Cord cutting has come a very long way. It wasn't that long ago that cord cutters had to hunt around for solutions to very basic cord cutting problems. Now, the opposite is true: we have so many options for streaming, organizing, and casting content that the difficult part is actually deciding which one to use.

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Air Media Server 1.2 for Mac can be downloaded from our website for free. The bundle id for Air Media Server for Mac is com.appdynamic.airmediaserver-mac. The software lies within Audio & Video Tools, more precisely Streaming Media. This free Mac application was originally developed by App Dynamic. Air Media Server works fine with Mac OS X 10.7. Media server free download - PS3 Media Server, Plex Media Server, VLC Media Player, and many more programs. My Mac mini runs OS X Server ($20, or free with a paid Apple developer account), which allows me to use it for such things as caching software updates, and storing Time Machine backups of other Macs.

Witness the crowded field of media server programs, for example: you have Plex, Emby, PlayOn, and many more. There are ways to rig up Kodi as a server or to integrate these other servers into a Kodi environment. In short, if you want to make your local content available on multiple devices, you have a lot of options – too many, in fact.

1) VLC media player. The VLC media player is an open-source, cross-platform multimedia player. This tool can play most multimedia files as well as Audio CDs, VCDs, and DVDs. It can be used to view 360-degree videos up to 8K resolution. It is one of the best media player for Mac that supports a wide range of video compression methods. The largely royalty-free application (GNU-GPL), which has been maintained by Emby LLC since 2015, provides all the features you might need for the multi-device organization of your media files, starting with a free-of-charge media server available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as NAS and docker platforms. Configuration for the Emby.

On this list, we're cutting through the confusion and naming the best media server applications. Use it as your guide – or take us to task in the comments if you disagree.

The Winner: Plex

As far as stand-alone media server applications go, Plex is the clear winner. It's the most polished and user-friendly of the media server applications, which is a big advantage in a space that's crowded by clunky options that are only a few steps removed from their DIY origins.

Plex is easy to set up and easy to use, and it's quite effective. It's pushing the idea of a media server beyond the concept's power-user origins, and making media servers attractive to more casual cord cutters. But Plex is still quite powerful, and it offers the essential media server combination of local content streaming and “channels” full of streaming content from major networks. Like many of its competitors, it has a free version and a paid “premium” version, which is priced fairly and includes some solid features (like access to your content outside your local network).

Plex isn't perfect, of course – it still has too many channels that don't work on certain platforms, and idealists will note that it's not open source. It doesn't play that well with Kodi (Kodi fanatics, we have your best choice ranked at #2). But overall, the sum of Plex's advantages is greater than the sum of its disadvantages. It's leading the pack in the media server space.

The Runners-Up

Second Place: Emby

Emby splits the difference between Plex and the less polished media servers that make up the rest of our list. It offers more customization and – importantly – superb integration with Kodi, the best media center (but not the best media server) on the market.

Emby manages to offer all this customization and functionality without asking quite as much of its users as its DIY-leaning brethren. It's not quite as elegant as Plex, but it's much more user-friendly than Universal Media Center and the like. It has an awful lot in common with Plex, but it tweaks the formula to position itself as a bit more appealing to the DIY crowd.

Third Place: Serviio

Serviio is one of several media servers that takes advantage of DLNA interoperability to stream to a wide variety of platforms. It's a little less intuitive than Emby or Plex, but (unlike DLNA competitor PlayOn) can run servers on both Windows and Mac. If this one isn't for you, you could consider Universal Media Server (formerly PS3 Media Server), which is another DLNA media server with a loyal following.

The downside to Serviio is that it's far less user-friendly than Emby or Plex. It's still a good choice for the tech-savvy among us, but be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Fourth Place: Universal Media Server

Speak of the devil! We ranked Universal Media Server below Serviio because we thought its setup process was a little more of a hassle (to be honest, both are far more difficult to set up than Plex or Emby are). But really, Serviio and Universal Media Server are very similar, and they run neck-and-neck for the affections of the DLNA server crowd. Universal Media Server is the old PS3 Media Server, so fans of that product will want to continue on with this one.

