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ferrarofilms

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 27, 2008
91
0
Have a friend that is looking for something like this, haven't found any help on Synology or others
 

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
Have a friend that is looking for something like this, haven't found any help on Synology or others

Nope. You need either a full x86 computer or, at least, an iOS device with AirPlay support (anything with an A4 or newer CPU: iPhone4+, iPod touch 4+, iPad 1+), which, then, can act as a proxy between a UPnP / SMB etc. NAS source and the ATV.
 

netdog

macrumors 603
Feb 6, 2006
5,760
38
London
Aren't there NAS drives with embedded iTunes servers? I thought loads of NAS devices offered this.
 

chenks

macrumors 65816
Oct 23, 2007
1,187
489
UK
Aren't there NAS drives with embedded iTunes servers? I thought loads of NAS devices offered this.

they are pseudo itunes servers, but they do not support Home Sharing which is what AppleTV requires.
 

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
Aren't there NAS drives with embedded iTunes servers? I thought loads of NAS devices offered this.

Nope, Home Sharing is proprietary, closed technology, unlike SMB / UPnP / FTP / HTTP. Absolutely nothing supports it.

If you do have an iDevice to be used as a proxy between your NAS and ATV, let me know and I explain how it can be used. Then, you won't be forced to keep a full computer switched on while streaming.
 

TrackZ

macrumors member
Apr 16, 2010
88
17
If you do have an iDevice to be used as a proxy between your NAS and ATV, let me know and I explain how it can be used. Then, you won't be forced to keep a full computer switched on while streaming.

I'm curious what your method is.
 

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
I'm curious what your method is.

Just use a third-party player with both UPnP and AirPlay support. They're, currently, as follows:

nPlayer, PowerPlayer, 8player, AcePlayer, BUZZ Player, GoodPlayer, CineXPlayer, GPlayer by Ginkgo Tech

Then, 1, connect to your ATV 2, just start playing back the video on your iDevice from your NAS. The video will be shown on the ATV - with full quality.

(More info: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1503351/ )
 

TrackZ

macrumors member
Apr 16, 2010
88
17
OK, that's what I was thinking. I haven't been to enamored with such apps. Do you have a specific recommendation for the app? Preferably one that browses with cover art and such, maybe even meta data?
 

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
OK, that's what I was thinking. I haven't been to enamored with such apps. Do you have a specific recommendation for the app? Preferably one that browses with cover art and such, maybe even meta data?

Unfortunately, of all iOS multimedia players I've tested AirPlay proxying-wise (see the UPnP bible linked to above), only the following two support metadata display (I used the one created with Subler with all the tags filled in, including artwork; it's available at https://dl.dropbox.com/u/81986513/122012/metadatatest-subler.m4v so that you can give it a test ride):

- VM Player HD http://itunes.apple.com/app/vm-player-hd/id445667199?mt=8 („i” icon in the top left corner; the „Metadata” section at the bottom lists everything textual)

- partially, viPlay (Lite) http://itunes.apple.com/app/viplay/id522335067?mt=8 (Genre / director / description are shown when tapping the file in the main file list)

Unfortunately,

- VM Player HD, while it supports UPnP, doesn't support AirPlay proxying

- viPlay doesn't even support UPnP, only SMB and FTP. (Note that I haven't tested its SBM → AirPlay proxying capabilities, if any.)

All in all, (at least if you plan to stick with UPnP), there isn't a single player with the capabilities you're looking for.

When it comes to UPnP-capable but, AirPlay proxying-wise,by me, still untested players,

- Plex only displays the genre and the long description, nothing else
- PlugPlayer and ArkMC only display the artwork associated with the title, no other info.

Note that,

1, again, I haven't tested these three players, ATV AirPlay-wise. They may work. Or not.

2, Plex isn't a fully configurable UPnP client (that is, it won't work with a NAS UPnP server, only with its own); I still list it here as its server component is also a UPnP server.
 

Ccrew

macrumors 68020
Feb 28, 2011
2,035
3
Jailbreak and XBMC for the win.

No jailbreak for the ATV3 unfortunately, which is why ATV2's are higher than a giraffe on eBay and the like.

I have an ATV2 talking to a Synology and three separate WD Live NAS devices for a total of 15tb accessible.
 

Candyman8019

macrumors newbie
Dec 18, 2012
3
0
Have a friend that is looking for something like this, haven't found any help on Synology or others

Check out the Qnap TS-410. It is a network storage device which has a built in itunes server. You can optionally install the Twonky Media Server (on the NAS itself...no computer required). These work very well with my Apple TV. As another poster mentioned...jailbreak (ATV2 only) and use XBMC. You'll be happy you did.
 

chenks

macrumors 65816
Oct 23, 2007
1,187
489
UK
Check out the Qnap TS-410. It is a network storage device which has a built in itunes server. You can optionally install the Twonky Media Server (on the NAS itself...no computer required). These work very well with my Apple TV.

they won't work very well at all with an AppleTV unless you jailbreak it.
the NAS won't support Home Sharing, and that is what Apple TV needs.
 

_dob_

macrumors newbie
Sep 15, 2003
13
0
While XBMC is much more powerful, if you're looking for a simple solution to connect to your NAS with you ATV ... I highly recommend ATV Flash Black from FireCore.

aTV Flash (black) | FireCore

Again, you would be limited to the ATV2, but the Firecore Media Player even plays back my MPEG4 based Blu-Ray rips ... as in bit-for-bit 1080p MKVs (albeit at 720p). Great for making an on-demand library of your movies/shows.

The "Library" feature with automatic organization and metadata makes the whole experience feel like you're navigating a premium monthly video service too.

And I haven't personally enabled the File Management option to see what it allows me to do, but thought I'd mention it nonetheless.
 

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
they won't work very well at all with an AppleTV unless you jailbreak it.
the NAS won't support Home Sharing, and that is what Apple TV needs.

Exactly. No point in getting it if you don't jailbreak - as I've pointed out above, absolutely no NAS'es support Home Sharing, the only protocol ATV supports for local media streaming.
 
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