Any Media Server That Will Synchronize MP4 Viewing Across Locations?

[pone44]

I want to watch movies with my girlfriend, who is in a different city. The main requirements are that:

* we see the movie in a time synchronized way
* if we move the movie backwards or forwards, we both see that happen
* we will typically have the movie in an MP4 format, so we need to be able to upload the MP4 to the video server

What is the best way for us to do this? I really didn't want to become a system administrator on a web hosted media server. I am hoping to find something that is more shrink-wrapped for an consumer end-user application.

[Krispy Kritter]

Not possible that I'm aware. The media is typically streamed from source to destination and then buffered for playback. Playback is controlled by the destination, not the source.

[DB83]

^^ you may like to share the knowledge with the OP of another recent topic who insists that this type of thing is possible and is prepared to invest in expensive hardware to prove his mis-guided point.

[theewizard]

could you stream it with VLC or other media player/server and control it from your PC ? using a VPN with her connected to the network

[pone44]

Not possible that I'm aware. The media is typically streamed from source to destination and then buffered for playback. Playback is controlled by the destination, not the source.

But don't people do webcasts all the time, where anyone tuning into the webcast is connected at the same time point that everyone else viewing is connected at?

[DB83]

^^ but what you propose to do is NOT a webcast inasmuch that the broadcast moves in one direction.

My friend was describing how a webcast typically works whether the IP link is direct to your own connection - which would have to be static and not dynamic - or via a dedicated server.

No two people can control the direction of the stream. Your gf could, possibly, link to your connection (if you both now the addr) and then one could control the stream while the other just watches.

The other possibility, and I do say possibility, is that your gf views your desktop using Windows Remote Access. Then you both see the same and could both benefit from bi-directional viewing.

[pone44]

^^ but what you propose to do is NOT a webcast inasmuch that the broadcast moves in one direction.

My friend was describing how a webcast typically works whether the IP link is direct to your own connection - which would have to be static and not dynamic - or via a dedicated server.

No two people can control the direction of the stream. Your gf could, possibly, link to your connection (if you both now the addr) and then one could control the stream while the other just watches.

The other possibility, and I do say possibility, is that your gf views your desktop using Windows Remote Access. Then you both see the same and could both benefit from bi-directional viewing.

I'm not sure Windows Remote Access is optimized for MP4 video sharing. Probably a true webcast technology is going to be much better.

[DB83]

I di nor think you would get any sound over the remote desktop anyway.

But, for the reasons stated, even a true webcast would not be interactive as you appear to require.

[pone44]

I di nor think you would get any sound over the remote desktop anyway.

But, for the reasons stated, even a true webcast would not be interactive as you appear to require.

So if I back off the requirement to be interactive, is there a cheap way to get a webcast from an MP4 on a private server?

Everything seems to be geared towards hundreds of users and corporate budgets. Is there a way to make this affordable for two people?

I guess you could buy a Windows web host, remote desktop into that and run VLC client and the Stream option to start streaming the MP4, and then each of the two clients goes to that URL on port 8080. But that doesn't give you the guarantee of time synchronization between the two clients.

[DB83]

Nothing can guarantee full time synchro.

It has already been described to you the way the internet works. However you set this up, you can both watch the same. But you can not both watch exactly the same.

[pone44]

Nothing can guarantee full time synchro.

It has already been described to you the way the internet works. However you set this up, you can both watch the same. But you can not both watch exactly the same.

If we are both watching a webcast then we should be time synced within five seconds or so, and five seconds would mean a huge amount of latency for one of us?

[DB83]

I will leave this topic to someone else.

You change your mind faster than you change your socks. One day you wanted full synchro - in my book that is both watching the exact same thing AT THE SAME TIME. Now you are happy to have a delay.

Why don't you both cut out the middle-man and subscribe to a dedicated streaming service ?

[pone44]

I will leave this topic to someone else.

You change your mind faster than you change your socks. One day you wanted full synchro - in my book that is both watching the exact same thing AT THE SAME TIME. Now you are happy to have a delay.

Why don't you both cut out the middle-man and subscribe to a dedicated streaming service ?