Media centers are the perfect place to store collections of images, music, and videos that people create on their computers, smartphones, or other devices. Their primary function is to store this media, such as your latest vacation photos or your favorite film. However, you may find your patience being tested if you start searching for a particular file, only to realize that nothing is organized properly.

If you’re looking for a suitable management platform for your media files, you will no doubt come across Plex eventually. Launched as a freeware project in 2007, Plex has an impressive range of features and is undoubtedly one of the best media centers of all time. Thanks to various streaming portals and services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, or Vevo, Plex users can play online content directly through their media center interface. However, Plex does have some formidable alternatives.

What should a good alternative to Plex be able to do?

The primary function of a media center is to organize all media files (audio, video, and image) on the selected computer system in a clearly arranged format. The user interface should make it easy for you to find and play back the content you want.

Plex alternatives (as well as Plex itself) should not just allow playback on the original device, but should also be able to play through external devices. Streaming your own media content on a TV should be a standard feature, which is why most media center interfaces are also designed to be used with smart TVs.

The best Plex alternatives should also be able to stream video and information services. Of course, your personal interests are most important here: Netflix and YouTube are more widely supported than other services because of their popularity. However, if you are not interested in these mainstream platforms, streaming links will be irrelevant to you as a user. It is therefore advisable to check the additional features in advance (often available as optional add-ons) that can be used as a respectable alternative to Plex. It is also important that the selected media management option allows multiple devices to access the library at the same time. If you want to enjoy a film while a roommate or a family member is streaming music, your chosen Plex alternative must always be usable by several people at the same time.

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What are the best alternatives to Plex?

In addition to the range of functions, cost and compatibility play an important role when it comes to choosing the best media center. The latter does not just deal with which systems the media center should be created on, it is also about what platforms you can access the media center from. You should also consider how up to date the Plex alternative is when making your decision: since many media centers are interconnected with web services, timely updates to close security holes are particularly important.

To make finding a suitable Plex alternative easier, here are some interesting examples of the best media centers and a guide to their advantages and disadvantages.

Mezzmo

On December 20th 2007, the Australian-based software company Conceiva released their home entertainment product Mezzmo. The software was initially available as a paid program for Windows, but Conceiva now relies on a freemium model: you can download and use the basic model for free, while the pro edition (which includes a web interface so that you can access using standard browsers) has lots of extra features and requires a subscription fee. There is also a paid Android app which was released in 2014. The app is mainly used as a remote application to retrieve content stored on the local Mezzmo media server on Android devices. Thanks to an integrated digital media server (DMS), you can also stream files stored on the device itself with the app.

Mezzmo is very easy to set up: after installing the program, it automatically searches and organizes all the movies, video clips, music, photos, and stored subtitles saved on the system being used. These files can subsequently be played back on all devices in the network that support UPnP or DNLA, or that have the app installed (Android only) – Mezzmo transcodes the media content in real time to ensure optimal streaming quality. You can access the media collection simultaneously with multiple devices at any time, so that sharing the media center is no problem. If you are having technical problems with Mezzmo, you can contact Conceiva with a ticket or through the user forum.

MediaPortal

In February 2014, Erwin Becker launched the GPL-licensed open source programMediaPortal, which is now managed by the MediaPortal team. A core feature of MediaPortal is that it supports TV cards so that you can watch TV through your media center. Additionally, the free-of-charge Plex alternative combines FM and internet radio with TV stations, information services (weather, news, etc.), and all media files stored on the computer in a single user interface. It’s up to you to decide how content should be categorized: you can sort songs by artist, album, or genre, and video clips and movies by cover, actor, or genre.

MediaPortal is an open source application and therefore benefits enormously from collaborating with the community: plugins developed as a supplement that provide additional functions that can be installed and integrated just as easily as skins to give the user interface a new appearance. This Plex alternative is only available for Windows and there are no separate apps for smartphones, tablets, or smart TVs – but there are extensions that allow remote access to your MediaPortal library from these same devices. All skins and plugins are available at any time from the official download page.

