Database Develop

REQ: Android UPnP player?

I for the life of me cannot find a good UPnP or DLNA app for the android, I tried the one that comes with our phone (allshare) and it reads and picks up fine but the problem is when I try and play a video it wont let me.
Seems like a common situation with all the other UPnP apps that I saw. I just want to know if there is any apps that are even close to good.
I have tried orb and its not that great for video.

For me on SUSE 11.2 system, the problem with Allshare not playing audio and video files turned out to be some problem with the media server. After I replaced mediatomb with minidnla, Allshare played those files just fine.
The Allshare player app still isn't very good though; is on a par with UPnPlay.

gary_lankford said:
For me on SUSE 11.2 system, the problem with Allshare not playing audio and video files turned out to be some problem with the media server. After I replaced mediatomb with minidnla, Allshare played those files just fine.
The Allshare player app still isn't very good though; is on a par with UPnPlay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm I'm using lemonade firmware via verizon 7501 router. I'll give minidlna a try. every other device I have that uses dlna doesnt have a problem with playback except the captivate.

Search for DLNA servers that transcode. The problem is not a Captivate problem, but one with the whole concept. No one defined what plays where so more likely then not, the server has files the client doesn't understand. The solution is a server that can transcode on the fly. they do exist.
here is a very old comparison link;
http://www.rbgrn.net/content/21-how-to-choose-dlna-media-server-windows-mac-os-x-or-linux

I actually found that link (due to crs, I'd already forgotten it) and used it to search for available linux alternatives to mediatomb; minidlna was just the first I found. Looks like transcoding is an open question for minidlna.
Anyway, it seems that Allshare is a more robust server than client application.

thanks for the link and info I'll give them a try

VLC Stream & Convert
Have you tried using VLC Stream & Convert? This is advertised as a mere remote control for VLC, but it also handles streaming direct to the phone. Have to make sure you set up VLC and firewall properly on the server then connect with your phone to use phone as a remote, or to watch/listen on the phone.
AndroMote is also a great app. Will work with any UPnP media server. However, this only streams audio. Just make sure you go into settings and choose the local device as the media renderer, or you will receive error message when you try to play a file.
If these 2 apps are no good for you then I would suggest loading a ROM that has cifs (samba) support. Then you can map all your media to your filesystem.

Aquapontics said:
If these 2 apps are no good for you then I would suggest loading a ROM that has cifs (samba) support. Then you can map all your media to your filesystem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the file won't play via allshare, it probably will not play if you copy it down to the phone. I just convert all my media on my DVR to mp4 and copy to my phone via USB- I can stream it via allshare if I want to, but if I am home I watch on a bigger screen. If I am away I have it with me, I am not going to try and stream a 500MB file to my phone.
BTW, FTP server should be faster then Samba and there should be an android FTP client in the market.

Do we even have a rom that has samba support?

Stream video from PC to Xoom

Hai!
I've been seeing alot of people wanting to stream video from thier Home PC or HTPC to thier Xoom. I've also seen some really hard ways to go about it, srsly.
Here's an easy way that does not require you to install anything on your PC.
1. Share out your video folder on your PC, allow full access to everyone.
2. On Xoom, connect to your WiFi then goto Market, search "bs player" and download and install it, and the ARM7 addon next to it.
3. Open BS player, in top right menu, select LAN Mode.
4. Add your host(IP) and share: 192.168.0.2/downloads (this may not work for, is only example), add your username and password for the PC (your Login). You may need to add // infront of your IP address in some cases, not sure why.
Done.
BS player also plays most files inc .avi. Streams 720p quite fluently.
Also there is a way to do this over the net, but your net would probably die and it takes longer to explain and i'm at work, and i'm lazy ^_^.
Ciao.

You could do the same thing from your file explorer and have any player play the files from your computer. I switch to LAN in Honeycomb HD File Explorer and put my home IP in and now I can watch any of the files on my Xoom.

I installed tversity server on the pc and shared the video folder
I installed bubbleUpnp on the xoom..
open bubbleUPNP, browse to the folder, click the video and watch it on MX Video Player (or others)
Works beautifully

There are a few ways to do it.
This appears to be one of the easiest ways, along with sharing and using it through HD Explorer, which i do more than the way i posted.
But having to install software on your PC just to stream videos, in my oopinion, is unacceptable.
My PC has way more than enough power to do it as it was built for gaming, but I'd prefer not to add software that i don't need to.
But everyone has their way of doing it, this was just for those who aren't overly computer savvy and wanted to know how.

Qloud Free does a really good job of streaming video as well. Adjustable bit rate before you start each video even allows you to take in to account how powerful the CPU on the PC you are streaming from might be.

I followed your instructions, but nothing will play. Every file on my WHS server that I click on just crashes with "Unexpected error occured". I tried MP4, AVI (Xvix and Divx), and WMV files. I can see all my files under the folder I shared, none of them will play though.

I use Splashtop. What it basically does is lets you control your PC from your Xoom. Not sure if thats what you need. On the same network its pretty smooth.
If you are just looking to play it directly on your Xoom without it playing on ur PC then there are several softwares/apps available that let you view your PC files on your tablet.
What I would do is enable web sharing on my PC and then access the URL from my tablet's browser.

don't forget gmote 2.0. Its been streaming brilliantly for me

There is also Zumocast. Originally it was only available for select motorola phones, but you can find it in XDA forums...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1276410

Grabbing Plex is also a good way, though it isn't free. If you have a wide array of video formats (I have a large mix of SD, 720p, and 1080p content), something that can transcode is pretty much the only option, and Plex is much cheaper than the paid version of TVersity.
The Plex Media Server app catalogs videos with metadata like XBMC does on the PC, but requires their paid app from the market to access it. It handles real-time transcoding for videos that would otherwise be unplayable on the Xoom (ie 1080p high profile).

I agree with splashtop. I though about streaming other ways but didnt want to leave my video folder open to the entire network. Splashtop works perfectly.
I also use splashtop to get the video onto my xoom and then plug it into the tv with hdmi rather than carrying my laptop around or using a media streamer.

I personally like Remote Potato on windows 7. There is an app in the market called Remote Media Center that works real nice.
You will need Windows Media Center for this to work. I like it because I can also stream Live TV and the Guide.

Playing video from netgear readyshare storage

Background:
I have a netgear WNDR3400v2 router that has a readyshare USB port (no DLNA server though). I have loaded a few chromecast compatible video's on a usb drive and plugged it into my router. I have also copied the exact same files on my android device.
I am using avia for casting.
Scenario 1: (when video is stored locally on my android device) - WORKS
I open avia, lookup the video to play and cast it to chromecast. all works well.
Scenario 2 (Same video is stored in my router storage. Avia is NOT casting to chromecast) - WORKS
I open ES file explorer, and lookup the network storage. Locate the video and play it to avia player from ES file explorer.
AVIA window opens and video is played flawlessly.
Scenario 3 (Same video is stored in my router storage. Avia is casting to chromecast) - DOES NOT WORK
I open ES file explorer, and lookup the network storage. Locate the video and play it to avia player from ES file explorer.
AVIA window opens and only casts audio to chromecast. No video is displayed on my TV, only audio is casted.
Has someone faced this issue and solved it? please share how did you make it work.
Ideally, I would like to store all my local media on a USB device and attach it to my router, and then be able to cast it to chromecast.
Appreciate any help.
Thanks and a very happy new year to you all!

smrsxn said:
Background:
I have a netgear WNDR3400v2 router that has a readyshare USB port (no DLNA server though). I have loaded a few chromecast compatible video's on a usb drive and plugged it into my router. I have also copied the exact same files on my android device.
I am using avia for casting.
Scenario 1: (when video is stored locally on my android device) - WORKS
I open avia, lookup the video to play and cast it to chromecast. all works well.
Scenario 2 (Same video is stored in my router storage. Avia is NOT casting to chromecast) - WORKS
I open ES file explorer, and lookup the network storage. Locate the video and play it to avia player from ES file explorer.
AVIA window opens and video is played flawlessly.
Scenario 3 (Same video is stored in my router storage. Avia is casting to chromecast) - DOES NOT WORK
I open ES file explorer, and lookup the network storage. Locate the video and play it to avia player from ES file explorer.
AVIA window opens and only casts audio to chromecast. No video is displayed on my TV, only audio is casted.
Has someone faced this issue and solved it? please share how did you make it work.
Ideally, I would like to store all my local media on a USB device and attach it to my router, and then be able to cast it to chromecast.
Appreciate any help.
Thanks and a very happy new year to you all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only a few Options for you right now...
1 - Re-Encode (Transcode) All of your video Library to MP4/H264/AAC 4-8Mbps VBitrate. All files in that format should play without issues on the CCast (exception bad Network congestion or Reception. aVia should work for you in this example as will anything that has CCast support. (See #3 as an add on to this Option as it might give you a better Interface)
2 (and obviously the BEST Option) - Run a DLNA server that does Transcoding on the fly. Map the drives on your Router to the machine running the DLNA server and add that drive to the DLNA Server Library, Plex and Twonky are both considered the best DLNA servers out there and Plex gets a plus for having an Android App that is far superior as far as Display and it supports CCast directly. Twonky doesn't have an App that supports CCast but you can use aVia with both of those DLNA Servers. But Ples Server with Plex app is probably the best most complete solution right now (Transcoding and a few bugs not withstanding)
All Options that follow will require you doing Option 1 because they do not Transcode, and having aVia Player installed
3 - Get Movie Browser UPnP (another Paid App), Set up sources via UPnP (Your router seems to support this and if not) or Samba. When you try and play a Video for the first time it should ask you what Player to use, Select aVia.
(sorry forgot to add #4)
4 - Install Playon Server on your Desktop, It will aggregate all media the Desktop can see and if you use aVia as a Player for now that will work. PlayOn is promising CCast support in their App soon so when they do aVia will no longer be needed. PlayOn I hear DOES do some transcoding but aVia doesn't and until they support CCast natively I can't say for certain if you could skip Option 1 using this method.
So you pretty much have two choices. Re-Encode all of your Library or Set up a DLNA server that will transcode the source files for you on the fly and as needed.
Thats the best method for supporting media streaming to ALL of your devices.
If you have an old computer laying around that has more than a Pentium 4 Proc then Throw Linux on it, get Plex for Linux and it should be powerful enough to transcode for you. Windows would take up too many resources but Linux is lean enough to get away with an older proc.

smrsxn said:
Background:
I have a netgear WNDR3400v2 router that has a readyshare USB port (no DLNA server though). I have loaded a few chromecast compatible video's on a usb drive and plugged it into my router. I have also copied the exact same files on my android device.
I am using avia for casting.
Scenario 1: (when video is stored locally on my android device) - WORKS
I open avia, lookup the video to play and cast it to chromecast. all works well.
Scenario 2 (Same video is stored in my router storage. Avia is NOT casting to chromecast) - WORKS
I open ES file explorer, and lookup the network storage. Locate the video and play it to avia player from ES file explorer.
AVIA window opens and video is played flawlessly.
Scenario 3 (Same video is stored in my router storage. Avia is casting to chromecast) - DOES NOT WORK
I open ES file explorer, and lookup the network storage. Locate the video and play it to avia player from ES file explorer.
AVIA window opens and only casts audio to chromecast. No video is displayed on my TV, only audio is casted.
Has someone faced this issue and solved it? please share how did you make it work.
Ideally, I would like to store all my local media on a USB device and attach it to my router, and then be able to cast it to chromecast.
Appreciate any help.
Thanks and a very happy new year to you all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read your scenario 2 and scenario 3 a number of times and I can't figure out what's different in the setup between the two.
The result is different, but both lead up with opening in ES File Explorer and playing it via Avia?
I must be missing something...?

