Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
5,824
4,080
Is there a way I can upload my movie collection (mostly DVD and BR rips - 2 TB total, variety of formats) to a cloud service and then access said service via the web or a STB like Apple TV or similar to watch the movies?
 
Nov 28, 2010
22,670
30
located
Would that not be a bit impractical and much more expensive than two 2 TB 2.5" HDDs?
Uploading 2 TB could take 25 days if you have a 1 MB/s upload speed, downloading might probably be faster if you have a faster internet connection.
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
5,824
4,080
Would that not be a bit impractical and much more expensive than two 2 TB 2.5" HDDs?
Uploading 2 TB could take 25 days if you have a 1 MB/s upload speed, downloading might probably be faster if you have a faster internet connection.

I have my collection on a 4 TB drive. I want to be able to upload the collection to a cloud service and somehow access said collection and view the files on a STB or browser. Not worried about speed or time to upload the files.
 

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,833
28
You could use Plex as a media server - you can access videos from certain Apple TVs and by opening up port on your router, or with a MyPlex account.
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
5,824
4,080
You could use Plex as a media server - you can access videos from certain Apple TVs and by opening up port on your router, or with a MyPlex account.

Doesn't sound like what I'm looking to do.
 

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,833
28
Doesn't sound like what I'm looking to do.

Why not - you can access the files stored on a computer locally - which does the same thing that you want it to do, it is just stored somewhere else - and can play them through a web browser anywhere in the world and with some Apple TVs. I believe that it's the same thing that you want, just a different way of getting there.
 

Baytriple

macrumors 6502
Apr 3, 2012
274
0
You could use. Justcloud. Have a look.

You can buy an unlimited amount. I signed up and then asked to cancel my account. They knocked off 75% of the price for me.

My only problem with this option is my upload speed is nowhere near ad my download and it would take 6 months or something to upload my collection. You can access your details anywhere even phones.
 

sammich

macrumors 601
Sep 26, 2006
4,303
268
Sarcasmville.
Why take your media to the cloud...when you can turn your media into the cloud?

Just use myPlex.

Leave your machine on, connected to the internet.

'The cloud' isn't some magical service that a company provides, it's just a bunch of software that's available via the internet.

Your computer, via myPlex, provides a similar service, with no additional cost. Uploading 2TB of data to a 'cloud' hosted service: would cost you quite a bit to maintain, is less flexible and you'd have to upload your media first before it becomes of any use.
 

Mr. McMac

Suspended
Dec 21, 2009
2,968
363
Far away from liberals
I keep redundant backups of all my stuff on several HD's stored at home, and at a remote location just in case of hard drive crashes, fire, robbery, etc. I like to be prepared for the worst..
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
5,824
4,080
Why not - you can access the files stored on a computer locally - which does the same thing that you want it to do, it is just stored somewhere else - and can play them through a web browser anywhere in the world and with some Apple TVs. I believe that it's the same thing that you want, just a different way of getting there.

So I need the file to be on my computer and up and running? (The computer that is.) How does the Apple TV work with this? I have a 3rd gen ATV.
 

Primejimbo

macrumors 68040
Aug 10, 2008
3,295
131
Around
I have Crashplan, I got a year free to try it out and I can down load anything I want using the Crashplan app on my iPhone. A back up and able to access everything I want anytime.
 

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,833
28
So I need the file to be on my computer and up and running? (The computer that is.) How does the Apple TV work with this? I have a 3rd gen ATV.

I personally have not done this, not owning an Apple TV, but it should be possible with some sort of Airplay. Try Google or the forums is all I got.
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
5,824
4,080
I personally have not done this, not owning an Apple TV, but it should be possible with some sort of Airplay. Try Google or the forums is all I got.

AirPlay Mirroring has been terrible in my experience when trying to stream video. The Beamer app could not stream HD content from my previous MBA to my ATV3 without constant buffering.

I want a solution where I can view my files with no headaches. The move to the could would be great just so I have my collection somewhere other than my external HD. In my ideal solution I can access my movies from my cloud connection and easily select them for playback.

----------

I have Crashplan, I got a year free to try it out and I can down load anything I want using the Crashplan app on my iPhone. A back up and able to access everything I want anytime.