Kodi

One Plex alternative, originally designed primarily as a media player solution for the Microsoft console Xbox, is Kodi. Published as ‘Xbox Media Center’ (XBMC) in 2004, the media center kept this name even when it became available for other platforms. In 2014, it decided to rename the open source application, distributed under the GNU-GPL license, to Kodi. This made it clear that it was no longer primarily aimed at consoles. However, the media software is not really an alternative to Plex: the Kodi project – or it’s Linux version, to be more precise – formed the basis for Plex. Strictly speaking, Plex is an XBMC separation code.

Kodi delivers all the central features of a good media center: you can organize all your media content easily and play it back through the user interface, which supports a variety ofaudio, video, and image formats. Implementing new formats and technologies (like video acceleration) is handled by the Kodi team in real time. The Plex alternative automatically retrieves metadata from the web to provide additional information about archived content. Kodi’s greatest strength, however, is that the software is platform independent. There are not only installation packages for Windows, Linux, and macOS, but also for Android, iOS, and Raspberry-Pi. Remote control apps for iOS and Android complete the range of options.

Stremio

The Bulgarian startup Stremio launched an exciting alternative to Plex in 2015 with their application of the same name, which was quickly met with enthusiasm from film and TV fans. The open source media center, which is easy to use, focuses entirely on organizing video content, and integrates video-on-demand services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. in an interesting way: add-ons allow content from different providers to be combined with the Stremio interface. Video clips, shows and movies on your own device are also taken into account when creating the library. Thanks to the integrated calendar function, you can also always keep track of new episode releases or highly anticipated films.

By integrating various streaming providers, Stremio not only provides an excellent overview of when and where content is available, but also offers a good price comparison. In terms of compatibility, the open source platform is just as well set up as Kodi: desktop versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux are available, as well as free apps for Android and iOS. Additionally, the developer plans to release a web application for the Plex alternative, which will then allow them to manage and access their own library as well as the existing clients for desktop PCs and mobile devices.

Third-party add-ons that allow free streaming of paid video content are illegal and should not be used or installed.

Universal Media Server

The Universal Media Server is also an example of an open source program, written in Java. The spin-off program from PS3 Media Server was developed in May 2012 by the developer SubJunk, who had previously played a decisive role in the media server for Sony’s game console. As an alternative to Plex, the software is particularly impressive because of its broad device compatibility: both DNLA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and UPnP (Universal Plug & Play) are supported, so that music, videos, and images can be streamed easily on all devices that work to these standards (this includes PS4, Xbox 360, iPhone, Android devices, and various smart TVs). Universal Media Server runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, thanks to its multiple versions.

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The media center is regularly updated by the developer team. Recent updates are often available as a beta version for download – however, users must expect that the software may not always work properly in these pre-releases. The Plex alternative has an optional web browser interface and is expandable with plugins. This can be used, for example, to integrate a link to SoundCloud. Further information on the development status and useful links to interesting Universal Media Server websites can be found in the official directory for the project on Github Github.

Emby

If you’re looking for a good alternative to Plex, you will no doubt come across the Emby. The largely royalty-free application (GNU-GPL), which has been maintained by Emby LLC since 2015, provides all the features you might need for the multi-device organization of your media files, starting with a free-of-charge media server available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as NAS and docker platforms. Configuration for the Emby server takes place independently of the chosen system through the very complex web interface. The server is automatically recognized by all DNLA-capable devices – but the developers also offer various proprietary (and partly chargeable) apps for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Windows) as well as for smart TVs and consoles (Samsung, LG, PS4, Xbox One).

