Are you planning to use your PS3, Smart TV or smartphones to play media from your desktop computer? It’s actually wonderful that way as those devices are sure to give you a better multimedia experience than your desktop PC. Universal Media Server, built on the PS3 Media Server, will help you turn your desktop PC into a media server to stream content on DLNA compliant supported devices.
Configuring UMS:
To get started, download and install the freeware on your PC (tested on Windows 8). During the installation, you will be prompted to install AviSynth 2.6 MT, go ahead and click Yes. The graphical interface provided by the Universal Media Server is more comforting than other popular UPnP media servers for any average user.
First of all, you will need to take a look at the Navigation/Share Settings tab. This is where you will have to add folders to share with other devices. To add a folder, you need to use the folder icon at the bottom. A new dialog will open where you will be required to add folders that contains the files to be shared. You can also choose a drive as a whole.
Once you have added the folders to share, you will need to configure the HTTP settings and the network for your media streaming server. There are other options in this tab which controls several preferences to tune UMS to meet your needs.
The plugin management tab lets you install additional features with plugins like streaming music from services like Grooveshark, Google Music etc. Last but not the least, the Transcoding settings lets you control the file transcoding for proper playback on the rendered devices. If you are unsure of what it does, the default settings work just fine on most devices.
Supported Devices:
Supported devices are Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Bravia, Google Android, Freebox HD, Freecom MusicPal, Pioneer Kuro, Nokia N900, Philips Aurea, Philips Net TV, Yamaha RX-V671, OPPO blu-ray players, DirecTV HR, Popcorn Hour, Asus O!Play, Xtreamer, AC Ryan PlayOn!HD, Brite-view CinemaTube, Samsung televisions, Philips Streamium, Western Digital WD TV LiveXBMC Media Center, Boxee, LG Smart TV Upgrader, Samsung UPC Horizon and more.
One thing to be noted here is that your devices should be DLNA compliant else this freeware won’t work as expected.
Being a JAVA application, the freeware is available for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. The media server is powered by MEncoder, FFmpeg, tsMuxeR, AviSynth, MediaInfo and more. It supports all major audio and video file formats. Packed with advanced features the media server app promises a better experience than other similar tools. Follow this link to take a sneak peek at quick overview of features UMS provides compared to others.
On a concluding note, the easy installation and configuration UI of UMS sets it apart from other tools that only provide command line setup which is a little tricky for average Joes. Considering the wide range of supported file formats and devices, the tool is a one stop solution. For those who are willing to set up a desktop media server, UMS is definitely a choice to consider.
Download Universal Media Server for Windows 2.2.0
Soumen is the founder/author for Ampercent, a tech blog that writes on computer tricks, free online tools & software guides.
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