I find that DNLA feature on many routers is often buggy. My USB drive connected to one of my routers will show mp4 files as music on any Android DNLA media player. However, mkv files will show up as a video file.
My solution was to rename mp4 extention to mkv. Now Avia sees it as video and cast away.

bhiga said:
I read your scenario 2 and scenario 3 a number of times and I can't figure out what's different in the setup between the two.
The result is different, but both lead up with opening in ES File Explorer and playing it via Avia?
I must be missing something...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Differnce is that avia is not casting in scenario 2, but casting in scenario 3.
When avia is not casting, then video plays fine on my device.
When avia is casting same video, then only audio plays on chromecast.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk

Asphyx said:
Only a few Options for you right now...
1 - Re-Encode (Transcode) All of your video Library to MP4/H264/AAC 4-8Mbps VBitrate. All files in that format should play without issues on the CCast (exception bad Network congestion or Reception. aVia should work for you in this example as will anything that has CCast support. (See #3 as an add on to this Option as it might give you a better Interface)
2 (and obviously the BEST Option) - Run a DLNA server that does Transcoding on the fly. Map the drives on your Router to the machine running the DLNA server and add that drive to the DLNA Server Library, Plex and Twonky are both considered the best DLNA servers out there and Plex gets a plus for having an Android App that is far superior as far as Display and it supports CCast directly. Twonky doesn't have an App that supports CCast but you can use aVia with both of those DLNA Servers. But Ples Server with Plex app is probably the best most complete solution right now (Transcoding and a few bugs not withstanding)
All Options that follow will require you doing Option 1 because they do not Transcode, and having aVia Player installed
3 - Get Movie Browser UPnP (another Paid App), Set up sources via UPnP (Your router seems to support this and if not) or Samba. When you try and play a Video for the first time it should ask you what Player to use, Select aVia.
(sorry forgot to add #4)
4 - Install Playon Server on your Desktop, It will aggregate all media the Desktop can see and if you use aVia as a Player for now that will work. PlayOn is promising CCast support in their App soon so when they do aVia will no longer be needed. PlayOn I hear DOES do some transcoding but aVia doesn't and until they support CCast natively I can't say for certain if you could skip Option 1 using this method.
So you pretty much have two choices. Re-Encode all of your Library or Set up a DLNA server that will transcode the source files for you on the fly and as needed.
Thats the best method for supporting media streaming to ALL of your devices.
If you have an old computer laying around that has more than a Pentium 4 Proc then Throw Linux on it, get Plex for Linux and it should be powerful enough to transcode for you. Windows would take up too many resources but Linux is lean enough to get away with an older proc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I have ensured that video is chromecast compatible already.
When I copy the video to my sdcard on my tablet, and cast via avia, then I get both video and audio on my tv. (1st scenario in my list.)
When I delete the video from my tablet's sdcard, and instead lookit up from my routerstorage via es file explorer, then only audio plays..no video.
So it's not a transcoding issue.
Steps to reproduce
- copy any video file that works with chromecast from your device to another network location.
- use es file explorer to lookup the file on network and play it to avia
- this time avia will not cast the video. Only audio will come on the tv.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk

smrsxn said:
Differnce is that avia is not casting in scenario 2, but casting in scenario 3.
When avia is not casting, then video plays fine on my device.
When avia is casting same video, then only audio plays on chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooooh I think I understand now.
In Scenario 2, Avia is not connected to Chromecast, but in Scenario 3, Avia is already connected to Chromecast?
I'm not sure whether ES File Explorer's Send to/Open makes a copy of the remote file locally before opening - I think it might.
If that's the case, it might be a difference of available bandwidth between scenarios 2 and 3.
In scenario 2, ES File Explorer copies the remote file to local.
In scenario 3, ES File Explorer is copying the remote file to local while Avia is trying to send the incoming data back out to Chromecast.
The copy action is probably bursting/clogging the wireless connection so the Avia-to-Chromecast transfer isn't able to send the video data fast enough to Chromecast. The video data is getting to Chromecast too late and Chromecast is throwing them away instead of showing them.
That is, of course, if I'm correct that ES File Explorer's network browse makes a temporary local copy or cached chunk.

Possible diagnosis... atleast its adding up.
Let me try with low bitrate mp4 and see if that changes anything.
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SOLVED!!!
Happy to report that this issue is solved by using vget to stream network media.
It works excellent... i will start a new thread as vget does much more than just network storage casting...
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ChromeCast and Serviio!

Hello All, I've been using Serviio as a media server for almost a year, no complaints, so to make this work you will need the following:
1. Serviio 1.4 installed in your computer (don't forget to select the folders you want to stream)
2. Avia Media Player (paid version that enables chromecast support) - installed in your phone
3. MediaHouse (FREE) - installed in your phone
4. A chromecast dooh
- Plug your chromecast to your TV
- Open Avia and tap on the device icon on the top right and select chromecast then press your home button.(That should display the Avia start screen on your TV)
- Open MediaHouse, then on devices select Serviio
- tap on Browse then select videos, image or audio
- I suggest to select FOLDERS instead of other, at least it's easier for me to find my files
- browse to the desired file and tab on it
- select Avia
- that will open avia and the media file should be streamed to your TV
Hope this works for you!
Note: srt subtittles won't work anyways

Not sure if it's an update, but all I needed was Avia. Launched Avia and it detected Serviio without MediaHouse, but thanks for the tip, was wondering how I could get playback without the stutter.

Serviio is a DLNA server/source, and Avia can browse DLNA sources natively, so MediaHouse shouldn't be necessary.

bhiga said:
Serviio is a DLNA server/source, and Avia can browse DLNA sources natively, so MediaHouse shouldn't be necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The man is right! just a matter of picking serviio in avia's setup and DONE!

Looks like Google just release the Chromcase Dev kit. http://chrome.blogspot.com/2014/02/chromecast-is-now-open-to-developers.html
Was trying to wrap my head around getting serviio to transcode automatically via editing the profile.xml file. With a little bit of time, looks like I won't have to worry about that! w00t

Unreadhyperion said:
Looks like Google just release the Chromcase Dev kit. http://chrome.blogspot.com/2014/02/chromecast-is-now-open-to-developers.html
Was trying to wrap my head around getting serviio to transcode automatically via editing the profile.xml file. With a little bit of time, looks like I won't have to worry about that! w00t
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that only avi en wmv had to be transcoded at least every mkv and mp4 i tried worked

Alas it generally works for my mkv files as well; however, there are some mkv files that do not play. Hunger Games does not play at all but Catching Fire does... so my choices are to either re-encode to make it chromecast compatible or Serviio profile. Neither of which are ideal scenarios. In the first case, Handbrake takes 5 to 6 hours per movie to re-encode and even then, that's assuming 100% CPU dedication. In the second case, my desktop crashed with an issue with the motherboard... I'm currently using an old desktop that struggles to launch two programs at the same time... on the fly transcoding would probably run horribly.
So I am actually hopeful that this might expand it so that I don't have to do any transcoding.