It appears I could potentially upload my entire collection to Crashplan for $60 a year however I don't know how long that would take nor how I can view it on my TV.
 

linds15

macrumors 6502a
Oct 16, 2012
535
1
Great White North
if you have an ATV3 there is no simple solution, because you have to have your content in iTunes to stream it through to it. ie. you're not going to be able to give your family and friends some magic url so they can all watch it on their own ATVs. you're best bet for personal use it to use myplex as others have stated above.
 

institute

macrumors regular
Oct 10, 2012
177
0
AirPlay Mirroring has been terrible in my experience when trying to stream video. The Beamer app could not stream HD content from my previous MBA to my ATV3 without constant buffering.

If you use the Plex iOS app on your idevice you don't use mirroring to watch via the Apple TV 3, you use direct Airplay which works perfectly in my experience.

If you have an ATV2 you can jailbreak and install the Plex app directly.

In my opinion, Plex Media Server is a great option for turning your own computer into your personal media cloud that can be accessed from anywhere, including iDevice or web browser. It's pretty amazing actually.
 

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,833
28
AirPlay Mirroring has been terrible in my experience when trying to stream video. The Beamer app could not stream HD content from my previous MBA to my ATV3 without constant buffering.

Maybe if you use Airplay Streaming instead or Mirroring. I don't know if there are workarounds that don't require an iOS.
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
5,824
4,080
If you use the Plex iOS app on your idevice you don't use mirroring to watch via the Apple TV 3, you use direct Airplay which works perfectly in my experience.

If you have an ATV2 you can jailbreak and install the Plex app directly.

In my opinion, Plex Media Server is a great option for turning your own computer into your personal media cloud that can be accessed from anywhere, including iDevice or web browser. It's pretty amazing actually.

I have no desire to incorporate any iDevices into the equation. My movies live on an External HD. I've tried, not successfully, to stream them to my TV in the past. HD films are always the issue. My bigger desire is to upload my films to a cloud service and then somehow access them to watch on my TV buffer-free.

If I understanding this correctly, Plex requires you to have your computer up and running with the file(s) that you want to watch. If that's the case, I could just connect a laptop to my TV.

----------

Maybe if you use Airplay Streaming instead or Mirroring. I don't know if there are workarounds that don't require an iOS.

AirPlay works great with iTunes + ATV3 but the video file needs to be iTunes compatible. Ideally I could find a solution that plays all types of files without any need to convert.
 

institute

macrumors regular
Oct 10, 2012
177
0
Not sure what you mean by this. iTunes uses home sharing not Airplay to play media to ATV. Anyway, good luck with finding a solution for your particular needs.
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
5,824
4,080
Not sure what you mean by this. iTunes uses home sharing not Airplay to play media to ATV. Anyway, good luck with finding a solution for your particular needs.

You can use either Home Sharing or AirPlay to play media on your ATV2 or 3. I use AirPlay.
 

LuxoJunior

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2013
57
0
Doesn't sound like what I'm looking to do.

That's exactly what you're looking to do if you'd just do a bit of research instead of wanting things spoon fed to you like an infant. For example, I have all my media stored in Plex on my home server and can access it from anywhere with an internet connection from any device with a Plex client on it, that includes laptops, iPhones, iPads, desktops, AppleTVs and Rokus. Perhaps you should look into it.
 

Plutonius

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2003
9,005
8,346
New Hampshire, USA
1) Get a Roku. They are very cheap and you can use it along side your ATV3.
2) Run Plex on your computer. You then can stream your media locally, over the internet, or to any IOS/Android/Roku device connected to the internet.

As others have stated, it is the best / cheapest way to stream your video anywhere you want to watch it as long as you are not talking about iTunes video. For iTunes video, stick with your ATV.
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
AirPlay Mirroring has been terrible in my experience when trying to stream video. The Beamer app could not stream HD content from my previous MBA to my ATV3 without constant buffering.

I want a solution where I can view my files with no headaches. The move to the could would be great just so I have my collection somewhere other than my external HD. In my ideal solution I can access my movies from my cloud connection and easily select them for playback.

If you can't make AirPlay Mirroring work at home without buffering issues, there's no way you're gonna be able to make streaming the same file from the net any smoother. The only thing that'll add to the equation is yet another possible bottleneck. Best case scenario, you'll have the exact same problem as before.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.