I've been looking for the best way to transcode and stream video from my file server to my Nook Color. (using handbrake to encode video for local playback works great... but until they sell 5 TB sdhc cards that's not going to cut it )
VLC Stream and Convert works (for every kind of file I've thrown at it... which is no surprise, VLC can handle anything pretty much).. but I haven't been satisfied with the quality. (and I've played with the h265 settings quite a bit). Does anyone have recommended settings for this app?
Also, I have Tversity... but I can't get it to work for all my videos yet.... Has anyone successfully configured Tversity to work with their Nook Color?
Are there any other solutions for this that anyone might recommend?
Thanks
Ive gotten PS3 media server to work with the nook. Its pretty similar to Tvsertity. Install UPnPlay on your Nook and try to access your Tvsertity server. It'll forward the stream to your player of choice (Rock player, etc.)
Only issue I've noticed is with files > 1gb.
has anyone tried twonky? i use it on my epic to stream from my server to phone... it will browse shared files on network and playthem.. or vise versa it can stream from phone to network... next time i have a nook here i can try it myself, but it is a free app so might be worth a shot to see if it will install and run on nook.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.pv.twonkyremote
Subsonic is quite good. It allows you to stream music and videos, however it requires flash to stream videos so I'm not sure how well it works on CM7. It is also not free.
VLC Convert and Stream is the only program I've found that will stream all of the file types I have on my computer. Everything else you'll have to transcode non compatible files first, which may not actually be that bad if you have plenty of storage space and/or you only have a few files that need to be transcoded.
I have my convert and stream playback on phone settings set to 480 width with highest bitrate selected (I don't have pro version, I think you can get up to 640 width with that) and playback settings set to fit to screen so that the videos expand out. I get a few artifacts here and there but the quality is pretty good considering it's over wireless. Biggest problem I had was getting the sound sync'd up, that required some playing around with the delay settings as it was pretty far off at first. Do you have the pro version? That allows higher resolution and possibly higher bitrate (but I'm unsure on the bitrate). When I watched 720p source videos, it looked pretty good.
VLC
Thanks - downloading it from the app store now. I have 2.3.3 running (CM7). I will let you know how it goes. So far nothing else I've tried has worked ;(
I love this app. It works well over home WIFI, but for the life of me I cant get it to connect outside of my home network.
What port forwading settings would I add to get this to work? Wouldnt the rest be the same since at home I use internal IP, outside of home I use external IP? Then forward external IP to the internal one previously set up? Kind of new at this, I've set up live streams before, but cant remember and troubleshoot this properly.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Edit 2: I have followed the directions for VPN and 3G methods but for some reason it wont connect.
Edit 3: Got it working, was missing a single digit in one of my forwards.
I recently tried Plex. That is an exciting app. I love the interface.
The only issue is that even though the streaming works, when I used it over my wifi the playback was laggy (even with overclock). I tried changing the settings and lowering the quality, but it still lagged.
poofyhairguy said:
I recently tried Plex. That is an exciting app. I love the interface.
The only issue is that even though the streaming works, when I used it over my wifi the playback was laggy (even with overclock). I tried changing the settings and lowering the quality, but it still lagged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed this with Plex as well. I already use it on my Galaxy S and it plays beautifully, but the NC seems to lag no matter what.
HOWEVER, the same video played over subsonic at maximum quality (Transcoded as .flv and embedded in the browser as a flash video) plays surprisingly well.
Any more knowledgeable members know why that is? I can't seem to figure out why.
I watch 720p mkvs transcoded over 3g running cm7 on my nc with no problems using subsonic. Best option I have found. Server is on a ubuntu 10 machine.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
DLNA
I've been able to use Skifta with RockPlayer or Vplayer to stream from my Windows 7 box (since DLNA is built in). You need a separate video player app in CM7 currently since most codecs have been removed until they get DSP working.
dinobud said:
I've been able to use Skifta with RockPlayer or Vplayer to stream from my Windows 7 box (since DLNA is built in). You need a separate video player app in CM7 currently since most codecs have been removed until they get DSP working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skifta worked for me first time!
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction
Qloud Media has worked well for me. It's extremely simple to set up.
https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.qiss.vega.ad
For dlna streaming on my phone i use imediashare and it works perfectly so maybe give it a try on the nook color.
Related
Only been playing with it for a little bit, but there's a new VLC compatible streaming client available on the Market called VLC Stream & Convert.
It allows you to run VLC on a client on your lan (be sure to add the Web control interface from VIEW/ADD INTERFACE) and connect to it. You can either remote control VLC from the phone....or..you can stream video to your phone from the client side app with a simple filesystem browser.
