# [Now] On Going DIRECTV MediaShare Discussion



## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

You all remember MediaShare? Here's a simple question... when was the last time you used it, and why? Has it ever been part of your home theater experience, or do you use a streaming box or smart TV for that purpose? 

Poll is no longer monitored


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Never had it as an integral part of home theater, and I am a Mac household, so it was extra frustrating to try to use. Now with Airplay so well developed, and GenieGo in the mix, my streaming needs are well taken care of.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Same here. I never used it because it was too much of a pain. In my home we use just Apple products., and the Apple TV does everything I need to do as far as steaming is concerned


----------



## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Use to use the movie and internet radio streaming but then Apple TV / airplay came along. Now it's a combination of ATV and a Sony TV with apps and DLNA capability.


----------



## BosFan (Sep 28, 2009)

The few times I've tried it seemed flakey, might or might not work, also seemed to depend on which STB/DVR I was using. We are a Windows home, in theory it should work cleanly. Either way I really don't own a lot of music, nor do I buy movies, use Pandora a lot through the D* boxes or Blu-ray player and Netflix/Amazon Prime for movies. So I voted don't know/don't care.


----------



## say-what (Dec 14, 2006)

never used it, don't care about it


----------



## otaliema (Aug 9, 2012)

I tried it, it was painful and slow to load up, it searched and found every image on the computer network not just the shared folders so it had over 10k images movies and music files in the list and that made it extreamly painful to try and sort and set up play lists. 
If we could direct it at the folders we want it to look at it that would help a great deal. 
I honestly wouldn't mind being able to stream my music and home video's we have stored on the computers.
We are a windows/mac house.


----------



## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

I tried it out when we first got it but that was it. It's pretty much a waste of space on the units.


----------



## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

Way too flakey for me. I now use other means.


----------



## sdk009 (Jan 19, 2007)

It's way too slow and it reset itself or I had to reset it way too many times for it to be a functional part of our nightly entertainment.
I can use the iPad for the same functions and it consistently works and is much faster.


----------



## sdk009 (Jan 19, 2007)

It's way too slow and it reset itself or I had to reset it way too many times for it to be a functional part of our nightly entertainment.
I can use the iPad for the same functions and it consistently works and is much faster.


----------



## hancox (Jun 23, 2004)

Bin it. now.


----------



## mridan (Nov 15, 2006)

I used it years ago to stream music and pics from my PC. However the reason I stopped using it was because it doesn't work with my pictures anymore, hasn't for years. Always gives me some sort of error code. I would use it again if it worked. Just upgraded to the HR44 and I still can't view pics. 



Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## JohnBoy (Sep 9, 2011)

Get rid of it and add a slacker radio app to compliment pandora and sonictap.


----------



## PCampbell (Nov 18, 2006)

Where is it on the menu?


----------



## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

I tried to use it when it first came out. But it wasn't worth the effort. Currently I play video from my network through my Blu-ray player in one room and a WDTV Live Plus in another room.

If it worked as well as a media player, I would use it over the Blu-ray player, which only supports a limited number of file types.


----------



## Go Beavs (Nov 18, 2008)

I tried it before but it just seemed so clunky compared to my ATV. I think it could be handy (for me) if it had Mac/iOS streaming support and I would probably use it a lot if it did. 

I think DIRECTV should make a decision on it one way or another though. Either fully develop it into a more useful feature or jettison the project and clean up the code.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

PCampbell said:


> Where is it on the menu?


that IS the problem....


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

and no one has mentioned how painfully it is to use MS to playback long videos. the lack of trick play makes this useless


----------



## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

^^^^^ What he said.


----------



## fornold (Sep 4, 2006)

Would like it to work, but there are so many other better options to stream to TV that it is probably not worth the effort to make it work.

Have used it to stream home movies, but have so much trouble getting movies in the right format and no trick play doesn't make it worth the effort.


----------



## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Back in the day, it could have really been something, but now we have so many options to do this, and much better, it's just not worth it.


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

they should redo it and make it so you can use it as an airplay option or equivalent for your android. Then they don't have to do anything really in the box. Just allow something else to be mirrored onscreen. That would make more sense than what they have now. 


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

When it first came out I used it a lot, but not so much anymore due to the will documented issues with it.

