Using a mac as a wireless media server

Can a G5 or Mac Pro be setup to share music, videos, and pictures wirelessly without needing a monitor, keyboar, or mouse? I would like to be able to set the mac up somewhere not visible, and never have to access it directly. I would like to add new videos, pics, and music to it from another wireless mac.
Does this sound realistic?
Does it take a long time to transfer files between macs wirelessly? How does the speed compare to transfering files with a USB or FireWire drive?
Thanks!!!

Should be no problem, even with older Macs than that, heck, a 233MHz Beige could Serve as fast as any Wired or Wireless connection could transfer I think.
Depends which 802.11x are in your setup... 802.11a/b=no good, 802.11g=plenty, 802.11n=great.
G speed tops out at 54Mbps, but half that is more likely, so say 180MB file would take one minute on a good day, N would be about 4 times faster.
If you go the Wireless route, the Mac would have to be awake all the time, but with Ethernet you could use Wake on LAN activity to do it.

Similar Messages

Using the MAc Pro as a media server

I am thinking of buying a mac pro (currently have Imac which is noisy) and using it as a media server. Does it make a lot of noise or can it be run so that it is very quiet.... I plan to place it in the same room as the hifi and screen ie my living room? Any thoughs or examples happily recieved

I lost my decibel meter some years ago (probably in a box in a
closet somewhere ) so I can't tell you exactly but my MacPro
system is virtually silent. If I hold my ear to the case I can
hear my 3-drivve (MaxLine III Maxtor) raid occasionally accessing
but I personally cannot tell if the system is on or off without
looking at the power-light.

Mac Mini as a Media Server

I'm debating between Mac Mini and Apple TV. My wife and I are making some final decisions about which we want to go with. And she wants my decision quickly so she can pick up an Apple TV before Christmas if that's what we're deciding on. However, I'm seriously leaning towards saving up for a Mac Mini as a home media server, to buy sometime next year.
But I have several final questions I need clarity on. Hopefully someone here can answer all or even just a few of these questions. I've been to three Apple stores, and they're all technologically clueless, not to mention trained to avoid discussing Mac Mini as a media server product.
1. Can I get a Mini DVI to HDTV adapter, so I can use HDTV with the Mac Mini?
2. Can I upgrade the hard drive of a Mac Mini through an authorized service center without voiding an Apple TV warranty? Apple says they won't do it.
3. Anything Apple TV’s software can do, I can do directly with Front Row and iTunes using the Mac Mini, right? My understanding is that Apple TV is essentially a modified Front Row.
4. NetFlix cannot be streamed with Apple TV without hacking it with Boxee or something, correct? (Which, presumably, also voids the warranty?) I know Mac Mini can stream Netflix through a Microsoft Silverlight component.
5. I know I can always use screen sharing with the Mac Mini and my MacBook Pro so that I can control the mini without having to connect a keyboard and mouse. But can I also use the television (a 42” widescreen plasma) as a monitor if I have a bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected to the Mini? Does the OS actually adapt to the TV screen correctly? The last time I hooked up my MBP to a TV, it would cut off my menu bar, blow up the size of fonts, or I'd have to reduce the resolution significantly, making the OS appear incredibly small on the huge TV!
6. To use the TV as a monitor, I assume I would need an adapter that converts the Mini DisplayPort to VGA or HDTV or something or another?
7. Is there any way I can use a Mac Mini as a DVR for something playing on the television, or will I still need to get a DVR box from my cable company or Tivo?
8. With Mac Mini, can I stream music from iTunes libraries on another computer? (An iMac PowerPC G5 running Tiger, and a MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard; both have separate iTunes libraries as they each have an iPod or iPhone that syncs with them; the MBP/iPhone is mine, and the iMac/iPod my wife's.)
9. If Apple ever gets around to building a Blu-Ray DVD player for their systems, I assume the DVD player in the Mini is not replaceable?
10. Is it my imagination, or does the $999 Mac Mini not actually include a *built-in* DVD player??
11. Is there any meaningful performance difference in audio/video playback between a Mini vs. an Apple TV? Better or worse for either? I’m particularly concerned with bad/choppy playback of both streamed movies (from Netflix or the iTunes Store), and locally stored movies (purchased from iTunes Store).
12. I currently don’t have any speakers or sound systems, but will probably add one some day. Sound currently just plays through the relatively decent built-in speakers of the television. With a Mac Mini, will volume be controlled through the Mini, or through my television?
13. Lastly, are there any remote control options for the Mac Mini? Or, at the least, an app I can put on my iPhone to control the Mac Mini? i.e. remote for DVD control (accessing the DVD menu, changing chapters, rewind/ffwd, and so on.)
Many, many thanks and happy holidays to all...
Dan

