Universal Media Server | Forum

Hi,

my name is Marc Stirner (xerox),
I am a Web Developer from Germany,

I have several years experience with:
- CSS 3
- HTML 5
- JavaScript (jQuery)
- PHP (OOP)

I'm just doing a project to be realized with Arduino and bring me straight in C++.
I have a small problem with English.

The reason I'm writing here that I want to help you,
I would love to help in the translation of the UMS and the Webinterface.

I would like to create a Webinterface that works without plug-ins (Flash, Flowplayer).
So you can watch videos on Smarthpones (Android, iOS).
HTML5 Video: (http://caniuse.com/#feat=mpeg4)

I hope you can use my help.
I love the UMS !

Great Work !

Best regards,
Marc Stirner (xerox)

If you take a look at the 5.0 branch we have gotten rid of flowplayer and uses ogg/html5 as format. So it should work with firefox and android. MP4 is still a no-go but we'll try again ffmpeg might have a better support there...

I am specifically using UMS as a media server using the WEB interface.

I am an Electrical Engineer and I have much many years of experience with Computers, Multiple OS's (Android,Windows, Linux,etc.), Networks, DLNA/UPNP, etc. My goal has always been universal access to my media- even over the internet too - (i.e. using VPN from work or at someone else's home). As I am sure you know DLNA/UPNP not designed to traverse internet or layer 3 VPN. BUT I have gotten DLNA/UPNP to traverse an OpenVPN tunnel in TAP mode (Layer 2 - i.e. - a switch). That worked to both my old rooted Android Phone using OpenVPN and and to my old Windows 7 Laptop PC that also had OpenVPN installed - simultaneously. From my reading on the Internet - I may be one of the few people on Planet Earth to get DLNA/UPNP to traverse an OpenVPN TAP Tunnel simultaneously to 2 different devices running 2 different OS's..... Well that is old stuff now...

I am getting too old to think that hard anymore... going mainstream....

Now I am using a stock iPhone and stock Windows (moving to Windows 8.nn - yuck) - trying to actually use my devices WITHOUT Rooting/Jailbreaking, etc. Thought I would try to NOT void my warranties on my new devices in the first 24 hours I owned them... . Anyway - without rooting and jail breaking, etc. OpenVPN in TAP mode is OUT - so I am settling on using HTTP interfaces to my various systems.

I also exclusively use the Chrome Browser on ALL of my devices - that way I have a consistent Web experience and consistent Tabs.

I am searching for a media server that has an HTTP interface that supports streaming Video/Audio/picture to ALL of my devices (Stock IOS, Stock Android, Stock Windows, etc.). So I am trying out UMS. So far it works PERFECT with my Chrome Browser on Windows. But when I tried the original UMS that I found (Version 4.nnn) it did not work on IOS (i.e. Chrome layer on Safari/iPhone) got an error that I needed to install flash (Like that could really happen on IOS....). So I Googled around and found the version 5 fork of UMS.

So I installed UMS Version 5 on my work computer running Windows 7.

Chrome Browser on Windows still works fine for videos. HTML5 works MUCH better than Flash !!!

Chrome Browser (layered on Safari) on IOS 8 on my iPhone no longer posts an error message when I TRY to play a video - but it does not play the video either. Instead it shows me a download - and I can download the file - but I cannot just play it in the browser like Chrome on Windows.

Should this be working with UMS version 5 using HTML 5 on my IOS 8/iPhone 5s ??? Hopefully yes ????

What am I doing wrong - is there any specific settings that I need to tweak to make videos play on my iPhone 5s/IOS 8.1.2

Thanks,
Kevin K.

There are issues with MP4 live transcoding (it doesn't work). So in 5.0 we transocde all (non html5 videos) to ogg which is supported by most browsers. But of course safari doesn't (if you don't install some plugins). Chrome on iOS is said to support ogg (what do I know??) so either try Chrome or Firefox on iOS to see if it works.

