- Nov 04, 2016 Local media servers have gone out of style. Microsoft no longer makes Windows Home Server and is phasing out Windows Media Center. But there are still great solutions if you want to run a home media server and stream to all your devices. Sure, you could just connect a PC to your TV, but these provide convenient interfaces across all your.
- Download Air Media Server for macOS 10.7 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. Air Media Server is the server application required in order to use Air Media Center for iOS. Air Media Center is a multi-platform mobile media center that lets you effortlessly stream your music, videos and photos from your Mac or PC to your mobile device.
Cord cutting has come a very long way. It wasn't that long ago that cord cutters had to hunt around for solutions to very basic cord cutting problems. Now, the opposite is true: we have so many options for streaming, organizing, and casting content that the difficult part is actually deciding which one to use.
Plex Media Server. Plex Media Server is the software that allows you to stream your content to all of your devices, anywhere.
Witness the crowded field of media server programs, for example: you have Plex, Emby, PlayOn, and many more. There are ways to rig up Kodi as a server or to integrate these other servers into a Kodi environment. In short, if you want to make your local content available on multiple devices, you have a lot of options – too many, in fact.
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On this list, we're cutting through the confusion and naming the best media server applications. Use it as your guide – or take us to task in the comments if you disagree.
The Winner: Plex
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As far as stand-alone media server applications go, Plex is the clear winner. It's the most polished and user-friendly of the media server applications, which is a big advantage in a space that's crowded by clunky options that are only a few steps removed from their DIY origins.
Plex is easy to set up and easy to use, and it's quite effective. It's pushing the idea of a media server beyond the concept's power-user origins, and making media servers attractive to more casual cord cutters. But Plex is still quite powerful, and it offers the essential media server combination of local content streaming and “channels” full of streaming content from major networks. Like many of its competitors, it has a free version and a paid “premium” version, which is priced fairly and includes some solid features (like access to your content outside your local network).
Plex isn't perfect, of course – it still has too many channels that don't work on certain platforms, and idealists will note that it's not open source. It doesn't play that well with Kodi (Kodi fanatics, we have your best choice ranked at #2). But overall, the sum of Plex's advantages is greater than the sum of its disadvantages. It's leading the pack in the media server space.
The Runners-Up
Second Place: Emby
Emby splits the difference between Plex and the less polished media servers that make up the rest of our list. It offers more customization and – importantly – superb integration with Kodi, the best media center (but not the best media server) on the market.
Emby manages to offer all this customization and functionality without asking quite as much of its users as its DIY-leaning brethren. It's not quite as elegant as Plex, but it's much more user-friendly than Universal Media Center and the like. It has an awful lot in common with Plex, but it tweaks the formula to position itself as a bit more appealing to the DIY crowd.
Third Place: Serviio
Serviio is one of several media servers that takes advantage of DLNA interoperability to stream to a wide variety of platforms. It's a little less intuitive than Emby or Plex, but (unlike DLNA competitor PlayOn) can run servers on both Windows and Mac. If this one isn't for you, you could consider Universal Media Server (formerly PS3 Media Server), which is another DLNA media server with a loyal following.
The downside to Serviio is that it's far less user-friendly than Emby or Plex. It's still a good choice for the tech-savvy among us, but be prepared to get your hands dirty.
Fourth Place: Universal Media Server
Speak of the devil! We ranked Universal Media Server below Serviio because we thought its setup process was a little more of a hassle (to be honest, both are far more difficult to set up than Plex or Emby are). But really, Serviio and Universal Media Server are very similar, and they run neck-and-neck for the affections of the DLNA server crowd. Universal Media Server is the old PS3 Media Server, so fans of that product will want to continue on with this one.
Want to convert your Mac computer into an an amazing home theatre device? Looking for a feature-rich, highly customizable media center? There are only few options available in the market and you need to search them hard. Well, not this time as we have worked on the list and brought to you the 8 best media centers for Mac. Here are our tried and tested apps for an amazing home theatre experience. Many of them are free!
1. PLEX MEdia Server
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Plex Media Server is an amazing media center for Mac OS that really has great features that enables seamless streaming of media files on your home network. Additionally, the tool is also compatible with other front-end players like Kodi.
Plex Media Server helps you to find all your favorite media without any hassle. It is capable of transcoding TV recordings on basis of the device and network you’re using. Therefore, media will play effortlessly on your device. You can continue watching same videos on different devices using Plex. For instance, if watch a video on your home theatre and you continue watching it on another device like iPAD.
