I've got a USB drive with lots of video files on it (.mp4, .avi mostly) and it's currently plugged into my HDR1000S and works great. The Humax has a wide range of formats that it supports.
If I want to put new files onto the USB drive though, I have to unplug it and connect it to a computer, then plug it back into the Humax again. Not ideal, but also not a huge problem either.
What I'd prefer is that an XP computer I've got (which runs 24/7) keeps the USB drive plugged into it all the time, and that XP computer share its media files to the Humax (and other computers and tablets) via wifi. The Humax already has a wifi dongle that it uses for ondemand.
Is there a recommended media server solution for this? These aren't going to be full HD files, so going over wifi won't be a bandwidth issue. Is it essential that the host PC be on wifi? Or just on the same network? It's currently connected by LAN cable, but doesn't have to be.