Top 5 Best Home Media Server SoftwaresGettyMany have grown dissatisfied with the limited streaming options of services like Netflix, You.Tube, and Vimeo.And while there isnt one perfect home media solution for everyone, physical media enthusiasts and file sharers alike will find a happy medium in a dedicated media server.These servers work like HTTP servers, but offer a dedicated user interface plus many other features, depending on which option you decide to go with.And though some incorporate streaming services, these options are best left to those who already have a strong media collection and are seeking a way to enjoy it in a curated manner.So whether you want to streamline your entertainment, reorganize your business media, or house a semi legal collection of ripped movies, consider these options for home media servers below.PlexPlexPossibly the most popular media server software out there, Plex offers an easy setup and a highly flexible system for managing your media.Plex can be setup on any hard drive, ideally a NAS network attached storage device, but since my PC is on pretty much 2.Logiciel De Speed Hack Wow Download on this page.This player looks pretty awesome comes with official Android TV 6.Nvidia Shield as one to get.I had no problem making my main machine the host for my own Plex account.Setting up your Plex server is a largely automated process, and getting a stream set up on the other end is usually as simple as downloading the free app for your chosen platform, be it a smart TV, web browser, XBox One, Play.Station, or Apple TV.Remote access is ready out of the box, and does not require any port forwarding or extra setup.One of the first things youll notice about Plex is that its menus are beautiful on every platform.The menus were fast and easy to navigate, though I did run into some hiccups trying to brows my stupidly large music collection.If you have multiple terabytes of media content with metadata, cover art, etc., it will only populate this information as fast as your connection permits.Aside from this folder specific issue, the menus are beautiful, fast, and easy to navigate from every platform I tested.Vlc Media Player 1 1 5 Full Tested By Fire' title='Vlc Media Player 1 1 5 Full Tested By Fire' />Plex transforms your library, adding metadata like cover art and IMDB results to enhance your viewing experience.Like other options, Plex also transcodes on the fly and automatically adjusts its performance and quality for available bandwidth.During my testing, I had no trouble with streaming wirelessly on my older router and mid tier Internet service, nor did I encounter any codec errors from playing an incompatible file.While the bulk of Plexs features can be enjoyed for free, you do have to upgrade to a Plex Pass if you want to enjoy some nicer features.These include access to some nice features of the otherwise free Plex mobile apps, the ability to sync a cloud storage system, and much more.The Plex Pass has a couple payment options, the most economic for a serious user being the lifetime pass for 1.The remaining question will no doubt be is a Plex Pass worth the priceAnd for many, the answer will be definitely.Plex makes hosting your own media server incredibly easy, and the extra visual enhancements to your media collection piece together an experience that will surpass the quality of most streaming services, provided youve collected the content to populate it.Screenings are obviously important, and lowrisk patients do get cancer.But before you get tested, slow down and talk to your doctor about the risks and tradeoffs.An all around solid choice, Plex is a top contender for your media storage solutions.Pros Fast and intuitive user interface.Easy setup.Can provide cover art, music videos, trailers, and more.Cons Some features require a subscription or lifetime pass.Menus might not handle large media collections well depends on connection quality2.Universal Media ServerADSLZoneUniversal Media Server is an open source and fully free media solution, that though quite a bit more complicated than Plex, is just as stable and reliable.This software can be set up on a PC or NAS open source software, with about the same setup burden, but if any steps of the process get you hung up, a fairly robust support community will be able to help you out.Installing UMS is a fairly hands on process.The software walks you through configuring each setting before you can get your server up and running.Support/doc/pictures/rtsp/1.png' alt='Vlc Media Player 1 1 5 Full Tested By Fire' title='Vlc Media Player 1 1 5 Full Tested By Fire' />To make things trickier, some of your devices might not find your stream if you set it up incorrectly.On the other hand, if set it up right, UMS will work with just about any streaming device.UMS automatically scans defined locations for new media content, but if you dont personally manage your files, UMS will look like a mess.Odds are that if youve got a serious collection going, youve taken enough care to tag everything properly, and even if you dont the app is still plenty usable.Once its set up, UMS offers fast browsing and built in transcoding to play media on devices that may not support a particular format.You do have some access to plugins like Sound.Cloud, last. Coil Rite Air Bag Installation Shops there. XBMC are nice, but selection is ultimately limited.You might find some nice new streaming services from it, but odds are they wont be the ones you already use.And this will be a deal breaker for some, but UMS is unable to offer remote access, limiting your server to your local wireless network.For some, this is the whole appeal of a home media server, but for others, they will be okay using UMS exclusively at home.Though it can prove challenging, tweaking UMS is crucial to making this software your own.If you can handle the challenge of doing so, the reward is well worth it.Pros Open source and free.Fast browsing.Highly customizable.Cons Confusing setup.Limited plugins.Lacks remote access options.SubsonicWikipediaSubsonic is a longstanding contender in the media library game, albeit one that was originally designed for networking a large music library from a network.As such, video streaming as well as mobile and browser app streaming are among certain premium features that require a simple 1month subscription.That means you wont get full media server capabilities without a small fee.Despite being a secondary feature, video streaming works fairly well on Subsonic, and thanks to the huge quantity of transcoding plugins available, you can play just about every codec.Subsonic Premium also allows you to watch videos from devices like a Chromecast, Sonos system, or an Androidi.OSWindows smartphone, with little to no issues.And even if you are committed to using the free version, you are still able to remotely access your full music library with a unique yourname.This privilege can also be extended to any number of users and simultaneous players with an optional password.Most of the other stock features that Sub.Sonic offers also revolve around music, and for that use, they are actually quite handy.For instance, you have one click album art and album metadata lookup, lossless audio support, and a solid podcast management system.On top of that, Subsonic is also skinnable and highly configurable, in addition to having a pretty straightforward setup.Users like myself who are sitting on multiple terabytes of music will greatly appreciate the addition of Music.Cabinet, an add on that incorporates tag based browsing, personal last.At the end of the day, Subsonic will not be the best choice for everybody, especially since video conveniences are lacking.Avid show and movie watchers will have to deal with a lack of subtitle support, plus an inability to stream quality settings.For myself, music makes up over half the media I own, and Subsonic adequately meets my needs.As an older software, Sub.Sonic doesnt have the same regular updates as Play.On, and will be a little harder to work with.But music lovers will have enough to keep them busy, even if they occasionally have to pull a foreign film up on VLC instead.Pros Fantastic support for large music libraries.Vlc Media Player 1 1 5 Full Tested By Fire' title='Vlc Media Player 1 1 5 Full Tested By Fire' />Supports podcasts and lossless audio.Moderately easy setup.Cons Small monthly fee for video support.To give you some perspective, one of the first highyield thermonuclear bombs the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |