Database Users

[Q] Playing movies from network share

I just recently purchased the iconia......great device....anyhow to my question..
Is there anyway to play a movie that is on a network share WITHOUT using a streaming client?
Here is what I mean....on my laptop or my other computer on my network, I can go to my media server and pick out a movie, double-click it and it will play.
On the tablet, if I do that, I get an error saying there is no media stream available and starts to download the movie to the tablet before playing.
In my mind, the tablet is just as powerful as a low end laptop, it should be able to do this, as in play a movie that is located on a network share. I have tried a slew of media players and NONE of them will just play a movie that is located on a network share. I realize that the OS is majorly scaled down compared to a full fledged OS like UNIX/windows, but I shouldn't have to stream the media, it should just play. I could understand streaming if I wanted to use a VPN and I wasnt located on my home network. But being on my home network and only having three devices on my network, bandwidth isn't an issue. Its just a total PITA to have to set up a movie to stream on my media server before I can access it on my tablet.
Anyone have any insight or ideas on this?
I hear through the grapevine that VLC may eventually get a full fledged port that is in java that provide that functionality, just like the one for unix/windows, but that will be a loooooong time coming.

Check out the cifs kernel module under the kernel modules thread in dev and then use it in conjunction with the cifs manager to mount shares.

Without rooting you can easely see movies in streaming from your lan devices. You must only install rockplayer and file expert.
After that open file expert add the shared folder on remotes tab.
When you open a remote file you must only choose rockplayer, et voilà, the streaming begin
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

Rhyr said:
Without rooting you can easely see movies in streaming from your lan devices. You must only install rockplayer and file expert.
After that open file expert add the shared folder on remotes tab.
When you open a remote file you must only choose rockplayer, et voilà, the streaming begin
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would this work using moboplayer instead of rock player?

I Tried yet, rockplayer works on every video file, mobo only with few...
Sent from my MB525 using XDA Premium App

Rhyr said:
I Tried yet, rockplayer works on every video file, mobo only with few...
Sent from my MB525 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, rockplayer works like a champ.
Thanks for your advice..........

Make sure you turn on media streaming on in sharing options on your PC

I use the cifs module plus moboplayer. A perfect pair in my opinion.

I installed rockplayer and already had file expert. Added my share from my server. Tried to play mutiple videos different formats, but nothing happens. I select the file to open it, it opens a browser window to the share and then promtly closes. I never have the option of selecting rockplayer. Tried using a long press on the file and selecting "open with" but the same thing happens. I am trying to access my vids on my home server, in my local network. Anyone have any ideas?

streaming by file expert is fine, until you want to jump to specific time in the video (seeking)
I would say root + cifs is the perfect way.

snailium said:
streaming by file expert is fine, until you want to jump to specific time in the video (seeking)
I would say root + cifs is the perfect way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where is the cifs apk? cant seem to find it....

bonzer2u said:
where is the cifs apk? cant seem to find it....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a kernel module, not an apk.
First you must obtain root access on your device, then follow this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1058713
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

Rhyr said:
It's a kernel module, not an apk.
First you must obtain root access on your device, then follow this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1058713
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All over it, thanks again.....

Rhyr said:
Without rooting you can easely see movies in streaming from your lan devices. You must only install rockplayer and file expert.
After that open file expert add the shared folder on remotes tab.
When you open a remote file you must only choose rockplayer, et voilà, the streaming begin
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this and it works great! Thanks for the info, very much appreciated!

lewdog50 said:
I installed rockplayer and already had file expert. Added my share from my server. Tried to play mutiple videos different formats, but nothing happens. I select the file to open it, it opens a browser window to the share and then promtly closes. I never have the option of selecting rockplayer. Tried using a long press on the file and selecting "open with" but the same thing happens. I am trying to access my vids on my home server, in my local network. Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having the same issue on my DroidX (Rooted+Deodexed GB .596)

[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 ...

Skifta and Subtitles

I hope I'm in the right forum; I debated on where to ask this.
So I'm using Skifta and MoboPlayer to stream videos from my home network onto my KF. It works great. The only problem I have now is that many of my videos have subtitles (srt files) but they won't play. I also tried using VLC instead of MoboPlayer, but that didn't work at all (wouldn't play any of my video files). Maybe Mobo isn't the problem? I don't know very much about this. Any ideas on how to get the subtitles working would be great. :]

For Skifta: http://forums.skifta.com/topic/subtitles
Mobo can't see external subs (may be embedded) when streaming. Use ES File Explorer to access the network share, and Mobo and other video players will play subs (ext or embedded) when using this SMB/CIFS mode.

Emit works, with srt files, and over the Internet as well as at home
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

e.mote said:
For Skifta: http://forums.skifta.com/topic/subtitles
Mobo can't see external subs (may be embedded) when streaming. Use ES File Explorer to access the network share, and Mobo and other video players will play subs (ext or embedded) when using this SMB/CIFS mode.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. How would I use ES File Explorer to access my network? I looked around but wasn't sure where to find it.
screwyluie said:
Emit works, with srt files, and over the Internet as well as at home
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
Would this be used instead of MoboPlayer or Skifta?
I'll e.mote's suggestion for now, since it won't cost me anything. If that doesn't work, I'll try buying Emit and using that. :]

Accidental double post...