Hi- I'll have a go at your list...
1. Yes. Belkin sells one. There are cheaper alternatives that work just as well.
2. If you order from Apple online store, they can bump up the gigs for you, and keep the warranty intact.
3. Yes, and perhaps better, with programs like Plex and VLC.
4. Correct, but the 'hack' is easily removed, with no one knowing that you actually did it, should you need to send it in for service.
5. Absolutely! I've got my mini connected to a 46' Sony Bravia TV, and am using it to write this post right now. Running at a full 1080p, and loving it.
6.The mini comes with a mini-dvi to dvi adaptor. You will need to buy a DVI to HDMI cable (as I mentioned in #1 above, Belkin makes one, and you can find alternatives for around $5 on the net.
7.I believe you will need some extra gear for this. The Apple TV also cant do this. It IS possible with a mini, though, and I believe impossible with an Apple TV,
8. Yes. I am also doing that at this very moment- With home sharing turned on, I am streaming my itunes library from the iMac G5 in the other room.
9. Not without voiding your warranty.
10.That is correct. The server version of the Mac Mini does NOT have a superdrive.
11. No choppiness on my 2.26 gHz Mini with 4gb of ram, running a full 1080p on 46' TV
12. If you connect via optical digital, sound volume is controlled by the equipment you have connected to it. If you connect via analog, the Mini controls the volume.
13.Air Mouse Pro is the iPhone app you should look at. There are others, but that will allow you to use your iPhone to control a whole lot. There are more advanced options like Jaadu as well
Good luck

Using the Mac as a wireless Bridge for the Xbox 360

Want to use your Mac essentially as a wireless adapter for an Xbox 360 or any console? plug in the ethernet cable between the two devices and follow the setup process!
Wireless Bridge setup process
1. Open system Preferences.
2. Clisk sharing, then the internet tab and select Airport as the “share your connection from” then select the Built-in Ethernet in the list.
3. Open up the terminal Application and type ifconfig en0 in the window it sohuld display an outcome like this
ifconfig en0
en0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet 192.168.2.1 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.2.255
ether 00:16:cb:cc:80:aa
media: autoselect status: inactive
supported media: autoselect 10baseT/UTP <half-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex,hw-loopback> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex,flow-control> 100baseTX <half-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex,hw-loopback> 100baseTX <full-duplex,flow-control> 1000baseT <full-duplex> 1000baseT <full-duplex,hw-loopback> 1000baseT <full-duplex,flow-control> none
4. This gives you the information of what your computer’s IP address is. On the xbox dashboard in the network setup screen select manual and select the top section which contains the IP address, subnet mask, and Gateway address, for the IP address, input the Highlighted section above plus one, so its 192.168.2.1 (this is for standard configurations, again, just add one to the last digit of your IP address.
5. Open Airport Admin Utility, the select configure on your airport. Then select the Internet tab This will give you your subnet Mask, input accordingly.
6. For the Gateway address, you are going to put in the value in the blue box. This is because you are using your Computer as a gateway, therefor you need to tap into its connection.
So For the Average setup you will use:
IP Address: 192.168.2.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway Address: 192.168.2.1
7. Now for the DNS server, this varies according to What internet service you have, but, Airport admin utility provides the answer, right below the information we used above, you will see DNS Server. viola! Put that in as your primary DNS server in the second box of edit options in the network menu.
Now you should be complete, test the connection and you should be Ready to Go!! Happy Gaming!

