Any software that can stream to PC and PS3 on a LAN simultaneously on XP

[gll99]

Lately I've been using various programs to test streaming sd video located on a PC to my PS3 and at times separately to a second PC. Some programs seem designed for PC to PC streaming while others are very good at PC to PS3 streaming. I've tried PS3 Media Server, TVersity, VLC, SerViio, Windows Media Encoder (9) (including 2 Windows Media Encoder front ends U-Broadcast and Star Media Center), WMP11, ORB and Nero MediaHome. There might even be a few more that I've forgotten

I'm not so much looking to discuss the pluses and minuses of these various tools or their encoding or lack of encoding capabilities those things are pretty apparent once you try them. Within their limitations they are all pretty decent tools and I had good success trying these out.

What I'd like to know is being pretty green at this, did I miss a setting in one of these apps that would allow me to stream the same encoded video to both a second PC and PS3 at the same time. Maybe you know of a different program (preferably free) that will do what I want. Thanks

[guns1inger]

So you are looking for a push, or broadcast solution. I.e. a single video comes from the source PC, and clients, be they a PS3 or other PCs on the network can hook into the stream and watch it, but the clients do not have a choice over what is broadcast, and cannot initiate their own streams. Does this cover what you are after ?

Most media servers are design to present and index of videos, and to stream based on client requests. If you have enough bandwidth (perhaps multiple nics on the server) and fast enough storage and CPU, you could stream to multiple clients with TVersity or PS3 media server. However what is broadcast is client driven. The only way to limit it to a single video would be to limit the playlist that TVersity offers. However you can address TVersity through the PS3 as a DNLA client, and through the browser of a PC using flash. VLC can broadcast a stream, as can Star Media Center, however I don't know if the PS3 can see these streams. It is not designed to read streams in this way. It may be able to use it's built-in browser, if the server presents the video in a browser friendly way.

However you need to clarify exactly what it is you are trying to achieve.

[gll99]

Thanks for the comment guns1inger

So you are looking for a push, or broadcast solution. I.e. a single video comes from the source PC, and clients, be they a PS3 or other PCs on the network can hook into the stream and watch it, but the clients do not have a choice over what is broadcast, and cannot initiate their own streams. Does this cover what you are after ?

Something like that but for technical reasons it might have to be a variation of it. More on that later.

However you need to clarify exactly what it is you are trying to achieve.

gll99 wrote

What I'd like to know is being pretty green at this, did I miss a setting in one of these apps that would allow me to stream the same encoded video to both a second PC and PS3 at the same time. Maybe you know of a different program (preferably free) that will do what I want. Thanks

I'm no expert on the subject so It's hard to explain my objective more than this without making some technical misspeak but I'll give it a go.
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In case it isn't obvious. Imagine a PC (the server) in one room, A PS3 connected to a TV in a second room and another PC connected to a television in a 3rd room. I would like the PC in the 3rd room to play the same video as that being played by the PS3 in the second room without starting a second streaming session.

First I'd like to say that the source of the video is not important. It could be on one of my local drives, a video device like a tv tuner card or even the internet but for purpose of this discussion we can say it's a single video stored on a local hdd. Although I have managed to stream all the previously mentioned over my LAN without trouble using some of these tools.

Second, I'm not interested in broadcasting out to the world through the internet. The video file is on one PC and is targeting my PS3, Wii, or another PC or 2 on my LAN.

Third, all or any authorized clients will connect either wired or wireless to my router. There is no need to discuss routers since any port related and sharing issues have been overcome in my early trials before posting.

Fourth, for anyone who might ask I'm not talking about sharing files in a shared directory. I do that already for another reason. I'm interested in sharing a stream.
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It's evident when you try these programs that some employ a push method where the host sends out a single stream using an addressable protocol and an authorized client can open an address link and play the stream while it is in progress. The client joins the feed in progress and has no control over playback or content other than to stop accepting the feed.( ie..VLC, WMencoder)

Other programs use shares and playlists from which the client can choose which video to play. In the latter case this uses a pull method so it is the client that initiates the streaming of the video. The host simply makes it available to any authorized client. I realize it's even more complicated than this since devices like the PS3 play files made available from a DLNA server which in this case is set up on the PC ie (PS3 Media Server, TVersity, Serviio, WMP11 etc...).

