There are cheaper and/or easier ways to stream multimedia around the house, including video. Slim Devices caters to audiophiles, not general consumers or people interested in video. Also, it excels at working with open source file formats. Their devices are network devices, so they require a wired or wireless network. There are a bunch of other features, including Pandora and internet radio (requiring only an available network, no computer or Slimserver needed for that). Finally, it encourages you to use and integrate other available hardware, such as a high end sound system that someone might already have invested thousands of dollars in.

If you want your music library available 24/7, I’d recommend a low-wattage computer and/or a NAS that is Slimserver ready.