Database Users

Stream video from PC --> android

since i sold my iphone to buy a desire there has only been one thing that i have missed having. and that is being able to stream video content from my pc over my home wifi network onto my phone. i did this with an app called air video on the iphone. it converted all video while streaming it so i could play my divx videos from pc onto my phone anywhere in range of my wifi network without having to convert them first.
is there anything that lets me do this for android?

Gmote 2.0 will do this for you
Be warned need to have the right player for the file extension.
i.e. cant play .avi files as android doesnt have a good player etc..

I do this using stock apps on my phone, and a simple webserver on the other end.
I've done this with relative ease...
Any modern webserver with directory browsing enabled (IIS7/Apache)
Ability to modify/add content types within the webserver
Local cache of h264 or 3gp media (i.e. streamable)
Browse to movie using any browser on your Desire and stream over WiFi
** Addition **
IIS7 (possible with Apache as well)
ICYBOX IB-NAS4220B (Any SMB/NFS/CIFS NAS Box will work)
Directory browsing enabled
Symbolic Link (Virtual Directory) to NAS box share over LAN
Browse to movie using any browser on your Desire and stream over WiFi
If you need a hand attempting this, chuck me a PM...
p.s. If you're running a windoze box, then you have IIS already.

use TVersity on your computer..and then you can just point your phone to the given IP address..save it as a bookmark in your phones browser... or shortcut

Phil750123 said:
Gmote 2.0 will do this for you
Be warned need to have the right player for the file extension.
i.e. cant play .avi files as android doesnt have a good player etc..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rockplayer will play AVI

use androstream or vlc stream and convert

Well the best and easiest way i figured out, was making the movie folder accessible to the Network and connect to the folder through the Cifsmanager. As player I use pLayer, which is really the best player for Android.

You could always try VLC-Shares.
It does have a fair amount of setup though.
http://code.google.com/p/vlc-shares/

This might be dead already, but try Vplayer.

As affmalg, CifsPlayer, then browse your network files as if they were on your phone = so simple

Use Opera Unite with Stream Media add-on ... works on Windows and Linux and streams everything as flash ... work really good on my HTC Desire

http://www.plexapp.com/
I liked the look of this and downloaded the PC side of it to realise that all I wanted do was access my photos in a nice graphical interface. Upon setting up this is for movies only...
Unless someone can confirm otherwise, the android app side of it costs approx £2.99

thank you very much. i know im in the wrong place (same goal, gtab 10.1) but gmote worked beautifully. even loaded up the built in subtitles when i played with moboplayer.

TheRavenGod said:
Use Opera Unite with Stream Media add-on ... works on Windows and Linux and streams everything as flash ... work really good on my HTC Desire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds interesting. I'm going to test it soon.
Thanks for the hint..

http://www.appbrain.com/app/littleplayer/fr.mydedibox.littleplayerpro
works like a charm, it's awesome and simple.

Not sure if this has been recommended. I saw a gadget called Wireless Media Stick that can help you with this.
Go here hsti.com/stick/
The won recently in Electronics Expo and is now running a limited time $20 discount promo on their product. Check them out.

Hello,
Install a samba server on your pc.
On the mobile use cifs and local player like "arcmedia" or my favorite "moboplayer"
Simple and faster. I use it often
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App

I'm using VLC (H.264+MP4)+port forwarding+VPlayer for streaming analoge TV channels. Works fine

Gmote 2.0 and the arcMedia player works very well for me. It's a painless install and set up procedure too.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

This might be of interest to some of you. I use DLNA to stream to my phone from my PC and NAS and also to show photos and video from my phone on my TV!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1169349
I was hoping to update the guide a bit last weekend but didn't get the chance.

AllShare....

How do I use this thing? I Googled it but couldn't find much info. How do I add a server? Is it all done over WiFi?

How to use All Share
All Share allows you to stream pictures, video and music to and from your device over your local wifi network. It should work with DLNA certified devices. It works using uPnP. Basically, you can use it some TVs, home media servers and gaming consoles such as PS3. That said, I don't own anything like that. There is free software the will allow you to access and play files to and from your computer with ease.
I suggest XBMC.
Once XBMC is installed go to:
Configure Sysytem -> Settings -> Network
Check the following boxes:
1) Share video and music libraries through UPnP
2) Allow control of XBMC via UPnP
Now fire up All Share on your device select play file from your phone to device. In addition to your local computer you should see XBMC, select it and enjoy the stream. I've been very impressed with the video quality. I'm sure there are other application that will allow you to stream to your PC but so far this was the simplest solution I've found.
Oh and prepare to be disappointed, Avatar was not an option, aside from the trailer. If your looking to convert your own movies for mobile use I'd suggest you start with Handbrake. It's very easy to use.

