Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Streaming

PS3 + Streaming Netflix = FAIL (in a lovely shade of red)

porn in the woods — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:55:40 -0800

Anyone else encountering difficulties using Netflix streaming on their PS3? I re-joined Netflix after a long hiatus so I could take advantage of PS3 streaming, but it's been a very bumpy ride and hasn't worked in over a week. While the streaming was a bit flaky over the past 2 months (I'd have to authorize my console multiple times a week, but that's not a big deal), at least it worked. All week long when I launch the Netflix software, it just sits and churns with a circular progress indicator beneath the Netflix logo and never gets to my Instant queue. I let it run for about an hour this morning with no change.

I've tried the following, with no success:
• removing everything from my queue
• rebooting my DSL box/wireless router/PS3
• deactivating my PS3 from my Netflix account page
• putting the IP of my PS3 in my router's DMZ

Golf! On the internet! Now!

ignignokt — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:25:41 -0800

Help My Parents With Their Inexplicable Obsession Filter: Is there a way to watch the Golf Channel online for free or cheap? My parents pay for cable TV just so they can have the Golf Channel. (Yeah, I don't get why they love golf so much, either.) My dad wants to use this Internet thing to get around that. Is there a way? So far, I see that certain golf events are streamed on ESPN, but what they're looking for is to be able to just turn something on at any time and see more or less original golf content.

An alternate source of streaming golf video content will probably work, too - it doesn't have to be the Golf Channel.

How do I become an online DJ?

Miyomei — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:11:30 -0800

How can I set up a streaming online radio station from my (Windows 7) laptop? I would like to start my own online radio station; primarily, this would be used to broadcast to a selected group of people. In essence, I would like to be able to pass them a link that opens either in their music player of choice (.m3u, .pls, etc), or a small web app that requires no download. I do not really need a service to attract listeners, and I will probably be hosting only 50-200 users max.

Other features I'm interested in:

-On-the-fly song queuing.
-Microphone support (more importantly, push to talk. I don't want it always on.)
-Free for me and the users.
-Good audio quality.
-While not important in any manner, video support would be neat.

I have searched and searched Google for an answer, but it's just not doing much for me. Perhaps my Google-fu is not strong enough.

Live sports on PC

paulyballs — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:50:10 -0800

What's the best way to watch live tv (sports mainly) on a PC? My gf's parents have a vacation cabin with only internet access and they want to be able to watch live sports while they are there. What's the best option. Her mother asked me about "Digital TV for PC" but I think it's a scam. They do have full cable at their main home so I was thinking of advising Slingbox. Anything else out there that won't require me installing hardware at their main home? Thanks!

Help a British Ex-Pat Access Overseas Content (BBC, iTV, premier league football, etc...)

ghostpony — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:10:32 -0800

My father is a British ex-pat who is craving some good old fashion football/cricket/BBC. Please share some advice about best way to access this content while in the states. My father is a British ex-pat who has lived in the states for some 20 odd years. After many years of paying through the nose for pay per view football matches and the occasional cricket test match he gave up.

Can you give us some advice about the best way to access this content? He is interested in watching Premier League matches, cricket, rugby, and most everything the BBC puts out. He is particularly interested in live-streaming matches, but would take what he can get.

Also news to me Hulu has a UK only site that features content from Channel 4, ITV, and other UK only channels, and so access to that would be welcome.

Do you have any advice? Where do we start?

Multimedia-filter: Looking for help from all you Network and digital media Gurus in making my first house totally awesome. Movies, Televsion, Music, Wifi, Streaming Content and 50mgbt broadband within.

Cogentesque — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:03:13 -0800

Multimedia-filter: Looking for help from HDTV, NAS, Media Servers and Network Gurus' in making my first house totaly awesome. Movies, Televsion, Music, Wifi, Streaming Content and 50mgbt broadband within. Ok guys, this is my first new message on metafilter, so thanks for everything thus far - to business.

The Premise:
In two weekends time, my girlfriend and I are moving into our first house together in Southampton (UK).

Thankfully she is very accomadating and shares the same views with me reguarding the wonder of technology and allure of gadgetry and thus: we have decided to go down the "cyberhouse" network route - all be it slowly.

