need a DLNA server for google TV, and 360.

[Nvidiaguy07]

I have zero experience when it comes to using DLNA servers. but is all they do is encode the video before its sent?

Ive heard of Tversity when looking into how to stream by vids from my pc to 360, is that a DLNA server?

I really prefer just streaming without having to encode anything. Up until now i just have my one main pc (server? always on) that i download all my shows and movies to, and then i can watch it on other pc's and laptops by just going to that shared folder on the network.

My roomate bought a google tv, and wants to be able to watch shows on my shared drive, but im pretty sure the only way is to use a DLNA server. (for one i dont think it can play some formats, and two, i couldnt even find the shared folder when playing around with google TV last time) Ive heard the honeycomb update will add some file support, but who knows.

So i would like to set it up for both google tv and 360. Is there one DLNA server that is recommended for this specific task? Or is there just one good all around DLNA server?

Researching them now, lemme know if anyone has any recommendations.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Windows has DNLA/upnp services built-in. You'll see it as "Windows Media Network Sharing Service", or something like that. Just need to set it up.

Tversity is also a DNLA server, which has the capability of transcoding media on-the-fly to more widely supported formats for various devices. However, if your device already supports the formats that Windows serves up, then it's a non-issue.

So you need figure out what formats your device supports, through what methods (DLNA/upnp or regular file sharing), and whether your existing media needs transcoding.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Windows has DNLA/upnp services built-in. You'll see it as "Windows Media Network Sharing Service", or something like that. Just need to set it up.

Tversity is also a DNLA server, which has the capability of transcoding media on-the-fly to more widely supported formats for various devices. However, if your device already supports the formats that Windows serves up, then it's a non-issue.

So you need figure out what formats your device supports, through what methods (DLNA/upnp or regular file sharing), and whether your existing media needs transcoding.

I see that, but most of my files are supported by the devices i want to stream them to. (avi/mkv on a 360 and google tv) So i think the windows DLNA server is out.

Im going to give either TVersity or Twonky a shot tonight. Both of these will "watch" my folders, and show whats inside right?

which should i be using for what i wanna do?

 

[Gooberlx2]

I'm personally not a fan of Tversity. I always thought it was unreliable. Haven't used Twonky. There's also ps3mediaserver, which is free and has worked fairly well for me in the past.

 

[Whiznot]

My choice for the best free DLNA media server is Serviio. I found others to be problematic. With Serviio you can use or disable transcoding. When Serviio is set up the user chooses which folders are monitored and the library automatically updates for additions and deletions. My 2011 Samsung TV plays MKVs and everything else I've served to it so I disabled transcoding. The latest Serviio version can also send Youtube feeds even though my TV has no such native functionality. Live web feeds cannot be served presently but is under development. Serviio's site has a help forum. Sony of England recommends Serviio.

 

[smitbret]

Personally, I think Mezzmo is light years better than any of the options out there. It costs $30, but is worth every penny.

If free is a necessity, I prefer Tversity. PS3 Media Server is good, but always seems to choke a little with larger libraries. Twonky is simple and easy but doesn't transcode. Nero's DLNA server is crap.

 

[Fayd]

PS3 Media Server is good, but always seems to choke a little with larger libraries.

i haven't seen that at all.

my only problem with ps3mediaserver is that it doesn't allow fast-forwarding on the 360 platform.

 

[smitbret]

i haven't seen that at all.

my only problem with ps3mediaserver is that it doesn't allow fast-forwarding on the 360 platform.

Scrolling though media lists never worked smoothly for me. It would pause every time I went down a page. It would take a minute or two just to scroll through 100 or so titles. It was awhile ago, so things may have changed with newer releases. Unfortunately, it wasn't before I decided that Tversity and Mezzmo were easier to configure and much better for what I needed.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

When Serviio is set up the user chooses which folders are monitored and the library automatically updates for additions and deletions.

So your saying the others dont do this? This is one of the most important features to me. I dont want to have to add it to whatever program every time.

I want it to function as close to just going to a shared folder on the network, and playing whatever file is there. So if i have to manually add shows, its a deal breaker.

Many times ill have a new show downloaded to my "server" pc, and then when i get home, i can watch it immediately from another pc in my house. This is essentially all i want to do with my 360 and google tv, but cant because i need transcoding.

Whats the best option for this?