Not sure of best way to stream from computer

Well I have had a Chromecast for some time now. I have been lurking for some time now but can't quite figure out what is the best solution for me.
Here is what I am looking to do.. I have quite a few workout dvd's that the Wife and I use, Yoga and the such. I want to eliminate the need to use the dvd player... my goal is to have everything ripped to my desktop, then use my phone to control what is displayed on the chromecast? especially since i have multiple chromecasts.....I just can't figure out what combination of apps I need to accomplish it... I have used ALLCast but the video will mess up during streaming... (Galaxy S3)
I am assuming I need some sort of media server service running on my desktop..(Plex?)
Any thoughts or suggestions would be great!
cdrshm

Rip the DVDs to MP4 files on your computer using some video tool like Handbrake. Enable the DLNA server function in Windows if you haven't already, and add your video folder as one of the shared media folders. Install BubbleUPnP on your Android phone. Select your computer as the source, Chromecast as the destination. Select your desired video and cast it to the Chromecast, controlling it with BubbleUPnP.
Plex is certainly an alternative, but you would have to install and set up Plex Media Server on your computer, and currently you have to pay $4/month for Plex Pass to use Plex with the Chromecast. For what you want to do the above combination is simpler and free.

@DJames1 hit it on the head.
Since I have multiple players, I'm waiting for My Movies to release Chromecast support, but I suspect it might be a while...

DJames1 said:
Rip the DVDs to MP4 files on your computer using some video tool like Handbrake. Enable the DLNA server function in Windows if you haven't already, and add your video folder as one of the shared media folders. Install BubbleUPnP on your Android phone. Select your computer as the source, Chromecast as the destination. Select your desired video and cast it to the Chromecast, controlling it with BubbleUPnP.
Plex is certainly an alternative, but you would have to install and set up Plex Media Server on your computer, and currently you have to pay $4/month for Plex Pass to use Plex with the Chromecast. For what you want to do the above combination is simpler and free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW! This works perfect! Thanks for helping me out! It works better than expected!!
Thanks Again!!
cdrshm

+1 to DJ!
Only thing I would quibble with is I'm not sure the Windows Media DLNA is a very good option but it is free and requires no installation.
Bubble requires SOME DLNA server since it does not have this function built in yet and instead aggregates media from other sources.
Something I suspect Bubble will soon add to it's arsenal!

You can also browse files in the chrome browser, such as your movie folder. And simply cast from that. Works instantly, easily, casts in the same quality the file is in, and requires no additional software or set up.
For instance, my data drive is F, I just browse to file:///F:/ on chrome, select my movies folder and start the video then cast from the browser.

^^ That's tab-casting. While it works as long as your computer is fast enough, it has several issues compared to the recommended solution:
1. It puts a heavier workload on your PC due to Google's rather inefficient tab-casting code.
2. Even with a high-performance PC, the video tends to stutter a little when tab-casting.
3. It has to be controlled from the PC. The OP said that he has an Android phone he wants to use as the controller.
If the OP were interested in trying streaming from Chrome, he would be better off to use the newly-renamed Videostream extension for Chrome mentioned in another thread here. It offers much smoother performance than tab-casting.

I use serviio on my computer and Avia on my devices. Works great.

I use Logitech Media Server with avia and it works perfectly...
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

^^ Also good solutions, but Avia isn't quite free, and they would require the OP to install a new media server on his PC.

Any good solution for mac os?

2fastkuztoms said:
Any good solution for mac os?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plex is probably the easiest option but it currently requires PlexPass subscription as it's still getting the kinks worked out.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.

You could use any DLNA server that runs on Mac along with BubbleUPnP as the controller on Android. I would probably choose Serviio.

Asphyx said:
+1 to DJ!
Only thing I would quibble with is I'm not sure the Windows Media DLNA is a very good option but it is free and requires no installation.
Bubble requires SOME DLNA server since it does not have this function built in yet and instead aggregates media from other sources.
Something I suspect Bubble will soon add to it's arsenal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed Windows Media Server sucks. Install the free BubbleUPnP Server side app on your PC. Pay for the pro license of BubbleUPnP on Android and not only can you stream your PC media to Chromecast but you can stream through your PS3 and you can remotely watch all of your videos on your Android device or anyone else's media server in the world
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk