Ok here is my setup. I have a G5 as my main iTunes server, a Macbook Pro, and a PC hooked up to my television as a home media center (until iTV comes out). I have iTunes sharing setup on the G5. Both my MBP and TVPC see the library fine. I can access the music and videos fine from the MBP. Front Row works pretty much flawlessly. However, on the TVPC via iTunes only music streams as it should. It refuses to play almost all video files. Every once in awhile it will play one, but it usually won't. I've done extensive testing and file size and file type seem not to matter. iTunes/Quicktime is up to date on all machines and all machines have 802.11g wireless. anyone else having problems with Mac to PC video sharing?
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iTunes Movies from Mac to PC
- Thread starter dwishbone
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I don't have any experience of what you're trying to do, but it may be that 11g doesn't have enough bandwidth to reliably stream iTMS videos.
As an alternative, you could use VNC or Remote Desktop to take control of the G5 from the TVPC. That should work, although I can't vouch for how well it would work.
ft
yeah i had thought of the g thing considering people are rumoring that the iTV will use 802.11n, but that wouldnt explain why it works fine for the MPB and not the PC. they both use 802.11g. everything seems to work fine through FrontRow but not through the iTunes interface.
also VNC would not really be an option. if it was just to start/stop something on a remote machine it would, but not for viewing.
also VNC would not really be an option. if it was just to start/stop something on a remote machine it would, but not for viewing.
Are they iTMS videos or unprotected ones?
If not iTMS, you might want to consider using VLC as a front end. I finally set it up and got a movie to play from my PC over 802.11.g that just would not work under QT.
B
If not iTMS, you might want to consider using VLC as a front end. I finally set it up and got a movie to play from my PC over 802.11.g that just would not work under QT.
B
both iTunes Store videos (i have a few free ones) and unprotected ones i made.
bitrates, file sizes, and file type dont seem to make an difference. they all work fine via Front Row on my MBP, but the iTunes interface on the PC just refuses to play them. as i said every once in awhile it will work, but it fails about 95% of the time.
as far as VLC goes i use that program alot..and i could use that, but i could also use Quicktime. movie files play fine over the network if i play them over a mounted network share, it's just iTunes thats the problem.
id rather use Front Row, but of course there is no PC version of that. does anyone know of any good graphical media center like shells for Windows i could use instead? as i said the files will play over the network...just not in iTunes.
bitrates, file sizes, and file type dont seem to make an difference. they all work fine via Front Row on my MBP, but the iTunes interface on the PC just refuses to play them. as i said every once in awhile it will work, but it fails about 95% of the time.
as far as VLC goes i use that program alot..and i could use that, but i could also use Quicktime. movie files play fine over the network if i play them over a mounted network share, it's just iTunes thats the problem.
id rather use Front Row, but of course there is no PC version of that. does anyone know of any good graphical media center like shells for Windows i could use instead? as i said the files will play over the network...just not in iTunes.
im starting to think it may be the PC itself is just too weak to play the content. the iTunes 7.0.2 update fixed SOME of the problems i was having. before no videos would stream reliably.
now, only the H.264 640xX content has problems. MPEG4s and content i've done at the the previous H.264 settings seem to play ok now.
i did some more tests and again the MBP plays everything flawlessly. no skips. no load errors. no waiting for the video to catch up. everything just works.
i mounted my G5's volume as a share and tried to play it on the PC over the network that way. again the H.264 video was very choppy. i just cant believe its a bandwidth/network issue because when I did the same thing on my MBP it played fine.
so could it be that the PC is just too weak to play H.264 content?
it has a 2.1ghz AMD XP and 512MB RAM.
when i get home this afternoon i am going to copy a H.264 file to the hard drive and try and play it. that way i can see if it is in fact the hardware or if its indeed something to do with the networking on that machine. i dont see how that can be though. all my machines have 802.11g connections.
now, only the H.264 640xX content has problems. MPEG4s and content i've done at the the previous H.264 settings seem to play ok now.
i did some more tests and again the MBP plays everything flawlessly. no skips. no load errors. no waiting for the video to catch up. everything just works.
i mounted my G5's volume as a share and tried to play it on the PC over the network that way. again the H.264 video was very choppy. i just cant believe its a bandwidth/network issue because when I did the same thing on my MBP it played fine.
so could it be that the PC is just too weak to play H.264 content?
it has a 2.1ghz AMD XP and 512MB RAM.
when i get home this afternoon i am going to copy a H.264 file to the hard drive and try and play it. that way i can see if it is in fact the hardware or if its indeed something to do with the networking on that machine. i dont see how that can be though. all my machines have 802.11g connections.
well it seems its either a network issue with my PC or either the PC just cant handle the new H.264 content.
my MBP continues to perform great on any file i try to view via iTunes or through Front Row. ive tried it with small video files and absolutely huge video files...the MBP just works. the PC just chokes...even when viewing the files via network and not the iTunes interface. i still havnt had a chance to copy a file locally to the PCs hard drive yet and see if it chokes that way.
my MBP continues to perform great on any file i try to view via iTunes or through Front Row. ive tried it with small video files and absolutely huge video files...the MBP just works. the PC just chokes...even when viewing the files via network and not the iTunes interface. i still havnt had a chance to copy a file locally to the PCs hard drive yet and see if it chokes that way.
i tried this too
I can't figure it out either I have my Dual 1Ghz G4 setup to stream my movies from iTunes and my Powerbook 1.33Ghz plays the movies fine with no hicups. These are both over 4 years old. My PC which is a 2.2Ghz AMD doesn't even do anything when I push play for the movies. Music streams fine. I think it must be some kind of setting on the PC side. Maybe a port setting? Who knows but i'm bummed that this doesn't work yet.
-Brian
I can't figure it out either I have my Dual 1Ghz G4 setup to stream my movies from iTunes and my Powerbook 1.33Ghz plays the movies fine with no hicups. These are both over 4 years old. My PC which is a 2.2Ghz AMD doesn't even do anything when I push play for the movies. Music streams fine. I think it must be some kind of setting on the PC side. Maybe a port setting? Who knows but i'm bummed that this doesn't work yet.
-Brian