Linux mediacenter

Heya guys!

question for all you linux neckbeards sexy men out there. I'm looking into getting a file server up and running for my home media needs, I was thinking a ubuntu OS with some sort of media server to pitch video to my TV and in the future stream music to any device outside or inside my network.

I have been looking into subsonic currently but thought i would just throw this out there to see what people are doing. My ultimate goal is to get home, sit on my couch and pick and choose movies via my tablet and have it display movies. Also to stream music out to my car as I drive around cutting people off and parking badly.

Thanks in advance....

I use Plex for video, and Google Music for audio. (Well technically Google music isn't streaming from home, but their new instant mix feature is really good and 20,000 songs for free is a lot.)

Calling the people you need help from a derogatory term in the first sentence is probably not the best way to seek help.

Edwin wrote:

Calling the people you need help from a derogatory term in the first sentence is probably not the best way to seek help.

Tis but a joke! But I retract it if you are offended.....

If anyone can get Netflix running on a Ubuntu box (or raspbmc, but that's another thread), let me know. My firstborn may still be available.

Except the PlayOn hack. Skip that.

I'm not personally, but still probably not the best way to get help.

I use XBMCbuntu personally but in a different config you want. http://xbmc.org/

Been looking into XBMC and it appears this is for the front end. The back end is just a file server or NAS device. I also found in my research something called PLEX anyone got any exposure to this application?

So far it looks like my solution will be file server backend would be great for the TV in house needs. But so far short of subsonic there is no good external solution for pushing music out to the world securely.

I have a PLEX server set up and it works quite well. The only problem I have had is connecting it to an Xbox or PS3 loses the sweet GUI. That doesn't sound like it will be a problem for you, though.

Also, weren't XBMC and PLEX the same project at one time, or am I completely insane?

Also, also, I make sure to at least shave my neck when I let the beard run wild.

PLEX is a fork of XBMC.

Pharacon wrote:

Been looking into XBMC and it appears this is for the front end. The back end is just a file server or NAS device. I also found in my research something called PLEX anyone got any exposure to this application?

So far it looks like my solution will be file server backend would be great for the TV in house needs. But so far short of subsonic there is no good external solution for pushing music out to the world securely.

They're both front ends. The back end is whatever file structure you point it to, and a layer of SQL to keep it all straight.

The nice thing about PLEX is that the mobile app lets you stream to the device...the XBMC apps are just remotes. Useful, but not that useful.

There are a couple of other options.

1) Pogoplug. You can get one of the Pogoplug devices, use whatever spare external hard drives you have lying around, and stream to any PC or mobile device. I've got one of the ugly pink ones.

2) Owncloud. This is a pretty easy to set up personal cloud server that runs on just about every OS.....

3) Tonido. This is sort of somewhere in between Pogoplug, Plex, and a personal iCloud...depending on how you use it, and how much you want to pay to stream your files. Not sure why I would want to pay to stream files to myself, but there you go. It's an option.

4) You can also stream from Ubuntu One, for a nominal (ish) fee. If you're going to pay to play your own music, might as well pay Canonical.

Seth wrote:

If anyone can get Netflix running on a Ubuntu box (or raspbmc, but that's another thread), let me know. My firstborn may still be available.

Except the PlayOn hack. Skip that.

Being a while since I did that.. don't know if it still work.

To install on Ubuntu / Mint -
Start terminal

$ sudo apt-add-repository ppa:ehoover/compholio

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get install netflix-desktop

I am rocking

XBMC
Mythtv backend - Ceton Cablecar so I have DVR through xbmc
Sickbeard - good plugins for show management in xbmc

My old Dell Zino I used as a media server is dying. I've got a 2TB USB backup drive lying around so I've ordered a Raspberry Pi. Might look at RasPlex or some other option.

I have MediaTomb installed on the NAS device in my house. Very easy to set up for *nix, has worked flawlessly for years now. Does not give you many bells and whistles (no fancy frontend or whatnot) but does stream to any DLNA compliant device/client in the house and will transcode on the fly for different screen resolutions or bandwidth considerations (which is important as a lot of the streaming in our house happens over wifi)