You’ve got all that media – photos, videos, recorded TV, music and more – scattered across your network, and now there’s a load of online media to tap into as well. How can you possibly keep on top of it all while making it possible to access your media while away from home on your portable device?
- In some cases, you can build a low-power HTPC NAS combo that can serve as both home media server and file/download/web server. You may have the best possible hardware but without the right home server software your needs may not be met. So let us look at some of the best home server OS in 2015.
- Watch Free Movies & TV Stream Smarter with Plex.
If you’re just wanting a quick solution, our pick for the best DLNA media server software of 2020 for most users is PlayOn. Not only does PlayOn allow you to stream media using to DLNA-compatible devices, it’s also the only DLNA media server software to offer strong integration with streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and more.
Plex is one possible solution. It allows you to share the media content – photos, music, video and recorded TV – from selected folders on the host computer as well as any network shares, but that’s not all. Plex also lets you tap into online content too, allowing your clients to access internet-hosted media like YouTube, NetFlix and more through the same interface. These are served via the use of special Plex PMS Plug-ins, some of which are included with the main download, while others are available for separate download and install.
Media Server Software Mac
Plex comes in two parts: this is the Media Server, which you need to install on the PC or Mac that’s hosting all the media content you wish to share. Note, previous Mac builds combined both media server and client in a single application – this is no longer the case from 0.9.5 onwards.
Setup is relatively simple, but easier on the Mac than Windows – visit the wiki for full instructions (click the 'Laika' link). Your library can be organised according to four types of content: TV shows, movies, pictures and music. Select which folders – network shares as well as folders – to make accessible, and they’ll be made available to your clients, complete with metadata that helps identify the content being played, including artist bios for music and movie descriptions for video.
Then all you need to do is install the client software and your library will be available for streaming on that Mac, PC or portable device. Get the Plex Media Center client for Windows and Mac, or Plex for Android and iOS mobile devices.
Verdict:
The Mac version is polished, reliable and well worth trying, but the Windows server still suffers from various glitches that make it harder to wholeheartedly recommend.
Best Free Mac Software
We all want a good video and audio player for our Mac that doesn’t freeze in the middle. A good media player is essential for testing out videos to be played on the big screen or simply knowing if the file format plays on the certain type of media player you use, and it has a good playback quality on all LCD projectors and TV screens.
Related:
While we know we can trust Mac when it comes to video and image resolution, we still need to check if our video files will be supported by a specific media player, or if the media player itself has a version for Mac. We’ve included Video Rotation Media Players in this blog for playing raw videos from mobile phones or camera that were shot in a vertical orientation.
VLC Media Player
Elmedia Player
Movavi Media Player
Plex Media Server
MPlayerX
DivX Player
Some of the best Mac media players on our list include:
- VLC Media Player– VLC is an open source media player that lets you play multiple file formats conveniently, and it also plays DVDs, CDs, and VCDs. It’s absolutely free with no strings attached, and it doesn’t require a codec pack.
- Elmedia Player– This multi-platform media player enables you to play different file formats like FLV, SWF, MP4, MOV, DAT, MP3, and AVI. It comes with a 10-band equalizer for better sound quality, A-B loop for seamless repetition of playing the video, and a fit-image-to-screen feature.
- Movavi Media Player– Annoyed with system crashes and slow video playback? Have no interruptions while watching your movie or playing your music with Movavi Media Player that supports formats like AVI, MKV, and WMV.
- Plex Media Server– This handy media player tool allows you to play videos or TV shows anywhere you may be, whether inside your car, at the living room, or off the coast using their ultimate cloud provider. All you need to do is sign up, add your media, and start streaming.
AVCHD Playeris a new wave of HD video player that supports AVCHD videos or videos that are taken from camera recorders with 720p, 1080p, and 1080i signals. The AVCHD Player ensures smooth streaming and keeps a smaller file size with the original 1920 × 1080 resolution in HD cameras.
KMPlayer
DVDFab
5KPlayer
Macgo Mac Media Player – Most Popular Software
Need more great Mac media player reviews? Try these free highly rated media players:
- MPlayerX
Home Media Server Software
MPlayerX has open source projects such as FFmpeg and MPlayer that lets you play almost any media format on Mac. What’s more is that you mirror, flip, and change the video aspect ratio of the image, and utilize the Video Tuner and Sound Equalizer for better sound and video output.
- DivX Player
DivX is now a product of Neulion Corporate. This incredible product can let you view your videos of up to 4K quality with an HEVC playpack. You can create and sort your videos with DivX Player ‘s playlist and connect and sync your movies on cloud with the latest DivX 10.7 update.
- KM Player
Lightweight and fully supports common video formats, KM Player has its own internal codec.
- DVDFab
Need to play Blu-ray and DVDs? DVDFab can easily rip your DVDs and convert them to another format; it also unlocks Cinavia-protected files.
There are other media players like anISO playerthatlets you play an ISO file, which is an archive of files like games or films that serve as backup for optical disks. Not all cross-platform Mac media players support the ISO format, so it’s necessary for you to download and ISO player.There are free ISO playeronline, but with limited use.
Free Media Server Software For Mac Computers
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