Larger hardware shops may carry a limited selection of construction products, such as timber, flooring, roofing materials, and fence. These establishments are sometimes referred to as home centers or home improvement centers. While there are fewer hardware shops in the United States than in years past, the US Census Bureau reports that there were still 14,300 hardware businesses in the country in 2005, employing an average of ten people. [4] Despite competition from major chain shops (often referred to as big-box or destination hardware stores, such as The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Menards), new hardware stores continue to operate in the United States on a regular basis. [5]
Connectivity should not be overlooked. If your primary goal is to utilize your NAS as a home video server, it may be worthwhile to get one with an HDMI output, such as the QNAP TS-251B, so you can connect it directly to your TV rather than having the video streamed over your network. Additionally, if your television is incapable of playing video from a network source, you will need a separate media streamer. Choose a model with Gigabit Ethernet for optimal performance, which is ten times faster than 10/100 Ethernet. Keep an eye out for front-mounted USB ports and SD card slots as well.
