Topic: Media streaming from a PC to Wii

[Flames_of_chaos]

Well guys if your dissappointed with the media feature shortcommings on Wii, Orb Networks has offered a fix for us and all you need on your PC is Orb 2.0 installed and on your Wii the Opera browser.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/753/753105p1.html   Here is IGN's article about it.

http://orb.com/getorb2/ Link to download Orb 2.0

And even though Orb Networks is targeting this to help Wii's capabilities it also help you stream stuff to other things on your network. I think its amazing how Wii just came out in a few months, has no online game servers up and yet 3rd party software makers are indirectly helping out Wii.


EDIT: Im testing it now and I will post later with the results.  

[Flames_of_chaos]

Okay I tested it and for a free service its very solid but there are some hitches. You are limited by the limitations of the Wii's browser and the only thing you can't stream to the Wii are documents and anything requiring a windows media player,real player however I didn't get a chance to try a quicktime movie so I can't comment on that. I had no problem with pictures and didn't try video yet. Music there are no big issues with it but I would not recommend you using the shuffle function since the buffering time for it is unbearable, and since your stuck with the browsers limitations you can't multi-task at all hopefully there will be tabbed browsing to enable multitasking. I had no problems with the internet TV on my Wii but the buffer times are insane so it wasn't worth it to me. Also the menu that you will see on your PC is not the same as the one you will see on your Wii browser you will get a much simplified version thats functional but bland. Maybe orb will set up a special Wii browser section, who knows.

And like Orb's site says you can use the software to stream files to others in your network or make a small community and share files with one another.  I wonder if here at NWR a community of some sort will spawn off. So while it may seem a little rough in the beginning the potential for this is amazing and lets not forget that this isn't limited just for the Wii but it also lets you share things with your network or a user community.

[Requiem]

You know there is a site specifically made to let the Wii tab browse?

Here we go

[Artimus]

I tried to use video and it failed to pick up any I had. Then the music took so long to load that I promptly uninstalled the system hogging piece of crap and forget the whole ordeal.

[Flames_of_chaos]

It really does depend on your internet connection so if you do have a slow DSL connection then there are going to be buffer issues. Its also failing to pick up any movies as well so I'll check into that when I have some time. And yeah the program is sort of  a system hog. But Orb does look like a pretty decent alternative to a windows media center connect set up (unless your using a Zune and/or 360 then windows media connect is still worth it).

[IceCold]

I'll have to check this one out - at the very least, it would be a good foundation for the future..

[Shecky]

This entire orb package blows...

Has anyone found any alternatives?

[IceCold]

Orb works fine for me, albeit in pretty terrible flash compression.

Windy did a special on Winamp Remote, which seems to be similar to Orb.

But, as I said in that thread, I want to know more about the X-OOM streamer. They're charging 30 GBP for it, so I was hoping they would have actual video streaming, and not flash compression. At the time of the press release, I researched a bit on it and I couldn't find out whether it is proper streaming or not. Maybe now that it's been out for a while there's more info.

EDIT: It also has Web TV and Radio.

[Shecky]

My big gripes with orb it when it putting your entire contents of your hard drive out there.  I was able to hit random files on my hard drive via the file browser on the Wii regardless of the settings on the PC.  Plus it seems to want to send everything out the web and won't leverage the local network connection.


Edit: It's rather crude, but I ran into this Java based player:

http://wiisic.max-maurer.de/

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

My advice: forget Wii.  Use a laptop or something more intelligent.

[MegaByte]

Quote
Originally posted by: IceCold
Windy did a special on Winamp Remote, which seems to be similar to Orb.

That's because it is Orb.

[BranDonk Kong]

If you want a console that's a media center, go pick up a used Xbox at Gamestop for $60 or $70, then mod it and install Xbox Media Center. It's fantastic. You can swap the HDD for up to 160GB I believe, maybe even more nowadays, use many different streaming protocols, go online, view YouTube videos, Quicktime trailers, etc, etc. It plays back DiVX, xvid, WMV, MP3, DVD, VCD, SVCD, h.264, and just about anything else.

[Shecky]

Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666
My advice: forget Wii.  Use a laptop or something more intelligent.

True, but laptops are expensive to use primarily for that purpose.  If I were to go the extra hardware route, I'd look into SageTV or something similar.

Does the original Xbox handle HD signals?  (More of a curiosity)  Obtaining and modifying an original Xbox into a media center would be an interesting approach.

[BranDonk Kong]

It's actually very simple to do so, regardless of which version Xbox (there's 6 I believe) motherboard you get, but the 1.0 boards are the easiest, you get just drop in a solder-free modchip and be on your way. Alternatively, you can use a copy of 007 Nightfire (old original press) or MechAssault (same deal) and a memory card to soft-mod it. Also, the XBox outputs in 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i, if that's what you're asking. It can play some video formats in HD as well, and (quite) a few games run in 720p.

[Nephilim]

I have tried to push the xbox media player, and it seems to die at about 150mb/10min encoding.

so its great for "dodgy" DivX/XviD p2p downloads, but a high quality bluray/HD rips will crop it self  

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Quote
Originally posted by: Shecky

Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666
My advice: forget Wii.  Use a laptop or something more intelligent.

True, but laptops are expensive to use primarily for that purpose.  If I were to go the extra hardware route, I'd look into SageTV or something similar.

Does the original Xbox handle HD signals?  (More of a curiosity)  Obtaining and modifying an original Xbox into a media center would be an interesting approach.

What?  Xbox?  Modding?  Fails.

You don't have to get an expensive laptop.  In fact, people should already have larptorps.  Cuz they're like, computers, and computers are usefull.  Especially portable ones.

Getting a PS3 primarily for that purpose is what's expensive.  It's not even computer, it's not useful.  It's not portable, requires a forklift to operate, and it eats babies.

[BranDonk Kong]

Dodgy p2p downloads? I don't know what you're getting that there, or with the 150mb/10min encoding comment. In fact, I don't understand that post at all. XBMC is the greatest piece of homebrew to ever happen to a console.

[Nick DiMola]

Quote
Originally posted by: Brandogg
Dodgy p2p downloads? I don't know what you're getting that there, or with the 150mb/10min encoding comment. In fact, I don't understand that post at all. XBMC is the greatest piece of homebrew to ever happen to a console.

I couldn't agree more. I have two in my apartment right now. They are perfect for playing any video and any audio. As a matter of fact, I don't think I have ever thrown an audio or video file at it that it couldn't play. I have both xboxen hooked up to my network and I just stream data from my file server to it (through SMB) which works amazing. Modded Xbox is definitely the way to go, especially at the price point it is these days.