Here’s an easy way of setting up your own home media server. Grab yourself a cheap Mac Mini – perhaps from the online Apple refurbished store – then install only the basics you require for this to operate as a media server. This includes either Remote Buddy or Signal, which is a specialist tool that will enable you to control the Mac Mini as a media server, from your iPod Touch or Pocket PC device. Of course, you’re not restricted to Mac OS X. The download here, for example, is for Windows and you can quite happily run Windows on your Mac Mini.

Next, grab iTunes and move across all your medial files and store them on the Mac Mini. Install Signal and follow the instructions, including the IP address you require to access the device from your iPod Touch or similar remote device.

Buy an Apple Airport Express for each audio device where you want to playback music and then configure each Airport Express so that each device has a different name and reference so you can quickly switch between different zones, based on the zone name.

Signal enables you to control iTunes (or Windows Media Player, WinAmp etc) from your iPod Touch, or similar device, remotely and wirelessly. Simply select the tunes you want to play, the Airport Express remote speakers and play. You can configure it to play back audio from more than one zone, so you hear the same track when you move from the sitting room in to your kitchen.