Stream from home PC to remote XBMC
#1
now that XBMC is running on Android I'm trying to set up my phone so it can play content that sits on a server at home. With XBMC officially supporting so many different streaming protocols I can't seem to find a scenario that will work for me.

Here's my setup.

Home PC behind firewall (no problem forwarding ports if need be) with all my media
XBMC running on my Galaxy S3 that I want to play TV shows that are sitting on home server.

Can I use UPnP and just forward a port? (I thought that UPnP was for local LAN only. Could be wrong)
Can I use windows share?
I can setup FTP but I'm now sure how well that would work.
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#2
I'm not sure either, but I don't think UPnP can be used outside of the local network.

A lot of ISPs block Windows Sharing/SMB because it was once used by a virus or something, and it's rare that people need it over the internet.

Best bets are probably HTTP directory (literally just setting up web sharing and adding the directory listing to XBMC as a source), WebDAV, FTP.

I would try with webDAV, as it's basically the same thing (from a port forwarding standpoint) as HTTP, but you can use HTTPS and a password if you wish.
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#3
I brought this up as a suggested feature many times (along with others) see my thread here: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=105883

In essence, streaming + transcoding is what I wanted to see

some devs showed some interest (like topfs2) but didn't seem like it was a top priority

some other devs (like jmarshall) are supporting upnp for all media serving activities (upnp is only for local network)

my general impression was that the xbmc team wants to keep xbmc as a client rather than a server at least for now
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#4
I'm not talking about using XBMC as a server (even though it supports it). I don't even have it running on my media server. Right now I just have windows shares set up on my media server (just a Windows 7 box really) and I use XBMC as a client to play those (local network only of course).

I want to use XBMC as a client but over the internet instead of local network.

I've tried using a http file server (HFS) but that didn't work either. I'll keep playing and let you know what ends up working.
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#5
(2012-07-16, 23:39)Kafluke Wrote: I'm not talking about using XBMC as a server (even though it supports it). I don't even have it running on my media server. Right now I just have windows shares set up on my media server (just a Windows 7 box really) and I use XBMC as a client to play those (local network only of course).

I want to use XBMC as a client but over the internet instead of local network.

I've tried using a http file server (HFS) but that didn't work either. I'll keep playing and let you know what ends up working.

Why not install a ftp server (fe. http://filezilla-project.org/), register your ip on some free dns host for easy access (fe. dyndns.org) and you're good to go. (I stream 1080p from my brothers nas who lives in another town). On a personal note, this is one of the main features I love about xbmc Smile )
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#6
I saw that it would work over ftp but there was a warning on the xbmc wiki about ftp not officially supporting streaming so I didn't even try. I'll do that next.
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#7
(2012-07-17, 00:02)Kafluke Wrote: I saw that it would work over ftp but there was a warning on the xbmc wiki about ftp not officially supporting streaming so I didn't even try. I'll do that next.

I've been using it for years (good old xbox1) and it works great. Be aware that your upload restrictions affect the maximum amount of bitrate (aka data) you can stream but I guess you understand that.
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#8
well, even if you use xbmc as a client, you still need a server

something that will serve the videos over wan (internet)

sure you can use ftp, but your home connection's upload speeds are probably not gonna be fast enough for HD material. Therefore, you will need transcoding.

your best bet is probably looking into plex media server and getting the streams added to xbmc. if you search the forums, there was a plexbmc effort that let you connect xbmc to plex media server
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#9
(2012-07-17, 02:07)aptalca Wrote: well, even if you use xbmc as a client, you still need a server

something that will serve the videos over wan (internet)

sure you can use ftp, but your home connection's upload speeds are probably not gonna be fast enough for HD material. Therefore, you will need transcoding.

your best bet is probably looking into plex media server and getting the streams added to xbmc. if you search the forums, there was a plexbmc effort that let you connect xbmc to plex media server

Great suggestion! I'll give that a try too. BTW, I have a great connection with over 20Mbs upload.
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#10
480p content needs about 4.8 Mbps (mega bit) upstream in the peaks.
HD get a bit more complicated as it usually comes with bigger audio in all kinds of forms.

Webdav is easy to set up and maintain. It is basically a better form of FTP.
http://www.slickit.ca/2009/07/webdav-on-windows-7.html

Then all you need is an static external IP.
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#11
I have an FTP server setup (Filezilla) already and I have entered all of the details in to XBMC add source but it is coming up with the error "Could not connect to network server" Has anyone got any ideas if there is a setting that needs to be changed to access FTP servers?

I can access the files through Filezilla (Client) no problem with the same details.

AgentX, I just noticed you use a DNS service, any reason/benefit?

Any help appreciated.
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