If you get access to your own home media server for Windows, then your opportunities for using the accumulated information will expand significantly.
This is very useful if there is not one, but several PCs and TVs at home, but even on mobile phones, laptops and set-top boxes, the server will simplify the use of information, because it will unite everything into one network.
With the help of such a network, any user can view available photos and videos, listen to music, and more, using the required device for this.
1. Home Media Server is…
This is a special software that enables a simplified exchange of information between devices connected by a home network - for example, a smartphone, computer and TV and other equipment with similar technology.It will require DLNA (data streaming standard) and free apps like: " Home media server UpnP, DLNA, HTTP».
Each of the devices can be connected to the same network using a "wired" connection, even if setting up a home network is very complicated and troublesome. But this option will provide incredible speeds up to 1000 megabytes per second.
The second option is the wireless connection of devices through a Wi-Fi router, which can support speeds up to 300 megabytes per second. But when watching videos in 4k and 1920p quality, freezes are possible.
But such a connection is greatly simplified - after all, to configure it, you only need to configure the router and connect TVs, smartphones and PCs to it.
Most often, it is the second option that is chosen - wireless networks because of the simplified connection method and the minimum number of wires in the rooms.
Yes, and in the modern world, most of the technology simply does not have the right connectors, the same tablets and smartphones.
2. Create a DLNA Server
For creating DLNA server but, first you need to download and install special software on your PC.Today, for all systems from Windows 7 and above, you need to follow these steps:
- through the "Control Center" go to the "Home Group";
Picture
If such a "homegroup" has already been created, then a list of devices connected to it at the moment will be shown on your screen.
If the group is missing, then it must be created using the special item “create a home group”, this is done through the “creation wizard”. Next, you need to specify to which information on the host PC the information for any connected device will be opened.
To watch movies from a PC hard drive, you need to select "streaming to all devices."
The same item will be needed in order to create a DLNA server.
Save the changes and wait for the end of the application desired settings. During the creation of such a network, a password for it will be set automatically. Viewing the password is available in the "Show or print the password of the home group" section, and it can be changed in the same paragraph with the appropriate name.
3. Setting up the created DLNA server
After creating a DLNA server, you need to configure it, and first, select the name of the library itself.
A dedicated "streaming" menu will list devices that are already connected to the network.
You can quickly access server LONG settings using Windows Media Player.
This application should be opened on the PC, it will be the “home server”.
Thus, on a TV that does not support any format, music and video playback will be possible.
4. Special programs for customization
Creation DLNA server can also occur using other applicationsHome Mediaserver is one of those programs that allows you to work with PC files in a simplified way. You can download it on the official website in Russian.
Plex- no less convenient option for working with media files. The server can be run on a PC, and it can be controlled from the menu of Plex itself, or through a browser. Judging by the feedback from users of the software, up to 90% of them are satisfied with the work of the program.
PS3/PS4- media server, needed to work with set-top boxes of the same name, namely: Sony Play Station 4 and 3.
With simple settings and software and even Windows tools, you can create your own home network to connect home devices locally.
This will make it much easier to watch various programs or movies on a TV without buying a package of services from a certain TV company, and this will also allow you to display information from the Internet on any gadget in the house.
This article will talk about setting up on your computer. This technology is useful in that you can use it to view media content from your PC on your TV.
This can happen when the TV and computer are connected to the same network, or when connected directly. After that, it remains only to launch DLNA and turn on the viewing of the desired movie or photo. This is quite convenient, because it is much more pleasant to show a large company photos, videos, or make a presentation on the big screen.
There are many different programs that allow you to do this. Among them, it is often recommended "Home media server (UpnP, DLNA, HTTP)". Indeed, this application has shown itself well in practice. Therefore, in today's article, we will show an example using this particular program.
This home media server is quite versatile and is able to run a DLNA server that is compatible with any TV (and indeed with many devices, such as game consoles) that can work using this technology. If the TV is capable of connecting wirelessly, or it has a connector for connecting a network cable, then it is likely that it supports DLNA. In general, the program itself has many different settings, so standard applications for TVs are very inferior to it.
Today's article itself will be useful to owners of TVs from almost any manufacturer. After all, as already noted, a home media server is third party program, which has great functionality and wide capabilities, which allows it to work with any technique. And also it's free.
Today we will consider in detail only ways to open access for TV to the necessary folders on a computer, instructions on how to create a server and watch movies using it.
For reference, this example used an LG 32LN575U TV, an ASUS RT-N13U router, and ASUS laptop R56CM.
Establishing a connection between the TV and the computer
As you already understood, in order to be able to watch video from a computer through a TV, you need to establish a connection between these two devices. If you already have them connected to each other, you can skip this step and proceed to the next one.
Well, if your TV is not yet connected to a PC, then you can do this through a router. Thus, without unnecessary troubles, you can connect the TV set to your computer via Wi-Fi. Another TV, you can connect with the help of a router. The most important thing is that both devices work with the same router.