If you start the Emby server after installation, the web dashboard will automatically open, allowing you to configure all the necessary settings for your personal media server. This is not just about filling the library, but also about finding the perfect setup for transcoding the content. It is also possible to create different user profiles, including access authorizations. This way you can ensure that adult content is not accessible to children, for example. If you subscribe to the monthly Emby Premiere package, you can use numerous additional features like cloud and folder synchronization, a cover configurator, and a backup function. In addition, you can stream videos and music to individual devices, as well as save them when you take out a subscription so that they can be played without a network connection.

TVersity

TVersity is a proprietary Plex alternative from TVersity Inc. Their paid media server package uses DNLA/UPnP technology to enable users to stream content from their own PCs to a wide variety of devices (content can also be accessed through standard web browsers). If the format/codec on the target devices is not supported, the TVersity server will transcode the corresponding files in real time. Indexing photos, songs, and videos happens automatically in the background, ensuring that your collection is always up to date. When it comes to server operation, unfortunately this Plex alternative only runs on Windows.

Mac Mini Media Server

There is a free version of TVersity, but it only supports a small portion of the formats and codecs. In addition, there is no real-time transcoding in the free output, which then limits streaming capabilities considerably.

TVersity combines your personal media collection with useful web content like free video streams, RSS feeds, or podcasts that can be retrieved from the client on the chosen device. If you’re looking for a specific file, you’ll benefit from the media center’s outstanding performance, which is sure to impress even large libraries with more than 100.000 entries. A large part of their fast, uncomplicated file retrieval system is the powerful search mask and integrated cache function, which caches transcoded content. The Plex alternative has a REST API that allows you to integrate the media center into other tools easily.

Free Media Server For Mac

A tabular comparison of the best Plex alternatives

Plex is one of the most popular applications for organizing your own multimedia collection on PCs, smartphones, and other devices, but there are a number of good alternatives that don’t have to hide behind the mainstream media centers when it comes to functionality and streaming quality. This article explains exactly what characterizes software that manages and plays back audio, video, and image files, and what Plex alternatives are available.

This is a guide to setup a streaming solution for all those DVDs laying around the house that plays nicely with the Apple Eco System. This method allows for not only playback of digitally 'ripped' DVDs but also playback of movies purchased in the iTunes Store, TV shows purchased in the iTunes store, and music ripped from your own cds, mp3s, or songs purchased in the iTunes store. This method uses free software and only requires an Apple ID and devices that can run iTunes software or connect to iTunes home sharing (iPads, iPhones, Macs, PCs, Apple TV).

In My scenario my 'server' is headless (no monitor) and is tucked away in the spare bedroom. I use a Macbook Pro for ripping and Meta Tagging and Microsoft Remote Desktop to remote into the 'server'. Some of my friends set their servers up with a head and a really fast Optic Drive. They do the ripping and meta tag editing right on the server. Also one could use internal drives instead of external drives, I use an external for the ability to take everything with me with ease. My advice is find whatever setup best fits your setup.

For example purposes I will be using the original 'Friday The 13th' (1980) throughout this guide.

*NOTE: For this to work the iTunes software on the server must be open and running at all times. If you quit iTunes on the 'server' there will be no media streamed.

17 Steps total

Step 1: Things You Will Need

[HARDWARE]
(1) Older computer to make into server
(1) Large HD (3-4TB

Apple devices such as AppleTV, Apple Computer, iPhone, or iPad

(1) Apple ID that is shared with all devices used for viewing.

(1) Home network (WiFi and or ethernet wired) that is connected to the Internet.

(1) **Computer with a DVD drive connected to network.

[SOFTWARE]
Handbrake - Software used for “ripping” digital copies of DVD disk. Mac and PC versions available
http://handbrake.fr

Subler - OSX Meta Tag editor software
https://code.google.com/p/subler/

iTunes (For whatever OS you use for 'Server')
http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Remote Desktop (if you use a PC for iTunes server)
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=18140

Or Microsoft Remote Desktop
(Look in App Store if using OSX)

Step 2: First you set up the iTunes 'Server'.

I use an older PC with a 3TB external HD attached (USB 2.0). I prefer using the external HD because I store all the movie files on this drive. If I ever want to go on vacation I can unplug the external HD and take my whole mvoie collection with me and it fits in a back pack.

