Okay i have my WDTVLIVE Hub wirelessly conntected to my PC and Laptop , but they only show up under ‘Media Server’
When i click on Network Shares, it says i do not have any.
So what is the difference between Network Shares and Media Server
And it does not allow me to stream MKV files… When i right click on other video files i have the "Play To: WDTVLIVEHUB’ option, but none of my MKV files show up in Windows media player when i view my Networked Shared folder to the HUB, and when i go into the folder that i am sharing with the hub, the play to option does not exist on the MKV files, mp3’s avi’s and pictures work fine though.
Is there some difference between network share and media server, and do i need to have it showing up as a network share in order to stream MKV’s to the HUB from my PC?
Can someone better explain this to me?
Network Shares use the SMB Protocol to actually CONNECT to the shared file system.
Media Servers employ the DLNA protocol family to stream MEDIA from a MEDIA SERVER to a MEDIA RENDERER.
In the latter case, Both the SERVER and the RENDERER must support the file type requested. (Hence why you can’t see MKVs… your server doesn’t support them by default. There’s other threads around here that explain how to add MKV functionality to a Windows box.)
SMB just gives a client device raw access to the computer’s file system. The computer (server) doesn’t give one flip about what the files inside are… that’s the Client’s concern.
If you need help with the fact that you can’t find your PCs, post over in the NETWORK section.
Well i have a very very very poor wireless connection
I get MAX transfer speeds when copying files to my PC to my HUB of like 900kb/s - 1.2MB/S
I have streamed small movie files such as DivX and BRips (700MB - 1.5MB) just fine without issue
But when i have attempted to Stream Blu Rays from the HUB back to my PC it skips badly and blatently cannot handle the stream.
So which one would give me the best transfer ability for streaming and such, would it work better as a media server or a network share ?
Would my only benefit from having it show as a network share be the streaming ability of MKV’s and other files in which the media server won’t work? Or what other benefits are gained from using as a Network Share and vice versa?
What the main reasons for which i would want my PC’s files showing under network share versus Media server/
and am i able to have it show under both?
Can i hvae my PC and Laptop’s files showing under MEDIA SERVER and showing under NETWORK SHARES?
so i would have the best of both worlds depending on exactly what i was trying to do?
If network share allows me to stream MKV’s then i would is it for that purpose, and if media sever allows for faster streams then i would use it for non-MKV’s
i just do not understand the difference fully, and u said look in the network section, i dont understand what u mean… what network section? i dont see any sort of sections on this site regarding the HUB?
Could u point me to the threads regarding adding MKV streams to a windows 7 machine, and how to make my PC show up under network shares?
1- Bandwidth is going to be an issue REGARDLESS of whether you use Media Server / Network Share. You’ll need to address that issue before you can reasonably expect reliable streaming either way.
2- *I* prefer to use Network Shares for my stuff; less fussy that way.
3- The primary advantage of MEDIA SERVERs is that some of them provide enhanced functionality; they offer different Views, Sorting, cataloging, categorization, etc.
4- Yes, you can use Network Shares AND Media Server functionality at the same time.
5- You’re right, the HUB section is for Hub-specific topics. The Network Section of the forum
http://community.wdc.com/t5/Networking/bd-p/wdtv_live_networking
is pretty much for any of them, since the networking functionality is almost identical across all the platforms.
I’m struggling to find those specific threads myself… I’ll keep looking.
Wow thanks alot for the quick answers, very informative and helpful.
