http://www.linuxformat.comROUNDUP Media streamers
http://www.techradar.com/pro/linux December 2019 LXF257 29Media streamers ROUNDUP
Plex 7/10
There’s no denying the utility and ease of
use of Plex Media Server. Unfortunately,
its business model gets in the way of
popularity. Many features which one would
normally expect from a media server, such
as streaming content to an Android
device, are severely restricted unless you
buy a subscription. Video playback is
limited to one minute if you opt to use the
Android device without purchasing a
monthly or yearly Plex Pass. Similarly, the
Live TV & DVR feature, freely available in
the other projects, is only offered to Plex
Pass subscribers.
It sports a slick interface, and unlike the
others makes it quite easy to access
online news channels, podcasts and web
shows, without having to manually hunt
for these yourself. This easy availability of
online content makes Plex an ideal choice
for users who don’t have a collection of
media files of their own.Kodi 9/10
In contrast to the other servers that each
provide a web interface to stream your
content, Kodi is a desktop environment in
itself. Another major difference between
Kodi and the others is that it isn’t designed
to stream media over the network. Instead,
it’s designed to play local content and
excels at organising different file types.
With a vast array of add-ons at its disposal,
you can quickly have Kodi perform on par
with the others.
One of the primary reasons for Kodi’s
popularity is its ease of use, and intuitive
interface. The ‘10-foot’ user interface
works well with traditional TVs as well as
projectors and and can be navigated using
a TV’s remote control.
While many projects support the use of
external subtitles with the media files, Kodi
can also be used to fetch these, and even
tags and other metadata for your audio
and other media files.Universal Media Server 8/10
As with Kodi and Plex, Universal Media
Server makes it quite easy to tweak
settings. But while the others let you do it
from the web interface itself, you must use
the administrative tool to make all
changes. While the web interface can be
accessed from any machine on the
network, the administrative interface runs
locally on the server. The panel is easy to
navigate and offers a number of helpful
tooltips, which is a practice that the other
servers would do well to adopt.
With the right configuration and plug-
ins, UMS can fetch artwork and other
metadata for your media files from online
sources, and also uses mplayer to create
thumbnails for your videos. Its biggest
drawback is the lack of a centralised plug-
in browser, which means you must troll
through the forum board to determine if
there’s a plug-in for a feature that you
might need.VERDICT
ou can use Kodi’s web interface to stream media from a
Kodi installation over the network to Chromecast,
AirPlay and other UPnP devices, in addition to devices
such as Intel NUC and Odroid among others. Gerbera similarly is
visible to all DLNA clients, including desktop applications such as
VLC, once the server is up and running.
The less-than-a-year-old Jellyfin doesn’t support as many
devices as Plex. Still, it works on most popular web browsers, and
even supports Chromecast when using Google Chrome. The apps
for Android, Android TV and Fire TV are still in beta, with more
apps and support for other devices and platforms to come.
Plex works with various devices such as tablets and smart TVs
from popular manufacturers such as LG, Roku TV, Samsung and
Sony. It also supports a large number of streaming devices such
as Amazon Alexa, Fire TV, Chromecast and Tivo as well as
gaming consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can
also configure it to stream to any DLNA compatible device, but
this setting isn’t enabled by default. Head into Settings > Server >Supported devices
Smartwatches and kitchen sink excepted.
Y
GERBERA 7/10
JELLYFIN 7/10
KODI 8/10PLEX 9/10
UNIVERSAL MEDIA SERVER 9/10DLNA in the web app to make the change. Unlike the other
projects, however, many of Plex’s features are only available to
Plex Pass subscribers. The monthly subscription costs you about
£4. You can get a yearly subscription for £32, while £95 will fetch
you a lifetime subscription.