However IMHO DIRECTV should get this feature working and make it a first class feature. My reasoning is that with the Genie system not everyone's going to have a SmartTV, Blu-Ray player, Apple TV or Roku, etc. connected to all their TV's so they'd have access to the functions that MS can provide. I don't want to have to spend the money on that additional hardware plus worrying about how to get it networked. And it would make for a much cleaner setup in something like a guest room or home office to not have a bunch of additional boxes having to be connected to the TV.

Plus my usual reason is that DIRECTV needs to do this to be able to say we also have this functionality since the Dish Hopper system does this now.

But if DIRECTV decides to not put anymore effort into MS then I agree with the folks to just pull it out of the code and be done with it.


----------



## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

To the OP, maybe there should have been another poll option, would you use MS if DIRECTV made it work and added functionality such as REW/FF functionality?


----------



## tomski35 (Sep 7, 2007)

I got frustrated with it and bought an Apple TV in August. 


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

I used it a lot when it was first introduced but stopped when I got a WDTV Live box. I took another look recently and tried some different server software. That made a big difference. I currently use it with iSedora ($25, available for Windows and OS X) and it works quite well with a variety of fie types (even subtitles are now supported). One of the drawbacks of Media Share has been the limited bit rate that it can use. I have iSedora set to a maximum video bit rate of 2000 kbits/second and that works for me, athough it would be nicer if the supported rate was higher. One advantage over using another box for streaming is that it serves all of the Directv HD boxes in a house. I hope Directv doesn't drop Media Share.


----------



## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

peds48 said:


> and the Apple TV does everything I need to do as far as steaming is concerned


+1

And for $99 is within the reach of most DirecTV customers. From back when I tried MS, it was clunky, didn't work with all formats so I quit trying. Then I got an ATV and have no reason to look at MS again.

This has been an ongoing issue for DirecTV. They want to be first with stuff, but it is usually clunky and hard to use or plain doesn't work right. By the time they get it right, other options are readily available and customers are already soured to the DirecTV offering.

I pay a lot of $ to DirecTV to provide me with TV programming. They need to stop trying to be a one-stop shop with a lot of this other non-sense and stick to their core competency. Anyone remember DirecTV dating? Come on.


----------



## lucky13 (Nov 27, 2006)

I tried it early on a few times, and gave up.
I have little interest in streaming music or photos to the TV.
I would think most folks who want that have other devices for that purpose.
Between my smart TV and an iPad hookup, I can stream Netflix and any other video I care to get.

If we're talking about clearing codespace, how about a unified ToDo list? (Oops, I think I strayed off topic!)


----------



## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

FHSPSU67 said:


> Way too flakey for me. I now use other means.


Same here. Way too many steps to get to, nevermind setup.


----------



## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

Totally agree!! I used it all the time! I don't have the bandwidth for any of the other services, so Mediashare played my Itunes in whatever room I was in. But it doesn't work now.

So the poll question for me should have been "How often did you use Media Share when it worked?


RAD said:


> When it first came out I used it a lot, but not so much anymore due to the will documented issues with it.
> 
> However IMHO DIRECTV should get this feature working and make it a first class feature. My reasoning is that with the Genie system not everyone's going to have a SmartTV, Blu-Ray player, Apple TV or Roku, etc. connected to all their TV's so they'd have access to the functions that MS can provide. I don't want to have to spend the money on that additional hardware plus worrying about how to get it networked. And it would make for a much cleaner setup in something like a guest room or home office to not have a bunch of additional boxes having to be connected to the TV.
> 
> ...


----------



## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

I never use it. Get rid of it and give us a PIP toggle and LIST>LIST for recording options instead.


----------



## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

obviously Directv is not putting any emphasis on MS since it's still in beta for how long now?


----------



## azarby (Dec 15, 2006)

It never worked right from the beginning. My DVR and TV have a better response and less issues than the one from DTV.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

I used it years and years ago on the HR20 for crappy quality avi files. Without the ability to properly do 720p and definitely unable to do 1080p files, I stick to my Oppo... it streams everything.

oShare is a phenomenal and extremely minimal file server if anyone is looking for one to stream on other devices.


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Stuart Sweet said:


> You all remember MediaShare? Here's a simple question... when was the last time you used it, and why? Has it ever been part of your home theater experience, or do you use a streaming box or smart TV for that purpose?
> 
> Please vote in the poll above.


It either needs to be a working/real offering or can it.

I actually used it extensively when it worked correctly (which has been a while ago).