BritCrit said:
All Share allows you to stream pictures, video and music to and from your device over your local wifi network. It should work with DLNA certified devices. It works using uPnP. Basically, you can use it some TVs, home media servers and gaming consoles such as PS3. That said, I don't own anything like that. There is free software the will allow you to access and play files to and from your computer with ease.
I suggest XBMC.
Once XBMC is installed go to:
Configure Sysytem -> Settings -> Network
Check the following boxes:
1) Share video and music libraries through UPnP
2) Allow control of XBMC via UPnP
Now fire up All Share on your device select play file from your phone to device. In addition to your local computer you should see XBMC, select it and enjoy the stream. I've been very impressed with the video quality. I'm sure there are other application that will allow you to stream to your PC but so far this was the simplest solution I've found.
Oh and prepare to be disappointed, Avatar was not an option, aside from the trailer. If your looking to convert your own movies for mobile use I'd suggest you start with Handbrake. It's very easy to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is badass. Worked like a charm... Thanks! And can this be done over the internet? Like how would I stream it to an IP/Port?

Has anyone tried WDTV Live? All share does not see WDTV Live as media rendered?
I want to push video from phone to WDTV or vise versa?

hah2110 said:
This is badass. Worked like a charm... Thanks! And can this be done over the internet? Like how would I stream it to an IP/Port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's intended to work over wifi only, however, this might be possible through ORB. It does recognize the device in All Share but frankly haven't tooled around with it much. I'll let you know what I find out.

mveksler said:
Has anyone tried WDTV Live? All share does not see WDTV Live as media rendered?
I want to push video from phone to WDTV or vise versa?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been able to stream to my wdtv live with no issues. I don't have custom firmware, just the latest stock firmware.
However, my phone will not see wdtv as a server or nas? Which sucks cause that's where all the media is.
Playon, tversity, ps3media server and Xbmc all streamed media from a hard drive or my pc perfectly.
Playon was not able to stream, online media I.e. Hulu, adult swim.

I've been able to stream videos to my phone using AllShare from two of my Windows 7 machines, no additional software needed. I have a Homegroup setup and just have the the folders containing the videos shared with the Homegroup.

jrparker99 said:
I've been able to stream videos to my phone using AllShare from two of my Windows 7 machines, no additional software needed. I have a Homegroup setup and just have the the folders containing the videos shared with the Homegroup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you describe this more in depth?

hah2110 said:
Can you describe this more in depth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows 7 supports DLNA, which is what AllShare uses for media streaming. I'm able to share videos, music, and pictures over Wifi on my home network. I like to stream videos from my PCs to my phone for viewing either on my phone, or on my TV through the video out capability of the Vibrant's 3.5mm headphone jack.
Take a look at this link to enable your media sharing on Windows 7:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/2009/05/12/media-streaming-with-windows-7.aspx
I did have to reboot my PC after changing my Windows settings to see the shared folders show up in AllShare. I'm not sure if this step is required, just my experience.
If you have any other specific questions, please let me know.
Edit:
If you don't have Windows 7, you can install the Samsung server software (PC Share Manager) on Windows XP or Vista, available here :
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/...XAA/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=support
(Click the Software link under then Downloads tab)
This was mentioned in another thread by user siberslug

Thanks for the tips, certainly a better solution than a third party players.

jrparker99 said:
Windows 7 supports DLNA, which is what AllShare uses for media streaming. I'm able to share videos, music, and pictures over Wifi on my home network. I like to stream videos from my PCs to my phone for viewing either on my phone, or on my TV through the video out capability of the Vibrant's 3.5mm headphone jack.
Take a look at this link to enable your media sharing on Windows 7:
I did have to reboot my PC after changing my Windows settings to see the shared folders show up in AllShare. I'm not sure if this step is required, just my experience.
If you have any other specific questions, please let me know.
Edit:
If you don't have Windows 7, you can install the Samsung server software (PC Share Manager) on Windows XP or Vista, available here :
(Click the Software link under then Downloads tab)
This was mentioned in another thread by user siberslug
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have windows 7, I created a homegroup and shared my libraries ...I cannot see the files or folders with allshare. It tell me no media. I restarted my computer and phone. I don't know what the problem is but I've been messing with it for a while now and thought I'd try and get some help
sorry had to remove the links on the quote above because i'm still new. I guess.