 

[smitbret]

So your saying the others dont do this? This is one of the most important features to me. I dont want to have to add it to whatever program every time.

I want it to function as close to just going to a shared folder on the network, and playing whatever file is there. So if i have to manually add shows, its a deal breaker.

Many times ill have a new show downloaded to my "server" pc, and then when i get home, i can watch it immediately from another pc in my house. This is essentially all i want to do with my 360 and google tv, but cant because i need transcoding.

Whats the best option for this?

Mezzmo monitors folders in real time. Tversity does a scheduled scan, once a day. I'm sure the others do it, too, I'm just not sure of the implementation.

Tversity, PS3 Media Server and Mezzmo all recognize file compatibility issues and automatically transcode/remux to an appropriate format (for your playback device) when you call the file up for playback. The catch is that it isn't done until you start playback. If your PC isn't fast enough to transcode in real time, then it will cause stuttering. You won't be able to FF/Rew until the transcode is completed, either. Mezzmo will be adding a pre-transcode feature in their next release that is due out within the next 30-45 days.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Mezzmo monitors folders in real time. Tversity does a scheduled scan, once a day. I'm sure the others do it, too, I'm just not sure of the implementation.

Tversity, PS3 Media Server and Mezzmo all recognize file compatibility issues and automatically transcode/remux to an appropriate format (for your playback device) when you call the file up for playback. The catch is that it isn't done until you start playback. If your PC isn't fast enough to transcode in real time, then it will cause stuttering. You won't be able to FF/Rew until the transcode is completed, either. Mezzmo will be adding a pre-transcode feature in their next release that is due out within the next 30-45 days.

Havent had time to play around with anything recently, gonna try out a few when i get home. Probably try out mezzmo first. I gues twonky is out since i need to transcode.

Also, my server pc has an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @2.2Ghz, and a 8800GT. Is this good enough to transcode to google tv and 360? What about transcoding 720p movies? Is this an excuse to upgrade lol

 

[smitbret]

Havent had time to play around with anything recently, gonna try out a few when i get home. Probably try out mezzmo first. I gues twonky is out since i need to transcode.

Also, my server pc has an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @2.2Ghz, and a 8800GT. Is this good enough to transcode to google tv and 360? What about transcoding 720p movies? Is this an excuse to upgrade lol

Keep in mind that Mezzmo isn't free.. After the 21 day trial, it'll cost $30. For me, it was no question worth the $30. Tversity and PS3 Media Server are great, free alternatives.

Mezzmo uses FFMpeg for its transcoding and Tversity likes to have a codec pack installed, that's one reason that I stayed away from Tversity. From my experience, Mezzmo is a little more efficient.

You should be fine to transcode anything that's DVD quality or less with any DLNA software that you choose. I think your CPU might struggle with anything at a bigger resolution. I had been running an AMD Athlon 64 x2 4400+ and I expect that your results would be similar to mine. I upgraded to a Phenom II x4 955 and now I can stream any of the resolutions in real time, so it might be the excuse you're looking for.

You can still make HD content work with Mezzmo, though, with a couple of workarounds.

1 - One of its best features is that you can control the transcode resolution and quality for each device you stream to. For instance, I have 4 televisions. One of them is an old 17" CRT, so I set the transcode for 480p and lowest quality (fastest transcode). My server then transcodes everything, regardless of original resolution to 480p when it streams to that TV.

Knowing this, you can experiment with resolutions and quality settings and see what your CPU can handle. I'm certain that it would have no problem if you set it for 480p @ Best Quality. That way, you'd have DVD quality at the very least. You could even try bumping the resolution to 720p and adjust the quality settings upward till you start to get playback issues like stuttering and freezing. Mezzmo also prefers to do simple remuxes when a files audio and video streams are compatible but the container isn't. Your CPU will have no trouble with that situation, regardless of resolution.

2 - Mezzmo also stores the transcoded files so that transcoding on the fly is not necessary if you call the same file up at a later date. Once Mezzmo begins transcoding a file, it completes the task even if you stop playback. Knowing this, you could plan your viewing. Let's say you wanted to watch a Blu-Ray Rip of the movie Inception when you got home from work. Before leaving for the day, you could go to your TV and start to watch Inception. When it stutters, just pause or even stop playback, turn off the tv and go to work. When you get home, Mezzmo will have transcoded the file completely and you'll be able to play it back in real time with FF/Rew capability at the full HD resolution. The transcoded file will be saved in a temp folder on your server's HDD until it runs out of space (physically or according to your preassigned limit) and then it could be written over.