Welcome to the discussions, DanSwiggsD!
If you have a non-Apple device as your main router, unfortunately the AirPort Extreme has almost no chance of compatibility with your main router.
If you do have an Apple router as your main device, please post back with your model number and we'll let you know how your devices should be configured.
If you don't have an Apple device as your main router you have a few options to connect the xbox:
1) A pair of ethernet powerline adapters could be used if you did not want to run a regular ethernet cable from your main router to the xbox.
2) The new AirPort Express 802.11n model does have a feature called Proxy STA which should allow it to receive a wireless signal from any wireless router and allow the ethernet port to be enabled.
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

How to use iMac as remotely accessible home media server

First time poster, and thanks in advance for any help that any of you might be able to provide. -- Josh
I have a mid-2007 iMac, several AppleTVs and Apple mobile devices, and a 2014 Macbook Pro coming at the end of the week (more detailed info below). I have a roughly 1 TB library of movies, which are currently housed in an external hard drive attached to the iMac. When I'm on my home network, I'm able to stream all the movies to all of the AppleTVs, iPhones, and iPads, using iTunes and home sharing, with almost no problem. But, my family would like to access our movie library remotely, when at the airport, visiting family, etc.
I've researched various options, and am having a hard time parsing through some of the more technical information and figuring out what setup would work best. It seems to me that although I can't use my iMac as a second display for the new MacbookPro because of technical limitations on the iMac, I might still be able to use the iMac as a remotely accessible home media server. Running Plex on the iMac has been suggested, but I keep hearing conflicting information on whether the AppleTVs are compatible with Plex, and I've had trouble successfully forwarding ports several years ago when I played with Plex briefly. iTunes/home sharing is just so easy in terms of setup and reliability between Apple devices, in my experience. I looked into buying an AirPort Time Capsule, since I was looking into upgrading my router to support 802.11ac anyway (advice on that too?), but was told that neither the Time Capsule drive nor any drive attached to it would be remotely accessible. Back to my Mac seems like it might work for me to access my library remotely when using the MacbookPro, but not any of the mobile devices (which are more important to the kids), and I'm not sure what advantage a NAS drive would have over using the iMac (although this is where it starts getting a bit technical for me). Looked at OSX Server also, but not sure how that would interface with whatever additional components I need to get.
Thank you in advance for any help. I'm sure people have figured out a way to access their media libraries remotely, but for some reason I can't find a straight answer on how. I've included additional technical details about my setup below. Thanks again!!
iMac, 20-in, Mid 2007, 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, OS X 10.9.4, 250 GB storage
Macbook Pro w. Retina, 13-in, 2014, 2.6 GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM, 128 GB PCle-based Flash Storage
Iomega HDD, 2 TB
Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Router, Model No. WNDR3400v2
AppleTV, 3rd generation (x3)
iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPad (2nd gen), iPad mini w. Retina

Not really recommended to do what you want as the perfomance will be undesirable and make the experience lousy at best. If you have content you want to watch remotely then simply copy it to a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro and then bring one of the AppleTV's with you. Then you can stream directly from the MBA or MBP to the AppleTV on a remote TV. We did this on our last vacation, loaded a bunch of movies on my MBA, threw one of the ATV's in the suitcase and when we got to our hotel simply connected it using the hotels Wi-Fi and connected the ATV via HDMI to the TV and we were in business.

Is it possible to use smartseek functionalities without FMS(flash media server)??