lemarg said:
I have been able to stream to my wdtv live with no issues. I don't have custom firmware, just the latest stock firmware.
However, my phone will not see wdtv as a server or nas? Which sucks cause that's where all the media is.
Playon, tversity, ps3media server and Xbmc all streamed media from a hard drive or my pc perfectly.
Playon was not able to stream, online media I.e. Hulu, adult swim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you remember, what file format were you able to steam through playon to your phone? I couldn't get any files or online streams to work. Also did you use the "My Media" or the "Local Files" plug-in?
Thanks!

tacomaguy20 said:
I have windows 7, I created a homegroup and shared my libraries ...I cannot see the files or folders with allshare. It tell me no media. I restarted my computer and phone. I don't know what the problem is but I've been messing with it for a while now and thought I'd try and get some help QUOTE]
Figured out I was being blocked by my firewall. I got it working now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

how to use allshare between vibrant and ps3?
hi guys... i've been reading all the threads on allshare but could not find an answer for the ps3 sharing. my ps3 recognized the vibrant right away but there was no content in video,audio or pictures. (yes i did choose files on the phone and added to playlist)..
any suggestions please? thanks...
** sorry for posting too soon... problem solved...

Holy shiznit....This is bad ass...I can now stream all of my TV shows from my PC to my phone while I am laying in bed. Now I can watch episodes of Burn Notice while my wife hogs up the TV.
I just tried it and it works like a charm.
Those of you who aren't sure how to do it I will explain:
-Using Windows 7, download the latest Windows Media Player
-Add your videos to a playlist
-Open up Allshare and select the second option
-Find your playlist and start watching
Can your iPhone do this?

So i can use XBMC and be able to control video on my PC from my phone, but when i try to play media on my PC to my phone the video and music library says no content. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong...maybe I need my media in a specific folder? I tried my shared libraries in Win7, but nothing in those folders show up.

aztimmay said:
So i can use XBMC and be able to control video on my PC from my phone, but when i try to play media on my PC to my phone the video and music library says no content. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong...maybe I need my media in a specific folder? I tried my shared libraries in Win7, but nothing in those folders show up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue with Win7. Do you have the latest version of windows media player? If not upgrade, then make certain to select "allow remote control of my player" and "Automatically allow devices to play media" from the Stream tab in windows media player. This should to access the files instead of just seeing empty folders.

It works with an Xbox 360 using media center too.
Pretty useful for showing video clips on my phone via a bigger screen.

BritCrit said:
I had the same issue with Win7. Do you have the latest version of windows media player? If not upgrade, then make certain to select "allow remote control of my player" and "Automatically allow devices to play media" from the Stream tab in windows media player. This should to access the files instead of just seeing empty folders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still not working...I have the latest and enabled the two options listed, but when I select from my phone "play file from server on my phone" now my PC doesn't show up as an option.
The only time I see my PC as an option on my phone is if i'm running XBMC, but even then I don't see any videos to select.

Found this video that helped explain how to setup the video library in XBMC which was easy to do, but now when add any of my movies to the playlist it says it cannot play the video even though most of them are AVI...unless it can't play AVI on the phone player...if that's the case, that good sir is LAME.
Almost forgot the link to the helpful video
youtube dot com slash watch?v=bCx0XtWB37w
(can't post links yet with all my noobness)
edit: Found a WMV file on my PC...put that file in the library and added it to the playlist...it keeps looking like it's loading or something, but nevers ends up playing it was never meant to be I guess

[Q] how do u stream movies wirelessly on a vista pc to your acer a500

hi,is it possible to stream movies wirelessly from a vista laptop onto the a500 through the home network? if yes,how do i set it up? cos i've tried everything

Well if you plan to use only on the home network their clear.fi app works. For remote access I have been using subsonic it does require a donation to allow video streaming
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

Do you know how to get other folders to show up from the clear.fi app? All I can see for video streaming from my PC, is a video/collections folder. I would like to be able to see my media folder that I have on my desktop.