I'm not changing my mind. I'm adjusting to reality as you and others are describing it. I want full synch, and I cannot have it. So next-best would be to have a webcast where she and I see at approximately the same point in time.

A dedicated streaming service like Netflix is hard to keep in synch to one timeline at two different locations. In addition, we want to watch foreign films that just would not be found on Netflix.

Maybe I don't understand what "webcast" means, but what I thought webcast implied that the video is played on a single timeline for all viewers. Due to Internet latency, each viewer might be off by a few seconds. But there would be no way for two viewers to be three minutes off.

So I'm easing the requirements and just asking if there is a cheap way to do a two-person webcast of an MP4 file.

[sum_guy]

I'm wondering if this could be done with a Slingplayer? Would seem to me if your watching on your TV and "Slinging" the channel to your girlfriend, problem solved, anyone try this with a Sling?

[pone44]

I'm wondering if this could be done with a Slingplayer? Would seem to me if your watching on your TV and "Slinging" the channel to your girlfriend, problem solved, anyone try this with a Sling?

Sling player appears to republish content fed to it from outside, on composite and other ports attached to the box. I didn't see any option to upload an MP4 to it directly and have it act as a server on that file.

I tried to use the VLC Stream feature with the MP4, and that gives a horrible result. Even streaming locally on the same computer as the one that has the content results in all kinds of video artifacts and weird latency. It looked unusable.

[jagabo]

I tried to use the VLC Stream feature with the MP4, and that gives a horrible result. Even streaming locally on the same computer as the one that has the content results in all kinds of video artifacts and weird latency. It looked unusable.

Disable transcoding.

[pone44]

I tried to use the VLC Stream feature with the MP4, and that gives a horrible result. Even streaming locally on the same computer as the one that has the content results in all kinds of video artifacts and weird latency. It looked unusable.

Disable transcoding.

So that gives a decent result, thanks.

Are there any guidelines for a source file about how much compression it should have to give decent streaming performance to a client using DSL?

So maybe what I am asking for is as simple as renting a cloud-based Windows OS host (could be a Windows 8 client), installing VLC, and running a VLC stream on the host? Is a VLC stream going to serve VLC clients on completely different timelines for each stream, or is it going to behave like a webcast where all clients tune into the same point in a timeline being streamed once?

[jagabo]

Are there any guidelines for a source file about how much compression it should have to give decent streaming performance to a client using DSL?

I'm no expert in this but I would try half your upload bandwidth as a start.

Is a VLC stream going to serve VLC clients on completely different timelines for each stream, or is it going to behave like a webcast where all clients tune into the same point in a timeline being streamed once?

It's a webcast. There should be only a few seconds difference between different clients regardless of when they start watching. I started one instance of VLC as the server, then another on the same computer as a client. I went to another computer on the network and started a second client. The two clients were within a few seconds of each other. I paused the one that was ahead for a few seconds and then both were within a tenth of a second or so.

[pone44]

Are there any guidelines for a source file about how much compression it should have to give decent streaming performance to a client using DSL?

I'm no expert in this but I would try half your upload bandwidth as a start.

Did you mean half the download bandwidth? Per my example the Windows host would be running in the cloud, so probably it would have no problems up to 10 Mbit/second. Download speed on DSL might be 1.5 Mbps, so if you want to fill half their pipe maybe 700 Kbps?

[jagabo]

Did you mean half the download bandwidth?

I thought you were going to try streaming from your computer to your GF's computer.

Per my example the Windows host would be running in the cloud, so probably it would have no problems up to 10 Mbit/second. Download speed on DSL might be 1.5 Mbps, so if you want to fill half their pipe maybe 700 Kbps?

Yes.

[pone44]

Did you mean half the download bandwidth?

I thought you were going to try streaming from your computer to your GF's computer.
Yes.

No, that is what others had suggested. I had just said I wasn't crazy about having to manage a Windows host in the cloud. I would prefer to find a vendor who just lets you upload an MP4 into their application and then provides you a set of web based controls to start the webcast, and a URL for accessing it.