----------



## jgrade (Oct 1, 2006)

With XBMC on an HTPC and AppleTV it is just not needed. The last time I tried to use it I found it slow and not very usefull.


----------



## Jason Whiddon (Aug 17, 2006)

Kill it.


----------



## itzme (Jan 17, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> they should redo it and make it so you can use it as an airplay option or equivalent for your android. Then they don't have to do anything really in the box. Just allow something else to be mirrored onscreen. That would make more sense than what they have now. Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


That would be ideal! I use airplay mirroring a lot, and my only frustration with it is having to switch inputs first. Our HRs are our primary inputs, so this would be ideal! Though I think the feature would face a challenge from the likes of Samsung and Apple. And I think Directv would be hesitant for fear of Netflix, Hulu, and the like.

On the flip side, I think features like this are the future. I'm amazed every time I play with apps like HBOGo and now Netflix, where I can through my tablet or phone screen up to the TV and even get Dolby 5.1 surround.


----------



## Jacob Braun (Oct 6, 2011)

MediaShare could have been cool, but it's more frustrating than anything. I don't think our receivers have the capability of playing 720p MKV files without a transcoding DLNA server (I rather use it for videos) and personally I have about six different devices I can use if I want to play videos on my TVs.
I say devote the code and resources to something else, but if they want to totally remove any explanation of video support and just keep Media Share for music and pictures, leave it be with the full knowledge that it is stagnant (which is what it has been lately, right?)


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Ok, I finally actually voted, and Again, I say just turn it into a "dumb" appletv, and google style box, where it will work via airplay. That is how I believe most people use streaming now anyway. I don't think they have their computers running all the time with music on them, I think they run airplay etc to float their stuff onto their tv's. Look at all the people in this thread who have said they switched to something else. And those other things are not streaming from pc's usually, they look like they either hold their own content or are driven by mobile devices. 

Just my two cents. Not sure if Apple tv would let them anyway, Google I'm sure would. But it would be worth looking into IMHO.


----------



## Getteau (Dec 20, 2007)

A long time ago, I used it to show pictures and play music, but then one day it just stopped working. Since then, I haven't bothered with it. Kill it


----------



## fireponcoal (Sep 26, 2009)

Use it with Serviio and find it to be quick and painless... Works well for every file that is 720P and below. Every file that is above turns the experience into a choppy mess..

We stream/transcode kids programs to my son's room and everything else to our bedroom. Both boxes are of the HR24 variety.

We are also a Mac household. 
Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## CliffV (Jan 24, 2006)

For a streaming player, I tried a Sony BluRay player, a Panasonic BluRay player, and a Sony TV. ALL of them had some funky flaw. I finally settled on a ROKU 3. I'll never try any other product. ROKU makes its living doing streaming. It is first rate. All of the other players didn't seem to have their heart in it.


----------



## TXD16 (Oct 30, 2008)

I'm in the "used it a lot when it functioned semi-properly" crowd and I would use it a lot still if it were improved. As has been mentioned, the fact that it is available at every TV to which an STB is attached is a huge plus (i.e. no additional boxes to purchase/attach, no TV input switching, etc.).


----------



## fireponcoal (Sep 26, 2009)

Noticed that this feature is gone from both of my 24's last night. Is it safe to assume that it's gone for good or is an update in the cards?


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## tivoreno (Jul 26, 2006)

I use this with PlayOn software running on the PC. Gives me Netflix, Hulu, etc on all my TVs. Please do not kill it.


----------



## mark h (Sep 17, 2006)

Same here use it with PlayOn.


----------



## jagrim (Aug 26, 2006)

I used to use it weekly, mostly with PlayOn or ESPN3. Though I would like to use it more, I do have other options that give me more freedom.


----------



## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

CliffV said:


> For a streaming player, I tried a Sony BluRay player, a Panasonic BluRay player, and a Sony TV. ALL of them had some funky flaw. I finally settled on a ROKU 3. I'll never try any other product. ROKU makes its living doing streaming. It is first rate. All of the other players didn't seem to have their heart in it.


ROKU does what it does very well. What it won't do is stream local files from a computer.


----------



## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

bobnielsen said:


> ROKU does what it does very well. What it won't do is stream local files from a computer.


And that's why I don't have a ROKU. My AppleTV streams all of my music, TV shows or movies from my PC and/or Mac.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Doesn't Plex stream your PC files to Roku?


