[WINDOWS] Using TVersity UPnP Media Server with XBMC
#1
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I thought I'd write up a little guide about using TVersity with XBMC. Not that it's a hard thing to do, but I don't think it is very well known amongst XBMC users.

I tried using TVersity when I was still using my xbox but for some reason I was not able to make it work back then. Recently I remembered I haven' t given it another try since I got my htpc. And I got it working easily.

What is TVersity?

Wikipedia Wrote:TVersity is a software package that allows a PC to stream content to set-top devices (or htpc's - jeroen), such as the Xbox 360, regardless of the limitations of the set-top device.[1] For example, the Xbox 360 does not support certain codecs or Internet videos such as YouTube. TVersity encodes the video on the PC into a compatible codec and then streams it to the device.

The project specifically aims to:

* Deliver any media to any device
* Provide a Personal Entertainment Guide (PEG) by allowing users to create a personalized lineup of channels.
* Provide Content Guides by making it easy to access links via organized lists of multimedia content
* Multimedia Social Networking - allowing users to share links with other users

While built from open source components, the project as a whole is not (except for the bundled codecs), though the download is currently free to home users.

Using TVersity makes it very easy to subscribe to online content using RSS feeds or stream URL's and make them available on your playback device. It also allows you to stream your local content, but as XBMC already provides a great way of doing this, this is less useful to XBMC users. However, this may be a good solution for XBOX users to play their HD content on the XBOX by using TVersity's transcoder.

1. Download TVersity from http://tversity.com/
2. By default the program already provides some channels which are presented on the "guide" screen"
3. In the "Library" screen you can add and manage your subscriptions. This can include media rss feeds, youtube, google video, flickr, etc.
4. In the "Settings" screen make sure the playback device is set to "automatically detect"
5. At "Home Network" you can set the IP adress of your playback device, or leave this blank to make the content available to all of the devices connected to your network.
6. In the "port" field set it to "3689"
7. In XBMC add a new source and browse for a new share
8. Select "UPnP Devices"
9. A result should come up named "computername : TVersity Media Server". Select it.
10. In your video files you can now select and browse the content defined on your Tversity Media Server.
11. If no results come up for UPnP deviced make sure UPnP is enable in XBMC and on the machine you are streaming content from. You can easily test this by using this small application: http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Other-D...35-5.shtml
12. I have read reports that say problems may occur if you also have UPnP sharing set up with Windows Mediaplayer or the Zune software. UAC may give troubles in Vista. Also make sure your firewall allows TVersity to stream to your network devices.

13. Look for some nice media feeds that interest you. There's some nice stuff to find. TVersity will download and update your sources in the background, so it can take a while before the content you set shows up in xbmc. Here are some of mine:

* G4TV (easily subscribe by using the tversity buttons)
* ViewmyTV (easily subscribe by using the tversity buttons)
* BoingBoing
* TED talks
* Discovery Channel casts
* Revision3 podcasts
* National Geographic podcasts
* Pixel Perfect (photoshop stuff)

Anyway, this will depend on your interests. For examples you can also use the channels that are available in Miro or iTunes (although I don't know if you can view the adresses in iTunes)

Anyway, I hope this will interest or be helpful to some of you, I hope I didn't leave anything out.

greets,
Jeroen
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#2
I recently have been trying to use Tversity again for the internet content, specifically the YouTube full episodes of Star Trek.

Can you resume or bookmark a streeming URL or RSS (not sure what the YouTube Video is). I find it very annoying if I try to watch something from Tversity on my XBOX and have to stop it then restart it. I always have to begin at the begining again. I also have frequent lock ups fast forwarding compounding the problem.

I have the latest Atlantis build.

My 360 asks if I want to resume a video I have already played from Tversity and it works fine....that is hard for me to the 360 does this better than XBMC.
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#3
I thought I would pass along something I found for those that find themselves here regarding the setup and what works for me.

Under the type of Device I do not use Auto Detect but the Mpeg1/Mpeg 2 device and transcode only when needed.

I found that if I used auto or other settings that Tversity would transcode causing high CPU usage. Since XBOX doesn't send an end command even after I got done watching something the CPU usage would remain high on Tversity so you have to manually stop and restart the service.

