26 LXF257 December 2019 http://www.linuxformat.comROUNDUP Media streamers
Shashank
Sharma
By day Shashank
is a New Delhi trial
lawyer, but by
night he’s an open
source vigilante!WE COMPARE TONS OF STUFF SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO!
Gerbera Jellyfin Kodi Plex
Universal Media Serverust as a file server acts as a central
repository doling out files to
connected devices on a network,
the role of a media server is to provide
centralised access to your collection of
videos, music and pictures. The modern
solutions, such as the ones featured in this
Roundup, are also capable of serving
podcasts, connecting to live TV and even
schedule recordings of your favourite
programmes – and more.
Many of the modern media servers feature
a ‘10-foot’ user interface, making them ideal
for connecting to large-screen displays and
projectors. In addition to providing an intuitivedisplay, these interfaces can also be
controlled using remote devices, and many
even have apps for Android devices that can
be used for the same purpose.
These projects can play multimedia in
virtually all formats. While the default setup
will suffice for most users, they are highly
customisable and can be used to set up
multi-user accounts. This is helpful if, for
instance, you want to set up a form a parental
control limiting the type of content your
children have access to. Depending on your
requirements, and whether you’re interested
in paying a premium fee for some features,
you’re sure to find a good fit here.Media streaming servers
Eager to set up your own media server, but can’t decide between the myriad
choices? Shashank Sharma shows you what to look for...
With any one of the projects
featured in this Roundup, you
could easily turn your old
machine into a media server.
More importantly, media
servers don’t necessarily
need vast amounts of RAM or
computing prowess. These are
needed only your media files
are in a non-standard file
format, and require on-the-fly
transcoding. While a graphics
card is an added bonus, the
lack of one, or reliance on a
lesser graphics card, wouldn’t
be a bother if you have a
2GHz dual-core machine
with 4GB RAM.
We’re looking for a project
that doesn’t make users want
to perform a ritual sacrifice to
complete installation. It’s also
important to have a friendly
user interface and plenty of
documentation to help make
sense of just how to set up a
server. We’ll also award bonus
points if the project provides
additional functionality with
the use of plug-ins.Roundup
J
HOW WE TESTED...
26 LXF257December 2019 http://www.linuxformat.comShashank
Sharma
BydayShashank
isaNewDelhitrial
lawyer,butby
nighthe’sanopen
sourcevigilante!WE COMPARE TONS OF STUFF SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO!
Gerbera Jellyfin Kodi Plex
UniversalMediaServerust as a file server acts as a central
repository doling out files to
connected devices on a network,
theroleof a media server is to provide
centralised access to your collection of
videos, music and pictures. The modern
solutions, such as the ones featured in this
Roundup, are also capable of serving
podcasts, connecting to live TV and even
schedule recordings of your favourite
programmes – and more.
Many of the modern media servers feature
a ‘10-foot’ user interface, making them ideal
for connecting to large-screen displays and
projectors. In addition to providing an intuitivedisplay, these interfaces can also be
controlled using remote devices, and many
even have apps for Android devices that can
be used for the same purpose.
These projects can play multimedia in
virtually all formats. While the default setup
will suffice for most users, they are highly
customisable and can be used to set up
multi-user accounts. This is helpful if, for
instance, you want to set up a form a parental
control limiting the type of content your
children have access to. Depending on your
requirements, and whether you’re interested
in paying a premium fee for some features,
you’re sure to find a good fit here.Media streaming servers
Eager to set up your own media server, but can’t decide between the myriad
choices? Shashank Sharma shows you what to look for...
With any one of the projects
featured in this Roundup, you
could easily turn your old
machine into a media server.
More importantly, media
servers don’t necessarily
need vast amounts of RAM or
computing prowess. These are
needed only your media files
are in a non-standard file
format, and require on-the-fly
transcoding. While a graphics
card is an added bonus, the
lack of one, or reliance on a
lesser graphics card, wouldn’t
be a bother if you have a
2GHz dual-core machine
with 4GB RAM.
We’re looking for a project
that doesn’t make users want
to perform a ritual sacrifice to
complete installation. It’s also
important to have a friendly
user interface and plenty of
documentation to help make
sense of just how to set up a
server. We’ll also award bonus
points if the project provides
additional functionality with
the use of plug-ins.Roundup
J
HOW WE TESTED...