XBMC Media Center

[daniel.benjamins]

http://xbmc.org/home/

[Mouse]

I use this one on my living room PC. http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

Thanks for the heads up will try XBMC too.

[ithildin]

XBMC?
Do you mean XBMS (XBMC Media Stream Protocol) support?

[thepixelateman]

XBMS Will be GREAT!!!!

[Stokkes]

There's no way you could run XBMC from the NAS.

It has no video card, the CPU isn't powerful enough to decode video (maybe low bitrate SD content, forget HD) and probably a hundred other different things.

[Dr.Wily]

It mean XBMS protocol not XBM on NAS.

XBMS protocol is very reliable to tranfers multimedia files to a player.

[rudku]

ipkg for TS509

Package: ccxstream
Version: 1.0.15-3
Section: net
Architecture: i686
Maintainer: NSLU2 Linux <nslu2-linux@yahoogroups.com>
MD5Sum: 439c300f22e92d41107397d1a0d25fd6
Size: 19506
Filename: ccxstream_1.0.15-3_i686.ipk
Source: http://easynews.dl.sf.net/sourceforge/xbmc/ccxstream-1.0.15.tar.gz
Description: A server to stream music and video to an XBox running Xbox Media Player using XBMSP protocol

[micster]

That link was down... anywhere else we can get it?

* I found it over here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/xbplayer/files/XStream%20Servers/

[rudku]

Here is valid link for ccxstream:
http://ipkg.nslu2-linux.org/feeds/optware/ts509/cross/stable/ccxstream_1.0.15-3_i686.ipk

[micster]

For those that are interested, here is how I got my media streaming from my QNAP TS-509 to XBMC using xbmsp/ccxstream...

You need to first add Optware IPKG
1. First update your firmware to the latest build.
2. In your 'System Tools' -> 'QPKG' page, click on 'Get QPKG' button.
If nothing is listed you must get the package from the appropriate download page on the QNAP website.
3. Download 'Optware IPKG' package that matches your model.
4. Unzip the downloaded archive then install it (.qpkg file) via the 'System Update' under your 'System Tools' page.

After you reboot use PuTTY to ssh into your server. After logging in, change into the newly created optware directory. For me on the TS-509 it looked like this:

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cd /share/MD0_DATA/.qpkg/Optware

and issue the following commands...

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ipkg update
ipkg install ccxstream

You need to edit the startup script that should have been just created. You should be able to navigate to it by typing this:

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cd /opt/etc/init.d


And look for a file called "S75ccxstream" or something similar. If that location or file does not exist, try rebooting first.

Edit the startup script "S75ccxstream" with the built in text editor "VI" because some Windows text editors might corrupt the file.

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vi S75ccxstream
#press "i" to go into edit mode
#press "escape" to exit edit mode
#then press ":" followed by "q" followed by "y" to save your changes

Inside the startup script is a section to point to your shared directory, modify that section.

Okay almost done.... The final thing to do is create or modify autorun.sh Follow the instructions HERE. Before you unmount the volume, we need to add a couple lines to autorun.sh Here is what mine looks like:

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#!/bin/sh
# ccxstream server boot
rm -rf /opt
ln -sf /share/MD0_DATA/.qpkg/Optware /opt echo "export PATH=$PATH:/opt/bin:/opt:sbin" >> /root/.profile
ln -sf /share/MD0_DATA/.qpkg/Optware/etc/init.d/S75ccxstream  /etc/rcS.d/QS999ccxstream


Then just restart your server and hopefully the ccxstream server will be running. You can check by typing

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ps -A

and look for something that says "ccxstream".

[rudku]

@micster:

Nice guide. Thank you for it.

I have same questions about testing of ccxstream...

I never tried it, because I use for streaming from QNAP NAS to XBMC nfs protocol (sometimes samba), and I don´t think that ccxstream is better.
But I don´t know...
- Which are max. transfer bitrates?
- Streaming full BD rips - is´t possible without problem?
- Is´t only for streaming to XBMC running on XBOX?
- What bring this protocol in compare with nfs and samba?

Please, can you describe more about ccxstream from your testing and real using?

[micster]

This is funny... I was looking for information on setting this up again because I couldn't remember how, and then I found my own post (haha).

Well to answer your question I'm not sure how well it performs which is what I'm going to set out to test again. Last year when I set this up I tried to stream from my media server here in Washington State to San Francisco. The computer running xbmc in San Francisco was able to map the drive and get access to my library of movies, but when trying to play it would buffer for a couple of minutes and then play only a few seconds totally unacceptable. Granted this was on a basic cable connection with around 1.0 mbps upstream. I'm planning on testing again and if I can't get decent results I'm going to up my Internet to something serious like 20 mbps and see what kind of results I get then. Stay tuned... hopefully.

Oh, and to "Why xbmsp?" because

• it was designed specifically for xbmc
• it has little overhead
• it is suppose to be the most bandwidth effecient
• it is a routable protocol which means you just need to open port 1400

I forgot to also mention that the xbmsp is supported by all versions of XBMC. You simply add a share with a path that looks like:

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xbms://<IP path>

I use dyndns.org and setup my router to forward all traffic on port 1400 to my Qnap TS-509. So the path to my media share on my client XBMC box (which is running on a PC) looks like:

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xbms://mysubdomain.dyndns.org

and automagically displays all my media that is shared on my TS-509.

[micster]

Sorry for the long delay. I never was able to get a valid test of this streaming protocol, but that is okay because now we have something better! It's called QMobile and it's an App from Qnap that gives you access to your media files right on your mobile device (iOS and Android)! Combine that with what I learned about Video Out Streaming and you really don't need to setup a special streaming protocol for XBMC so that you can access you movies across town.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Hm but what about for say media streamer devices ?

[micster]

I'm not sure what your asking, Moogle. When at home I have Micro-ATX HTPC that I built using the ZOTAC motherboard with XBMC installed. There is no substitute for XBMC as your main Media Extender, so if I was doing it now I would probably buy something like the ZOTAC MAG mini-pc and install the XBMC Linux Distro onto it.

However, when not at home.... it is not feasible that everywhere you go and want to watch your videos or listen to your music will have a PC with XBMC installed onto it. Yes, you could install XBMC onto a thumb-drive and take that with you (which is why I was researching streaming protocols), but it is a hassle and never quite works right. The QMobile app by itself will let you enjoy your media on-the-go, but with such tiny speakers and a little screen your mobile device (smart phone running iOS or Android) can't be shared with friends and family. That is why I bought some component cables for my iPhone so I can hook it up to any TV.

My iPhone becomes my media streaming device. It's compact, portable and always with me wherever I go. Throw the component cables in your bag and you're ready to rock you music and movies wherever you go with no hassle!