Putting on a designer / programmer hat for a minute:
I already know I can stream to 2 PC's using the push method with for example WMencoder. Since a PS3 is in the loop and a DLNA server has to be part of the discussion I'll look at it from that aspect.

Considering 2 possibilities I was hoping might already exist:

1) I appreciate the fact that since the individual client accessing a DLNA server (in my case the PS3) controls what plays then normally we can't play a stream on one PS3 while simultaneously playing it on another device. Another device could probably play the same file but it wouldn't be the same stream. In other words since the PS3 selects the video and plays it, how could another device know that a stream has started? However the thought occurred to me that if the PS3 was to itself become a host server it would be able to pass on that stream to another device possibly including a PC on the network. At this point the PS3 would take on both the role of client and server. I don't know if that's possible or exists but that's one of the reasons I asked the question.

btw) I did read somewhere that the PS3 can stream to a PSP using a proprietery protocol so maybe this idea is not too far-fetched.

2) There might be another potential access point at which the stream can be intercepted and sent to another client. For example, looking at PS3 Media Server when a video is being re-encoded there might be an opportunity to intercept the stream as it is sent from the buffer. For this to work the api would have to expose the streamed bits to the programmer through a variable of some sort. If so then the data could be sent to another device using a push protocol. The encoder and PS3 would still control what plays but it would in effect accomplish with perhaps a minor almost imperceptible delay what I want to achieve.

If the streaming bits are not accessible then perhaps the buffer itself (or raw stream itself when no conversion takes place) could be parsed separately and the data streamed to the other PC. This method would require more work involving monitoring the original stream to start and stop the new stream and it wouldn't exactly be in sync but it might still be doable.

Again I was hoping maybe someone had already done something like this.

I realize that while I said I didn't want to start a second stream the reality it's unavoidable since it involves 2 types of streaming protocol. Two of the methods I mention however just involve tapping into an existing stream and it's only the delivery method which changes.

[guns1inger]

The main problem you have is not in finding a push streaming tool, as several exist. The problem is that consoles are not designed to play this type of stream, and so are not equipped. The PS3 is DLNA compliant and can stream very well from enabled servers. The Wii, on the other hand, has very limited video playback capabilities and must be hacked to do even basic things. Even with it's very capable streaming capabilities, the PS3 cannot easily engage a push stream. It's browser is very basic, and doesn't even run full screen. As for remore play with a PSP, again this isn't push serving. You use the PSP to control the PS3, and when you initiate a stream from your PC, you get it on both the PS3 and the PSP.

XBMC can run as both a DLNA server, and also a DLNA client, so you could use it to stream on the second PC, however you again have two independently initiated and controlled streams, not a single stream with multiple clients attached. What you really need is a DLNA stream sniffer that can scan for DLNA streams on the network, then display the stream. That I have not seen.

[phatpuckz]

This will hopefull be possible when (and if) ps3 media server applies the vlc plugin. Many people have been asking for this and hopefully in there next update to this program it will be available. look on their site for more info.

[gll99]

This will hopefull be possible when (and if) ps3 media server applies the vlc plugin. Many people have been asking for this and hopefully in there next update to this program it will be available. look on their site for more info.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one looking for this. I was thinking of writing the developers of TVersity and PS3 Media Server to ask them if it was possible to add that feature but I thought maybe I was the only one who wanted it.

Now hopefully (if) when they use the vlc plugin they will design it to trap the active stream going to the PS3 so it can be viewed on both the PS3 and a PC (or another client device) simultaneously. Using vlc within the program does not guarantee that they won't just incorporate the option to either stream to a PC or a PS3 but not both at the same time but I'm hopeful. The latter wouldn't be much better than using VLC on its own.

Thanks for the info, now that I'm aware I'll keep an eye on that forum.

btw) I guess it's safe to conclude that of the few who have read this thread so far no one knows of a program that already incorporates this feature. To anyone who comes across this thread even many months from now and you know of such a program don't be shy to resurrect it and add a link.