Though the realtime conversion and streaming isn't the best quality it's most definitely handy and orders of magnitude more seamless than dealing with DLNA.
Maybe everyone else isn't a hardcore media geek with terabytes of video spread about a home lan like me. But this addition to the market makes me happy!
Thought I'd share.
Scott
This looks really cool. Will definitely try this tomorrow after work!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
masterotaku said:
Only been playing with it for a little bit, but there's a new VLC compatible streaming client available on the Market called VLC Stream & Convert.
It allows you to run VLC on a client on your lan (be sure to add the Web control interface from VIEW/ADD INTERFACE) and connect to it. You can either remote control VLC from the phone....or..you can stream video to your phone from the client side app with a simple filesystem browser.
Though the realtime conversion and streaming isn't the best quality it's most definitely handy and orders of magnitude more seamless than dealing with DLNA.
Maybe everyone else isn't a hardcore media geek with terabytes of video spread about a home lan like me. But this addition to the market makes me happy!
Thought I'd share.
Scott
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may have just solved a problem for me... I am having some issues though.
I have it installed and working. I find my VLC player through the app and can start videos no problem, but there is no audio.
What AAC encoder are you using on your system? Im running on Win7 and cant seem to get it working.
ritalin said:
You may have just solved a problem for me... I am having some issues though.
I have it installed and working. I find my VLC player through the app and can start videos no problem, but there is no audio.
What AAC encoder are you using on your system? Im running on Win7 and cant seem to get it working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On all the PC's on the home lan I now only ever install VLC, Media Player Classic Home Cinema, and FFDSHOW. VLC's built in AAC decoder generally handles things fine, but if it gets confused (in the case of some encodes with weird FOURCC headers) FFDSHOW usually picks up the slack externally.
I'll run through my collection (it's well over 3 terabytes now so it might take a bit) and see if I run across anything with AAC that this stumbles over. I'm running Win7 x64 on this laptop, so it'll be my guinea pig.
I have a good idea of a few known encodes I have with weird AAC audio header info, primarily because they also won't play natively correctly in the phone's built in video player or rock player. I'll let you know what I find out.
EDIT: Well that didn't take long. It seems that the same encodes with .AAC audio that give the built in player grief (as well as Rockplayer) also refuse to have their audio play correctly in this streaming app. Even more interesting, these all play natively within VLC on the desktop. However, VLC, FFDSHOW, and my universal backup plan when encountering weird stuff that won't play (KMPlayer) all use LIBFAAD for .AAC decoding. Upon further investigation it appears that some .AAC profiles (there are actually six baseline types of .AAC audio...go figure) aren't properly supported by Android's native .aac parser (found this info on DoubleTwists support forums).
Looks like this is a native flaw in Android itself at this point. Going to investigate further. Thank god that there are literally only a handful of encodes in my collection that have this problem or I'd be pulling my hair out.
Can someone show me how to use this to stream over 3G??
I opened ports on my router and got my WAN IP entered but it won't let me connect.
Did you enable the Web Interface in VLC on the client PC? It is not on by defaut.
Start VLC on a PC on your lan, go to the VIEW menu....ADD INTERFACE...WEB INTERFACE. With that selected the android client should automatically find the VLC instance running on your lan connected PC. This assumes no additional firewall is blocking the app on the PC.
I got it working pretty good using wifi inside my network, so I think VLC is setup properly.
What I'm trying to do is to stream through t-mobile 3G.
I did the port forwarding in my router, but couldn't get the app to connect my home PC via 3G.
I've been able to get it to connect via 3G here, though only HTTP audio streaming seems to work. RTSP video streaming seems to be broken via 3g, and again this appears to be an Android issue from what I'm reading.
vcxzfdsa said:
I got it working pretty good using wifi inside my network, so I think VLC is setup properly.
What I'm trying to do is to stream through t-mobile 3G.
I did the port forwarding in my router, but couldn't get the app to connect my home PC via 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
masterotaku said:
I've been able to get it to connect via 3G here, though only HTTP audio streaming seems to work. RTSP video streaming seems to be broken via 3g, and again this appears to be an Android issue from what I'm reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the dev's site, found here
"Why does rtsp streaming not work over 3G?
Some operators don't allow rtsp on their network. Http streaming should work instead but for videos you can only stream the audio track."
If its true that t-mobile is blocking RTSP then that sucks. Im going to play with it tomorrow and see for myself.
