What Media Server do you use?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › What Media Server do you use?

1 | 2 | 3

258 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#658285 19-Jul-2012 11:13

Windows Home Server 2011 with PS3 media Server and Air Video for the iPad.

dickytim

2514 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#658307 19-Jul-2012 11:38

Hi Have an old PC from work
Core2 Duo 2.6GHZ
4GB ram
2 x 1.5TB drives
1 x 2TB drive
1 x 300gb drive purely for the OS
HD 7750 graphics
TP Link wireless card
HVR-1200 TV card
Windows 7 Professional

networkn

Networkn
32354 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#658323 19-Jul-2012 11:47

PC, PS3 and Mezzmo. Awesome. Would be nice if the Android tablet support was more seamless however.

reven

3743 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#658330 19-Jul-2012 11:56

jpollock: Well, right now, I end up with multiple copies in the same directory, with XBMC saying "Batman Begins SD" and "Batman Begins HD". My H.264 iPad tree is kept separate from the main files.

However, if you're using Linux/OSX, soft-links are cheap! Instead of using RAID, or anything else to combine the storage of my disks, I've got them all mounted as /disk1, ...,/disk8, and I use a script to set up the directory that is exported with directories + soft-links to the actual files. It wouldn't be that hard to set up a /export/Movies/HighDefPref which had the highest resolution for each movie, or /export/Movies/iPadOnly, etc.

I think Windows has soft-links too, but they might have removed them in Windows 8?

im using a ReadyNAS for storage :)

but with links that would get messy when you get to hundreds of movies...

jpollock

600 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#658412 19-Jul-2012 13:16

reven:

im using a ReadyNAS for storage :)

but with links that would get messy when you get to hundreds of movies...

No more than any other directory layout? You re-create the directory, and only soft-link the individual files. It's not a flat tree full of soft-links, that would be nasty.

For example, my current layout is:

What I store files into:
/disk7/TV/AshesToAshes/Season1/AshesToAshes E1-2.ISO
/disk8/TV/AshesToAshes/Season1/AshesToAshes E3-4.ISO
...

What the clients see:
/export/TV/AshesToAshes/Season1/AshesToAshes E1-2.ISO -> /disk7/TV/AshesToAshes/Season1/AshesToAshes E1-2.ISO
/export/TV/AshesToAshes/Season1/AshesToAshes E3-4.ISO -> /disk8/TV/AshesToAshes/Season1/AshesToAshes E3-4.ISO

So, the entire tree is still there, only the files are soft-links. Not too hard to do with a shell script. I'll post the relevant snippets when I get home if you're interested.

I write to the individual disks, and the playback devices only ever read from the /export tree. I don't know what the ReadyNAS does, can you create soft-links?

I don't think you're going to find a directory layout that gives you both a nice to manage view and one that is nice for playback. :) There might be a tool out there like MediaVault that will do it for you, but I avoid those things. :)

---
http://blog.jason.pollock.ca

reven

3743 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#658425 19-Jul-2012 13:21

yeah i dont think there is a really nice solution currently with xbmc as it is.

it would be nice if xbmc supported multiple video streams in a file (so same file with 1080p, 720p, and SD in that one file) or if it was able to group the same movie into one movie and asked you which version you wanted to watch when you hit play on it (similar to how it stacks CD1/Disc1 etc, but how boxee supports videos from multiple sources).

davidcole

6036 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#658427 19-Jul-2012 13:23

reven: yeah i dont think there is a really nice solution currently with xbmc as it is.

it would be nice if xbmc supported multiple video streams in a file (so same file with 1080p, 720p, and SD in that one file) or if it was able to group the same movie into one movie and asked you which version you wanted to watch when you hit play on it (similar to how it stacks CD1/Disc1 etc, but how boxee supports videos from multiple sources).

Combersome, but I tried something similar using collections. You can have different "versions" of the file in there.

Easier if you could automate the adding the collection information into the .nfo file (but you code so you'd be able to knock something together... :D )

Previously known as psycik

Home Assistant: Gigabyte AMD A8 Brix, Home Assistant with Aeotech ZWave Controller, Raspberry PI, Wemos D1 Mini, Zwave, Shelly Humidity and Temperature sensors
Media:Chromecast v2, ATV4 4k, ATV4, HDHomeRun Dual
Server Host Plex Server 3x3TB, 4x4TB using MergerFS, Samsung 850 evo 512 GB SSD, Proxmox Server with 1xW10, 2xUbuntu 22.04 LTS, Backblaze Backups, usenetprime.com fastmail.com Sharesies Trakt.TV Sharesight

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

geekiegeek

2513 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#658431 19-Jul-2012 13:30

Windows 2008 R2 Server in the basement for file shares.

AppleTV 2 for streaming Netflix, itunes movies, podcasts and music videos from itunes on the server. Also use it for airplay from my iphone\ipad.

Logitech squeezebox touch (controlled via ipad) for flac files via a Beresford Caiman DAC.

Mediaportal for live TV (Freeview HD) and TV Series (downloads).

I use a HDMI splitter to output to the projector in the lounge and a smaller TV in the dining room and use speaker A+B switching for the sound.

