[DStu]

This is probably a big no-no, but just thought I'd tried my luck...

I have my library stored on a portable hard-drive plugged in to the router, which is great as I don't need to leave the laptop on.

However, there have been times that I'd like to take the ATV2 to a friends house.
But to do this with my entire library I'd have to take the router with me...(my flatmate wouldn't approve when his redtube stream cuts out!)

Would it be possible to hook the library drive up to my MacBook, and host it as a network that the ATV2 then connects to and can access the library without having to re-scan everything?

[chuckles]

Yes if it shares over the same protocol and the laptop has the same network address as your router does at home

ie router uses smb with address 10.0.0.1 at your home
then laptop must also share with smb and have address 10.0.0.1 at your friends house

(also path to files must be same not just share address ie smb://10.0.0.1/movies)

[DLeavy]

I'm assuming your scenario is home = portable hard drive plugged into router and when away, portable hard drive plugged directly into laptop.

You could use profiles to setup Home and Away - Home would have your library scanned with the network path to your portable harddrive via the router and Away would have your library scanned as a USB connected drive (probably via a drive letter mapping).

Yes, you would have to scan the library twice and update it in both locations initially, but it would not be a full scan/re-scan everytime you are home and away. Just switch between the two profiles.