What we currently have
50mgbt line and a Television package from Virgin.
2 relatively high-spec PCs downstairs (in the lounge) (XP/Vista soon upgrading to Windows 7 im sure)
A new TV - to be bought - (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/154997/show_product_reviews?offset=10&review_type=both&review_order_by=RLF - ebuyer's own)
1 ipod touch
Host of parts to make a low spec PC.

What I would like in my cyber house
DVD's playable on the TV
Normal channels (Virgin package) playable on the TV
Video (films, episodes) from PC's playable on the TV
Music, both downstairs and upstairs: DAB radio/Cd's/Downloaded Music/Online Radio (last.fm etc would be great)
The ability to change the music remotely (ideally, different sources for different rooms)

Some ideas I've been looking at so far
KVM Switch and a long HDMI cable for my computer to use TV as alternative screen - enabling videos from pc to be played
NAT Storage hiding somewhere in the network
Popcorn Hour to play video from PC
Sonos music system to play upstairs and downstairs
Media pc configured to do the job of sonos and popcorn hour (apparantly this is very tricky?)

What do you think metafilter? Remember that we are definately "on a budget" but I much more trust your collective ideas and conceptions than my own - so what would you reccomend should be my immediate course of action?

Big Ten Network football on streaming video?

ragtimepiano — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:34:08 -0800

Can I get Big Ten Network football games on streaming video online? Does anyone know if this is possible, and if so, how to do it?

Turn up the radio

CodeMonkey — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:25:24 -0800

What is the best software for recording streaming AM radio stations? There are late night shows on, some that have podcasts but some that don't. I want to 'set it and forget it' and have the results in an mp3 format.

Best/Cheapest way to stream video/audio media from PC that also acts as HD backup?

bmilner — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:38:16 -0800

Best/Cheapest way to stream video/audio from PC that also acts as HD backup? (wants: Codec support, cheap, netflix support) My 1TB external HD crashed and since I'll need a replacement, I figured why not finally add the ability to stream content to my TV in the next room. There are so many confusing options out there. Here are my wants & what I know. Any opinions?

MUST HAVE:
1. 1TB or more storage space. I will use this as a backup drive for my Vista PC
2. Ability to play many codecs. I get videos from many places H264, Divx, WMV, Mp4 etc and I'd love to avoid having to convert them.
3. Play Mp3s from a library or folder structure
4. Wi-Fi support. I don't have ethernet by my TV

NICE TO HAVE:
1. Netflix/YouTube support.
2. Ability to handle large music collections I have 100GB of music so poor interfaces that scroll slowly will suck.
3. Variety of outputs so even though my TV is standard DEF component video now, I'll likely go HD in next year or two. (HDMI?)
4. No dependency on iTunes or Windows Media Player running on my PC. I hate those apps. I use Media Monkey.

NOT NEEDED (if adds to cost):
1. BitTorrent
2. Blu-Ray support
3. DVR functions (I have a TiVo series 2)

WHAT I'VE CONSIDERED:
1) Popcorn Hour A-110: Could put a 1TB drive in it. It would appear on network so I could use it as backup drive and media player. Cons: confusing, poor UI, netflix support is unofficial via $40 3rd party program

2) XBox 360: Plays games as a bonus. Means I have to run Windows Media Player on PC, yuck. Has Netflix. Also, limited codec support? Doesn't solve drive backup issue. Would need to buy separate USB drive for PC

3) XBOX w/ XBMC: I don't know how up to date this software is. Does it support netflix? Wifi? Needs seperate drive for PC backup

4) Mvix Ultio Media Player (http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/home-entertainment/bd4f/): Seems like Popcorn hour. Don't know which is better/easier.

5) Ps3 Slim: I've heard codec support's better than Xbox360. NO dependency on Windows Media Player? Netflix Support? Still needs an external drive for main backup

SO, any recommendations? Thanks!

How can I get a 40 minute video posted online?

anti social order — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:33:18 -0800

Online hosting recommendations for a 40 minute video to be displayed on a website? Asking for a coworker - he's made a website for his nephew to get into college sports. He has a video of his nephew playing - a 40 minute highlight reel on DVD that he'd like to host online somewhere and post a link to it from the kid's website and allow streaming (like a YouTube video window). Apparently the current host doesn't have a video hosting option. Strikes me as odd, but I didn't follow up.