ToxicCosmos said:
Thanks for the reply. How would I use ES File Explorer to access my network? I looked around but wasn't sure where to find it.
Thanks for the reply.
Would this be used instead of MoboPlayer or Skifta?
I'll e.mote's suggestion for now, since it won't cost me anything. If that doesn't work, I'll try buying Emit and using that. :]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of both, with emit the default player will work fine, but it mostly replaces skifta, there is a free version you can test out, its well worth the 3 bucks or whatever it is
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

From ES' menu, select Show Tabs, then select LAN (you can also swipe the listing left/right to switch tabs). From here, set up connection to your network share.
Alternatively, use CIFSManager (free on Market) to set up a mount for a network share. This allows network files to be accessible to any app or file manager.
A streaming server is good for watching videos outside of your home, since most can be configured to fit your connection's upload bandwidth (typically very limited). When within your home, SMB/CIFS connection is more versatile. Subs work w/o issue, video quality is better, and seeking is much more responsive.

What do you use to stream content from PC to Nexus 7 ?

I want to stream movies and other stuff wirelessly from my pc to N7. I am thinking to get Plex for Android. Are there any other (preferably free ) options. like setting up a UPnP server or an ftp server on pc and then use some app that supports it.

If rooted - yes: install a kernel that includes cifs support and then use play app cifsmanager to mount network shares made available on your PC. Your shares will appear as part of the local filesystem tree (under /mnt/cifs by default) so any app can then access network content.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Sorry I dint mention it earlier..my N7 is not rooted..so any options for a non-rooted device ?
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using xda premium

I use Plex and AudioGalaxy

I use gmote and mxplayer, works flawlessly. I can stream high bitrate 1080p .mkvs with DTS audio smoothly.

sam3000 said:
If rooted - yes: install a kernel that includes cifs support and then use play app cifsmanager to mount network shares made available on your PC. Your shares will appear as part of the local filesystem tree (under /mnt/cifs by default) so any app can then access network content.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, that's pretty damn cool. Just because of that, I might pickup up a N7 today.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

You can try using Zumocast

Try es file explorer. Swipe the screen left when on your files and you can add you computer to your network.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

m3ta1head said:
I use gmote and mxplayer, works flawlessly. I can stream high bitrate 1080p .mkvs with DTS audio smoothly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you do anything special? any settings? everytime i try to stream a file my **** is laggy/wont play/stops...

dansan382 said:
did you do anything special? any settings? everytime i try to stream a file my **** is laggy/wont play/stops...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In MX Player Settings, check the S/W (network) option. It kind of worked for me. Please let me know if that works for you as well..Want to make sure that it was the thing that removed my lag..

dansan382 said:
did you do anything special? any settings? everytime i try to stream a file my **** is laggy/wont play/stops...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing special that I can recall...how is your network bandwidth? Do you have a good router? Could be a contributing factor to laggyness.

m3ta1head said:
Nothing special that I can recall...how is your network bandwidth? Do you have a good router? Could be a contributing factor to laggyness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use BS Player. Tried and tested..Videos work just great..!! Btw, I roughly get around 25 Mbps..And I dont think the router would make any difference as long as you have a decent network bandwidth...Hope this helps..

munir3124 said:
Use BS Player. Tried and tested..Videos work just great..!! Btw, I roughly get around 25 Mbps..And I dont think the router would make any difference as long as you have a decent network bandwidth...Hope this helps..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the VLC player pro!! The latest version is free and u can browse the PC and stream any file.. audio or video!! And the setup is just one click!

munir3124 said:
I want to stream movies and other stuff wirelessly from my pc to N7. I am thinking to get Plex for Android. Are there any other (preferably free ) options. like setting up a UPnP server or an ftp server on pc and then use some app that supports it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you want a nice "front end" to browse your library then BubbleUpnp is the go. Hook that up with the free Plex server on the pc and away you go.
Otherwise, if you just want to browse the network with a file manager, thats not hard either.

Streaming from Windows & Ubuntu
munir3124 said:
I want to stream movies and other stuff wirelessly from my pc to N7. I am thinking to get Plex for Android. Are there any other (preferably free ) options. like setting up a UPnP server or an ftp server on pc and then use some app that supports it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use "Emit" to stream downloaded movies from my Windows box. I was so pleased with the free version, I bought the adfree version for less tham £3.
I have to say that this is the only video streaming app I tried so the other recommendations here may be better but I was blown away when, while being driven up the M11 at 80mph, I tethered to my ageing HTC Desire and streamed a movie from my Win7 machine back at home. (Admittedly, I only ran the movie briefly as a test, so it may glitch after some time). Also a tethered demo to some mates in the pub last night worked flawlessly.
It goes without saying that wifi streaming also works perfectly.
Another slightly different streaming use: Additional to the above Windows machine, I have an Ubuntu machine running MythTV+Apache+Mythweb which I use as my PVR (Personal Video Recorder). I found that when using the Maxthon browser on the Nexus 7, I was able to browse to the Mythweb page generated by my MythTV box and click on the "Direct Download" option of one of my recorded programs. It then offered me the option of "Download" or "Play". (It's worth noting here that neither Chrome or Firefox offered this choice - they just began downloading the recording) If I select "Play" and then select the MX Player, the recorded program begins streaming perfectly.
Hope this helps