Hi,
    Is it possible to use smart seek functionalities to play files local files without using flash media server(FMS).
    I am currently using videoDisplay components but can switch to netStream component if it is possible without FMS.
    As I have to seek frame by frame but the current seek() function doesnot provide that functionality.
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I'd like to revive this topic as I just purchased an ATV. I do like it but I am becoming very familiar with the limitations of the ATV.
I used to have a Snyology NAS server but it did not serve/stream the iTunes well enough to my stereo. I have a lot of photos of my children as well as movies and wanted to see more of them so I purchased the ATV as I knew the Syno server/NAS would be bricking soon.
Once the ATV is loaded it is fine for that content. But if there is other content on other computers well, they have to stream and the content on the ATV is not accessible to anything other than the stereo or TV that the ATV is connected to. So, finally, here is my question:
Which NAS streams VERY WELL with the ATV? Correct me if I am wrong but the NAS has to have iTunes imbedded within the server; yes? Secondly, is the best solution for serving an ATV as well as having all media content accessible to all LAN computers a Mac Mini?
So which is it? Please recommend an NAS that can serve iTunes media (music, photos, video) to an Apple TV or is the best solution a Mac Mini which acts like a NAS and streams all media content to the Apple TV and ATV will stream it to HDTV through HDMI , etc.
The ATV is great with the High Def.., wide screen, Dolby 5.1, HDMI port , etc. Just need a way to have the media accessible to everyone on the LAN as well as serve/stream to an already purchased Apple TV.
Thanks for the help,
Cc

Having trouble using my airport extreme as a media server for my ps3--can anyone help?

I'd like to set up my apple airport extreme with a USB seagate drive, and use the drive as a media server for my ps3. I have successfully connected my seagate drive to my airport extreme. I have successfully transferred a sample movie to this seagate drive. My laptop is easily able to find the drive and is able to play the sample film from the drive. How can I turn this drive into a media server? I'd like for my PS3 to be able to read movies off the network drive and play them. Help??

Welcome to the discussions, DanSwiggsD!
If you have a non-Apple device as your main router, unfortunately the AirPort Extreme has almost no chance of compatibility with your main router.
If you do have an Apple router as your main device, please post back with your model number and we'll let you know how your devices should be configured.
If you don't have an Apple device as your main router you have a few options to connect the xbox:
1) A pair of ethernet powerline adapters could be used if you did not want to run a regular ethernet cable from your main router to the xbox.
2) The new AirPort Express 802.11n model does have a feature called Proxy STA which should allow it to receive a wireless signal from any wireless router and allow the ethernet port to be enabled.
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Wireless Media Server: "Failed To Load Component of Media Serve

When I try to install Wireless Software it always ends up in telling me "Failed to load component of Media Server" after I've restarted the system. Media Server is not running and no icon of Media Server is to be found in the system tray. ?

I am having the same problem. Did you ever get a solution?
I've tried:
uninstalling/reinstalling all the software
forcing exceptions in my firewall (Norton), showing they permit all traffic from the Media Server & Console
assigning a static IP address (my router shows the receiver as connected to the network)
But I still get the "Failed to load component of media server" message every time I log in to Windows or try to start the Media Server manually. When I try to do the receiver's Network Setup (either letting my router assign and address, or with assigning the static address), at first I get the flashing green lights, then just a solid red, with the message that my settings are incorrect. Are those two separate problems, or the same problem?
I am using a 2Wire HomePortal Gateway. The main computer I am attempting to set up through is connected by Ethernet to the gateway. I am using WEP 64-bit encryption with a single key. There are notes about "open" vs "Shared key" modes, but I don't know where to find that info in the HomePortal's settings. I have connected a laptop and a PDA wirelessly with no problems once the key is entered. I can see the receiver on the gateway's summary page of my home network.
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Mac and Linksys Wireless Print Server

I have a wireless print server connected to an HP 940C that I cannot get my iMac to print to. It finds it on the network, but is not printing. Any ideas??

It is probably a driver issue.
It may work with a third-party driver such as the HPIJS drivers or the Gimp-Print drivers, but this is not the case with all printers.
Though for 10.3, this guide may also help.
Printing to a network ethernet printer (which has an IP address) from a Mac running OS 10.3.x
http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3005.html
iFelix

Can I use the Time Capsule as a media server

As many, I have hundreds of CDs. I was hoping I could store all of my music on the time capsule as well as movies I have purchased and pictures, and use it as a media server. I've heard yes and no in other forums. Any ideas?

