Is there a NAS box that works well with OSX

Question

I've always struggled with NAS boxes & OSX.  Sure, I can connect them up, and copy files to and from a mac, but eventually I always seem to run into issues.  Suddenly I can no longer access the files, or I can no longer connect at all, or it fails to connect with a specific user, etc.   I end up grovelling around support forums, typing sudo this & sudo that and eventually I can access the files again - until the next time.  They seeem to be more trouble than they are worth.  At least for me.  I've had these problems with Leopard, Snow Leopard & now with Lion.
I've got a macbook pro that only I use, plus an iMac that all the family use (including me).  What I want to be able to do is to have a NAS box set up with a private share for each member of the family that only they can access, plus a public share that everyone can copy files to and from. 
I want to be able to access the public share from both computers at the same time. 
Suppose my wife is logged on on the iMac, and she's streaming a movie from the public share using iTunes to the ATV2.  I want to be able to fast-user-switch to my account & access the files in the public share, and also my private share.
I want to be able to access files on my private share from both my macbook pro and the iMac.  At the same time.
I want family members to be able to access their private shares, and also the public share from their Windows laptops as well as the iMac.
I can't see the problem with doing these things.  As long as permissions a managed by the NAS box not the individual pcs & macs it should be easy.  But of course it isn't!
Does anyone run this sort of setup, where it works seamlessly?  If so, what sort of NAS box are you using?
If not, maybe the way to go would be to get a Mac Mini and set it up with Lion Server as a file server.  Would that work better?

Answer 1

You're welcome - make sure you follow Epson's instructions when you get it; don't know if they've changed it, but about 2 years ago, I had to connect it via USB first before connecting it wirelessly; also had to get the MAC address via the setup on the LCD panel so the router could recognize it.
Some of that has gotten easier/automatic with Lion, so just be sure you follow whatever the quick setup sheet says. Their support is pretty good, they usually respond within a reasonable amount of time.