Plex Media Server and Hopper

[Hall]

Anyone use the Plex Media Server with your Hopper ? When streaming different videos to the Hopper, many different "files" will simply freeze and lock-up. The Hopper doesn't freeze, just the playback. You can't pause/play, rewind, fast-forward, etc. All you can do is cancel out. I have the media center set up and can access it from:

• Hopper
• Panasonic smart TV (DNLA app)
• Sony BD player
• Roku (XD ? - free one from Dish), using the Plex app

Playback from the Roku app is flawless. I haven't used the BD player enough to say how it behaves. I do know that through the Hopper, I see it happen a LOT. The video files themselves are fine - my daughter is watching one of the files right now from an external USB HDD connected directly to the smart TV.

The files are mostly MP4, some in MKV, but they play, so I don't think the format is a problem.

 

[Jim S.]

I've said it multiple times -- the Hopper's DLNA client feature doesn't work worth a damn for me with almost all media servers I've tried. The only one I've found that gives any level of usability at all is MediaMonkey, but the free version doesn't transcode and I'm not going to pay for a server program. I've already got SMB and NFS (because I have one client that has poor network throughput with SMB for some reason) on my server, so it would've been nice if the Hopper had just been able to access those, not to mention be able to play more codecs itself. (After all, it's not cheap!) And I DON'T need any sort of server program to try to organize my collection for me, I've already got it organized just the way I want it in folders, and most of my files don't have enough metadata to organize properly anyway!

 

[KRUZNBY]

I just started using Plex with the Hopper yesterday, so I can't say one way or the other. I used to use PS3 Media Server on an old AMD Althlon machine and I basically could not fast forward at all or it would kick me out of it. Now I have a Core 2 Quad machine with Plex, so I'm hoping that will be better.

 

[lparsons21]

I use Playon media server with my setup and it seems to work just fine with the Hopper. BUT, it doesn't do anything except play from start all the way through the show.

 

[Hall]

Playon would be nice, but I'm not interested in paying $70. It has a Roku client and I think I've seen a client on my Panasonic TV's "app store" as well.

I've re-installed XBMC since my post and it seems to be doing better than Plex already. Still not perfect and this includes using my TV's app (not the Hopper). It doesn't stop like it was, but instead it basically pauses and 50% of the time it recovers and the other 50% it does not. I think I've made it worse on the server-side after moving all of the media files to a 1TB My Passport drive. Almost as if it's going to sleep (even when data is streaming from it).

 

[lparsons21]

I got the Playon lifetime during a sale some time back for $40 then added HD support when it came out for $5 (I think, cheap anyway). My only mistake was not buying into PlayLater as well when I did 'cause the combo lifetime was being offered for about $15 or so more than just the Playon.

If you want it cheaper, just download and install the 'trial' version and accept emails from them and sooner or later offers will come your way. Been that way for many years.

 

[Hall]

I saw the $40 annual option but that didn't appeal to me.... I may try what you suggest and see what they offer.

 

[lparsons21]

It may take awhile before a 'sale' shows up, but they've been doing them on and off quite a bit and it has been awhile since I had an 'offer' from them, so it might not be too long.

 

[ScottChez]

Playon works the best for streaming content and locally stored.
TVmobily works the best if your just doing locally stored video.
I have tried them all for W[INDOWS AND MAC

 

[Brodieb]

I use Plex with my Hopper2K and it works with no issues. I only use 720P mkv videos so maybe that is why I do not have any issues.

 

[eichenberg]

I used Mezzmo with no problems. I bought a WD My Cloud hard drive, which has a built in DLNA client and that works with no problems as well

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