Slow to be recognized... sometimes.

[pawnslinger]

I run the PS3 Media Server with a variety of devices, from the PS3 itself, to various bluray players, and tablets. Under IOS on the iPad, I use GoodPlayer to access the PMS. And it works well, except that when I start GoodPlayer and search for servers, it takes quite a long time for the server to be found. It does eventually, but it takes more than a few minutes each time. The bluray players, on the other hand, find PMS instantly! The PS3 itself, is spotty, sometimes very quick, other times it is frustratingly a long wait.

I am not really sure why this difference exists, between the bluray players and the PS3 and IOS tablet. Any ideas?

The funny thing is that GoodPlayer finds the Windows Media Servers in the house very quickly (the same for the PS3)... so I am not sure it is all the fault of GoodPlayer.

[taconaut]

There are two ways for pms to be discovered by a device. 1) Pms periodically broadcasty a message saying what it can do; when a device receives this it should show pms in the list of available servers. 2) When a device is being turned on it broadcasts a message to ask for available servers on the network and pms answers.

I'm guessing that 2) doesn't work (because of a network configuration or something else) for the devices taking a while to discover pms and you have to wait for pms to broadcast message 1).

[pawnslinger]

There are two ways for pms to be discovered by a device. 1) Pms periodically broadcasty a message saying what it can do; when a device receives this it should show pms in the list of available servers. 2) When a device is being turned on it broadcasts a message to ask for available servers on the network and pms answers.

I'm guessing that 2) doesn't work (because of a network configuration or something else) for the devices taking a while to discover pms and you have to wait for pms to broadcast message 1).

Okay. How often does PMS broadcast? Is there anyway to make it broadcast more often? If not, could an option be added to do that? I don't know, but I wouldn't mind it broadcasting every 60 seconds or so... that would be a big help to me.

[meskibob]

It'd be better to fix #2 - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3507&start=10#p22384

[pawnslinger]

It'd be better to fix #2 - viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3507&start=10#p22384

Well, I would agree... but how do I explain the fact that the Windows Media Server on the same machine as PMS gets recognized in less than 15 seconds (not instantly, but much much faster than PMS). Now, if it was a network or firewall issue, both programs are behind the very same firewall (both are completely open in the firewall rules, by the way), and both execute on the same computer. I have been trying to figure out the network/firewall issues for a long time.

When I first set this up, Windows Media Server wouldn't work properly either, and to tell the truth I forget how that got fixed. This has been a long project in my house.

Personally, I think the issue is patrly how PMS operates, and partly how the clients (like GoodPlayer) operate. To me, it seems that PMS is just always available on the bluray players instantly -- it is so fast, that it looks like PMS is "remembered" by the bluray player and it just reconnects using last known parameters. Because sometimes when PMS is down, the blurays still "see" it, although nothing can be accessed. On the other hand, GoodPlayer always seems to start with a clean slate. I can't seem to get it to "remember" prior servers. So I blame GoodPlayer in large part. I have tired other UPnP software, but none really as good as GoodPlayer, so I keep coming back to it.

So, I was hoping that maybe things could be improved a little on the PMS side of things, given that WMS pops up so quickly... but if that is not to be, I understand. It would be a very BIG help if I just knew how long I had to wait for PMS to broadcast!! Forget about changing the program for a second, just knowing how long I had to wait would be a big boon. Sometimes I cheat... yeah, I sneak over to the server and click the "Restart Server" button... of course, this causes PMS to pop into GoodPlayer very very quickly. But I hate to do that if someone else is streaming a movie at the time... I check "Traces" before I do this.

[meskibob]

WMP pops up since it broadcasts more often than PMS (IIRC the broadcast rate for PMS is somewhere around 3 minutes).

[pawnslinger]

WMP pops up since it broadcasts more often than PMS (IIRC the broadcast rate for PMS is somewhere around 3 minutes).

Yes, that is what I suspected. Well, I read the other thread mentioned above, it talked about firewall settings and router settings. I know I have been though this before, but just to make sure, I double checked the firewall first... well, I added all sorts of rules, and got it so messed up, it wasn't working anymore... until I went back and took out all the firewall rules pertaining to PMS! Man, that stuff is complex. So the firewall is back to normal. I have 2 rules opening UPnP ports for any program, in or out. I have rules opening Windows Media Server, and now 1 exception (a new one) that allows PMS network access. I don't think it is needed, it didn't change anything. It was the only rule I could add that didn't make it worse.

So then I checked the router. Okay, UPnP was enabled, but Multicast was not. So I enabled Multicast. I left WAN ping off (the only other thing on that page of router setup, that was still off).

Long story short, no change... back to square one. Whew! At least I didn't make it worse. When I was working with the firewall rules, for awhile there, even the bluray players couldn't get thru to the server. I am afraid to touch the firewall rules again.