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Video/Media Streamer

18 replies

nannynick · 09/02/2013 13:56

Has anyone transferred their DVDs onto some kind of device which streams the video to tv? Any suggestions for media streamer/storage? Currently using a laptop connected direct to tv, not ideal. Wondering if there are products out there which are more suitable.

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redlac · 09/02/2013 14:10

We use Apple TV and an iMac which works wirelessly or is cable. Works through iTunes but has apps on it for youtube and Vimeo. Think you can also stream stuff from iPad BBC iplayer app

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nannynick · 09/02/2013 14:45

Can you stream things you have yourself, rather than things in iTunes? So say you put a DVD into the iMAC, will it then stream that? Or if you put a DVD in and convert it to MP4, will it stream that?

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nannynick · 09/02/2013 14:53

Not sure if I am explaining this well.

My current solution is:

Aimersoft DVD to iPAD - this converts DVD into MP4.
TVersity is then the media streamer software.
The tv is ethernet enabled and uses DLNA to connect to the media streamer.

Problem is, the MP4s reside on my laptops. I would prefer them to be on some kind of stand alone device, so no need to have the laptops powered up.
Even better would be a device which is portable and will connect to various TVs, those with DLNA and those which do not - so say having an HDMI output.

Idea's anyone... do such devices exist? NAS drives exist but do any have an HDMI output and media streaming software integrated, so they can act as a standalone media device when connected to a non internet enabled tv?

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nannynick · 09/02/2013 14:59

Thecus N4800 - something like this but cheaper, smaller, not as many bays for drives.
Thecus website

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nannynick · 09/02/2013 15:23

Anyone got a Cyclone Micro 3 - that looks interesting. Low cost, 8GB, portable. Some bad reviews about the remote.

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niceguy2 · 09/02/2013 23:19

I have a Popcorn Hour. You can either stream stuff off a network drive, install a hard disk or even play off a USB pen. Personally I remotely stream from my file server.

The problem with the Cyclone above is 8GB is not very much. Esp if you want to play HD stuff.

I do recommend the Popcorn Hour but would suggest you get it from a UK supplier in case you need to return it for any reason. I bought mine from the US and it arrived DOA. It meant I had to send it back and they replaced it but it was a faff. Since then it's been a godsend though.

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maxmillie · 09/02/2013 23:48

You need a NAS

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nannynick · 10/02/2013 10:42

Thanks. Popcorn Hour seems quite expensive, is it value for money?

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maxmillie · 10/02/2013 14:54

Do you by any chance have a smart tv? I have a Samsung smart tv and don't seem to need to bother with a media server like apple tv, popcorn etc, the tv itself seems to be a dnla client so my storage device, laptop and tablet all just appear as sources on the tv and I just play movies, videos and photos straight from there. It works pretty well, the NAS is maybe the easiest place to store movies etc as it is always on when the tv is on. But it would work without one direct from the laptop and tablet as long as they were powered on.

I was initially a but confused about whether I needed a media server, apple tv type thing in there too to do exactly what you are after, play any content from any device on my home network on any device. But it seems to all work without one and a smart tv so I don't think I do.

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maxmillie · 10/02/2013 14:55

When I say direct I mean wireless, all devices are on my WiFi etwork

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nannynick · 10/02/2013 15:06

Yes I have a Smart TV. My low cost solution is to currently use DNLA and have the files stored on two laptops. Space and portability are the issues, though for portability I am going to see if a USB stick will be sufficient, copying over the file/s needed - it's for out film night at work... Used to take the physical DVD.

Space wise I am wondering if I can add an external drive to the laptop, also considering having several USBsticks - even my router can have one, it has a USB port and DNLA capability.

Are USB sticks sufficient, or do they need to be USB2?

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nannynick · 10/02/2013 15:08

I cannot get my iPad to connect to the content. TVersity is the software running on the laptops which should be connectable from any device using ipaddress, but the iPad won't do it.

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maxmillie · 10/02/2013 15:22

Hmmm I don't have an iPad but did need to mess around with the settings on the tv to get it all to work. I also regularly update the firmware on the tv (from samsung website via usb into the tv) which seems to help too - eg recent windows tablet wouldn't how up until had done that. My tv has usb ports and I regularly copied films from my laptop or external hard drive to play direct on the tv before I got everything wirelessly connected and it worked fine with any old usb stick - some were probably still usb 1? But I would probably buy a new usb 2 or 3 (if tv ok with that) high capacity one if you are going to go down this route.

In terms of storage I think a NAS on the same network as your tv is the best bet - mine is an old one so is plugged directly into my virgin broadband router which in next to the tv. Then you could stream directly to the tv (sometimes format issues eg mine will only play .avi not mp4 and I wonder if this is where you need a dedicated media server?) from the NAS and copy to usb stick or laptop if you need to take the movie off site.

Good thing about a NAS is that it is basically a sophisticated external hardrive, but it can connect directly onto your network and the laptop or tablets not need to be on. They lo use some firm of RAID or mirroring technology so your files are automatically based up and protected. People often then set the NAS to upload to online backup places for off site backups as well (small cost) or I just periodically copy stuff to tgw old external hard drive and keep it in the car.

Hope this is of some hlp, I must admit I don't really understand the benefit of having a apple tv or similar in the setup as well and would love to hear what others are doing.

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nannynick · 10/02/2013 15:25

Have found an app called Skifta which will stream content to my iPad. But the video does not fill the screen. Hmm, anyone able to suggest iOS apps that will connect to a DLNA server and display the videos full screen?

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nannynick · 10/02/2013 15:27

thanks maximally, glad I am not the only one who does not fully understand this stuff. I'm using the trial an error approach and its sort of working.

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maxmillie · 10/02/2013 15:40

Same here, its complicated! I am just making it up as I go along but do seem to have a workable solution now -everything stored on the nas and can watch it all (mostly) on the tv - good enough for now!

I was thinking about buying an apple tv or similar but I need omeone to come on here and tell me how it works and what it soul add

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maxmillie · 10/02/2013 15:42

Sorry about the typing am lying on the sofa typing on the tablet whilst watching movie from my laptop on the tv, think that is quite cool for now.....

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nannynick · 16/02/2013 15:04

I now have CyberMicro2+ which works but the remote control is rather unreliable. I think it's something to do with the battery holder. So that is at work with a USB stick.

At home I have spent several hours installing WDMyBookLive - a NAS with media server built in. After some initial trouble setting it up, had to allocate static IP in the end, that works from some devices, such as the iPad but my Hitachi SmartTV refuses to play files. That is not surprising as the TV refused to play files from USB. I guess it does not have the codec needed. So using TVersity I have the MyBook as a network drive supplying the content and TVersity running on a laptop as the media server/transcoder so any devices can which can connect to the media server can play the video files. The TV works now.

Next thing to try is to access video remotely. Hmm, that may be more of a challenge. I think I have configured the router firewall correctly but hard to know.