I am using plex and it works very well.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

lord_voldemort666 said:
Do you know how to get other folders to show up from the clear.fi app? All I can see for video streaming from my PC, is a video/collections folder. I would like to be able to see my media folder that I have on my desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is windows side setting.
but I have to say I cease use clear.fi because I was getting some unwanted folder.
I will try to set when I got time to set my windows...
I am going to install win7 64bits soon so...

crajoh said:
I am using plex and it works very well.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How in the heck did you get plex to work? Did you change the default player to something else? If so how?
I load a movie and it times out on every one. When I contacted the makers of plex they say that it is not working on the acer yet and offer a refund.

I use ps3 media server on the pc and upnplay which is free from the android market for the A500 , The ps3 media server trans-codes on the fly and I use mobo player from upn to play the content. easy as 123 setup and works perfectly and also means I can play any file type. 1080p is a bit jerky but 720p is as smooth as silk. Did I mention its all free

lord_voldemort666 said:
Do you know how to get other folders to show up from the clear.fi app? All I can see for video streaming from my PC, is a video/collections folder. I would like to be able to see my media folder that I have on my desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my videos pooped right up mine are also in the video folder in my documents

I have PlayOn running on a desktop machine and the PlayOn app on my A500 and Thunderbolt. Works very well over wifi.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

I think that the Acer app only shows/shares the stuff you have in my documents. So you can't watch movies through it if you have them on another HD (like I do sadly).

I am able to see all of my share's on any of my drives. But my home network is wide open on this side of the router.
Might check your sharing settings on you pc, and your firewall if applicable.

i do recomend subsonic wholely just a one time donation unoocks video streaming. you select the folders to share music and movies and the app is free on android and one port needed to be opened to view from anywhere tablet phone or say work computer. also to with the ability to download the content to

I have tried:
Plex: Works but slow as hell and it didn't let me skip a part of the movie so I had to watch every movie from the start.
Subsonic: IMHO a Plex clone so I didn't bother with it and I couldn't test it to see if it streams movies any better.
Upnplay: Ugly and clunky interface but it does stream movies from any UPNP server without installing any additional software and it's free. It uses your default browser and it can skip in a movie so I'm using that. It's not pretty but it does work well.

bpivk said:
I have tried:
Plex: Works but slow as hell and it didn't let me skip a part of the movie so I had to watch every movie from the start.
Subsonic: IMHO a Plex clone so I didn't bother with it and I couldn't test it to see if it streams movies any better.
Upnplay: Ugly and clunky interface but it does stream movies from any UPNP server without installing any additional software and it's free. It uses your default browser and it can skip in a movie so I'm using that. It's not pretty but it does work well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if u didn't try streaming with subsonic how do u have an opinion. Works great for me streams great except for blueray rips bit rate is a tab large most likely my mobile connection
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

BrianDigital said:
Well if u didn't try streaming with subsonic how do u have an opinion. Works great for me streams great except for blueray rips bit rate is a tab large most likely my mobile connection
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I won't donate just to test it but the web interface was worse than what Plex offers and I've tried Plex (was not impressed) so I've just skipped it.
As I've said. The best solution is the one that doesn't require any additional software on my PC. So even though Upnplay is ugly it gets the job done.
P.S.: I have my opinions you have yours so unless don't force your on me and I won't force mine on you. I've compiled a list that would be handy for me a few days ago when I was searching for the same thing and I hope that helps someone. Bickering over trivial stuff sure won't.

root your Iconia
setup nls_utf8 and cifs module
mount cifs share using mount manager
use moboplayer to play all the content
Never had a single problem!