Basically you take a PC and install the OS (I suggest Windows 7) virus protection (make sure to exempt iTunes and itunes files) and set the computer to automatically update. I set Power Settings in W7 for high performance so the computer will never sleep. I make a power setting change in the BIOS to automatically restart the PC if there is a power outage. (Some older PCs don't have this ability). I give the 'Server' a static IP address. (Remember the address for later). I then download and install iTunes.

Once iTunes is installed I make sure iTunes is set to automatically launch at startup. (This combined with the BIOS power setting will make sure the iTunes 'Server' will reboot and iTunes will launch if there is a power failure.)

Step 3: Turn On Home Sharing

Open iTunes and under the File Menu go to Home Sharing and turn home sharing ON. You will need to sign in with the same Apple ID that you use on other devices. (Any device using this Apple ID and on this network will see the shared library)

Step 4: General Preferences

Go to preferences. Under the general tab Create your Library Name. I use 'Our Flix's'. This library name is what all the devices on the network will see. Under Source check Movies and TV Shows. - You check other items if you want to share those.

Step 5: Playback Preferences

Dlna Media Server Mac

Now go to the Playback Tab and make sure Preferred Playback Version is High Definition (720p).

Step 6: Sharing Preferences

Now go to the Sharing Tab. Make sure 'Share My library on my local network is UNCHECKED! (Checking this can cause issues when using Home Sharing). Do put a check at the bottom for 'Home Sharing computers and devices update play counts'.

Step 7: Advanced Preferences

Next under the ADVANCED tab click the [Change] button to change the default location for the iTunes Library to be located on the external HD. (If you choose to use an internal drive then set that as your location) Also check [Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized] and Copy files to iTunes Media Folder when adding to library] This makes organizing easy. In my example my external HD is set as the F Drive.

Step 8: Share the ITunes Media Folder

Set the iTunes Media folder to be shared by the OS so you can access this folder from other computers.

Step 9: iTunes is Setup - Now on to Ripping

In the next steps I am using a Mac Book Pro with the iTunes Media Folder mounted as a shared drive. I am doing this so my destination for my ripping is the shared iTunes Media folder.

Step 10: Ripping a DVD using Handbrake

The idea is to make a digital copy of the dvd. This is 'ripping'. Ripping is important and picking the right settings are very important. The software I use is Handbrake and already has a few presets. Unless you have an Apple TV First gen. I would use AppleTV2 or Appletv3 preset found in handbrake. This is a good middle ground setting and works with most devices. Once again depending on your setup you might find other settings that work better.
Second pick the Itunes Media Folder as your destination. (If you use another computer just mount the share and point the destination to this). The one tricky area in ripping is subtitles. I would suggest reading up on the settings for subtitles for the software you are using for ripping. If you are not careful you will rip a movie and watch it later and when someone is talking in a foreign language you are stuck. :-) not knowing what is being said. You will have to re-rip the movie or learn a new language.

Step 11: After Ripping

Now that you have your rip setting set, subtitles settings set, and your destination set you rip the movie. Depending on the speed of your optic drive this can take some time. Once handbrake is done you should now have a [Name of your movie].m4v now sitting in your iTunes Media Folder. For my example I am using Friday The 13th.

(Note: average size of a movie ripped with AppleTV3 settings is around 1 to 2GB)

Step 12: Open The Ripped File In Subler (editing Metadata)

Metadata Editing is a very important step. This is where you assign the Movie Artwork (Think Netflixs or iTunes coverlfow) and the information that goes along with the movie. When you select a movie on a device the meta data information is what displays the information like description, genre, album artwork etc. Since I use Subler. It has a feature that will 'look up' a movie or TV episode on either Itunes or IMDB. It will then download the artwork and description, movie info, rating etc.

This Feature is called [Search Metadata Online] (Shift+CMD+M) This is found in Subler under the File Menu -> Import -> Search metadata online...