In case there is no home Wi-Fi
When you do not have a router, and accordingly there is no wireless network at home, you can connect the TV to your laptop using a network cable, directly.
It will look like this:
This connection method is quite reliable, so there should not be any special problems. The downside is the presence of a cable that connects these two devices. Even if the TV does not see such a connection, you can still play multimedia files through the Home Media Server program.
It is possible that it is really possible to connect a TV to a computer. But we have not yet begun to check this and look for ways to implement such an undertaking. Most likely, you can do this using your laptop as a router.
After connecting the computer to the TV set, we proceed to the settings for the DLNA server.
Setting up a "Home Media Server"
Of course, first of all, we need the program itself. You can download it from the official resource https://www.homemediaserver.ru/index.htm and then install it. On the developer's site, click on the download button.
After that, save the archive with the program to your PC. After that, it needs to be unpacked. There will be a “setup” file, run it and follow the instructions to install the application. When the program is installed, its shortcut will appear on the desktop. Start Home Media Server.
Now we will specify in the settings all types of media files and folders that will be available for viewing on the TV. We go in the settings, in the upper part of the program window there is a corresponding button.
In the settings window, go to the media resources tab. There will already be indicated several standard folders with music, pictures and videos. Here we can add our own and edit the type of files that will be displayed on the TV.
In order not to rummage too much in folders, looking for the desired video or photo, it is better to open access to local disks. Check the box next to the corresponding item (or make sure that it is there).
Activating this option will provide the ability to access any files from the TV that are on all local drives.
In order to add separate directories with files or, for example, an external HDD, click on the "Add" button on the right. Then find the desired folder or external device and select it.
The plate in the center displays all the folders for which the TV is accessible. This shows the type of files that can be viewed in these directories. In general, this is the main setting that is necessary for us, but the program has a lot of other useful parameters that can be configured.
After you've done everything, you will need to save these settings. Click on the "OK" button and agree to scan directories.
For some time, the program will scan the selected directories. After that, you can start starting the DLNA server. On the top menu, click on the start button. You should see a message that the server started successfully.
Turn on your TV and open, on the computer, in the program, a tab with playback devices. In the right corner, click on the "Update" button. After that, the TV should appear in the list.
If this does not happen and the Home Media Server does not find anything and the connected devices are not shown on the TV itself, then you need to check the connection itself. Make sure your TV and PC are connected.
In some cases, the work of the media server may be blocked antivirus programs and firewalls. In this case, add this application to the exceptions and try again.
If everything was successfully detected, you can start viewing media files. We'll start with photos. In the top menu, select the desired file type, in this case a photo.
Further, in the central part of the window, you can select the desired directory and find suitable files in it. When the desired photo is selected, just right-click on it and hover over the line “Play to” and then select your TV.
This photo will instantly appear on the TV screen.
In the same way, you can launch and play videos and music. This is just one way to play files by launching them from a media server. But this method is not very comfortable. In many cases it is much more convenient to search necessary files on the TV itself and then run them.
By the way, if the window of a running program is closed, it will be hidden on the notification panel.
But the server itself will not stop and will continue to work.
Opening files on TV
After the server is launched, we return to our TV.
Typically, TVs have a special program that allows you to work with a DLNA server. In our case, this Smart Share. But perhaps, in other examples, it may be a completely different program.
If you have a TV, as in our case (LG), then you need to go to the Smart TV menu (press the blue button on the remote control) and then find and launch Smart Share. True, if, but supports DLNA technology, then everything can be completely different. Open it and go to the "My Computer" folder, where there will be all the available files and directories that are accessible.
You can open any and run the desired video, view photos, or listen to music
Summing up
Like it or not, but "Home Media Server" is quite an interesting program that opens up new possibilities for your TV. And by the way, this program has a lot of other useful features. For example, if you watch a long enough movie, the computer may go to sleep and the TV will stop showing. Whatever it was, in the settings there is a special option with which you can prevent the PC from going to sleep.
Local Service "Home Media Server" (HMS), deployed on the computer of the user with the ip address 192.168.1.2 will be available from playlists, but requires some additional configuration.
Installing and configuring HOME MEDIA SERVER (user manual baryon)
The advantages of watching video in this way over watching it with the built-in player via DLNA:
- lack of "brakes" when viewing files m2ts, while rewinding works;
- viewing files from a media server located outside your local network using all the features of HMS
I recommend version 1.19, it seemed to me that the WEB-interface works more stable in this version (in other versions, an empty browser window sometimes opens). Direct link to the file: http://www.homemediaserver.ru/files/119/ setup_ms.exe
If you have not come across this program, here are the main settings:
Select on the tab "Devices" "Samsung TV (DLNA, 16:9, 1920x1080)"
and click on the tools icon in the "Default device type" line. In the device settings window, check the box Web
Here, on the bookmark "Additional" need to uncheck "Create Media Playlists in Web Navigation Mode"
HMS will now be available at: http://your IP:45397. The port number is defined on the tab "Server".
