Media Server for MyCloud: Plex, Twonky, or another one

Dear All,

I have MyCloud Gen2 single bay 2TB. I am newbie and no more experience in WD MyCloud.
I setup Plex Media Server on my PC, Windows 10, it’s some trouble like this:

  • Sometime, i crashed when i play movie about over 40 mins.
  • Check in MyCloud, i see DLNA has disable, can not be enable.
  • i must have restart my PC + restart MyCloud (unplug power core), it’s will run normally again.
  • I thinks it crashed when drive C lower, i resize more storage for drive C.
    (drive C has 60gb, free 20gb, when Plex run has free 5gb. I resize 20gb more for drive C)
  • … more testing… .

I had configed Twonky, but it’s very simple and… show everything when DLNA service enable.
So, Is it have another Media Server for MyCloud? Please help me.

Thanks so much,
Philip VN.

I would suggest you start by reading the following unofficial Twonky FAQ if you haven’t already. It helps get the most out of the My Cloud media server.

https://community.wd.com/t/faq-twonky-dlna-media-server-setup-use/95373

You didn’t mention or indicate what device or computer is streaming content FROM the Plex media server or from the My Cloud/Twonky media server? Generally you would use a computer or device to stream media FROM a media server. Were you using the Plex app on a mobile device or Roku type device or Plex Media Player for your PC?

How is your network set up? Using Gigabit networking from the My Cloud to the network router to the streaming device/computer or TV?

For streaming media from a My Cloud to a TV one can use Kodi on a Kodi supported device/computer.
https://kodi.tv/

Did you mean Plex Server on the PC, or Plex client?

Since you mention DLNA on the MyCloud, it sounds like you might be running a Plex client on the PC, accessing the Twonky DLNA media server.

(You may be running a Plex server on the PC, accessing the MyCloud as the data store associated with the server. In which case, as Bennor says, what Plex client are you running, and on what device?)

I’m sorry, but I don’t understand the bit in italics.

Thank @cpt_paranoia, @Bennor,

Sorry for my English, it’s not good to explain clearly.
I mean: Plex Media Server on My PC, Plex Client on LG TV 43UF690T and Plex Client on my Android Phone.
MyCloud has connected direct to ROUTER. On ethernet interface, port for MyCloud show: 1000M speed.

I usually play movie on TV and TV is not support Kodi, and Twonky is not start on TV. Plex is running well on TV. (about Twonky, I mean: i don’t know how to running it on my TV, is just shown DLNA device on TV)

By the way, i have 02 questions:

  1. Could i use MyCloud has… Hacked, because:
    • I’d bought MyCloud in May-2017, this device had replaced a last one that got in trouble: Blinking Blue LED.
    • On the last one, i installed Plex Media Server but it’d not run and after that, my device bricked.
    • Apps that i’d installed in the last one is: Transmission, Utility & Utility Extra, Plex.
  2. I have a HDD box 3.5" with USB3.0, using 1TB HDD WD Blue:
    • I want to join HDD box into MyCloud for extra storage. (MyCloud 2TB + HDD 1TB = 3TB sharing)
    • I have decided that: using a lot of storage in MyCloud for Movies+Musics, and a little HDD box for sharing MyCloud. (I mean: over 2TB for entertainment, and 500GB for data sharing on MyCloud)
    • And i can un-join 1TB HDD for removable device again if necessary.

So, can you help me to setup MyCloud like this?

Thanks for supporting me, @cpt_paranoia and @Bennor.
Philip VN.

Twonky doesn’t run on the TV.

Twonky is a DLNA media server. It can be accessed by any DLNA media client. I’m sure there will be a DLNA media client available for the TV.

For the Android phone, you can either user any DLNA media client app, or install Kodi and connect to the MyCloud SMB file server, or to the Twonky DLNA server. Kodi will run on the PC, too.

The basic, single-bay MyCloud does not officially support the installation of apps, such as Plex. So, installing Plex would be breaking the warranty.

You should be able to recover your first MyCloud; search the forums for ‘unbricking’ or ‘debricking’ guides.

