Any alternatives to PS3 mediaserver?

[Val Killmore]

If you are using movies with external subtitles, There is only one alternative: wild media server.

I ran Wild Media Server for a while but I found it WAY too complicated. You could definitely do ALOT of different stuff with it, and it definitely had a couple cool features that I would like to see implemented into PMS. But the high technical demand combined with a forum that is near impossible for a true English speaker to navigate made it bothersome. The people on the forum try to help, but communicating with them nearly took a translator when they try to respond in English. I still have a subscription to the program, but have not used it in ages.

As of late, I have also been using the standard Windows Media Player server combined with Shark007's Windows codec package to stream to my 360 in my bedroom. As far as playback to my Xbox 360, I actually get a higher percentage of successful, flawless playback than I do with PMS. (have an annoying 'twitch' that shows on screen when transcoding to 360 w/ PMS)
But the problem with Windows Media Player server is trying to set up subtitles to autoplay like I can with PMS. Fairly confusing and never successful.

Overall, no other server can touch PMS as far as streaming to my PS3, at least in my experience. And I think I have nearly tried them all from Wild Media Server to Plex, to Twonky, to TVersity to Serviio....etc. etc.

All I know, is before I found PMS, streaming to my 360 was a pain in the arse, nevermind trying to add subtitles. After PMS, it became much easier, then once I got my PS3 there was no turning back. Unless PMS totally takes a dump, and is abandoned it will be my primary PS3 server for as long as possible.

And I want to add a giant thanks to Shagrath, Redlum, Meskibob, ChocolateBoy, Subjunk and all others that contribute to this kick ass program.

[aziztt]

What are the reasons? recommended by Sony.UK isn't a valid one :p

It is a valid one as Sony UK have now chosen Serviio Media Server as their own!
Well they asked Serviio to make a lightweight version of it and repackaged to Sony Homestream
Only Sony devices such as Bravia and PS3 is supported
http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237485339460
https://twitter.com/SonyHomestream

[taconaut]

Having Sony opting for a Media Server doesn't make it better. That being said, Serviio is a very nice piece of software; the user interface is cleaner then ours and the GUI and business logic are nicely separated. I frequently use subtitles and DTS audio streams which aren't supported by Serviio and I wouldn't want to miss the library management I've added in pms-mlx.
Everyone is free to choose

[SharkHunter]

I've used serviio as well and it is good, no question about that, BUT it doesn support subtitles and it doesn't support dynamic content. That is take a site like SVTPlay or BBCIplayer you cant just point the server towards the svtplay.se and let it pick what ever it finds (like Channels does). I talked to zip about this and it might be a future stuff, for now it works good enough for me (hey I can see SkySports from outisde the UK thats nice)...

[aziztt]

I've used serviio as well and it is good, no question about that, BUT it doesn support subtitles and it doesn't support dynamic content. That is take a site like SVTPlay or BBCIplayer you cant just point the server towards the svtplay.se and let it pick what ever it finds (like Channels does). I talked to zip about this and it might be a future stuff, for now it works good enough for me (hey I can see SkySports from outisde the UK thats nice)...

From version 0.6.2 zip added "web recources" so it collects all the flash video data from a page you point to. It works perfect with 4oD and ITVPlayer, if you want SVTPlay to work you simply need to write a plugin in groovy to let Serviio know what swf player it uses and how the flash video appears on the site. BBC iPlayer is fully working as an RSS feed at the moment but not as web recource.
The only reason it doesn't do subtitles is FFmpeg don't support burning subs on video yet. Only TVs such as Samsung support it as they work with subs via DNLA.
The cool thing about Serviio is they have their own Android app where you can control the server and add new content. Something PMS needs.
The ability to play live TV such as Sky Sports is great on it, what was cool was able to watch live PPV boxing with Serviio on the big screen!