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

RunnerFL said:


> And that's why I don't have a ROKU. My AppleTV streams all of my music, TV shows or movies from my PC and/or Mac.


and iPhone and iPad.....


----------



## wcr (Sep 27, 2009)

As far as what to do, they should either make it as good and anything out there or can it. Just don't leave it as it is.


----------



## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

peds48 said:


> and iPhone and iPad.....


Yeah, but I thought I was already bragging too much.


----------



## cypherx (Aug 27, 2010)

They need to just put airplay or a chrome cast equivalent. Or even pair with YouTube mobile apps like you can with smart TV's or Xbox. 

Media share is too slow to use. Be nice if I could use my speedy tablet or iPhone as the interface and "send to TV".


----------



## CliffV (Jan 24, 2006)

> Doesn't Plex stream your PC files to Roku?


Yes, I currently only use the PLEX plugin on ROKU to stream CBS. But I noticed when I installed it that it made all the music/videos on my PC available.


----------



## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

I never was able to get it to work with my home computer.


----------



## balboadave (Mar 3, 2010)

I like the idea of it, and I like the idea of not having another piece of hardware, along with the requisite cables and power supply, for the functionality it's meant to provide. But it is so poorly implemented, and when it does work, it does it so poorly, that I've long abandoned the idea of even trying to use it. But if D* ever decided to update it, and I mean a complete overhaul, or replace it with a quality 3rd party app, I'd probably use it.


----------



## twaller (Dec 17, 2005)

Used it just yesterday to stream Netflix with my HR44 via a Play On server. Seems to work very well with the 44, not so good with the HR20.


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

twaller said:


> Used it just yesterday to stream Netflix with my HR44 via a Play On server. Seems to work very well with the 44, not so good with the HR20.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


Aren't there better ways to get Netflix on your flat screen?


----------



## twaller (Dec 17, 2005)

Yes, but media share does wok, and I would hate to see them take away the feature.


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## David Ortiz (Aug 21, 2006)

I've used MediaShare exclusively for watching downloaded videos, in conjunction with Vuze. I use it occasionally, to either watch a missed episode or catch up on a series I didn't watch from the beginning. I only need to be able to pause, which MediaShare will do, so it has worked for me.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

David Ortiz said:


> I've used MediaShare exclusively for watching downloaded videos, in conjunction with Vuze. I use it occasionally, to either watch a missed episode or catch up on a series I didn't watch from the beginning. I only need to be able to pause, which MediaShare will do, so it has worked for me.


and hope you connection does not drop, otherwise, is start from the beginning...


----------



## cypherx (Aug 27, 2010)

and hope you connection does not drop, otherwise, is start from the beginning...

Amen

This is its biggest flaw. No resume, no bookmarking, no transport controls, no 30 skip.

Casting from another device like a mobile, PC or tablet app would be better because they have the horsepower to decode and jump around a big media file. All they need to do is send it to the screen.

Plus the UI on a tablet or phone is easy and quick to navigate. Much rather have "send to DirecTV" as an option from a browser plugin, iOS or android app.


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Just for fun, I just tried again. All I had on this PC was 1080p rips... none would play. All stream fine to my Oppo.

Can it.


----------



## Smuuth (Oct 4, 2005)

Never used it after first trying it and found it to be flaky and slow. 


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## makaiguy (Sep 24, 2007)

I frequently use it to play music files as I read. (I read a lot when I'm in the mood.). I'll often have it display image files from my photo library simultaneously. I use tversity on the desktop to access the files.


----------



## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

makaiguy said:


> I frequently use it to play music files as I read. (I read a lot when I'm in the mood.). I'll often have it display image files from my photo library simultaneously. I use tversity on the desktop to access the files.


This is exactly what I do as well! And I use it for cleaning house. I like to be able to play my music in almost whichever room I might be in. I can't blast the stereo because my husband sleeps days, so having MY music available on every TV in almost every room is a very nice feature.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Every year, when I clean the house, I use an iPod or iPhone with a decent headset.... YMMV.....