Mezzmo is also planning on having a pre-transcoding feature in it's next release that is due out before the end of the year. That will essentially do option #2, but it will do it automatically instead of you having to initiate the transcode. Keep in mind that if the file is natively compliant with the playback device, Mezzmo (and any other software) just serves the file up without transcoding anything. An old Celeron could perform that task. These tricks are Mezzmo specific and won't work with Tversity or PS3 Media Server.

The ability to create custom device profiles is another reason that I went with Mezzmo. If it's transcoding things that you feel it shouldn't or vice versa, you can shoot off a quick e-mail to Conceiva (Mezzmo's creator) and they'll respond with directions to correct it or send you a "corrected" device profile within 24 hours. I have never had customer support that was better than I have received from them. Even problems on their forum are addressed in the same timely fashion. Check it out at www.conceiva.com.

Sorry if I sound like a salesman for Mezzmo, it's just so much better than other DLNA solutions that it's easily worth the $30 and I just feel compelled to justify the cost when other solutions are free.

 

[Absolution75]

The best DLNA server I've ever seen is what I use - J River Media Center. Lots of options for DLNA, heck you can even set it to stream to your android phone.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

Set up Mezzmo yesterday. Super easy to set up, and it works great.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

actually one more question: do i need to configure it any further than it is right now for each device? I think it knows what to do for every different device, but maybe i was missing something as far as optimizing it goes.

thanks again

 

[smitbret]

actually one more question: do i need to configure it any further than it is right now for each device? I think it knows what to do for every different device, but maybe i was missing something as far as optimizing it goes.

thanks again

I like to configure mine to meet the playback resolution of the TVs that I have connected. I noticed your post about QOS in the network forum, so setting the devices appropriately could help with any potential problems.

For instance, with my setup:

50" Plasma 1080p with a viewing distance of 10-15 feet
26" LED 1080p viewed at a distance of about 10-12 feet
22" Cheap 720p LCD viewed at about 12-15 feet
17" Old CRT television from 12-15 feet

With the 50" I want full resolution and highest quality possible, so I set Mezzmo to transcode at full 1920x1080 at the highest possible quality.

With the 26", viewing distance will make 1080p and 720p virtually indiscernable, so I set Mezzmo to 720p and medium->high quality for transcoding.

For the Cheap 22", I set 720p at the lowest quality.

For the 17" I set 480p at the lowest quality since it is so small, so far away and is mostly used to stream animated Barbie movies.

Just saves CPU cycles and eliminates any possible bottlenecks. Also saves bandwidth. If it's gonna be transcoded anyway, there's no point in sending a 1080p BR Rip to a TV that can't display more than 480 lines.

Mezzmo works great out of the box. But keep in mind, that Mezzmo will only transcode files that it identifies as being out of compliance with the designated playback device. If the file is natively supported, Mezzmo just streams it untouched. But there's a catch. In order to make it as easy to use as possible, Mezzmo's programmers decided to err on the side of caution when there could be a streaming problem.

Example, I use a PS3 for playback to the 50" with my DirecTV receiver as a backup device. All of my video files (outside of some smaller .flv files) have already been remuxed and/or re-encoded to be PS3 compliant. That way I don't have to worry about transcoding. when streaming to the PS3. However, the Mezzmo creators are very aware of some hiccups that the PS3 can have when trying to playback QuickTime created .mp4 files. Their solution is to re-encode every .mp4 file that is played back on the PS3, just to be sure. For the average person, it won't matter and it will look the same. For me, the very idea that a file is being transcoded unecessarily drives me up the wall, so I turned off the transcoding completely for the PS3. The result was that the PS3 recognized the .mp4 files as corrupt data, due to some programming in Mezzmo and I was unable to play any .mp4 back at all. The solution was to edit the PS3 device profile in Notepad to never convert .mp4 files and then turned transcoding back on for the PS3. Works like a dream. I also changed the supported h264 level so that it would playback L4.1 .m2ts files. Mezzmo's default is 4.0. Conceiva's support team is quick and efficient in helping out with these issues. You may not even care since Mezzmo should just take care of everything out of the box, anyway.

Also, there are multiple profiles for some devices and it's up to the user to decide which one fits their needs the best. If your devices are performing well, then there's probably no need to change anything.