If you're rooted you can stream for free. I'm using ES File Explorer and Dice Player. Works great for me with little setup. Just load up the samba server inside ES with you're pc's ip address and start streaming. I tried a few others but this one works the best for me. No lag when watching movies or listening to music. :good:

I tried quite a few players including MX Player before settling on BS Player. For me it seems to be the best when streaming MKVs over WiFi.

I use UPnPlay here. Basically just plugging my devices into the allshare setup I'm using between my PC and TV.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

I use skifta and MX player pro, works great.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

munir3124 said:
In MX Player Settings, check the S/W (network) option. It kind of worked for me. Please let me know if that works for you as well..Want to make sure that it was the thing that removed my lag..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how exactly are you playing these files? I checked that box off but my videos dont even open with MXplayer. im using gmote, browse for the file and click it and it opens up in gmotes player. you do it differently?

[Q] Best solution to play media stored on Windows?

I read and read and still not sure what the best approach is for streaming media (mp3, flac, mkv) to the N7 on the LAN from a Win7 PC. Any server software you could recommend that could potentially do transcoding on the fly if needed, with caching so that it happens only the first time a file is played and then maybe even be able to copy the transcoded/cached file to the internal N7 storage for offline playback?
And is MX Player the player to use on N7?
Thanks for your help recommending an end to end solution.

sirxdroid said:
I read and read and still not sure what the best approach is for streaming media (mp3, flac, mkv) to the N7 on the LAN from a Win7 PC. Any server software you could recommend that could potentially do transcoding on the fly if needed, with caching so that it happens only the first time a file is played and then maybe even be able to copy the transcoded/cached file to the internal N7 storage for offline playback?
And is MX Player the player to use on N7?
Thanks for your help recommending an end to end solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried iMediaShare? MX Player is probably the best player out there right now.

From the description of the app, I'm not sure how iMediaShare helps me. I'm looking to stream media files stored on a Win7 PC to my N7.

BSplayer has lan function and will stream any videos from any windows shares.ESfile explorer will let you veiw,stream or edit any files on your window shares.You don't need anything on your computer as long as it is setup for sharing on home network.Both of these work great and have been updated for 4.2.

^^this. I use es file explorer as a back end to access my media on the PC. Doing it this way allows you to use pretty much any media player software for the nexus that you prefer.
My current favourite is dice player.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Using ES File Explorer I can only get my shares to appear if I turn off my firewall (zonealarm). Can anyone confirm what I need to change to allow my phone to connect with zonealarm on?
Thanks

bubble up you can change where the files are rendered . it will also push thru the network from the share thru tablet and play on tv . can play file formats on the tv its not compatible with

Thanks for the ES File Explorer + MX Player tip. It seems to work well enough.
Next hurdle: any apps on the N7 that could help me organize the media better, e.g. show thumbnails for the movies, links to additional info, etc. the solution above is very spartan, just file names. I read about XBMC running on the N7, or Plex, or tversity - any of these worth the hassle?

I use xmbc media player ..its just perfect and no one is even close..its same as pc version and you cam find it here on xda for free
Sent from my YP-G70 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 04:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:03 AM ----------
sirxdroid said:
Thanks for the ES File Explorer + MX Player tip. It seems to work well enough.
Next hurdle: any apps on the N7 that could help me organize the media better, e.g. show thumbnails for the movies, links to additional info, etc. the solution above is very spartan, just file names. I read about XBMC running on the N7, or Plex, or tversity - any of these worth the hassle?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xmbc on N7 is just perfect ..i use it since i bought N7 ...my 1000+ movies perfecty organisle and always ready to play from pc on my n7
Sent from my YP-G70 using xda app-developers app

I recommend qloud media. It's free on the store and you can stream music pics and films from your computer. It works over 3g, local and remote wireless. Amazing I can watch my stuff at work during lunch and what not.
Highly recommended!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

sirxdroid said:
From the description of the app, I'm not sure how iMediaShare helps me. I'm looking to stream media files stored on a Win7 PC to my N7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, you're right crappy description of the app. The app does exactly what you want that's why recommended it. It's streams music and movies, using upnp servers on the computer side, like Windows Media Player and PS3 Media Server.

Next problem: any way to mount and play ISO files over the network? They are DVD rips and would like to avoid converting them. Any apps that act as a DVD player on the N7, able to mount the DVD ISO over the network?

Bs player can help you
Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

alterman666 said:
Bs player can help you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying BS Player can mount ISOs made from DVDs and act as a DVD player? If so, any pointers where to look? I tried it and it didn't seem to be able to do anything with ISO files.