iTunes server ideas?

I currently have a music library of about 130gb on an old Macbook pro. My wife uses this now, so I'd like to shift the music from it and therefore not need it.

I've tried storing it on my timecapsule, but each time I try to access it wirelessly through iTunes on my new MBP, it just gets stuck on "Importing, iTunes Music Library.xml" and won't load.

Anyone have any idea what the problem is?

As a solution, I'm thinking of getting a Mac Mini to use mainly as a media centre, HDMI to a tv and audio to my stereo amplifier. This would definitely satisfy my needs, but is it overkill?

It would obviously have a lot of other benefits too...

If you don't mind spending all that money for it though... You should also use the Remote app for controlling your iTunes library. I have it on my iPod.
Another alternative way, I suggest building a tiny pc, one of those small cases the size of a mac mini, and getting a router that supports usb hard drives, and plug the drive into it and access your media files that way over wifi.

I have a Mac Mini as my media hub, it works really well. I use it to serve video content as well as audio.

You should be able to store the library on a Time Capsule. I've done it that way and have also done it on a hard drive attached to the USB port on the Time Capsule. Those Library xml files don't get opened directly. They are part of the data base that iTunes uses to track everything. Here's what I did to make things work:

1. The Library xml files are probably in your user folder inside the Music folder in a folder called iTunes. Leave them there.
2. Copy the media filed from their present location to the Time Capsule.
3. With the Time Capsule drive mounted in Finder launch iTunes and go to Preferences>Advanced and point iTunes to the new location for your media.

Here's a more thorough description of the process. It says NAS drive but should work for the Time Capsule or external drive attached to the Time Capsule How to offload your iTunes library to a NAS | Ars Technica