If this doesnt work then Im back to square one. I really wanted to find a way to use the Twonky media server I already have setup and streaming. I have been streaming videos to friends and family for about half a year now. My Fios 30mb up 30mb down even allows me to stream 720p content over UPNP without so much as a hiccup.
First person that can manage to remove the wifi only option in AllShare gets access to my collection. . I have been trying to find it but im not really sure what im looking for in the code.
1) Go to here to download AndroStream
2) Download and install the AndroVLC media server on the PC that hosts the .avi files
3) Ensure firewall is set up to allow AndroVLC or disable Windows Firewall
4) Reboot PC (starts up the media server)
5) Download AndroStream-Free from the Android market
6) Use Astro to back-up the AndroStream .apk (I would post the .apk but can't yet on these forums, some one else may be able to post it)
6) Install AndroStream app on your NC. There is a free version to use to get everything working and try out (limited to 2 minutes of playback). The paid version will let you watch entire movies.
6) Run AndroStream on your NC
7) Input the IP address of the host computer in the AndroStream settings
8) Hit the scan button to find the PC. Navigate to your folder with .avi files
7) Watch your streamed .avi files over your wifi at home on your personal 7" viewer
These are the only notes/issues I had:
I did this on an Windows XP machine
It also played .mp4 files fine, but would not play .wmv or .mkv files
Some audio lag, but could be due to the fact I was skipping around the movie to see how well it buffered.
I only tried with Standard Def Xvid .avi files, I did not try any HD
The AndroStream app on the Nook was very simple and quite fast to navigate to your media files on the PC
The movies go full screen and I wasn't able to get out of them easily. I have SoftKeys installed and hitting the nook button took me back to the home screen while using the AndroStream software, so I could not get back to select a different file to watch.
I am looking for other possibly better alternatives to this (different apps on the Nook or solving some of the above issues), because I like the idea of streaming video to my device over wi-fi. Hopefully other folks can provide some input or other apps or methods.
I've been using VLC Stream & Convert. All it needs on the server is VLC running with a web interface.
It converts the video before streaming, so you should be able to play more than mp4 files with it, but I can specifically remember if I've tried an mkv or wmv. The movies only went full screen in landscape mode, if you switched back to portrait the menu comes back for you to pick another file.
Can you put down exactly what you are doing? I tried using VLC and VLC Stream & Convert, but it isn't working. I am controlling VLC on the PC, but only audio is coming through to the NC. Not sure exactly how to set it up to work. Any ideas?
Thanks for this. I couldn't find the app the OP mentioned, but VLC Stream & Convert seems to do the trick.
VLC Stream and Convert
How were you able to get VLC S&C to work? Whenever I try to play on my NC I get an error: "Cannot create play command". I've tried .mkv, .avi, .mp3 and none seem to work. I'm only using a rooted NC, not a Froyo'ed version. Any suggestions would be greatful!
Edit:
I was able to get it working. Had to change the play mode. Sorry for posting the noobish question!
If you are still on stock, eclair, you can stream anything with this method,
http://iamafanof.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/streaming-epub-books-media-to-nook-color-with-cifsmanager/
BTW, you can do read/write from your NC to your computer if you change the permission settings.
No cifs module for Froyo and CM7 yet .
Ok so i got vlc to work playing avi files, only problem is that I keep getting small videos. What settings do you have?
ok nvm I got the sizing to work
Baka no Kami said:
I've been using VLC Stream & Convert. All it needs on the server is VLC running with a web interface.
It converts the video before streaming, so you should be able to play more than mp4 files with it, but I can specifically remember if I've tried an mkv or wmv. The movies only went full screen in landscape mode, if you switched back to portrait the menu comes back for you to pick another file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried wmv and it works. What res are you guys running, the max 480 width in the free version? Has anybody bought the pro version and tried 640 width to see how it works? It would be cool if we could get the max 854 width that the NC supports for higher def files. I can stream 480 at max bit rate and only get a hiccup every few minutes, so I'm thinking higher res will be possible if you play with the bitrate some.
bobzdar said:
I tried wmv and it works. What res are you guys running, the max 480 width in the free version? Has anybody bought the pro version and tried 640 width to see how it works? It would be cool if we could get the max 854 width that the NC supports for higher def files. I can stream 480 at max bit rate and only get a hiccup every few minutes, so I'm thinking higher res will be possible if you play with the bitrate some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to get full screen working on the free version, the trick is to override your video settings with the General Settings.
Go to Playback under General, then change landscape video width to fit screen. Make sure this is the last setting you change before playing the video.
You can use PS3 Meadia Server --> UPnPlay
You may want to try PS3 Media Server and UPnPlay in NC. It is running well in Customized Nook Froyo.
