Tag Archives: media server

Plex will stream free, ad-supported Warner Bros. movies and TV shows

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While Plex mainly focuses on allowing users to set up a streaming server for their own media files, the company has also ventured into other features such as live TV, podcasts and integration with other streaming services. Their latest move will add...

Samsung HomeSync: One Box to Rule All Set-Top Boxes?

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From HTPCs to set-top boxes, there are plenty of devices that you need to make your home theater system work better. I definitely like the sound of the Samsung HomeSync, since it will combine several devices into a single one.

samsung homesync google tv media

While the Samsung HomeSync won’t replace your cable or satellite box, it could certainly replace an HTPC or any other media server you’ve got plugged into your home theater system. The HomeSync combines Google TV with a media server that has a 1TB hard drive, Internet access through Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable, and runs Android Jelly Bean. It also has access to the Google Play Store. It has a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of additional flash memory. It supports 1080p HD over HDMI with HDCP, USB 3.0, and optical-out audio.

samsung homesync google tv media specs

The price for the Samsung HomeSync hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s expected to be released in April 2013.

[via Ubergizmo]

Western Digital Amps Up Storage of My Book Live Duo to 8TB

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For some people, 8TB might sound like a lot of storage, but depending on your data usage (*cough* BitTorrent *cough*), it might be just the right amount. I know that I could use a RAID storage device like this one on my workstation desk.

western digital my book live duo

The Western Digital My Book Live Duo is a dual-drive RAID tablet-top device, which allows RAID 0 or 1 settings, though the 8TB model is only available with the RAID 0 setting, sacrificing redundancy for speed. The Ethernet-connected drives can work as a media server, streaming content to DLNA/UPnP devices, and offer secure remote access.

The 8TB box will set you back $660(USD), which is a lot, but we’re talking about a massive amount of storage. The 6TB model sells for $440 and the 4TB unit sells for $375. They’re available for pre-order now over at B&H Photo.

In my experience, Western Digital makes awesome hard drives and they’ve got an excellent warranty as well as customer care, so I buy all of my hard drives from them these days.

[via Ubergizmo]

Plex launches new Web Client and PlexPass subscription, updates Media Server

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Plex launches new Web Client and PlexPass subscription, updates Media Server

Plex fans among us just got treated to a smorgasbord -- albeit one that isn't completely free. The media front-end developer hopes to boost its bottom line through PlexPass, a subscription service that amounts to a paid beta program. Shell out $4 per month and you'll get early access to in-development features, including a slate of premium-only extras during their incubation phase. One of the more ordinary (if important) features is going live today: a revamped Web Client not only rivals the native OS X app for speed but offers full media playback on top of the usual queue management. Whether you subscribe or not, you'll want to get an updated Media Server app that supports both PlexPass and the new client along with improving the server's behavior in several areas, such as lowering its memory use and supporting RTMP transcoding. We hope Plex keeps enough components on the free side of the fence as time goes on. For now, at least, we'll see the paid model as a way for loyalists to reward a company that has been powering their home theater PCs for years.

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Plex launches new Web Client and PlexPass subscription, updates Media Server originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 22:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Home Server takes its final bow, Windows Server 2012 Essentials passes the (pricey) casting call

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HP MediaSmart Server EX485

Tucked away amongst Microsoft's Windows Server 2012 version plans is a bomb for media server PC fans: Windows Home Server is going away. Although the platform was already in something of a comatose state after HP dropped its MediaSmart servers and left the OS without a major vendor to champion the cause, an FAQ reveals the stand-alone build is going away as well. Windows Server 2012 Essentials is taking its place and will handle both media server as well as small business server duties in one package. That's all well and good, except that Essentials is currently priced at $425 -- almost 10 times the typical $50 street price of Windows Home Server. We've reached out to Microsoft to verify whether or not that's the price a media server vendor or enthusiastic media PC lover will pay. Hopefully, it isn't; we'll have until the end of 2013 to buy a stand-alone copy of Windows Home Server (and a far-flung 2025 for very conservative OEMs), but the switch of focus may lead some fans of networked media sharing to drift elsewhere.

Windows Home Server takes its final bow, Windows Server 2012 Essentials passes the (pricey) casting call originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plex Media Server beta adds DLNA support, streams to PS3, Xbox 360, WP7 and more

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Using Plex as your media server software is great, with its ability to organize and transcode media for playback on a variety of devices, but what about platforms that still lack a compatible client? The freshest beta version of Plex Media Server fixes that by supporting DLNA, making it compatible right out of the box with many of the HDTVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles and other connected devices released recently. There are some limitations when it's being used this way in terms of metadata and subtitle support, but we're pretty sure being able to access Plex at all from devices like the PS3 (as shown above), Xbox 360 and WDTV Live (the profiles it's been tested with so far) is worth it. Also featured in the beta is support for Silverlight Smooth Streaming, which comes in handy for the new Windows Phone 7 client app (Update: If you're not seeing it yet don't worry you're not alone, it's been approved by Microsoft and should be live soon, check the forum thread linked below for more information). Check out the blog post for all the details or just head to the download page to try it out yourself if you're on a Windows PC or Mac -- Linux builds are still being tested.

Plex Media Server beta adds DLNA support, streams to PS3, Xbox 360, WP7 and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePlex blog, Get Plex  | Email this | Comments