To definitely disable video transcoding, which turns on with or without a reason, I recommend deleting everything except tsmuxer and hmsmpeg in the window "Transcoder-Profiles", by setting the checkbox "Transcoding buffer - no disk"
Note: transcoder tsmuxer does not recode the video stream, but only changes the container of the original video file to MPEGTS (while the extension remains the same), which does not degrade the image quality at all; transcoder hmsmpeg in combination with tsmuxer re-encodes audio stream only (DTS, DTS-MA, AC-3) to AC-3 (helps when audio breaks on BD-Remux).
Transcoding loads the processor of the computer with HMS and if the computer is weak, it may not be able to cope with this task, which in turn will cause "brakes" on the image.
In most cases, for the built-in Samsung player, nothing needs to be recoded or transcoded, and in order to play the file unchanged, you need to move in the HMS directory tree in the following sequence:
Movies-Transcoding-Media directories-Directory name-(T)File name-Original-(O)File name
- It's important to know:
- rewinding is possible only when viewing files that are not transcoded;
- pause works when playing both original and transcoded files;
- in files m2ts with only one track DTS-MA pause and rewind not working
http:// ip of the computer with installed HMS:45397
The browser window should open with the directory structure:
If the IP address of the computer where HMS is installed is different from 192.168.1.2 , then in order for the HMS directory structure to open in the application, you must either change the IP of the computer to the specified one, or add a block with your IP to the start playlist of the application: start.xml:
- For application nStreamLmod
<!]>
tsnakeman
http://website/widget/logo/hms.png - For application OVP (Online Video Player)
<!]>
Please note that the application message:
Not correct server response status: 1007!
may appear if port 45397 is blocked by a firewall.
Of course, you can simply connect your computer to your TV, but with the help of special solutions, access to multimedia files is possible from any device. There are apps for set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, and web interfaces for everything else. You can even connect from anywhere in the world via the Internet.
With you - media collection
You can organize your own media server with the help of good free programs, but of course you need to have a decent collection of your own media files to be successful. Own server is a great solution for those who have a large collection of videos (including DVDs) and music (including CDs): you can enjoy watching and listening on any device, regardless of services like Netflix and Spotify. You can even view photos - ideal if you have a large photo collection.
Plex or Media Browser: The choice is yours
Perhaps the two most popular solutions for creating your own media server are and. Both work on the same principle and involve installing a server program on a computer, laptop, NAS drive, or a dedicated home server. You can still try (in the past XBMC), but this solution is more complicated and works a little differently.
Both Plex and Media Browser offer server software for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, BSD, and a variety of NAS servers. To create your own media server, you can use regular computer, a standalone server, or a ready-made NAS with support for server software.
Plex has client apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, and PlayStation, as well as Chromecast support. In addition, you can connect to the server using mobile applications for iOS, Android, Windows phone and Windows 8. There is a web interface and a functional Plex application for PC, which will come in handy when connecting a computer to a TV.
Media Browser also has clients for Roku and some other set-top boxes, as well as Chromecast support. Provided mobile applications for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Windows 8, and from a computer you can connect to the server via a web interface.
Both solutions are very similar in functionality, but Plex has a much wider choice of client applications (there is support for PlayStation, Xbox and Fire TV). However, there is a price to pay: the Plex app for iOS costs $5, while installing the apps on Xbox and PlayStation requires a Plex Pass subscription for $5 per month.
The Media Browser and accompanying client applications are completely free - there are no subscription fees or in-app purchases. But Media Browser doesn't have PlayStation or Xbox support, even at an extra cost. You will have to choose what is more important - savings or versatility. Better yet, try both to make your choice.
Install the server, applications - and start using
Installation will take a matter of minutes, regardless of the chosen solution. Install Plex or Media Browser on the future server and specify the address of the folder with multimedia files in the settings. If you wish, you can create an account (this option is available in both Plex and Media Browser) - then it will be easier to enter client applications and connect to the server remotely via the Internet.
After setting up the server, install applications on a set-top box, smartphone, tablet - and connect to your media collection. Everything is very easy here. And if you have a Chromecast, you don't even need to install a special Plex or Media Browser app on your TV - just install the app on your smartphone and use it to stream media directly to your Chromecast.
Of course, to use all these features, you need the server itself, on which the collection of files will be stored. If the collection is not required to be available around the clock, you can install the server program on your regular computer or laptop and use media files only when it is turned on.
And you can allocate a separate server for this, which will work constantly and will even allow you to connect to the collection remotely via the Internet. It is not necessary to use a full-fledged powerful computer for this - a weak compact NAS drive with a large hard drive for storing media files will do.
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