I have been using File Expert in combination with RockPlayer lite . File expert has a network tab which allows me to see all my files on my nas server. Which streams directly to my N/C using Rockplayer lite . Streams avi files directly no need to convert . Thanks Jamus0 for this tip .
pramalin said:
You may want to try PS3 Media Server and UPnPlay in NC. It is running well in Customized Nook Froyo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please tell me how you set it up? Thanks.
"Serviio" is an alternative to PS3MediaServer that I use. I couldn't connect to the PS3MS, but Serviio works just fine
ewong90 said:
I was able to get full screen working on the free version, the trick is to override your video settings with the General Settings.
Go to Playback under General, then change landscape video width to fit screen. Make sure this is the last setting you change before playing the video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got that set, but it's still stretching a 480 pixel wide video across the screen (which is fine, it works and looks pretty good). I was just wondering if anyone had gotten the pro version and tried 640 wide video, or if it lets you actually do 854 wide video to get the max res the NC supports in hardware.
go0nie said:
I am looking for other possibly better alternatives to this (different apps on the Nook or solving some of the above issues), because I like the idea of streaming video to my device over wi-fi. Hopefully other folks can provide some input or other apps or methods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May want to try Plex or Subsonic:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=956937
Duplicate post
Hubmanx said:
I have been using File Expert in combination with RockPlayer lite . File expert has a network tab which allows me to see all my files on my nas server. Which streams directly to my N/C using Rockplayer lite . Streams avi files directly no need to convert . Thanks Jamus0 for this tip .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this method and got it to work once in Phiremod for my Nook. After that once successful stream it wouldn't work anymore. It would just give me an error saying 'System Player can't play this file'. Any suggestions what it may be? I have been looking for a solution for this and don't know if it's the default Android player that is giving me this error? How can I make RockPlayer lite the default player?
I've been using plex and works well.. i've also used cifs manager to map to my media server and watch movies through rockplayer.
I want to stream AVI files from my computer to my Nook. GMote doesn't work with AVI. I downloaded VLC Stream and Convert. I fired it up, pointed it at my desktop and it just worked. I was very impressed with it except that it streams all my videos in 4" X 4". I'm sure this would be great on a phone, but I've got 7" to work with here.
Does anyone know of an app that will reliably stream media in full screen? I'm willing to pay for an app that does this. I just need to stream over wifi when I'm at home.
I use CifsManager to mount windows shares, and then RockPlayer Lite to play videos off those shares. It will stretch to full screen, but unless you format the video correctly it's stuck with software decoding.
GMote plays AVI for me, do you have rockplayer?
No Rockplayer. I don't want to have to mount shares. It's an extra step. VLC Stream and Convert works perfectly except it's small screen. I open the app, click on browse, browse to the file I want to play and click play. It buffers and plays with no issues except for the screen size.
There's no extra steps, you browse to the avi you want to play in gmote, click it and rockplayer opens it.
I tested out the GMote Rockplayer combo you all suggested. It worked very well, except I can't seem to fast forward and skip around inside of videos. Is this something I"m doing wrong or is it a limitation of this solution?
A. Nonymous said:
I tested out the GMote Rockplayer combo you all suggested. It worked very well, except I can't seem to fast forward and skip around inside of videos. Is this something I"m doing wrong or is it a limitation of this solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it may be a limitation. If there's a fix, I don't know it. Rockplayer by itself allows skipping around but youve got it streaming the video through GMote and I doubt that Rockplayer is communicating to GMote.
I got this to work with VLC Stream and Convert. There are options buried in the menu to make the output full screen. I love it. I have to start VLC on my computer ahead of time which is kind of a pain, but I'm at home anyway when I'm doing this. Once I do though, I can stream any of my media and also fast forward, rewind and skip around in it whether in portrait or landscape. Highly recommend this.
I was hoping to provide a solution using orb or Androrb, but I tried with mplayer, rockplayer, and stock player with no luck.
Gmote/rockplayer works for me, but no ff as mentioned. If the v player dev could support the nc it may have potential.
To the above poster, you could use teamviewer to log in to your pc and start the vlc stream.
Sent from an Epic 3G on SERO using XDA app
+1 for VLC Stream & Convert
gullzway said:
I was hoping to provide a solution using orb or Androrb, but I tried with mplayer, rockplayer, and stock player with no luck.
Gmote/rockplayer works for me, but no ff as mentioned. If the v player dev could support the nc it may have potential.
To the above poster, you could use teamviewer to log in to your pc and start the vlc stream.
