ServerWMC over a wan long distance connection
#1
Is it possible or practical to have serverWMC work over a long distance to my remote XBMC in a different LAN?
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#2
Probably not, but of course if you have a super fantastic net connection and unlimited bandwidth, give it a go.

Start of course by looking at your bitrates. What are your internet speeds? What is the bitrate of the TV you are recording? Compare and contrast.
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#3
Since it seems that the WMC addon uses Samba paths you'd need to run a VPN between the two machines, in addition to having enough bandwidth to reliably stream uninterupted video.
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#4
(2013-11-13, 20:38)negge Wrote: Since it seems that the WMC addon uses Samba paths you'd need to run a VPN between the two machines, in addition to having enough bandwidth to reliably stream uninterupted video.

I could get around the samba paths (I think) - in fact I keep debating doing it now since a lot of my users have trouble with setting it up. All the video would have to be trans-coded to a low bit rate to make it work though, so even if the responsiveness of xmbc in this mode was forgivable, the bad video quality would probably not be.
Windows Media Center PVR addon (pvr.wmc) and server backend (ServerWMC)
http://bit.ly/serverwmc
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#5
I understand. Not worth it.
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#6
@krustyreturns: why would transcoding be "needed"? A few megabits of upload isn't that uncommon these days.
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#7
(2013-11-14, 00:02)negge Wrote: @krustyreturns: why would transcoding be "needed"? A few megabits of upload isn't that uncommon these days.

A typical half hour show is about 2GB in size (at least in windows). So even with a 5Mb upload speed, it would take almost an hour to stream that show. Taking an hour to watch a half hour show is not a good viewing experience. Of course you could buffer it, but then its not really live.
Windows Media Center PVR addon (pvr.wmc) and server backend (ServerWMC)
http://bit.ly/serverwmc
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#8
Why would you stream the whole thing before watching it?

BTW the OS does not affect the file size of digital TV, you get what the broadcaster sends.
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#9
(2013-11-14, 04:51)nickr Wrote: Why would you stream the whole thing before watching it?

BTW the OS does not affect the file size of digital TV, you get what the broadcaster sends.

I should have said window media center instead of os, but you get it the picture - wtv files are big. As to your first question, would it be easier watch the whole thing before you stream it? If so, bandwidth would be no issue Smile.
Windows Media Center PVR addon (pvr.wmc) and server backend (ServerWMC)
http://bit.ly/serverwmc
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#10
I don't get why you'd need to download the whole thing before starting to watch it? OP was asking about streaming live over a WAN instead of a LAN
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#11
(2013-11-14, 05:23)krustyreturns Wrote:
(2013-11-14, 04:51)nickr Wrote: Why would you stream the whole thing before watching it?

BTW the OS does not affect the file size of digital TV, you get what the broadcaster sends.

I should have said window media center instead of os, but you get it the picture - wtv files are big. As to your first question, would it be easier watch the whole thing before you stream it? If so, bandwidth would be no issue Smile.

Why would wmc add so much overhead? Is wtv such a sucky container?

As to the second part, why not watch as you stream? Your 'one hour to watch a half h0ur progamme' implies you spend half an hour downloading the file before you can watch the first frame, which makes no sense.
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#12
(2013-11-14, 09:45)negge Wrote: I don't get why you'd need to download the whole thing before starting to watch it? OP was asking about streaming live over a WAN instead of a LAN

(2013-11-14, 11:51)nickr Wrote: Why would wmc add so much overhead? Is wtv such a sucky container?

As to the second part, why not watch as you stream? Your 'one hour to watch a half h0ur progamme' implies you spend half an hour downloading the file before you can watch the first frame, which makes no sense.

I must be thinking about this wrong because it seem obvious to me - which usually indicates a problem. Lets recap: 1) the half hour program is 2GB in size, 2) to transfer a 2GB file over a 5Mb wire requires almost an hour. 3) the user wants to start watching the stream as soon as it starts to arrive over the wire - i.e. 'live'.

So: once the user starts viewing - playing at the correct speed- the program will take a half hour until its over. But to get all the data over the wire to completion takes an hour. How can the user spend a half hour watching a show that takes an hour to deliver to her without buffering?

As to whether wtv is 'such a sucky container', I don't have enough experience to know. For what its worth, I wrote the wtv parser I am using to remux to ts, and the wtv file and the resulting ts file are about the same size. Anyway it works, so its sucky-ness is at least acceptable to some.
Windows Media Center PVR addon (pvr.wmc) and server backend (ServerWMC)
http://bit.ly/serverwmc
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#13
@krustyreturns: you somehow assume that the user would not have enough bandwidth to stream live. Streaming live TV only works when you have enough bandwidth so discussing what would happen if that were the case is moot - it just won't work, no matter what tricks you try to pull.
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#14
(2013-11-14, 18:10)negge Wrote: @krustyreturns: you somehow assume that the user would not have enough bandwidth to stream live. Streaming live TV only works when you have enough bandwidth so discussing what would happen if that were the case is moot - it just won't work, no matter what tricks you try to pull.

Gee, I thought that was exactly the point I have been making all along - there isn't enough bandwidth in 5Mb upload. At least we agree.
Windows Media Center PVR addon (pvr.wmc) and server backend (ServerWMC)
http://bit.ly/serverwmc
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#15
Krusty I owe you and other thread readers an apology, I thought you said that it takes half an hour to upload a half hour show and then another half hour to watch it = 1 hour.

On re reading you said it takes 1 hour to upload, so what you werre saying now makes perfect sense. Sorry (and of course I didn't do the math, silly boy that I am).

I'll go crawl back under my rock now.
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