bpivk said:
I won't donate just to test it but the web interface was worse than what Plex offers and I've tried Plex (was not impressed) so I've just skipped it.
As I've said. The best solution is the one that doesn't require any additional software on my PC. So even though Upnplay is ugly it gets the job done.
P.S.: I have my opinions you have yours so unless don't force your on me and I won't force mine on you. I've compiled a list that would be handy for me a few days ago when I was searching for the same thing and I hope that helps someone. Bickering over trivial stuff sure won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whoa buddy don't be so defensive, i was inquiring how you could make an opinion without trying it

bpivk said:
I won't donate just to test it but the web interface was worse than what Plex offers and I've tried Plex (was not impressed) so I've just skipped it.
As I've said. The best solution is the one that doesn't require any additional software on my PC. So even though Upnplay is ugly it gets the job done.
P.S.: I have my opinions you have yours so unless don't force your on me and I won't force mine on you. I've compiled a list that would be handy for me a few days ago when I was searching for the same thing and I hope that helps someone. Bickering over trivial stuff sure won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Subsonic is free to try, the app is much more intuitive than the web interface when used on an Android device (the web interface of any program that also provides a native application will be much less intuitive on any platform). I'm not saying there is anything wrong with forming an opinion such as yours, but I will say Subsonic and Plex are two different products, trying one piece of one product and using that as a reason to dismiss another different (and competing) product is just being ignorant. If you want to be ignorant, run with it, but don't ask for peoples advice and opinions and simply dismiss them based on your own ignorance. Or, just don't ask for advice if you aren't willing to listen to it. Oh.. wait, that's right.. this isn't even your thread, troll.
Now, as for the OP, if this is simply to watch inside your own network, things like Subsonic, Plex, etc. are more than what you need. All you really need is what mrvanes outlined, or even just a file manager that supports network shares (like File Manager HD, File Expert, EStrongs, etc). Browse to your media and open it (a good file manager will not require to copy to local first) with the program of your choosing.

nasimdejai said:
hi,is it possible to stream movies wirelessly from a vista laptop onto the a500 through the home network? if yes,how do i set it up? cos i've tried everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using Buzz Player that reads all shared folders (SAMBA), its not without its problems, but it works for me.

i have tried them all upnp streams every format avi mp4 mkv audio codecs like ac3 stream beautifully..its free and i acess from any network ...

Getting Video from my PC to GT10.1v

Hi There!
I am looking for a very quick and easy WiFi friendly way to get video's from my PC to my GT. I am thinking something as simple as click an icon on my GT and see the videos stored on my PC, and then be able to click to play them.
I have TVersity, but it requires logging into the web browser, authenticating, scrolling through, clicking and waiting for transcoding, and it's pretty rough in terms of quality.
Something almost like a FTP or Dropbox (Local Wifi version) would be ideal.

networkn said:
Hi There!
I am looking for a very quick and easy WiFi friendly way to get video's from my PC to my GT. I am thinking something as simple as click an icon on my GT and see the videos stored on my PC, and then be able to click to play them.
I have TVersity, but it requires logging into the web browser, authenticating, scrolling through, clicking and waiting for transcoding, and it's pretty rough in terms of quality.
Something almost like a FTP or Dropbox (Local Wifi version) would be ideal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read about an app like this but i can't remember what it was for the life of me...

check out BUZZ Player in marked

Has anyone tried plex?

Gmote is the best app for that
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

The "best" app for this will always be debatable. Just find one that suits your fancy.

you want to stream the videos?
I use Emit from the market. there is a free version and a pro version without ads (only difference i can see). I use it all the time and it works great. You just need to install the client on your PC and show it which folders you want to view.

es File Explorer works well for me
networkn said:
Hi There!
I am looking for a very quick and easy WiFi friendly way to get video's from my PC to my GT. I am thinking something as simple as click an icon on my GT and see the videos stored on my PC, and then be able to click to play them.
I have TVersity, but it requires logging into the web browser, authenticating, scrolling through, clicking and waiting for transcoding, and it's pretty rough in terms of quality.
Something almost like a FTP or Dropbox (Local Wifi version) would be ideal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
es File Explorer works well for me
https:// market.android.com/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

jastop said:
es File Explorer works well for me
https:// market.android.com/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't play MKV's unfortunately. Just tried Plex and it seems to work great (although you do need the software on your PC). That'll do

Mount a shared drive onto your tab via cifs and watch using any media player.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium

Gmote.
Bonus is you can use it as a remote for your PC.

For streaming video from my desktop to my Tab, I'm using VLC (on the desktop) and VLC Direct Pro (on the Tab). It works fine with .avi and .mkv I have yet to test it with other formats (like .mp4 etc.).
You must have VLC runing on your desktop and you have to enable a certain setting (can't remember what it is, sorry, but when you start VLC Direct on the Tab it will prompt you to enable the setting in VLC on your computer).
VLC for desktop is free, but if you want more than a few minutes of video on the Tab, you need VLC Direct Pro (not just VLC direct) which is about $3.