Sent from an Epic 3G on SERO using XDA app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect that Gmote/Rockplayer doesn't have FF because it's not accessing the stream directly. Gmote is accessing the stream and forwarding it to Rockplayer. I'm in my house when I'm using my NC and I have a VLC shortcut on my toolbar so it doesn't take but a second to start it. I could probably configure VLC to start the web interface part automatically when Windows starts, but I'm too lazy to look into that right now.
A. Nonymous said:
I suspect that Gmote/Rockplayer doesn't have FF because it's not accessing the stream directly. Gmote is accessing the stream and forwarding it to Rockplayer. I'm in my house when I'm using my NC and I have a VLC shortcut on my toolbar so it doesn't take but a second to start it. I could probably configure VLC to start the web interface part automatically when Windows starts, but I'm too lazy to look into that right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the Icon properties, add this to the target line:
--extraintf http --intf wx
And then move the icon into your startup folder !
Does this require you to be on the same network as Said PC for it to work, ie, can I stream Video from home PC when I am in another area, like the mall, or your moms house?
stinky634 said:
Does this require you to be on the same network as Said PC for it to work, ie, can I stream Video from home PC when I am in another area, like the mall, or your moms house?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VLC convert and stream allows this, yes.
vlc stream and convert works fine, you just have to mess with the settings, make sure video playback width is set to 1040 or screen width
When I try to use S&C on my Nook (CM7), it tells me "buffering" for about a minute, then tells me it can't play, too many errors. Installed it on my Inspire HD and it works great. Any ideas, anyone?
SmittyRN said:
When I try to use S&C on my Nook (CM7), it tells me "buffering" for about a minute, then tells me it can't play, too many errors. Installed it on my Inspire HD and it works great. Any ideas, anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have it set to h.264 in the streaming settings? I'm not sure how well the other settings work (if at all).
bobzdar said:
Do you have it set to h.264 in the streaming settings? I'm not sure how well the other settings work (if at all).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. Went through the entire setup, all of the settings mirror the ones on my Inspire. Frustrating.
SmittyRN said:
When I try to use S&C on my Nook (CM7), it tells me "buffering" for about a minute, then tells me it can't play, too many errors. Installed it on my Inspire HD and it works great. Any ideas, anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the same thing, works great in rooted Eclair but not in any of the CM7 versions. I think it is because there is no DSP working in CM7, but I could be wrong.
So I finally learned how to use NVFlash to get my device back to stock. Then I learned how to install Clockworkmod. Then I installed Vegan, after coming from TNT Lite. And overall I'm pretty happy. Except for the fact that nothing really seems to work
So here is what I need right now for my GTab to be of use to me in order of importance:
1) Streaming Audio from Shoutcast and bluetooth pairing to bluetooth speakers. Yes, I want this tablet to be my "Patio Media Player" and I'd like to get sound out to my bluetooth speakers. Alternatively I'd settle for streaming MP3's from my own PC where the mp3's reside.
2) Streaming video from Netflix, which I understand is in its infancy.
3) Streaming video from my home LAN, so it works like Air Video player. I'd spend $5 bucks on the PLEX application if it actually worked......does anyone know if it does, or is there a free solution to stream video.
Using Vegan, I can't get any of this to work. Winamp wont stream shoutcast, another app I tried just kept telling me "Broken Pipes" and so forth, no music was the result.
I can convert videos in handbrake so they play but thats not my ultimate goal, I want this device to stream music and at some point video.......can anyone help?
#2 -- there's a hack to get this to work, but it's not perfect. There is color banding issues, and I've heard that the fix also breaks the YouTube app. So it's an optional install, if needed.
#3 -- you'd want CIFS support. I though VEGAn had that buillt-in, but it's been so long I honestly don't remember anymore. The last major VEGAn update was early January, so keep that in mind. And the three guys who worked on it no longer update it (myself included).
Sorry for the n00bishness, whats CIFS? (Yes, I will Google). *Googled*
Also, since you didn't comment on #1, and you are probably the GTab Guru of Guru's, does this mean I'm SOL for doing something as simple as streaming internet audio?
Nah, I'm not the guru of guru's -- I just know a few things so I wanted to pass on what I did know. I didn't respond on #1 because I don't have an answer for that ( I don't stream audio and I don't have a BT headset).
As for CIFS, it's SMB (Windows file sharing). If memory serves, VEGAn has that built in, you just need to get CIFSManager from the market and change the settings so that the support is loaded as a module. If you get this working, then you can mount a share onto the device as a mount point, and then run the content from there. There's probably quite a few threads on this, as CIFS was something that a lot of us wanted, early on.