He expects not lots of views, a few coaches and recruiters from whatever schools, and he has to do this somewhat cheaply and easily (so no akamai/brightcove or S3/cloud DIY stuff).

I didn't know that Google videos no longer allows long videos to be uploaded, and every other video site I could think of to check has a 10 minute time limit. I'm out of ideas. What do you think?

Which 1080p HDMI media streamer should I purchase?

Perplexer — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:07:00 -0800

Which 1080p HDMI media streamer should I purchase? My Xbox with XBMC is starting to show its age. Which device should I consider as its replacement?

Requirements: Adequate processor for 720P, ideally for 1080P. Ethernet port for streaming MP3s and various video formats from a media server (Windows Vista/Windows7). Intuitive menus. Multi-format support. Should be under $200. (I'm not sure a Roku or AppleTV will meet my needs.)

These are on my comparison list:

WD Live TV Media Player (WDTV-2)
Brite-view Cinematube
Mvix Ultio

Have I missed anything, and what would you recommend?

Preloading Streaming Quicktime Chapters

wavejumper — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:04:40 -0800

Help me figure out how to preload "chapters" in a streaming Quicktime file - so that the chapter headings load and are selectable immediately! Here's the link:

http://www.wholestorycoaching.com/epilogue.htm

When you click on "Introduction", you can see the spaces for 9 other chapters, however, at least on my machine, they are not selectable and the titles of them don't show up until that point in the (fairly long) timeline is loaded. I'm hoping to find a way to let people skip ahead to any of those 10 points. Any suggestions appreciated, thanks!

How can I listen to and MANAGE my mp3 music collection/playlists over the internet?

gummo — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:12:24 -0800

How can I listen to and MANAGE my mp3 music collection/playlists over the internet? I have a large music collection (all mp3) at home that is pretty well organized into folders and properly tagged (finally). Nothing is really in playlists, and that is the next task I've set for myself. I need to organize my music into playlists so I can just click a playlist during a party, or while I'm kicking around the house. Shuffle just doesn't work on my collection. Too many whole albums with plenty of weird stuff popping up.

Organizing this music into playlists is proving very time consuming. Listening to thousands of songs and occasionally adding one to one playlist or another just isn't something I have been able to make much time for. It occurred to me that since I listen to music at work all day long, I could be accomplishing it there.

Bringing the music to work, even in batches, isn't really that feasible. What I need to be able to do is stream it to myself at work, by folder or artist or album, and occasionally add a song to one of my playlists (preferrably not by jotting it down in notepad and adding it at home later).

How can I do this?

[Requirements/limitations]

For the server at home, I have a few windows boxes (vista, win7, and xp), and could, if absolutely necessary, run a linux box or something.

For the client at work, I have an XP box. Web interface would be best. Some sort of small, non-intrusive windows app would be ok too.

I have used and don't really like Itunes, and prefer to avoid it if possible.

I use Mediamonkey at home to manage my music collection and like it very much.

I prefer open source or freeware, but am not opposed to buying something if it will do exactly what I need.

I prefer to avoid any kind of cloud storage or uploading of my music. My machine at home should be the server. No online server being involved would be best. I'm not interested in sharing, or public social music nonsense, or scrobbling, or music recommendations, or auto-tagging, or anything like that. I just want a client/server app to manage my music library.

I'm leaning towards Orb, but haven't tried it. It seems like overkill, and the sharing etc... aspect of it has turned me off a bit. I'm curious if there are better alternatives. However, if anyone has any direct experience with Orb (specifically with playlists), please let me know.

Thanks.

How can I stream HD content from one Comcast DVR to a another TV two stories above?

parakeetdog — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:18:04 -0800

Does anyone know of a product that can stream HD videos from an HD DVR to another TV two stories above? I have looked at Slingboxes and Popcorn Hour, but both seem to be able to send HD content to a computer, but not another HD TV. I have seen products that allow people to send non-HD programs to a TV, but I want send HD programming too.

Sony and Gefen make wireless HDMI streaming devices, but they are limited to 30 and 65 feet respectively.