:rolling:


----------



## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

I use it all the time with MediaTomb to watch live internet streams on my TV like world news channels not carried by DirecTV and music video channels like JIM, Capital, Kiss, SLAM and NRJ along with several other general channels that offer online streaming, before WWE FINALLY put the live preshow on the PPV channel about 2 months ago I also used it to watch that on TV which was very convenient since it was the same stream they used when they streamed NXT live for the first year after it left Syfy, I can also add live internet radio to it too. Right now I'm watching coverage of the Australian wild fires from ABC News 24's live stream. Meanwhile if I try it with my BluRay player it craps out right away since it sees the zero length of the live stream and thinks the content is 0 seconds long and moves on to the next item in the list.


----------



## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

2009...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using DBSTalk mobile app


----------



## mduby43 (Sep 4, 2007)

Found it to be problematic. Windows based system. With a smart tv no longer bother with it. Some people may still want it, but it doesn't matter to me either way.


----------



## jbaron76 (Mar 1, 2007)

Stuart Sweet said:


> You all remember MediaShare? Here's a simple question... when was the last time you used it, and why? Has it ever been part of your home theater experience, or do you use a streaming box or smart TV for that purpose?
> 
> Please vote in the poll above.


I use it all the time! All of our music is stored on our PC in the form of mp3's. I don't have an audio cable from the PC to my home theater system, but my HR24 is connected to my home theater system. Therefore, media share is the perfect solution for me to listen to music without digging out our CD's. It has never been a perfect system. Browsing through folders is EXTREMELY slow. And for the last couple months media share hasn't worked at all. I see value in it for me.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

jbaron76 said:


> I use it all the time! All of our music is stored on our PC in the form of mp3's. I don't have an audio cable from the PC to my home theater system, but my HR24 is connected to my home theater system. Therefore, media share is the perfect solution for me to listen to music without digging out our CD's. It has never been a perfect system. Browsing through folders is EXTREMELY slow. And for the last couple months media share hasn't worked at all. I see value in it for me.


Perhaps is time to look at other alternatives, there are many out there&#8230;


----------



## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

Here's the odd thing about Mediashare for me. I have an HR44 and an HR21 in the same cabinet in my living room. The HR44 finds the music media just like the HR21 but the playback of the music is in "slow motion" if you will. Its like its playing at 33 1/3 on an record player when it should be at 45, if you can understand that! With the HR21, the playback is perfect be it an album or a playlist. Can't figure this out.


----------



## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

Never used it, never want to, so put it to bed and spend the time and effort on something that everyone and their mother doesn't already offer on their TV's Blue rays and PS3s


----------



## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Kill it.
There are much better options available now. Media Share reminds me of Microsoft Vista - very "10 years ago".


----------



## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Kill it.
> There are much better options available now. Media Share reminds me of Microsoft Vista - very "10 years ago".


I know several people still using Vista and many still using XP. Point is of the now 20+ million subscribers to DTV the vast majority probably do not have the latest in techno gadgets of which many on this Forum allude too. I love this Forum, but you have to admit the few 100 or so who post here regularly are not the average subscriber to DTV. Those true average subscribers might actually appreciate having a device they already use everyday having the capability to access and play their other media.


----------



## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

bnwrx said:


> I know several people still using Vista and many still using XP. Point is of the now 20+ million subscribers to DTV the vast majority probably do not have the latest in techno gadgets of which many on this Forum allude too. I love this Forum, but you have to admit the few 100 or so who post here regularly are not the average subscriber to DTV. Those true average subscribers might actually appreciate having a device they already use everyday having the capability to access and play their other media.


The "average" customer probably doesn't even know MediaShare is there.


----------



## bnwrx (Dec 29, 2007)

RunnerFL said:


> The "average" customer probably doesn't even know MediaShare is there.


Maybe so....but why not capitalize on that. Let them know ..hey, here is something that already comes with your subscription?


----------



## Rickt1962 (Jul 17, 2012)

peds48 said:


> Aren't there better ways to get Netflix on your flat screen?


Sure is just get a Raspberry Pi for $ 35.00 make any TV smart by running XBMC its free !


----------



## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

bnwrx said:


> Maybe so....but why not capitalize on that. Let them know ..hey, here is something that already comes with your subscription?


Notices have been sent. I know of a few times we've had pop up screens telling users about MediaShare and "mail" messages as well.


----------



## codespy (Mar 30, 2006)

We use it all the time. We have hundreds of home videos going back to the '80's transferred onto our XP PC, our kids love it, and we also play various videos when we have family over. My extended family is the average customer and think we are tech savvy by being able to play these on demand.

