Stream anything to any device over a home network "catch-all" thread.

MyPlex keeps you from having to open or route ports. It acts as an intermediary so your server(s) and clients can find each other.

LouZiffer wrote:

MyPlex keeps you from having to open or route ports. It acts as an intermediary so your server(s) and clients can find each other.

OK, I had routed the port anyways. It just wouldn't let me authenticate (user denied) type error until I signed into MyPlex on the server. Then everything worked OK. I'm going to test remote streaming to a Roku this weekend.

It just wouldn't let me authenticate (user denied) type error until I signed into MyPlex on the server.

That would be enough to keep me off that service. That strikes me as more than a little against your interests.

Malor wrote:
It just wouldn't let me authenticate (user denied) type error until I signed into MyPlex on the server.

That would be enough to keep me off that service. That strikes me as more than a little against your interests.

MyPlex isn't necessary for LAN access. It's necessary to control WAN access to the server though. That's simply how it works unless you're going to VPN into your home network and access it via the tunnel. The server will automatically deny anything from outside unless it's authenticated with your Plex credentials.

The server will automatically deny anything from outside unless it's authenticated with your Plex credentials.

Which is not necessary, and is not in your interest.

Malor wrote:
The server will automatically deny anything from outside unless it's authenticated with your Plex credentials.

Which is not necessary, and is not in your interest.

It is necessary unless you use A VPN, or another solution. As far as being in your interest, feel free to make your privacy case, but please speak for yourself.

There is no reason to require an external authentication with someone else's server in order to give you access to your own server in your own house.

If they're offering an extra service, like a dynamic DNS registration or something, then you could opt into that: at that point the registration makes sense.

But it absolutely does not if you're just trying to connect to your own machines. Requiring an account and email is for the benefit of the Plex people, not you.

Indeed it is partially for their benefit. Plex sells and controls access to their Plex Pass subscription service (which has a lifetime option) based on that. It also allows you to share content with friends who have IDs on their service, and remotely control a pool of clients and servers with ease. You can define IP ranges which can remotely access your server. However, there is no built in authentication method outside of MyPlex. A VPN is a much better option IMO.

I'm quoting Manta173 from the Steam Box thread;

manta173[/url]]This is the Steambox* I want. I will buy one as soon as it comes out.

*Not actually a Steambox, just the hardware capabilities and cost I am interested in.

I think I can finally shut down my main computer down and have Plex running 24/7 in this little gem.
I haven't built my own PC for at least 6 years, so I'm of touch with components and their respective reputation;

Dimensions; 4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"
Processor (CPU+GPU) Celeron 2955U;
2 core / 2 threads
1.4 GHz
Celeron HD (shaders: 200 MHz / DDR transfer: 1000 MHz)
Memory; 2-sticks DDR3, 2 GB
Storage; 16 GB SSD (M.2)
Connectivity
10/100/1000 Ethernet
dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n
BlueTooth 4.0
I/O + Readers;
SD card reader
4 x USB 3.0
1 x HDMI
1 x DisplayPort
1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)
Power;
Max (supply): 65 W
Avg. Draw: ~15 W

IMAGE(http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/ASUS_Chromebox_Top_Down_Wide.jpg)
IMAGE(http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/ASUS_Chromebox_Back_Wide.jpg)

Any concerns?

Hobbes2099 wrote:

Processor (CPU+GPU) Celeron 2955U;
2 core / 2 threads
1.4 GHz
Storage; 16 GB SSD (M.2)

Any concerns?

Left in the parts that give me pause. The storage is very low for a media server, unless you are planning to hook up external storage via USB 3. Also, I wonder if that CPU has sufficient horsepower for transcoding work - PlexSync (if you have PlexPass) can really chew up CPU cycles.

Well, that's a 15 watt processor, which is great, but it's only 1.4GHz, and doesn't have a ton of cache. And they're not very clear about the graphic capabilities.

That would probably work pretty well if you can get your videos in a format that the hardware can decode, but I don't think it would have enough juice for onboard transcoding from a format the hardware didn't understand.

If you're looking for a dynamite little CPU, the Pentium G3220 is awesome... it's $50 many places, half the cost of that Celeron, and it's fast as hell. You could buy that chip plus a cheap motherboard for about what you'd spend on the Celeron, and it would be much, much faster.

It is, however, 54 watts, which is much more of a cooling issue than just 15.

That is my literal setup right now; 3.0TB USB3 external HDD.

Malor wrote:

If you're looking for a dynamite little CPU, the Pentium G3220 is awesome...

