Mediatomb.
There are several media servers on the market that work well with TVs and PlayStation 3’s. I prefer MediaTomb, a uPnP-compliant server, because it is simple to install and configure. MediaTomb works flawlessly with my WD TV Live, and allows me to stream video (mostly AVI files), audio (mostly AAC files with .m4a extensions), and photos from my server to my TV.
The MediaTomb daemon will start automatically after installation.
To lock MediaTomb to a single port, simply edit the XML configuration file.
Find the <name> element in the configuration file. (You can rename its contents if you wish to. Personally, I don’t like the word “tomb” displayed on my TV, so I rename the service “MediaServer”.) Underneath the element, insert an element, as follows:
Now MediaTomb will be locked down to port 49152. You can now set up your firewall to allow traffic on that port.
MediaTomb’s sparse web user interface will appear. You will want to click on the Filesystem link, then browse the file system tree to find your media folder. Click on the media folder you wish to add, then click the icon that looks like a plus sign with two sync arrows, as in (+). This button calls up a form that allows you to add that folder to the media library, and set up automatic updating.
Set the scan mode to Inotify, the initial scan to Full, and check the Recursive checkbox. Then click Set, and you have added the folder. MediaTomb will scan the folder for media files to serve. Because we selected the Inotify scan mode, MediaTomb will monitor this folder tree for file changes, and update the media library accordingly. This allows you to add and remove media using Samba or the command line.
Repeat this process for each media folder on your server. Note that Inotify will not work with media served from remote file shares; you will need to set scanning to a timed interval.
Note: It is possible to add media via the command line, but it does not work well for the packaged Ubuntu install.
Had no problem connect with VLC on the desktopn and an adfoid application form a touchpad.
Install MediaTomb
MediaTomb is simple to install on Ubuntu Server because a Debian package for it is in the repositories. To install MediaTomb, simply install the mediatomb package.$ sudo apt-get install mediatombThe MediaTomb daemon will start automatically after installation.
Configure Port Number
By default, MediaTomb will pick the first available port starting with 49152. When restarting the server, it may pick a different port, such as 49153. I prefer to lock MediaTomb down to a certain point, so my bookmarks for the web interface are always correct, and so I can set firewall and networking rules consistently.To lock MediaTomb to a single port, simply edit the XML configuration file.
$ sudo nano /etc/mediatomb/config.xmlFind the <name> element in the configuration file. (You can rename its contents if you wish to. Personally, I don’t like the word “tomb” displayed on my TV, so I rename the service “MediaServer”.) Underneath the element, insert an element, as follows:
<port>49152</port>Save the configuration file, and restart the service.
$ sudo service mediatomb restartNow MediaTomb will be locked down to port 49152. You can now set up your firewall to allow traffic on that port.
Add Media Files to MediaTomb’s Library
MediaTomb needs to be told where your media files reside in order to serve them. For simplicity, I prefer to keep all my media files in one folder tree, with high-level subfolders corresponding to media type. My media folder tree is within my home directory; your media may be spread out over your hard drive. MediaTomb doesn’t really care; you simply need to add each folder your media is in to the media library.- media
- movies
- music
- photos
- tv
Add Media to MediaTomb
To add my media folder to MediaTomb, I use MediaTomb’s web interface. I point my browser to my server’s IP address, plus the port it is running on, as follows: http://serverip:49152.MediaTomb’s sparse web user interface will appear. You will want to click on the Filesystem link, then browse the file system tree to find your media folder. Click on the media folder you wish to add, then click the icon that looks like a plus sign with two sync arrows, as in (+). This button calls up a form that allows you to add that folder to the media library, and set up automatic updating.
Set the scan mode to Inotify, the initial scan to Full, and check the Recursive checkbox. Then click Set, and you have added the folder. MediaTomb will scan the folder for media files to serve. Because we selected the Inotify scan mode, MediaTomb will monitor this folder tree for file changes, and update the media library accordingly. This allows you to add and remove media using Samba or the command line.
Repeat this process for each media folder on your server. Note that Inotify will not work with media served from remote file shares; you will need to set scanning to a timed interval.
Note: It is possible to add media via the command line, but it does not work well for the packaged Ubuntu install.
Enabling Web Interface
MediaTomb provides a web interface to help with configuration. To enable:
<ui enabled="yes" show-tooltips="yes">
With any changes to the configuration file, the MediaTomb service will need to be restarted for them to take effect.
Allowing Accounts
As of version 0.12.1 to be able to 'Login', it appears like having accounts enabled now is mandatory. To do this change:
<accounts enabled="no" session-timeout="30">to yes. Here you can change the password too. However since MediaTomb only runs on a local network you may want to consider whether privacy is an issue. Default login/password is: mediatomb/mediatomb.
Connect to your Server
You will need to port foward 49152 on your router. After setting up the server and adding media to it, you are essentially done. Your front-end device should automatically discover MediaTomb on the network. XMBC and VLC work well with Mediatomb.Had no problem connect with VLC on the desktopn and an adfoid application form a touchpad.
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