By using the Mpeg1/2 setting I found that the CPU usage issue went away and another benefit is I am able to FF/RW without lockups on the XBOX. Now if only Tversity would play Hulu and Netflix. I still can not resume but with FF/RW working that is far less annoying.
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#4
I have xbmc installed on a WinXP box and TVersity on another. Trying to view video avi files. I can connect and see the files listed, but when I go to play them, all i get is a blank white screen. I can hear the audio but no video. What am I doing wrong? What settings need to be changed in TVersity or xbmc client? Thanks.
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#5
check the encoding of you avi files.
TVersity might be trying too hard to transcode it if its video container is funky.
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#6
(2008-11-29, 15:46)Jeroen Wrote: I thought I'd write up a little guide about using TVersity with XBMC. Not that it's a hard thing to do, but I don't think it is very well known amongst XBMC users.

I tried using TVersity when I was still using my xbox but for some reason I was not able to make it work back then. Recently I remembered I haven' t given it another try since I got my htpc. And I got it working easily.

What is TVersity?

Wikipedia Wrote:TVersity is a software package that allows a PC to stream content to set-top devices (or htpc's - jeroen), such as the Xbox 360, regardless of the limitations of the set-top device.[1] For example, the Xbox 360 does not support certain codecs or Internet videos such as YouTube. TVersity encodes the video on the PC into a compatible codec and then streams it to the device.

The project specifically aims to:

* Deliver any media to any device
* Provide a Personal Entertainment Guide (PEG) by allowing users to create a personalized lineup of channels.
* Provide Content Guides by making it easy to access links via organized lists of multimedia content
* Multimedia Social Networking - allowing users to share links with other users

While built from open source components, the project as a whole is not (except for the bundled codecs), though the download is currently free to home users.

Using TVersity makes it very easy to subscribe to online content using RSS feeds or stream URL's and make them available on your playback device. It also allows you to stream your local content, but as XBMC already provides a great way of doing this, this is less useful to XBMC users. However, this may be a good solution for XBOX users to play their HD content on the XBOX by using TVersity's transcoder.

1. Download TVersity from http://tversity.com/
2. By default the program already provides some channels which are presented on the "guide" screen"
3. In the "Library" screen you can add and manage your subscriptions. This can include media rss feeds, youtube, google video, flickr, etc.
4. In the "Settings" screen make sure the playback device is set to "automatically detect"
5. At "Home Network" you can set the IP adress of your playback device, or leave this blank to make the content available to all of the devices connected to your network.
6. In the "port" field set it to "3689"
7. In XBMC add a new source and browse for a new share
8. Select "UPnP Devices"
9. A result should come up named "computername : TVersity Media Server". Select it.
10. In your video files you can now select and browse the content defined on your Tversity Media Server.
11. If no results come up for UPnP deviced make sure UPnP is enable in XBMC and on the machine you are streaming content from. You can easily test this by using this small application: http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Other-D...35-5.shtml
12. I have read reports that say problems may occur if you also have UPnP sharing set up with Windows Mediaplayer or the Zune software. UAC may give troubles in Vista. Also make sure your firewall allows TVersity to stream to your network devices.

13. Look for some nice media feeds that interest you. There's some nice stuff to find. TVersity will download and update your sources in the background, so it can take a while before the content you set shows up in xbmc. Here are some of mine:

* G4TV (easily subscribe by using the tversity buttons)
* ViewmyTV (easily subscribe by using the tversity buttons)
* BoingBoing
* TED talks
* Discovery Channel casts
* Revision3 podcasts
* National Geographic podcasts
* Pixel Perfect (photoshop stuff)

Anyway, this will depend on your interests. For examples you can also use the channels that are available in Miro or iTunes (although I don't know if you can view the adresses in iTunes)

Anyway, I hope this will interest or be helpful to some of you, I hope I didn't leave anything out.

greets,
Jeroen

Hi i tried to do this on my raspbarry pi, i use raspbmc, but i only got upnp://c43e2a25... error message(upnp://c43e2a25... do not have the right structure) when i tried to "install from zip" and klick on "computername : TVersity Media Server" I cannot ad my computer and have to choose between my media in my computer instead.

And i know tversity works because i have a smart tv who detects "computername : TVersity Media Server". I have upnp settings on, on my computer too.
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#7
XBMC is the best for using the software of tveristy .
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#8
Can anyone help me with an issue I am having with streaming my home digital library on gbox mx2 with Tversity? When I stream some of my media files the picture is super large and doesn't fit my screen. It is as if it is zoomed in. I am using a fairly new 1080i tv but have the resolution for xbmc set to 720 since i only stream SD content, HD is too slow on Gotham. The particular file I am trying to stream is .mp4 DVDrip.
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