You can attach a USB drive to the MyCloud for extra storage, and remove it when you need to. See the user manual for details on how to do this.

Twonky is just a media server. You would use a separate app (typically called a “DLNA client”) on your TV or mobile device to stream content from Twonky. If you have a “smart TV”, and it is connected to the same local network as the My Cloud, you can use the default DLNA media streaming app on the TV (most have a default app) to stream content from a DLNA media server like Twonky. Look through the apps on the TV and see which one supports playing media from a DLNA media server, then use that app to access the My Cloud.

For example if your LG TV supports DLNA then the following LG Support document may help in setting up the LG TV to access the My Cloud/Twonky:

http://www.lg.com/us/support/product-help/CT10000018-1427119656353-others

For the Twonky media server on the My Cloud to catalog media, it first needs to be enabled through the My Cloud Dashboard Settings section. Then you have to enable Media Serving on each Share that has media you wish to stream. If you haven’t done so already you may want to read through the My Cloud User Manual (https://support.wdc.com/product.aspx?ID=904) which explains how to enable the media server and enable media serving on Shares. The User Manual also explains how to connect a USB drive to the My Cloud’s USB port to expand the storage on the My Cloud (or use as a backup target for My Cloud Dashboard Safepoint / Backup).

If you are having a specific Plex issue then you should search through or post in the Plex support forums.

https://forums.plex.tv/

Thank @cpt_paranoia, @Bennor,

As you said, i checked LG Smart Share on TV, it’s just shown DLNA device as file manager when i turned DLNA service on.
I think Twonky Media Server look like Plex or Kodi Media Server when it’s start, but it’s not!

On my Android Phone, i had played my media by File Manager apps (ES File manager). i’ll try Kodi later.

I mean: MyCloud + HDD on HDD box join in 1 (2 become 1). When i transfer data over 2TB, storage of data will auto arrange in Extra Storage.
And when i need for flexible, HDD box become removable deivce again.
Is it can be to do !?

Thanks for your supporting, @cpt_paranoia and @Bennor.
Philip VN.

Twonky doesn’t ‘look like’ anything; it is a server. The appearance you get of the server is provided by the media client (LG Smart Share).

Kodi is a media player, not a media server. It can access either DLNA media servers, or SMB file servers (when it will create its own database).

Thanks @cpt_paranoia,

You make me clearly in Media Player about Kodi, Twonky and Plex.

On my opinion, Plex Media Server has Professional interface and manage media file clearly. It’s just some… crash and error when transcoding media file to my TV.
I think: one of some problem with Plex Media that i talk, will come from My PC run Plex Media Server: i3 3xxx, RAM 4GB, C drive has 30gb free.

Maybe i try Twonky DLNA Media Server with: LG Smart Share, and Kodi Media Player on my Android Phone.

Maybe, i will Hack again MyCloud, and should you suggest me some app to install MyCloud?
(except Plex Media Player has alway make MyCloud brick!)

The Plex media client does give a very pretty UI.

If you use Kodi to access an SMB file server, it can also provide a very pretty UI, by accessing various online media metadata sources, providing artwork and screen backdrops (it uses ‘scrapers’ to do this). If it accesses a DLNA server, it cannot use these scrapers, and has to rely on embedded artwork, so is not as pretty.

I do not like ‘smart TVs’, because they only have a limited set of apps they can run, and those apps are not maintained.

I prefer a ‘dumb TV’, and a cheap android media box to provide the smart bit. Then I can load and run whatever apps I want.

The MyCloud does not have media rendering facilities, so it can only ever run media server apps. If you want a pretty UI for your media player, nothing you load on your MyCloud will help. The pretty UI is provided by the client, running on TV, phone, tablet, media box, etc.

I would recommend getting a cheap android media box, connecting it to your TV, and using that to provide the ‘smart’ function, allowing you to use whatever media client you want. I would recommend Kodi, accessing MyCloud using SMB.

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It appears you may be a bit confused on what is going on with the My Cloud Twonky media server and with Plex or Kodi on your TV.

