as commercial affect performance and advertising effectiveness.

It is ironic that so many clients have the opposite belief where buying is more important than planning. After all, that is where the rubber hits the road and the dollars are spent.

In the 21st century, media buyers won't just be responsible for buying TRPS or clicks at the lowest possible price, but must learn how to "buy communication, not TRPS, according to many experts. Beyond CPM, how can a buy's communications effectiveness be maximized? Program involvement, attention levels, contextual considerations, commercial positioning and a host of other factors have a greater impact on communications effectiveness than media weight and CPMs. TRPS are not TRPS.

Where the Jobs Are

Students interested in a career in advertising need to study the art and science of media buying because it is an important part of th business and because jobs in buying are more plentiful than jobs in planning.n the 21st century, students also need a point of difference to help them land a job in every competitive arena. Unless they go to work for a mega agency, where are students going to learn about media buying including negotiating strategy, the role of program involvement, commercial positioning, and context --if not in the classroom?

Everyone in the marketing communications business needs to develop a good understanding of the convergence of planning and buying and selling. Media is transitioning to Integrated Marketing.

Ronald D. Geskey CEO, 2020:MarketingCommunications LLC and author of "Media Planning & Buying in the 21st Century." marketing2020@aol.com

"Media Buying & Planning in the 21st Century" is an excellent primer for those looking for a job in advertising. The book discusses many career opportunities, and will help readers understand the advertising media business so that they can more intelligently pursue media job opportunities. The book covers topics from a practical "how to" standpoint, and unlike some media books, explains issues in plain English and real world examples. The author, Ron Geskey has over 30 years of experience at major advertising agencies. He has a B.S. and M.S. from Southern Illinois University, doctoral work at Texas Tech University, and Executive Education at Wharton School of Business, Northwestern University, Michigan State University

Websites: http://www.21stCenturyMediaPlanning.com - http://www.MediaPlanningBuyinginthe21stCentury.com

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