Any suggestions?

How do I capture a small part of a long video stream?

tamarack — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:16:42 -0800

I want to capture a small part of a long video stream from the web. And I want it in mp4. It's my convocation webcast, and it's in asf. I have managed to capture just the five minutes (of 2+ hrs!) I want, but I did so with Real Player and so the file is in the ever-unfriendly rm file format. I haven't had any luck with file conversion programs, and I can't crack the nut which is VLC (I've tried the VideoLAN forums). I'm running WinXP, and I'm looking for a free way to do this.

I need a recommendation for a tried and true free file conversion that deals with rm->mp4; or step-by-step instructions for how to do this with VLC (I don't want the entire file). I did look in the back posts, but didn't find anything dealing with a partial capture. Many thanks, mefites.

Dark instrumental streaming music?

ellighi — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:54:48 -0800

Streaming music that plays dark'ish instrumental music similar to Danny Elfman/Nightmare Before Christmas/Edward Scissorhands? I'm looking for a 24hr music stream that plays instrumental music similar to that heard in Tim Burton movies. I've searched all over but am coming up with nothing. Sadly, it must be streaming.

Recommendations for downloading and saving streaming video?

bluesky43 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:44:24 -0800

Recommendations for downloading and saving streaming video from youtube, hulu, megavideo? This has been covered before in Meta but not since 2007 and this seems to be an 'evolving' discipline. There is also lots on the web but a lot of it seems to be about potentially sketchy, looks-like-freeware-but-it's-not programs with questionable reviews. I'm primarily interested in lifting from megavideo. I'm not particular about format and have VLC, which if what I have read is correct, will play pretty much any format (and not having to convert formats seems like a desirable thing). Any suggestions based on your experience welcome (pc running windows xp). Thanks!

Best device to stream Netflix?

cowmix — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:21:09 -0800

What is the best device (or way) to stream NetFlix to your TV? There are tons of options that allow you to stream Netflix to a TV: hookup a PC, Xbox 360, Roku, LG and Samsung Bluray players, etc.

What is the best way to stream Netflix if I do not own any of those devices now but were going to purchase one?

Canadian Indie radio?

Sufi — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:12:43 -0800

Where can I listen to Canadian Indie radio, online? I'm a huge fan of the XM/Sirius channel "The Verge", a Canadian independent/new artist station. Recently the sound quality has gone down the drain so I'm in the market for an alternative radio station.

Are there any other sources for Canadian Indie music? Preferably available online; cost is not an issue.

Hey BBC, stop being stingy.

photoslob — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:04:01 -0800

How do I watch streaming video from the BBC 4 site in the US? Is there a way to spoof or use a proxy to circumvent country restrictions on streaming video from the BBC?

I thought this video from this MeFi post was funny and so I did the google thing and found the show on the BBC 4 site. I tried to watch the streaming video and I get the "this service is not available in your area" message.

I know the Beeb is tax payer supported but it sucks they don't want us yanks to watch.

Computer shuts down when streaming video?

mediocre — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:12:08 -0800

Why is my laptop shutting down when streaming videos? Whenever I watch videos online, particularly from Megavideo but even from Youtube occasionally, the whole system will simply shut down. Can anyone offer any help, anyone ever experienced a similar issue? Would a clean system install help matters? Overheating?

It's an eMachines M5312 (yes yes, I know.. my first error was buying eMachines..)

I can't see invisible things!

timpollard — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:44:30 -0800

Having recently reformatted my XP PC I'm having a very confusing time accessing media files from it using my ethernet-cabled Freecom MP 350 MediaPlayer as it can see some of my shared files, but for some reason not all of them and I would greatly appreciate some advice and help! The MediaPlayer is attached to my TV downstairs and is connected by ethernet to the PC upstairs. The PC can see the MediaPlayer (via NDAS) and vice-versa. I use ZoneAlarm Security Suite and that's configured to allow the MediaPlayer's IP into my 'trusted' zone.

On my PC I have two shared folders, one on drive Q: (which I've called 'Mediabox') and one on drive H: (called, startlingly, 'Mediabox II').

My MP350 can see and play the Q: drive's shared folder and files perfectly. Life is good so far.