Twonky and the Plex Media Server are NOT the front end that you see on your TV. That front end image, or “look like” image that you see on your TV is provided by the client app on the TV not by the media server. The Plex TV client app looks like it does because the TV app was programmed to look that way. Same goes for the TV app that can access the DLNA Twonky media server on the My Cloud.

The bottom line is this. Can you stream media using the TV’s default (not Plex) DLNA media client app from the My Cloud? If you can then you will have to decide how important it is to have the pretty looking interface that Plex provides versus the typically dumbed down interface many smart TV basic DLNA clients provide.

Let me put this another way. You have two separate elements at work. The media server, Twonky or the PC running Plex media server. And then you have the client app on the TV that streams media from Twonky or the PC running Plex media server. They are two separate separate elements. The interface you see on your TV is the client app NOT the media server. The media server generally catalogs and streams the media to the client app on the TV.

Kodi isn’t a “media server” in the same sense that Twonky is, but rather a front end “app” or program you use to stream content to your TV from DLNA media servers like the Twonky server on the My Cloud.

If your TV has a default (again not Plex) app for streaming DLNA media then Plex isn’t needed since the My Cloud already has a DLNA media server built in (Twonky). What a Plex media server and its companion Plex TV app provide is a better looking front end interface/experience on the TV. The ability to “transcode” media from one format into another for streaming. The ability to add on “channels” to watch/stream additional content not found on the local network. And it provides other features. For simple streaming the default TV DLNA client app should be sufficient to stream supported media from the My Cloud without the need to use Plex.

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Thanks @cpt_paranoia, @Bennor so much,

As both of you said: Plex Media Server and Client have very pretty UI.
But Plex has spend so much resource of CPU, RAM, bandwidth for: transcode, sync and play on my TV.
When play a film on TV, Plex spent so much time to load data (about… 2-3 mins, sometime it’s crash!)

Kodi Client on my phone or my PC has run smoothly, faster than Plex, load media immediately.
But when i want to… Cast to my TV, i can’t do it!

So now, turn back to Twonky DLNA Server on my TV: faster with simple UI.
I’ve used LG Smart Share when play on HDD box. Until i’ve bought MyCloud, join to Community WD, I think WD will supply some Media Player that can be improve Interface of Player.

LG Smart Share has DivX Code on itself, just register on DivX website and then, enjoy!
Smart Share run so fast.
Compare MyCloud with LAN gigabit with USB3.0: maybe in LAN Giga run faster.
(Router see MyCloud is 1000M on LAN interface, ethernet of TV is 100M).

Once again, thank @cpt_paranoia and @Bennor for helping me.
Hope in the future, WD has app as Media Server for MyCloud. (MyCloud is 512mb RAM, it’s run so hard to transcode a media)

Philip VN.

The solution is to reencode the media file into a format supported by the TV’s DLNA client BEFORE you attempt to stream it to your TV.

For example I use Handbrake (https://handbrake.fr/) to reencode media that otherwise wouldn’t stream through the Roku’s I have connected to my TV’s. There are a number of other programs that will do the same, both free and paid.

There is no need for WD to create a DLNA client. There are numerous DLNA clients already available computers and mobile devices. If a TV’s DLNA client cannot properly stream supported content then chances are its a problem with that TV’s DLNA client. For example this subforum has numerous complaints from Samsung TV owners (https://community.wd.com/c/wd-software-mobile-apps/software-app-ideas) who have trouble streaming from the My Cloud. If you feel the need for WD to create a DLNA app then feel free to suggest they do so in the following subforums:

https://community.wd.com/c/personal-cloud-storage/cloud-ideas

https://community.wd.com/c/wd-software-mobile-apps/software-app-ideas

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Thanks for supporting me, @cpt_paranoia and @Bennor

Now i decide to use Twonky Media Server for my TV.
But now, i get some trouble in… Hack MyCloud. I make a new topic right here:

Can you help me!
Thank you so much,
Philip VN.

See my reply (and possibly others) reply in that post.