Well in case you ever want to, I did find that the current version of DoubleTwist streams Shoutcast! streams just dandy and I now have a backyard streaming audio solution for my patio with some paired BT speakers
Now to find your hack on how to get netflix working on Vegan..
HeadRusch1 said:
Well in case you ever want to, I did find that the current version of DoubleTwist streams Shoutcast! streams just dandy and I now have a backyard streaming audio solution for my patio with some paired BT speakers
Now to find your hack on how to get netflix working on Vegan..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just in case you don't see my reply on the other thread:
Give TuneIn Radio a shot, I think you may prefer it. I have yet to have a problem with it. It gives me shoutcast along with Internet Radio and probably much more. I have it running almost 24X7. It has a great desktop widget too.
It has been downloaded twice as much as Doubletwist and can record for you too. The pro version is only .99 compared to DT's $3.74
DT has also had quite a few complaints lately since latest update.
Hey thanks, I did miss that thread, and I will give it a download.
Now, the 64 dollar question: Are you doing any video streaming to your Gtab? Air Video Player is probably the defacto standard on the Ipad side of things, just install its server on your pc and, assuming your box has the horsepower to transcode video on the fly, it will basically play any video from any source and stream directly to the ipad/pod device of your choosing.
I am desperately seeking that solution for my Gtab. The best I have been able to do is this:
1) I seem to be able to stream any xvid of DVD-ish resolution just fine.
2) I seem to be able to stream WMV files at 720p just fine
3) I don't seem to be able to stream anything else just fine...
I can re-encode using HANDBRAKE and transfer to the GTAB but that defeats the purpose of streaming media.
Any thoughts? I heard there was a new app out that does a similar style of streaming for both Ipad and Android, but no idea if it works with the Gtab or not. I'm currently running Vegan 5.1.1.
I have enjoyed using AudioGalaxy for streaming music from my home computer library to my tablet. Tons of music accessible with no tablet storage use.
I checked out TuneIn......its a very slick interface, with one problem: It doesn't appear to be giving me any Shoutcast stations. Its giving me some major stations, its giving me local radio....but I can't get, for example, some crazy German trance station.
When I search the list of stations that comes back appears to be quite limited, also there doesn't appear to be a way to limit the minimum bandwidth (I don't want to see 64kbps mp3 streams in my search results).....actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure i can search?
Anyhow, what am I missing....?
{EDIT}
It appears there is an audio issue with RockPlayer and Hardware Decoding on our device. After contacting the developers, they will be releasing a version with SW audio support while using hardware for video to fix this. Expected within one month. Post will be updated once released.
DicePlayer has been recommended as an alternative as it has HW decode and native SAMBA support, however it does not appear to handle hardware decoding for as many formats as RockPlayer (watch for SW in the upper left).
{/EDIT}
Hi all,
While going through the Accessory Guide post (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1377669) I realized there was an odd recommendation on video playback using Emit Free. With our devices there is no need for transcoding like you would have to do on an iPad, but it's still not "easy" to get full 1080P playback over the network.
With root, you can install cifs drivers that are pretty efficient, but without it, many times video stutters. I tested a large combination of File Managers that mounted CIFS/SAMBA shares and Video Players to see which performed best.
From File Manager HD and Astro to MXPlayer and XYPlayer nearly all of them had stuttering issues with 1080P video, and lag when seeking in 720P video. Below is where I ended up, which entailed perfect 1080P playback, with zero lag when seeking (tested on high bitrate MKV and AVI w/ AC3 and DTS audio samples).
1. Install ES File Explorer: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop
ES File Explorer is a file manager that supports CIFS/SAMBA mounts (these are the shared folders on your Windows, Mac, or Linux PC). Once open, swipe right to access the network shares. I recommend turning on "Detail" mode in the settings, so you can see file sizes and permissions, too. The advantage of ES File Explorer over other managers I tried is that the CIFS implementation has been optimized very well, and was the best at streaming the file data to the video player from a speed and bandwidth perspective.
2. Install RockPlayer Lite: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redirectin.rockplayer.android.unified.lite
RockPlayer is a great player that includes hardware acceleration, much like MXPlayer. The difference here is that like ES File Explorer, RockPlayer seems better optimized for network file handling. With other players in combination with ES File Explorer, there were still lag issues during seek. RockPlayer has none of these issues.
Be sure to enable HW acceleration in Rockplayer
Also ensure app mode is set to "stretched" instead of "zoomed"
Any questions, or other options, feel free to post below.
If this guide was helpful, please click Thanks below instead of replying to keep the thread clean.