I'm starting to remember why I got out of the PC upgrade race.

The ASUS site has a bit more detail;

Intel® Core™ i7-4600U Processor (optional sku in selected markets)
Intel® Core™ i3-4010U Processor
Intel® Celeron™ 2955U Processor

I'll go ahead and be the first to admit that an i7 might be a bit of overkill.

I'm looking for something I can plugin, configure Plex in 10 minutes and forget what hardware is running on the inside; at least for the next couple of years.

quick Google search gave back this from CPU Boss and this from CPU World.

Just need to know how much the price hike will be.

That Chromebox looks great. The i3 version wills ell for $180. If the i5 sells for $200 or $250 that could be worth it for a dedicated Plex server.
Add a 3 TB drive for the collection. I didn't know Plex was available for Chrome OS.

groan wrote:

Add a 3 TB drive for the collection. I didn't know Plex was available for Chrome OS.

It isn't.
Dual boot with Ubuntu and you're set to go.

groan wrote:

That Chromebox looks great. The i3 version wills ell for $180. If the i5 sells for $200 or $250 that could be worth it for a dedicated Plex server.

No, the Celeron model will run you $180. The i3 will be more, there's no i5 version announced, and the i7 version will not be sold in North America, only abroad.

Alternatively, you could also build your own with a BOXDCCP847DYE, 2GB RAM, and the smallest mSATA drive you can stomach (or just boot from USB flash). Before storage it clocks in around $170, and you won't have to tiptoe around the ChromeOS setup.

Kurrelgyre wrote:
groan wrote:

That Chromebox looks great. The i3 version wills ell for $180. If the i5 sells for $200 or $250 that could be worth it for a dedicated Plex server.

No, the Celeron model will run you $180. The i3 will be more, there's no i5 version announced, and the i7 version will not be sold in North America, only abroad.

Alternatively, you could also build your own with a BOXDCCP847DYE, 2GB RAM, and the smallest mSATA drive you can stomach (or just boot from USB flash). Before storage it clocks in around $170, and you won't have to tiptoe around the ChromeOS setup.

Kurrelgyre. Keeping it real.

(Thanks. I'll need to build something smaller than my current desktop for use on our RV adventures sometime in the future. Good to see another option on the table.)

Ah yes, I missed the Celeron tier.
Thanks for the heads up.

LouZiffer wrote:

Thanks. I'll need to build something smaller than my current desktop for use on our RV adventures sometime in the future. Good to see another option on the table.

I'd be remiss if I didn't admit overlooking the i3-based NUC being its cheapest price ever on Amazon right now, $16 over the Celeron NUC mentioned earlier.

What would the functional requirements be for RV adventures?

Kurrelgyre wrote:
LouZiffer wrote:

Thanks. I'll need to build something smaller than my current desktop for use on our RV adventures sometime in the future. Good to see another option on the table.

I'd be remiss if I didn't admit overlooking the i3-based NUC being its cheapest price ever on Amazon right now, $16 over the Celeron NUC mentioned earlier.

What would the functional requirements be for RV adventures?

For something usable in an RV we're living in full time (which is our goal): Plays Minecraft and many other games smoothly on at least lowest settings. Can act as a local Plex server. Takes up very little space, and can potentially be attached/stowed somewhere out of the way. I might do multiple display and audio outputs as well (mirrored, not split).

I can work from anywhere and we home school the kids. The only things stopping us are research (in progress) and getting rid of our house, van, and stuff.

Well, if you went mini-ITX, you could have an actual graphic card in it. The teeny computers you're thinking about here are about the size of a paperback book, easy to store in an RV, but they're very weak graphically. If you can devote, hmm, I guess about the size of two lunchboxes, plus a screen, you can run basically anything that's out.

I'm not real fond of the teeny computers, because cooling is harder, and they tend to be louder than larger machines, but if there's a genuine need for a small computer, you can get more bang for your buck that way. You'll be paying desktop prices, and getting desktop reliability, instead of paying the laptop premium and suffering with their inherently fragile nature, or buying one of these little appliances, which are really only good for video.

My mother's RV has some space on either side of the large bed in the back. If yours ends up being similar, I think you could easily store a screen during travel in either of those two fairly narrow areas, and then probably stick the computer itself either in the under-bed storage, or in one of the nearby cabinets.

Of course, there may be some method of having a flat screen already mounted in the RV itself; my mother's was made in the era of CRTs.