I am using Chrome on all of my devices (WIndows, IOS, Android, etc.)

The HTML video playback works perfect on Chrome WIndows - no issues.

But when I use Chrome on IOS or Safari on IOS which do exactly the same thing (There is no Firefox - at least for now - in IOS) the video won't play.

I will try to describe what I am seeing on my IOS device with html 5 on UMS 5

Here is my test case:

ON Windows 7 PC (Server Side)

1) Start UMS v 5 on windows PC

2) UMS default configuration EXCEPT I set:

a) Default Renderer when automatic detection fails: iPad/iPhone
b) Force Default Renderer Checked.

ON WINDOWS 7 PC on same network as UMS_PC (Client Side):

1) Using Internet Explorer or Chrome or FireFox navigate to UMS_PC_IP:9001

2) Result from 1 - Default initial web page for UMS displays on Windows Browser

3) Navigate to Recently Played.

4) Result from 3 - Preview tab List of recently played videos are rendered.

5) Click on a video (In this case it is the Wildlife horses scene that comes with Windows 7 on Server).

6) Result from 5 - Black Video playback window renders with the following buttons:

a) In Video play back window: Play Button/Scene Slider/Time/Volume/Size
b) Below Video Play back window: Back (greyed out)/Forward/FLASH

7) If I Press the play button OR just wait for about 5 seconds the video plays fine.

ON IOS DEVICE (iPhone 5s/IOS 8.1.2) on same network as UMS_PC (Client Side):

1) Using Safari or Chrome or (No FireFox on IOS - yet) navigate to UMS_PC_IP:9001

2) Result from 1 - Default initial web page for UMS displays on IOS Browser

3) Navigate to Recently Played.

4) Result from 3 - Preview tab List of recently played videos are rendered.

5) Click on a video (In this case it is the Wildlife horses scene that comes with Windows 7 on Server).

6) Result from 5 - NO Black Video playback window renders:

a) There is a VERY large PLAY button rendered.
b) Below the VERY large PLAY button there are 3 Buttons: Back (greyed out)/Forward/FLASH
c) There is a curved DOWN arrow that when pressed renders a new screen
d) New screen shows the following HTTP address: UMS_IP_9001/raw/122
e) There is a image of a file graphic with 122 below it and the text "Cannot Determine file size." and a DOWNLOAD tab
f) When I press download a color circle appears in file graphic as file is downloaded to my iPhone.
g) File downloads
h) once finished downloading I can select it and IOS asks me what I want to "Open In".
i) I select an app that I have called "File Manager" and the file is copied to that location.
j) I once in File Manager I cannot do anything with the file......

Needless to say - the results are MUCH different with Chrome/IOS than with Chrome/Windows.

Am I doing something wrong ???

Are there any settings I can change in UMS on the server side ???

Please help me !!!

Thanks,
KJK

7) If I Press the play button OR just wait for about 5 seconds the video plays fine.





3) Using Stock Safari or Chome On IOS device (my iPhone 5s IOS 8.1.2) on same network navigate to UMS_PC_IP:9001

4) Result from 3 - Default initial web page for UMS displays on my iPhone IOS Browser

5) Navigate to

Most likely the chrome in iOS don't support ogg. Until mp4 live transcoding works you can't do much (at which point we'll swap to mp4 as default transcode format for web). You could try something like this http://www.vorbis.com/setup_osx/

Thanks Sharkhunter.

I am still a bit confused.

Is the problem with the format I have my videos/movies stored in - or is it the .OGG format that UMS is trying to transcode the video files to ???

It looks to me like there is something else going wrong. It appears to me that the video playback window is not being rendered properly. Why is the PLAY button so big ???

I have to say I have been using Wild Media Server for several years - and it works fine to my iPhone - native playback of these same videos in Chrome on Windows and Chrome on IOS. I am moving away from WMS for many other technical reasons and other issues. But it at least proves that a windows based HTTP media server can successfully stream audio/video/pictures to an IOS device.

KJK