Like Plex, Universal Media Server too can stream video, audio
or pictures to any DLNA-compatible device including consoles
such as the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. It also supports
many smart TVs and produces portable apps for iPhone and
Android devices.Choose between Kodi and UMS if you’re not looking to spend money on your
media server.2226Decmbr rb6c019Gb09aJlyf December 2019 LXF257 29
Media streamers ROUNDUP
Plex 7/10
There’s no denying the utility and ease of
use of Plex Media Server. Unfortunately,
its business model gets in the way of
popularity. Many features which one would
normally expect from a media server, such
as streaming content to an Android
device, are severely restricted unless you
buy a subscription. Video playback is
limited to one minute if you opt to use the
Android device without purchasing a
monthly or yearly Plex Pass. Similarly, the
Live TV & DVR feature, freely available in
the other projects, is only offered to Plex
Pass subscribers.
It sports a slick interface, and unlike the
others makes it quite easy to access
online news channels, podcasts and web
shows, without having to manually hunt
for these yourself. This easy availability of
online content makes Plex an ideal choice
for users who don’t have a collection of
media files of their own.Kodi 9/10
In contrast to the other servers that each
provide a web interface to stream your
content, Kodi is a desktop environment in
itself. Another major difference between
Kodi and the others is that it isn’t designed
to stream media over the network. Instead,
it’s designed to play local content and
excels at organising different file types.
With a vast array of add-ons at its disposal,
you can quickly have Kodi perform on par
with the others.
One of the primary reasons for Kodi’s
popularity is its ease of use, and intuitive
interface. The ‘10-foot’ user interface
works well with traditional TVs as well as
projectors and and can be navigated using
a TV’s remote control.
While many projects support the use of
external subtitles with the media files, Kodi
can also be used to fetch these, and even
tags and other metadata for your audio
and other media files.
UniversalMediaServer 8/10
As with Kodi and Plex, Universal Media
Server makes it quite easy to tweak
settings. But while the others let you do it
from the web interface itself, you must use
the administrative tool to make all
changes. While the web interface can be
accessed from any machine on the
network, the administrative interface runs
locally on the server. The panel is easy to
navigate and offers a number of helpful
tooltips, which is a practice that the other
servers would do well to adopt.
With the right configuration and plug-
ins, UMS can fetch artwork and other
metadata for your media files from online
sources, and also uses mplayer to create
thumbnails for your videos. Its biggest
drawback is the lack of a centralised plug-
in browser, which means you must troll
through the forum board to determine if
there’s a plug-in for a feature that you
might need.VERDICT
ou can use Kodi’s web interface to stream media from a
Kodi installation over the network to Chromecast,
AirPlay and other UPnP devices, in addition to devices
suchasIntel NUC and Odroid among others. Gerbera similarly is
visible to all DLNA clients, including desktop applications such as
VLC, once the server is up and running.
The less-than-a-year-old Jellyfin doesn’t support as many
devices as Plex. Still, it works on most popular web browsers, and
even supports Chromecast when using Google Chrome. The apps
for Android, Android TV and Fire TV are still in beta, with more
apps and support for other devices and platforms to come.
Plex works with various devices such as tablets and smart TVs
from popular manufacturers such as LG, Roku TV, Samsung and
Sony. It also supports a large number of streaming devices such
as Amazon Alexa, Fire TV, Chromecast and Tivo as well as
gaming consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can
also configure it to stream to any DLNA compatible device, but
this setting isn’t enabled by default. Head into Settings > Server >
Supported devices
Smartwatches and kitchen sink excepted.
Y
GERBERA 7/10
JELLYFIN 7/10
KODI 8/10PLEX 9/10
UNIVERSALMEDIASERVER 9/10DLNA in the web app to make the change. Unlike the other
projects, however, many of Plex’s features are only available to
Plex Pass subscribers. The monthly subscription costs you about
£4. You can get a yearly subscription for £32, while £95 will fetch
you a lifetime subscription.
Like Plex, Universal Media Server too can stream video, audio
or pictures to any DLNA-compatible device including consoles
such as the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. It also supports
many smart TVs and produces portable apps for iPhone and
Android devices.Choose between Kodi and UMS if you’re not looking to spend money on your
media server.