How to view videos on my pc over wifi network on my xoom

Can anyone tell me the best way to view files,video(movies),pics,music over y wifi network. I've tried various apps like upnp along with mobo player and codec add on but it only plays certain files most of my media is not accesable.
I used to use a laptop and watch everything perfectly from my pc downstairs using the windows library share if only was as easy with my xoom. when i try to acces the library the xoom see's the library but only short video content of all my video camera clips nothing is organized as is on my pc. Please help as there doesnt seem to be any info anywhere, Thanks.

Assuming your server is a Windows PC then your best bet is to share the folders your content is kept in then use ES File Explorer to access the network shares. Just opening the files will stream them over wifi for you. I use Dice Player but I'm sure other players work just as well.
(There are also other file explorers out there, I'm just advocating ES because I know it works with streaming).

I can't thank you enough as es explorer is just what i was looking for as it shows my files from my windows pc as a laptop would.
The only problem i have now is that it wont open my movie files when i go to these files i get a message 'login failure this may be caused by : -the account has no permissions, any advice would be great thanks andy.
Fofgot to mention i can play all my music , pics, and smaller vieo clips which is a lot more than before it's just the files with my movies in that i cant access without the above error message.

Yes !!
for me i use this:
- PS3 Media server on my Computer (share all media from your computer to all devices by network wifi/lan)
and i can play simultany on my play3 & Xoom
-Skifta on my Xoom (DLNA client/server) it does both
-DICE Player (play mkv 720p) only who work fine (but it's paying)
but i've used before MOBOPLAYER who work fine too but no sound in mkv
MX Video PLayer it's ok too

I still get the error message when i try to play my movies some are avi and some mkv but i dont even get as far as seeing the video file , i dont get passed opening the movie file itself, surely someone out there knows please help. Also i looked on google and apparently if you turn off the anonymous function and use a user name and password from my pc it will work but where do you find the username and password as i didnt realise i had one on my pc.

As I told someone else, plex media server plus the android app works like a dream if you have all your movies/tv shows in one spot.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

marno17 said:
I can't thank you enough as es explorer is just what i was looking for as it shows my files from my windows pc as a laptop would.
The only problem i have now is that it wont open my movie files when i go to these files i get a message 'login failure this may be caused by : -the account has no permissions, any advice would be great thanks andy.
Fofgot to mention i can play all my music , pics, and smaller vieo clips which is a lot more than before it's just the files with my movies in that i cant access without the above error message.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will probably be because of Windows file or share permissions. In ES File Explorer, you can edit the server properties and put in your Windows username and password. It may also require the domain field to be filled in, which if it's just a normal home PC and not connected to a domain, would be your PC's hostname.
P.S... use the thanks button

I use ES Explorer for streaming from my server while on my home network and Plex for streaming when I'm on a different network (i.e. 4G, someone elses WiFi).

Zumocast.
There is a version floating around on the xda forums that is compatible with the xoom.
Nobody here mentioned it and I don't know why.
It allows you to stream and download files from your computer over any network.
It's speed is dependant on your connection.
Best of all. It's free
Stop reading and download it.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

im still trying to figure this. I run Nero media home on my server and my ps3 and n900 pick it up fine, anything on my xoom doesn't see it.

PS3 Media Server
I use PS3 Media Server and the free UPnPPlay app on my Xoom (as well as other Android devices), and RockPlayer Lite to watch the video, which works great.
PS3 MS is very configurable so I can use it to serve up videos to the TV, PS3, Xoom or other Androids at home, at varying levels of video quality, all from the one Windows box.

I use Skifta. Its free - just install on both PC and xoom. Simple config and uses your favorite player
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

zumacast works fine
I would second that suggestion about zumacast. It works fine on the xoom.

I use Es Explorer just add your pc like server, not able to play 1080 but 720 play really smooth
Enviado desde mi Xoom usando Tapatalk

Why not just use File Manager HD it supports SMB
create a shortcut to your smb share
and install bs player or something
Thats how i do it
even though i have upnp servers in the house

Qloud is free and works over wifi and 3g/4g.....amazing program