Thanks!
Ben
i tried your suggestion.
yeah it gets rid of the lag but:
- there is no sound for most of my hd mkv videos
- subtitles dont show for mkv files
nice to see that the tfp actually does have the power to play these smoothly though!
I have been using ES File explorer and it does help with the streaming. However, I have not gotten a streaming video to play thru the whole movie/show. Seems every 10 or 30mins (differs), it will quit playing. I've tried the same setup on my Galaxy Nexus and don't have issues. I guess I can try Rock Player. I guess no one else has this issue? I've seen it mentioned once or twice while reading the boards but no answers. I thought maybe it was on my end and somehow the wifi was dropping, but if it is...its not displaying it.
I use dice player. It has native ability to open network shares and plays HD MKV files over wifi without lag or stutter.
r0ck0 said:
I use dice player. It has native ability to open network shares and plays HD MKV files over wifi without lag or stutter.
Click to expand...
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can it transcode dts audio or any multichannel audio? any program i have tried plays fine but there is no audio
tried it , unfortunally no sound on most of my mkv's.
Dice player does a better job, way more codecs supported and equal network performance, rockplayer seems to build up a bigger buffer, at the beginning it may look like its more stable but after a while both are laging .. (high profile 1080)
what's up with all the lagging ? wifi performance not good enough or is the SOC not capable of streaming and decoding all at once? no problems from sdcard ..
knives of ice said:
can it transcode dts audio or any multichannel audio? any program i have tried plays fine but there is no audio
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Dice player works great with mkv movies with DTS and AC3 audio on my TF201. Dice player is the best way to stream movie using a NAS Imo.
tested with dlink dns-323 and stock tf201.
Tempie007 said:
tried it , unfortunally no sound on most of my mkv's.
Dice player does a better job, way more codecs supported and equal network performance, rockplayer seems to build up a bigger buffer, at the beginning it may look like its more stable but after a while both are laging .. (high profile 1080)
what's up with all the lagging ? wifi performance not good enough or is the SOC not capable of streaming and decoding all at once? no problems from sdcard ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wifi performance is the issue for me. If i'm sitting next to the router 1080p plays fine. If I go to other rooms(even adjacent rooms) then it will stutter periodically. It really impairs one of the primary uses that I wanted the Transformer Prime for. As of now I use Plex to transcode to a smaller bitrate
Tempie007 said:
tried it , unfortunally no sound on most of my mkv's.
Dice player does a better job, way more codecs supported and equal network performance, rockplayer seems to build up a bigger buffer, at the beginning it may look like its more stable but after a while both are laging .. (high profile 1080)
what's up with all the lagging ? wifi performance not good enough or is the SOC not capable of streaming and decoding all at once? no problems from sdcard ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I've had the exact opposite impressions with Rockplayer having more HW decoding support. In any event, I'm stupid for not testing audio.
I've updated the first post based on discussions with the developers of Rockplayer, and will do a re-work of this guide focusing on both solutions once it is released and we can test.
Thanks,
Ben
I haven't tried Rockplayer. However, I get excellent results with Diceplayer. I stream all 720p and most 1080p .mkv using estrongs file explorer. Some 1080p will get lag. Just depends on the bit rate your 1080p video is encoded at, and your WIFI connection speed.
I actually just run an entire home PC with Win 7 Ultimate on it for my movie collection. I just RJ45 it right to my Wireless router. That way I can stream all of my movies to any device in my home. I have quite a few WDTV lives hooked up to all my tv's in my house. So it works out great.
Plus once in awhile If a 1080p video isn't playing well on my prime. I convert it using airvideo. I have airvideo server running on the Win 7 server. (those that have an ipad 2 that is) Have this option. You simply load airvideo on your ipad 2. Select the .mkv you want to convert to .m4v and add it to quere. Airvideo has all the conversion and bitrate methods built in the program. So I don't have to mess with jumping on Win 7 machine. Loading a conversion program and blah blah. I have yet to find an Android program that compares to Airvideo. If someone has suggestion let me know. (Yes, I have tried PLEX). Just can't beat the Live Conversion and simple conversion in Airvideo.
lollee76 said:
I have been using ES File explorer and it does help with the streaming. However, I have not gotten a streaming video to play thru the whole movie/show. Seems every 10 or 30mins (differs), it will quit playing. I've tried the same setup on my Galaxy Nexus and don't have issues. I guess I can try Rock Player. I guess no one else has this issue? I've seen it mentioned once or twice while reading the boards but no answers. I thought maybe it was on my end and somehow the wifi was dropping, but if it is...its not displaying it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i get the same thing happening to me randomly.
