HP announced the release of the new version for its MediaSmart Windows Home Server. The first one was launched in late 2007 and encountered many problems from the appearance of a Windows bug that corrupted the application data and backups from the server, making it extremely hard to use.

The company explained that the new version has been significantly improved and everyone interested in one of the two new models, will get a chance to try them out starting with January 5. The first models is the 750 GB ex485 which will sell for $599 and the second, 1 terabyte ex487 which will be available for $749.

The updated version provides full Mac support, which includes the ability to use the server for Time Machine backups, PacketVideo’s TwonkyMedia server allows users to stream video and other content with a wide variety of players, which include the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360, and finally, it ensures an easy access to Amazon.com’s S3 online storage service for backing up saved data.

"A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices," explained Jason Zajac, vice president of strategy, for HP's worldwide attach group, in a statement. "The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected."

The MediaSmart server features USB and eSATA connectors in order to allow the addition of external disk storage. It was designed to handle a total of up to 9 TB.