Setup Guide

As mentioned in the hardware section, as the shift to processing power shifts away from the server to the individual devices, the simplest solution on the server is to set it up as a file server (see this section) and create a share for your media files.

If your devices are not yet ready to decode on their own then this is where consumer class Windows systems gain an advantage. Windows Media Player that comes with nearly all versions of Windows, and obtainable on Windows Server has a built in sharing feature that allows raw streaming to devices. Examples that I have that uses this is the Xbox 360 and my now ageing Sony Bravia TV that both only accept a streaming server and no file browsing capabilities.

To start media streaming froma sever, obtain the latest supported version of Windows Media player for the operating system and install.

Windows Media player will automatically add media found in local user directories into its library, if the media is not stored here, click the downward arrow below library and choose Add to Library.

Click the add button and choose what folders to be included in the library.

Next its time to start sharing, switch on all devices that are going to be streamed to, this will make them visable to Windows Media player.

Click on the down arrow under Library and click Media Sharing.

The Media Sharing window displays all hardware available to Media Player

Select a device to share to and click Allow.

On the allowed device, dependant on the setup, navigate to Sharing, Streaming or Media section and the server name should show, select this and content added to Media Player's library will be available.