All works well with a high WAF

reven

3743 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#658435 19-Jul-2012 13:35

davidcole:
reven: yeah i dont think there is a really nice solution currently with xbmc as it is.

it would be nice if xbmc supported multiple video streams in a file (so same file with 1080p, 720p, and SD in that one file) or if it was able to group the same movie into one movie and asked you which version you wanted to watch when you hit play on it (similar to how it stacks CD1/Disc1 etc, but how boxee supports videos from multiple sources).

Combersome, but I tried something similar using collections. You can have different "versions" of the file in there.

Easier if you could automate the adding the collection information into the .nfo file (but you code so you'd be able to knock something together... :D )

yeah thats not really an option, because you cant have movie sets within movie sets

so if you can do

movies\Batman\Batman (1989)
movies\Batman\Batman Begins\SD
movies\Batman\Batman Begins\720p
movies\Batman\Batman Begins\1080p
movies\Batman\Batman Begins\Alternate Cut
movies\batman\The Dark Knight\720p
movies\batman\The Dark Knight\1080p
movies\Hulk\Hulk (2003)
movies\Hulk\The Incredible Hulk

etc, already made this suggestion on xbmc forums, but theyre switching from movie sets to tags, so you can do the following

movies\Batman\Batman (1989)
movies\Batman\Batman Begins
movies\DC Comics\Batman (1989)
movies\DC Comics\Batman Begins
movies\DC Comics\Superman Returns
movies\Marvel\Spider-Man
movies\Superhero\Batman (1989)
movies\Superhero\Spider-Man
movies\Superhero\Batman Begins
movies\Superhero\Superman Returns

but you still wont be able to have multiple layers for tags.

tags are a welcome improvement on sets, but still need a way for multiple different versions of the same movie. the need for different quality movies will be less of an issue in a few years when even the cheapest frontend can playback high def stuff, but for things like directors cut, alternate endings etc, it would still be nice to merge all those into one movie in your collection (I did this ages ago for gbpvr plugin i use to write... i may try and tackle this issue in xbmc one day... their community does put me off though, seem to reject a lot of ideas from developers)

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#658937 20-Jul-2012 10:19

For TV, recorded TV, and music via Windows 7 Media Center.
HD MKV's, Blu-ray, DVD's, and Video via Media Center with Media Browser and Neo theme.
All media stored on Windows Home Server 2011 which is running on ESXi server.

MP3 music to family room on a Philips Streamium stereo via Philips Media player running on ESXi based XP machine connecting to WHS2011 for music.

Home Server: AMD Threadripper 1950X, 64GB, 56TB HDD, Define R6 Case, 10GbE, ESXi 6.7, UNRAID, NextPVR, Emby Server, Plex Server.
Lounge Media Center: NVIDIA Shield TV 16GB: Kodi18 with Titan MOD, Emby.
Kids Media Center: NVIDIA Shield TV 16GB: Kodi18 with Titan MOD, Emby.
Main PC: Ryzen 7 2700, 16GB RAM, RX 570, 2 x 24"

JonnyCam

643 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#658948 20-Jul-2012 10:36

I'm using an unraid basic server (about to upgrade to pro)
with plex media server running on it.
Plex on the clients (android phone & tablet, various PC's)
NextPVR for recording / serving to clients.

it would be nice if xbmc supported multiple video streams in a file (so same file with 1080p, 720p, and SD in that one file) or if it was able to group the same movie into one movie and asked you which version you wanted to watch when you hit play on it (similar to how it stacks CD1/Disc1 etc, but how boxee supports videos from multiple sources

I've found this works with Plex, if I have 2 copies of the same file, one SD, one HD when I select it from Plex, it asks which one to play 480p, 1080p etc.

reven

3743 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#658952 20-Jul-2012 10:49

JonnyCam:
I've found this works with Plex, if I have 2 copies of the same file, one SD, one HD when I select it from Plex, it asks which one to play 480p, 1080p etc.

damn, that is nice, if only xbmc added this too...

davidcole

6036 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#658953 20-Jul-2012 10:51

reven:
JonnyCam:
I've found this works with Plex, if I have 2 copies of the same file, one SD, one HD when I select it from Plex, it asks which one to play 480p, 1080p etc.

damn, that is nice, if only xbmc added this too...

You could use the plex plugin for xbmc...
I wish xbmc would go proper client server (I think I've said this before) their development and community seems a bit more active than plex.

reven

3743 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#658962 20-Jul-2012 11:09

davidcole:
reven:
JonnyCam:
I've found this works with Plex, if I have 2 copies of the same file, one SD, one HD when I select it from Plex, it asks which one to play 480p, 1080p etc.

damn, that is nice, if only xbmc added this too...

You could use the plex plugin for xbmc...
I wish xbmc would go proper client server (I think I've said this before) their development and community seems a bit more active than plex.

thanks i'll give that a go this weekend.

wont be able to launch it from the "movies"/"Tv shows" shortcuts though...

hopefully works well on a pi as well. already have plex server installed on my readynas

1080p

1332 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#658988 20-Jul-2012 11:38

I run an unRAID server as my central media server. The server also runs an instance of PMS (Plex Media Server) which enables me to share my media to any device with the Plex client. The files are also accessible via SMB (2.0 :O) & AFP.

We have Apple, Android & Windows Phone mobile devices and Linux, Apple & Windows computers and this solution works very well for all of them. I can easily stream music from my server over 3G. Video is technically possible but a little flaky in my experience.

1 | 2 | 3