These days RVs come with at least one modern/current TV installed, and plenty of mounting options for more screens. Low power usage is definitely something to consider. I do plan on building a Technomadia-ish power bank which will be topped off by a couple of collapsible solar panels, but that'll be a ways on down the line.

ITX has been on my list but when I see a potential energy efficient option which can still do some gaming, it's worthy of being on there too.

Oh, wow, if you're trying to be energy-independent, that changes the calculus completely. I was assuming you'd just plug in somewhere.

After getting far too frustrated with Plex (shows not resuming from pause, completely unusable FF, not seeing all my files), I switched over to Serviio and so far its been GREAT! Sees all my files, sees them when I drop them in the folder, pauses and FF great, it's a huge improvement over the experience I was getting with Plex for my in home streaming.

I've been using serviio as well and like it a lot. Best one I've tried.

Infyrnos wrote:

After getting far too frustrated with Plex (shows not resuming from pause, completely unusable FF, not seeing all my files), I switched over to Serviio and so far its been GREAT! Sees all my files, sees them when I drop them in the folder, pauses and FF great, it's a huge improvement over the experience I was getting with Plex for my in home streaming.

are you using Plex as DLNA? on what system?
I have a PS3; and while it's not flawless, I find it more than serviceable.

Hobbes2099 wrote:
Infyrnos wrote:

After getting far too frustrated with Plex (shows not resuming from pause, completely unusable FF, not seeing all my files), I switched over to Serviio and so far its been GREAT! Sees all my files, sees them when I drop them in the folder, pauses and FF great, it's a huge improvement over the experience I was getting with Plex for my in home streaming.

are you using Plex as DLNA? on what system?
I have a PS3; and while it's not flawless, I find it more than serviceable.

me too. pausing doesn't always allow you to unpause it with some files.

Hobbes2099 wrote:
Infyrnos wrote:

After getting far too frustrated with Plex (shows not resuming from pause, completely unusable FF, not seeing all my files), I switched over to Serviio and so far its been GREAT! Sees all my files, sees them when I drop them in the folder, pauses and FF great, it's a huge improvement over the experience I was getting with Plex for my in home streaming.

are you using Plex as DLNA? on what system?
I have a PS3; and while it's not flawless, I find it more than serviceable.

Yep, DLNA to a ps3, a 360, to other computers. All had way too many issues. The consoles had issues with the pause and ff. The computer worked ok in the web interface, but still had issues with the plex itself not seeing new files until i stop / start the service, not seeing some files at all.

Serviio just works, pause / ff works great, it sees all files as soon as I drop them in the folder, it sees and plays all files. I'll take 'just works' over serviceable (and in my case frustrating) any day.

OK, I'm going to preface this with the statement "I am an idiot" and "thank you in advance for tolerating my stupid questions".

I have lots of hard drives cluttering up my desktop. I have a WiFi router, and I run OSX on my main computer, but dual boot into Win7 from time to time.

I want to be able to stream to my iPad(s) (via WiFi), my 360 (via ethernet), my PS3 (via ethernet cable), and a new 360, via WiFi.

So far, the iPads are happy with VLC streamer, the 360 picks up my files via Rivet when under OSX, and Windows Media Centre (?) when running Windows. The PS3 can see the Mac quite happily too.

The main problem is, I have to have my main computer on for these options to work. I would like to see these files, and stream to the various devices WITHOUT having to turn on my computer.

Can I just plug in a Hard Drive to one of the USB ports on my router, or do I need a NAS device (like this one) to be able to do this kind of thing.

Also, what is the difference between a NAS device, and a 'normal' HDD? (told you there would be some stupid questions).

Thanks in advance.

A NAS is network-attached storage, the combination of hard drive(s) and enough components and software to make its contents accessible over a network. If your router has USB ports meant for handling hard drives, that means it's built to also function as a NAS server. Typically, though, it means reformatting the drives to suit the server.

Kurrelgyre wrote:

A NAS is network-attached storage, the combination of hard drive(s) and enough components and software to make its contents accessible over a network. If your router has USB ports meant for handling hard drives, that means it's built to also function as a NAS server. Typically, though, it means reformatting the drives to suit the server.

Cool, so I might just be able to wing it. Will do a few tests with a USB stick to see how the system works.

The router is an ISP branded Belkin, so I'm guessing the Belkin Website will be first port of call. I could quite easily reformat one of the drives around here, and although I wouldn't have the local redundancy coverage of a RAID NAS drive, I can offset that with a CrashPlan Subscription. Thanks for the info Kurrelgyre, I'll give it a go.