HINT: Name your movie file the exact title of the movie (or as close as possible). This makes looking up much easier.

Once you find and select the correct information. Click the [ADD] button. If you are asked pick the artwork you like (sometimes you have multiple choices of artwork) and then save the file. (CMD+S) or Under the File Menu -> Save

Step 13: Moving The Finished Movie for Streaming

Now remote in to the itunes server (easy to do with a static ip) (or go to it directly) and navigate to the movie file. Now move the movie file directly onto the folder named 'Automatically Add to Itunes'. This will put the movie into iTunes Library

Step 14: Checking The Movie in iTunes

You can check by looking in iTunes on the server and see if you see the movie. If you see the movie, all the info is as you wanted, etc you are now ready to watch it.

*HINT: If you need to make a small correction instead of reopening the movie in Sublr you can edit some meta data in iTunes by right clicking on the moving and selecting [Get Info] from the sub menu. Make changes and save.

Step 15: Watch the Movie.

Now any device that has the same apple ID and has home sharing turned ON can now see the streamed movie. I use Apple TV 3rd Gen in my bedroom and another in the living room. This allows me to stream any iTunes content directly to my TVs via the Apple TV. But we can aslo watch movies on iPhones, windows PC's iPads as well. It is our own personal 'Netflix' and makes for not having to go look through the DVD cases to find a movie. Also if we purchase a tv episodes or movies we use the server to automatically download purchases. This makes purchases available to all devices immediately with only having to download them once.

You can download a movie from your shared server to a device to take with you on that next flight out.

My example here is a picture of Friday The 13th (1980) now appearing in AppleTV

Step 16: The legality of this.

Now it goes without saying that you should only rip movies you own. You should not partake in the 'Rent. Rip. Return.' which is not good. Trying to circumvent paying only leads to the techology being over regulated or taken away so please Rip responsibly.

Step 17: Other examples of different types of media you can stream

You can take a lot of home movies and little videos and handbrake them into the mv4 format and open them in Sublr and edit the information manually. I use custom Genres for this very thing. (One is funny videos, another is skate videos, and another is home movies) I then save them and put them in the collection. Then when people come over with just an apple TV remote or my iPhone I can show everything from Ghost In The Shell to The Search for Animal Chin or humorous iPhone videos we shot with just the push of a button.

You can also store your music files on the 'server' as well so you can store all your audio and video collections in one easy to search easy to stream place and if you get another HD you can back everything up or take a copy of your collection with you. Nothing like getting on a 8 hour flight and having hundreds of movies and thousands of songs to pass the time. All easily carried on an external HD.

*Note: There are many ways to do this, many different hardware and software scenarios, and methods. This is just a loose guide to get started. Experimenting and trial and error will find the overall best solution for you. Also I use the term 'server' very loosely hence the quotes. :-)

Guide to Sublr
https://code.google.com/p/subler/wiki/UsingSubler

Guide to Handbrake
https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/HandBrakeGuide

Dlna Mac

Subtitle Settings in Handbrake
https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/Subtitles

4 Comments

Dlna Server On Mac

• Habanero
  Scott Manning Jun 25, 2014 at 07:34am

  Thanks for the share, useful information here that may come in handy.

• Ghost Chili
  ranhalt Jun 25, 2014 at 01:06pm

  Or just use Plex like a normal person and use a range of client devices and apps to view your content, both inside your LAN and over the internet.

• Datil
  MrG3 Jun 25, 2014 at 01:16pm

  Plex is nice but you do have to pay a subscription to unlock many of the apps and one big draw back of Plex is anything DRM you cannot legally play. From the Plex website:

  'Videos purchased from iTunes (and most other similar online stores such as Amazon) have Digital Rights Management (DRM) to implement restrictions on usage. Unfortunately, that means that third-party applications such as Plex are not legally allowed to play that content. :

• Ghost Chili
  Nick42 Jul 8, 2014 at 09:11am

  Suggest you put Step 16 up at the beginning of the ripping section. Disclaimers in front!