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Plex media Server has a DVR server and a inbuilt live TV. You can record live TV and watch it later on Plex.
2. Kodi Media Center (earlier known as XBMC)
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Kodi media Center is probably one of the best media centers in the list. Though, it’s bit complex to install the software, Kodi Media Center has got some amazing features.
Kodi was created as a media interface for Xbox console. further, it came out as a powerful media center for Mac OS X, Android, Windows and Linux. The software can majorly run all media file formats. The user interface of Kodi looks beautiful without any adjustments. Nevertheless, you can download different skins online that can be used modify the player according to your preference. Last but not the least, you can find several add-ons for Kodi media center which makes Kodi a must try software for users.
3. JRiver Media Center
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JRiver Media Center is a great media player that provides a ‘Jukebox’ style interface (iTunes). The application generally occupies the entire screen and is appropriate for HDTV. The software supports every codec, even the most recent one, and plays music with amazing sound quality. JRiver Media Center comes with YouTube, Hulu and Netflix services integrated. Hence, it is perfect for watching online videos. The software can be greta pick for you if you love playing formats like WAV, WM, ALAC, APE and FLAC files. You can use the trial version for free. JRiver Media Center for Mac costs $49.98.
4. Emby
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Emby is an amazing media center that centrally manages media files and allows you to play them using a front-end application. The software organizes your files in such way that you just few clicks to search and play them. Additionally, you organize media libraries for each family member. They can play and pause the videos according to their convenience from multiple devices. As Plex media Server, Emby also has an inbuilt live TV where you can record live TV and watch it later. Again, you can get the Emby add-on for Kodi player.
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5. SageTV
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SageTV is another great software that has been created to enhance the television viewing experience. It’s now acquired by Google.
SageTV is an cutting-edge software that enables you to manage your media center from various devices. However, the team-up with Google has exposed them to a much larger audience worldwide. The tool is reaching more devices and different platforms. We are sure that SageTV is going to make it large in the world of online entertainment in near future.
6. Freevo
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Though Freevo was designed primarily for Linux, it runs smoothly on Mac OS X. it’s an media center tool that integrates PVR/DVR functionality with music, home automation, gaming, video etc. The tool is created in Python language (a powerful programming language) and embeds powerful players like vlc, xine, and mplayer.
Freevo is a cross-platform software that watches & record TV simultaneously, supports multi-tuners, and play and copy DVDs. It plays all formats supported by xine, vlc and mplayer. You can watch movie trailers, fetch video info., backup audio CDs, and play audio formats like mp3, Wav, Ogg and even Flac. With Freevo, you can listen to internet radio, read news, play games and even control your home equipments like sockets, lights etc.
You can also import and look at photos from a digital camera through Freevo. Freevo is undoubtedly a perfect HTPC software for Mac computers.
7. Myth TV
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We have another amazing open-source software in the list which is called MythTV. It is a free DVR and media center that manages music collections, videos, and image files and also updates you about weather through its user interface. MythTV can be converted into a HTPC suite with the help of its plugin.
MythTV can watch and record TV like any other media center. It can pause, resume, rewind and skip live TV shows and entirely automate commercial detection or skipping. It cleverly schedules records to avoid collision in operations. MythTV has the ‘parental control’ feature that keeps away kids from the shows for grown ups. You can tune in to your favorite music collection and watch DVDs. You can control many operations remotely with the help of your web browser.
In a nutshell, MythTV is loaded with many features that you will love for sure.
8. Boxee
Ps3 Media Servers For Mac
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Boxee like Kodi media center, is a XBMC based media center which is developed by D-Link. It was designed for Boxee Box. Boxee has many features like an inbuilt browser, basic architecture and high quality video streaming.
Free Media Servers For Mac
One of the best (may be annoying for few users) is that it will buffer the video until the software knows that the user can watch the video without interruption. Hence, you can watch videos without any hiccups even with slow internet connection. Boxee has apps like Navi-X Remix, YouTube and Netflix. With these amazing apps, you can watch almost any video on the Internet. You can also browse the Xtreme Media Portal by Navi which contains a vast quantity of user-provided video content.
Boxee can smoothly integrate with social network like YouTube Facebook and Twitter. You can find feeds on the left side of Boxee’s panel. Short and sweet, Boxee provides an elegant social experience.
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Therefore, you can choose any media center software from the list provided above. Your selection should be based on your requirements. Hope you choose the right software and enjoy the experience.
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