The Time Capsule is a dumb hard drive with no brains. It is not a media server and will not ever be one.
If you want to put your music and movies on the Time Capsule, you can do so, just like you could place them on any external hard drive.
But, you will need to have a DLNA server running somewhere else on your network to be able to do anything with the data on the Time Capsule.
Best to use the Time Capsule as it was designed and intended.....for backups....not any active or everyday files.
Speaking of backups, if you place your music and movie files on the Time Capsule.....how will you then back up those files to another hard drive?

Use IIS 7 (Microsoft) with Adobe Media Server Extended 5.0

I install Adobe Media Server Extended 5.0 and Flash Media Live Encoder 3.2. Good running. But I want use IIS 7 (Microsoft) replace Apache 2.2. Help me config to run
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Tried in Google : .swf to .flv, .swf to ..f4v convertors
I convert the LMS Content Output formats .swf files to .flv files using SWF to FLV Convertor and upload
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Moyea SWF4Tube Converter (SWF to FLV Converter)
Web URL : http://www.swfkits.com/swf-to-flv-converter/
In this way can i then use the Adobe Flash Media Server 3.5 for Viewing LMS Content in
as a Streaming Video on my IE 6.0/7.0 Browser with Flash Player 10 installed ?
Thanks & Regards,
Prashant S Akerkar

Can I use google analytics with an Adobe media server 5 setup?

i have an Adobe media server and were trying to capture some metrics. Wondering whether we can use google analytics?

Hello, I think it always been version specific, & is no longer even included...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5308
But as mentioned there, some older versions are available, but I think you'll have to figure a way to run your version on the older OS.

Printing issue when using Intel Macs to print wirelessly via Airport

We seem to have a problem. It has come to light since using Intel based Macs running 10.4.7 and Airport to connect wirelessly to the internet and to print to a Acculaser C1900N with intel printer driver installed. When setting up by Bonjour and then printing to the printer it fails and an exclamation mark appears on the printer icon in the Dock. Appletalk is enabled for the port, just in case you ask.
Browsing the internet works fine, but the printing side fails every time.
When we insert a Ethernet cable everything works fine.
As far as I can see its not a System Software problem related to old macs running 10.4.7, but to new Intel macs running 10.4.7. I have tried this on a Intel Mac Mini and also an Intel MacBook the results are the same.
Please has anyone got a solution as we start a new term with these new macs in about two days and printing is a integral part of school life.

I have just configured a new Airport Extreme and I have just printed sucessfully to our printer. Weird its just a Graphite Airport base Station Issue. I am not sure if the problem occours with the Snow Airport Base Station....Ill have to try that one out. I am so happy that it works you wouldnt believe it.

How can I use my MAC OS X as syslog server ??

Hi Team,
Can you please help me in configuring my MAC machine as syslog server for my Cisco routers ?? I have the devices on same network and would like to forward all syslog messages to my MAC machine for analysing them.
Thanks,

Crocosmia wrote:
Thank you for advise, will try apple store another thing how can I increase my ramm and memory
Check your machine's actual specifications here.
It looks like you can support up to 3 MByte in a 17" iMac and up to 4 Mbyte in a 20" iMac, if your cache size coordinates with the specs on the linked page.
OWC says you should be able to put 4 Gbyte into your machine here. Wherever you get the memory, it would be a good addition. This is the Apple Store listing for your machine, as near as I can figure it.

Front Row 'Sources' not finding media server

Hi all!
I use my Mac Mini as a media server for my apple TV and all my computers/macs with iTunes.
Everything works fine apart from Front Row on my MacBook that only seems able to find my local machine under sources.
Any ideas?

You are not alone. I am experiencing the same problem.
We have consolidated all of our music and videos (much if it purchased via iTunes) onto a NAS media server. Our Macs have no problem seeing the server either from within iTunes or QuickTime Player. Yet, trying to find it using Front Row is impossible. There are no menu source options other than one's own mac or, alternatively, the iTunes Server mothership.
Either this is an oversight in the way Front Row was written, or more likely, it's some Draconian control issue decided in Cupertino.
For anyone who's acquired a lot of content (all legally, too, I might add) and stores it externally of his/her mac, this issue makes Front Row useless.

Using a mac as a wireless media server

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