Using mx player and es file explorer, maybe 15 or 20 mins into watching, the player will just quit by itself. Doesnt happen always though, maybe twice for every 5 vids i play.
Erusman said:
I haven't tried Rockplayer. However, I get excellent results with Diceplayer. I stream all 720p and most 1080p .mkv using estrongs file explorer. Some 1080p will get lag. Just depends on the bit rate your 1080p video is encoded at, and your WIFI connection speed.
I actually just run an entire home PC with Win 7 Ultimate on it for my movie collection. I just RJ45 it right to my Wireless router. That way I can stream all of my movies to any device in my home. I have quite a few WDTV lives hooked up to all my tv's in my house. So it works out great.
Plus once in awhile If a 1080p video isn't playing well on my prime. I convert it using airvideo. I have airvideo server running on the Win 7 server. (those that have an ipad 2 that is) Have this option. You simply load airvideo on your ipad 2. Select the .mkv you want to convert to .m4v and add it to quere. Airvideo has all the conversion and bitrate methods built in the program. So I don't have to mess with jumping on Win 7 machine. Loading a conversion program and blah blah. I have yet to find an Android program that compares to Airvideo. If someone has suggestion let me know. (Yes, I have tried PLEX). Just can't beat the Live Conversion and simple conversion in Airvideo.
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I'm amazed you think going through all that is better than PLEX. With PLEX you just load the app and select the movie... Done. For bonus it also works when you're away from home and want to watch a movie even tethered through 3G
dalingrin said:
I'm amazed you think going through all that is better than PLEX. With PLEX you just load the app and select the movie... Done. For bonus it also works when you're away from home and want to watch a movie even tethered through 3G
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Well, I will try Plex again. I haven't tried it in awhile. Alot of movies I don't have any problem with. Its only the high bit rate 1080p mkv's. I know Plex does Live conversion as well. Perhaps they have improved it since I last used it. One feature i did think was cool with plex was how it catagorized your movie collection for you.
Erusman said:
Well, I will try Plex again. I haven't tried it in awhile. Alot of movies I don't have any problem with. Its only the high bit rate 1080p mkv's. I know Plex does Live conversion as well. Perhaps they have improved it since I last used it. One feature i did think was cool with plex was how it catagorized your movie collection for you.
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Click to collapse
Another nice thing about Plex is that you can choose not to do live transcoding and just stream the original video(silly wifi bandwidth allowing). But, that does bring me to my one complaint about Plex. You cannot directly stream the original video if it is mkv, it will always transcode.
In my experience:
If you want to avoid transcoding, then rooting + CIFS support really is the best, most efficient way, imho...plus, you're killing multiple birds with one stone, as file types not recognized by ES or other file explorers that support SAMBA, but which are supported by various apps on your tablet, will still work with whatever app you're using to interact with them.
Otherwise, this guide is good for playback without transcoding for some files. I'm able to stream some of my bluray and HD DVD rips (full bitrate mkv's with no down-sampling, de-rezzing, additional compression or detail removal) without transcoding, but high-bitrate titles such as The Empire Strikes Back hitch frequently. Don't know if that's a limitation of my wireless setup, tho).
On the transcoding side:
Emit free works fine. It's a little easier, imho, to set up remote file sharing that even Plex is, if you have to set up port forwarding manually on your router, as the instructions are pretty explicit about which ports it's using and how to get it set up. And, it's free.
Plex works fine, and cross-compatibility between Ipad and Android on the Plex server side, along with the cataloging, support for file types such as .wtv, and the channels concept, is pretty damn cool imho. You have to look around if your setup falls outside the norm as far as port forwarding manually is concerned, but if you don't experience issues, getting set up with a myPlex account for remote streaming is pretty straightforward. Transcoding looks pretty stellar if you can support anything above 4 mbps on your wireless, and it doesn't take a lot of CPU horsepower to do live streaming, either. I have an older AMD processor in my HTPC, and I stream 1080i .wtv files all day long to both my Prime and my wife's Ipad with no or extremely little stutter, and all my bluray rips play without issue. .WTV files can be played back while they're being recorded, and while watching something else on the HTPC, too...oh, and combine this with a Windows Media Center control app, and you can basically watch live tv on the Prime...just browse the guide, set a show to record, and you can watch it almost immediately in Plex, while it's recording.
Last, but not least, Splashtop THD or whatever the newer version is, actually works pretty damn well on my office rig, which is nvidia-equipped. .wtv files work as well, but you have to set your machine to open them by default in WMP instead of Windows Media Center.