For public URL, you can install dropbox on the WHS box or one of the connected PCs, if you'd like.
For movie playback, that's separate from the WHS. You need to think of the WHS as the Server and the playback devices as the Client. In this way, the WHS is very extensible and your playback options are limitless. You can use windows media center on a different PC, or just use VLC or windows media player.
Effectively, WHS is a very "insanely great" home server that stores your files and serves it, allowing you to decide how you want to consume it.
Because I'm a home theater junkie, I did start a side project called http://www.intellimote.com that uses the iPad as a remote to browse and play movies.
My blog post was originally about a device that just worked like I described out of the box with no other requirements.
Preferably it would be a small box like my media playing storage device that I have or like the tonidoplug, which costs $100 and is already set up.
Your WHM solution is super awesome, but it's not something I can buy from the store, plug in, maybe configure a little bit and start using. It's a project. It's something you work on to get it working the way you want it to.
What I'd like to see is somebody create a pre built solution, similar to the tonidoplug, with more media capabilities etc, video outputs etc.
If some startup or company would build that, people would buy that.
Your solution is awesome, I must go ahead and try WHS, I didn't even know that it existed.
It uses Windows Home Server plus their own custom add-ins. They're nice. You get everything I mentioned before, except this is pre built. They have things like integration with Tivo. I decided to build my own since I had spare parts lying around, otherwise I would have bought one of the MediaSmart machines.
Also, when you say something with "more media capabilities", it is doubtful you will be able to surpass a WHS-based system. This is because a system like MediaSmart, out of the box, will stream everything to any PC, any mobile device, any windows media center, etc. They've built it for streaming media, and all kinds of ways to access the content are already in the ecosystem. They have even included a silverlight/flash based streamer if you decide to only use a browser (they transcode on the fly then stream it to your browser). Devices (eg. xbox 360) and even entire OS's are designed to work with WHS (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7).
100% agree, I have an HP MediaSmart and am very happy. Small, attractive, and very quiet.
Setup was a breeze, plug it in, let it do the windows update thing, while still running pop in additional hard drives (4 bays total), configure them, done.
For video clients I have both the Asus O!Play and the WD HD Live, they both work great but lack search and content download features.
The Acer Aspire Revo running XBMC seems to be a very popular and affordable option for that. The UI is beautiful, downloads movie info and covers from IMDB, very slick.
You will automatically get your desired, password-protected https://[whatever].homeserver.com, pointed to your server. (It's autoconfig too with your router). When you access that remotely, you get access to your WHS server, plus all your connected devices. (it looks something like this: http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/5B259B0F-B5B...)
For public URL, you can install dropbox on the WHS box or one of the connected PCs, if you'd like.
For movie playback, that's separate from the WHS. You need to think of the WHS as the Server and the playback devices as the Client. In this way, the WHS is very extensible and your playback options are limitless. You can use windows media center on a different PC, or just use VLC or windows media player.
Effectively, WHS is a very "insanely great" home server that stores your files and serves it, allowing you to decide how you want to consume it.
For what it's worth, I use windows media center on a machine connected to the TV, and a logitech dinovo mini for remote (see: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard/devices/384...).
Because I'm a home theater junkie, I did start a side project called http://www.intellimote.com that uses the iPad as a remote to browse and play movies.