Edit: It appears someones already written a plugin for STVPlay and other Swedish content but may not be in web resource
List of plugins found here - http://forum.serviio.org/viewforum.php?f=20

[SharkHunter]

Now I already talked to zip about this and it is not the same as Channels. Last time I looked you still needed to hack and add "programs" yourself. In channels no hack what so ever is neeed you control everything from the XMB. Both zip and me knows whats lacking.
As for android app I made one over a year ago which allows me to control PMS so what's the news? And ffmpeg does support burning subs into the video stream it's just a pain in the ass to do it. I tested we resources before they were released so...

[Val Killmore]

Having Sony opting for a Media Server doesn't make it better. That being said, Serviio is a very nice piece of software; the user interface is cleaner then ours and the GUI and business logic are nicely separated. I frequently use subtitles and DTS audio streams which aren't supported by Serviio and I wouldn't want to miss the library management I've added in pms-mlx.
Everyone is free to choose

I don't understand this kick with Serviio, other than the GUI.

I just installed and set it up .... again.....for the third or fourth time. It doesn't consolidate my media library properly. My nicely organized/categorized library becomes a jumbled mess of thousands of files with the same name : Rock ........ and a few that are named correctly.

A couple examples:
To Live and Die in LA music video comes up as:
Die Hard 4 : Live Free or Die Hard and has the bluray cover for art.

George Carlin Comedy special comes up as:
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring with the Bluray for art

I could maybe see if the program had to rename all the media, but other than my music, all videos are proper named and already have cover art, yet Serviio still can't get the sorting right.


Sure the idea is great and the folder structure in the XMB with the categories is great, but even if the media library function worked which it painfully does NOT for me, the lack of real-time transcoding/remuxing is absolutely useless. No go with forced subs......no go with DTS.
I use iMediaShare for all my web streaming of many popular streams, via my Android phone, so that option is of little value to me.

All it took was a little time finding artwork/renaming movies using Movie Files Tool or Filebot. To batch rename TV episodes I use TVRenamer.

I could have made things easier and went with PMS-MLX, but I already have a neatly organized setup.

I just don't get it. It must say something about certain setups and certain software. This is the third or fourth time I have installed this wretched Serviio program, and now.....the third or fourth time I am uninstalling it. Ugggh

[aziztt]

Val, you don't have to use the "Metadata" option in Serviio if your media is all sorted the way you like it, simply tick off Metadata option in Shares, hide the other library folders and just have "by folder".

As for DTS, I've checked, Serviio does support this but currently ffmpeg corrupts the DTS audio when remuxed, so Serviio converts audio to AC3. If the file is remuxed by third party remuxer like tsMuxer to m2ts it will play DTS audio in its glory.

Sharkhunter, I can't find anywhere you can bake/burn subtitles on video using ffmpeg, can you point it to me please.
I'm only keeping PMS for subtitled movies, rest of the videos I use Serviio.

[SharkHunter]

Sharkhunter, I can't find anywhere you can bake/burn subtitles on video using ffmpeg, can you point it to me please.
I'm only keeping PMS for subtitled movies, rest of the videos I use Serviio.

To hard to use google? http://superuser.com/questions/292925/f ... e-subtitle
Mencoder gives you better control over where the subtitle should be font etc.

[Val Killmore]

Val, you don't have to use the "Metadata" option in Serviio if your media is all sorted the way you like it, simply tick off Metadata option in Shares, hide the other library folders and just have "by folder".

I actually never did uninstall it. I found the collection of mislabelled media quite entertaining, but what really got me, in a retarded savant kind of way is that it would randomly be genius one moment, and ruh-tarded the next. It completely mislabelled vids that were already correctly named, but managed to come up with miraculously correct titles for the occasional music vid, even though the filename was extremely far off.

I will give your suggestion a try.

As for DTS, I've checked, Serviio does support this but currently ffmpeg corrupts the DTS audio when remuxed, so Serviio converts audio to AC3. If the file is remuxed by third party remuxer like tsMuxer to m2ts it will play DTS audio in its glory.

As of the last year or so, I would estimate that 80-90% of the movies added to my collection contain DTS, so remuxing externally is not an option.

I will give Serviio ANOTHER try, but I am really only entertaining the notion because I find it like watching a potential train wreck. You hope the participants make it out alive, but you don't hold much faith, but something tells you to keep watching.