We also use it for a slideshows with the over 12,000 pics on the XP also. Still using TVersity 1.8 (last DirecTV edition I believe). I just don't have the time to buy, setup, and test new products like I did in the past. I'm one of those that says if it isn't broke, don't fix it (in relation to trying new software/hardware).

With several TV's in the house, we can play videos on some IRD's and Slideshow pics on others at the same time running off our HR24's and HR34 with our XP.

I would be sad if DirecTV canned this. It would force me to get something new, which again, I do not have the time like I used to, to setup.


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Well, AppleTV takes 3 minutes to set up.


----------



## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

But not everyone has an Apple TV, Blu-Ray player, SmartTV, game console at every location, but there's a better chance that they have a STB, and with the new Genie/mini Genie system they could use MediaShare at each of those without having to buy extra hardware or make sure they have a network connection.


----------



## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> Well, AppleTV takes 3 minutes to set up.


And Blue tooth does wonders. :righton:


----------



## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

RAD said:


> But not everyone has an Apple TV, Blu-Ray player, SmartTV, game console at every location, but there's a better chance that they have a STB, and with the new Genie/mini Genie system they could use MediaShare at each of those without having to buy extra hardware or make sure they have a network connection.


In my house I have a better chance of having my Cell phone and ear buds, then a Directv STB


----------



## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> Well, AppleTV takes 3 minutes to set up.


It took you that long? lol


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

RunnerFL said:


> It took you that long? lol


well 2 minutes out of three was doing the stupid software update !rolling


----------



## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Yar, I'se slow now, man. 

Re: Bluetooth: Unless one has the newer wider bands, BT doesn't carry enough bits to give the best sound.


----------



## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

> \
> 
> Re: Bluetooth: Unless one has the newer wider bands, BT doesn't carry enough bits to give the best sound.


I'm not sure what your talking about ?
My cell phone works just fine with my sound bars and surround sound systems.

By newer, you mean after 2010 since that's was the release of the (Newer Wide band Blue tooth), in this day and age, people upgrade phones like they change underwear. I would place big bucks on the fact most Smart phone customers don't have phones older then 3 years old.


----------



## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

I figured I'd try media share off my HR24 last night, and after 25 minutes of it locked up, I was forced to reboot.

I'll stand by my decision. :righton:


----------



## codespy (Mar 30, 2006)

But not everyone has an Apple TV, Blu-Ray player, SmartTV, game console at every location, but there's a better chance that they have a STB, and with the new Genie/mini Genie system they could use MediaShare at each of those without having to buy extra hardware or make sure they have a network connection.


Right on.....I have 12 HD-DVR locations in my house. I don't feel like buying at least 4 or 5 Apple TV's on the TV's we do Mediashare on. Just saying.....Mediashare is great for our household.


Sent from my iPad using DBSTalk


----------



## DJPellegrino (Nov 18, 2005)

I mainly use it to stream videos via mezzmo. DirecTV should make the functionality more consistent and reliable.


----------



## MISpat (Apr 22, 2009)

I would use it more if it were better at playing content on my home network. The only time I use it now is when my standalone streamer has an issue playing Hulu (which is usually the case when I try it).

I'd love for them to make it better but I can't say I'd want them throwing a TON of resources into it. I'd rather they work on other things like getting to a point where you can watch your recorded programs or at least more TV channels through an Android tablet.


----------



## mrjacobrussell (Jun 4, 2013)

I use it more in my kids room where they dont have a smart TV, I use my smart hub tv in my room. and a Sony streamer in the livingroom. /with Serviio.


----------



## gvc (Sep 13, 2012)

old thread but I didn't want to start a new one.

I have a media server application on my main PC which allows me to stream videos from various channels' websites. under the mediashare option on the extras tab, my H23 receiver can see this app as a separate "computer" along with my main pc (videos, music , and photos) but my genie hr44 only sees the main PC stuff. all my smart tvs and android devices also have no problem seeing the separate server app. the genie (and one client ) are the only pieces of network connected equipment that dont show the app and its video channels. doesn't really bother me that much but my wife finds using the directv mediashare option less confusing since she doesn't have to change tv inputs or remotes to access any content. The HR44 has been reset (it just downloaded new software) and my computer also restarted. still the genie only shows my main computer as the only connected mediashare device.


----------



## BlueRidgePro (Nov 12, 2010)

Mediashare is pretty sad software. They should give up on it.