However, although it can see the name(s) of the shared folder(s) on the H: drive it can't see any content at all, despite it being set up in exactly the same way. (Which was basically ticking the 'share this folder' box). I've checked the properties on both drives on my PC, they are exactly the same. There appears to be no option in the MediaPlayer software to account for this discrepancy either.

Renaming the shared folders on my PC doesn't make any difference, nor does creating new ones, either on the H: drive or any of any my other hard drives. The MP350 still just sees the folders, but never the content (except from the Q: drive).

Can anyone suggest where I (or my setup) is going wrong? Surely if the MP350 can see and play files from one hard drive on my PC it should be able to see and play from any or all of them?

What am I missing?

Many thanks in advance!

How often should I post to maintain an audience?

gusandrews — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:13:08 -0800

I produce a YouTube show about media literacy/criticism. Right now we post weekly, on a schedule which is driving me insane. Does frequency of publishing new content matter (whether it's for a blog, a podcast, a comic, etc) so long as you publish regularly? Could I do it every other week or monthly without losing people's attention? And what do you suggest doing to help make up for less-frequent publishing? I produce a YouTube show about media literacy/criticism which is aimed roughly at high-school- and college-aged students. Right now we post weekly. I've been sticking to this schedule because I've always felt that blogs/webcomics/other online serials which post regularly tend to have a more devoted audience. (This also echoes advice I got when working for an organization which supported small-circulation magazines.)

However, posting weekly is kind of driving me crazy. Editing and shooting video is a hell of a lot more time-consuming than writing a blog post. I'd like to post less frequently, but I'm worried I'd lose audience. A lot of the people I speak to about the show don't seem to have a YouTube account, so using the "subscribe" button is out.

So I'm hoping to gather up the expertise of people who have been doing this for longer than I have. Does frequency of publishing new content matter (whether it's for a blog, a podcast, a comic, etc) so long as you publish regularly? Could I do it every other week or monthly without losing people's attention? And what do you suggest doing to help make up for less-frequent publishing?

How to stream radio w/o the bandwidth?

jaseaco — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:25:49 -0800

How can I enjoy streaming radio at work without hogging bandwidth? I just got the email - no more streaming radio/video due to bandwidth issues at my work. Is there anything I can do?

I usually listen to last.fm or Pandora, and I am now finding it painful to live without it. I thought about maybe using logmein.com or some other remote access program to access my computer at home, but doesn't that hog bandwidth too?

Are the latest Blackberries (Curve, etc) able to stream music?

Thanks in advance...

Best Streaming Internet Radio

Mid — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:05:39 -0800

Best streaming internet radio stations with good quality sound? I recently purchased a Grace internet wifi radio and love it. I am looking for some great stations to program into memory. We tend to listen to jazz, americana/alt country, college rock, and I guess "world beat" stuff.

A few limiters:

--Streams need to be at 64kbs or better or they don't sound so great.
--Public or community supported (or otherwise not a lot of commercials) only, please.
--Any good international stations would be great - I think I've surveyed most US stations.
--I know about Pandora, last.fm, slacker, etc. So far I've only been able to get Pandora to work on the Grace player -- not sure the other ones will work.
--Stations that have very different formats throughout the day are less good than single-format or similar-format stations - i.e., we're looking for stations you can tune in at any point during the day and find pretty reliably great (most college stations probably disqualified here).
--Regular-old NPR/PRI stations less good as we already have those.
--"Robotic" stations without a DJ (like Soma, Dig, 123, etc.) are less good than real live stations because of the personality factor - we like a DJ talking about the music.

To start the list (hopefully), here are are some current presets:

KKJZ - L.A.-based jazz station, good all around jazz

KPLU/Jazz 24 - Seattle-based jazz, tends to be on the mellow side

WDVX - Tennessee-based bluegrass/country/folk

KEXP - Seattle-based mostly alt rock.

I also know about these good ones (but don't listen as much): KCRW (eclectic) , Swiss Jazz (like it sounds), WWOZ (New Orleans music), WFMU (free form, rock, not really my thing).

Finally -- some prior discussions of online streams: thread 1 (mostly about Pandora-type services but some stations listed); thread 2 (2005 discussion, some stations listed)