I use Roku ($50) for all streaming music,video, photos, and TV.

DTV should develop receiver with streaming capabilities and apps (make a deal with Roku?) and invest in a good user interface.

Another option would be to just give up and sell the company to Apple, Microsoft, or Google, giving them the content and delivery mechanism, and let them build the complete user experience.


----------



## alnielsen (Dec 31, 2006)

BlueRidgePro said:


> *Mediashare is pretty sad software. They should give up on it.*
> 
> I use Roku ($50) for all streaming music,video, photos, and TV.
> 
> ...


I think they did give up. I can't even get Universal Media Server to work on my computer.


----------



## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

I do not know if Media Share still exists, but this thread should not after 5 years


----------



## codespy (Mar 30, 2006)

Still exits....Still use it with my TVersity software....Kids and rest of the clan can't get enough sometimes of the new pics/videos!


----------



## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

I don't think it's on genies anymore.


----------



## gvc (Sep 13, 2012)

inkahauts said:


> I don't think it's on genies anymore.


music & photos icon is listed under the extras menu of my hr-44, but only when my computer is awake. the icon disappears when not. but , as I mentioned earlier, when active the genie will only see the normal windows share folders that I have while my h23 also shows my other media server when running (playon), as well as the window shares.


----------



## cbeckner80 (Apr 19, 2006)

I have been away from DirecTV for a while and was disappointed to see that media share has regressed in the past 5 years. I had HR-22's before and never had any problems with media share, but have not be successful in getting my HR-44 to do much more than see a couple of my computers. If it does reach the point of finding some files, it won't show them. I'm still using Tversity as before, but have upgraded all the computers to Windows 10. If anyone still follwos this thread, any ideas.


----------



## BLMN (Sep 6, 2011)

Mine worked in the past with other media share software (like servio) installed on my PC. With windows media share turned on on my PC, it recognizes the files on my hr24 but it won't load any of the videos. it gives me the X next to all of them and an error msg.


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

What version of Windows are you using? Windows Media Sharing to my HR24 is still working on my Windows 7 machine. I'll have to check later with my other computer to see if Microsoft removed the ability to transcode on Windows 10. Considering that it doesn't even come with native MPEG2 support anymore without installing the Windows DVD app, it probably doesn't have the native MPEG2 encoding support that Windows Media Sharing needs to transcode either.


----------



## alnielsen (Dec 31, 2006)

I haven't been able to work since I upgraded to Win10.


----------



## LI-SVT (May 18, 2006)

I really wish DIRECTV would make this feature work in modern setups. I used to use it all of the time.


----------



## tas3986 (Feb 6, 2008)

It has never been a viable media player solution. Few media servers supported it well. Lots of standalone boxes do a lot better. Either make it best of breed, or kill it.

It also shows up on my devices as a media server, and mediashare renderer. Nothing that I know of can use it. What is it, and why is it there? I must be missing something.


----------



## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

DirecTV2PC uses elements of UPnP, so the HD DVRs show up as media servers. DirecTV2PC is basically a skinned version of Cyberlink with some DirecTV only modifications to support the encrypted recordings used by DirecTV's DVRs. The mobile apps and the DirecTV Player also use some UPnP functions to detect if you are in home.

If you have Windows 7 (and possibly 8 and 8.1), MediaShare works without any additional software for nearly all the videos in your Windows Media Player library, unless they are DRM protected. You just have to enable Windows Media sharing and grant access to the "DirecTV Mediashare Renderer" under Media Streaming Options in the Control Panel if you customized the sharing to limit it to specific devices on your network.

Microsoft removed the codecs needed to transcode on Windows 10 (along with a lot of other media related things like native DVD playback), so video playback no longer works with it unless you have any videos recorded with MPEG2 Audio and Video inside a MPEG-PS container.

3rd Party servers with transcoding abilities still work as long as it can be customized to transcode to the format MediaShare supports natively, it also has problems with VBR (Variable Bitrate) content when there's a sudden swing in bitrate (i.e. video that goes from a still image to a rapid motion scene or if you're transcoding live content and a static be back soon slate is shown during a commercial break), so it's better to set it to transcode to CBR (Constant Bitrate).


----------



## mfmathis (Oct 5, 2007)

I used mine this morning.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


----------



## BLMN (Sep 6, 2011)

KyL416 said:


> What version of Windows are you using? Windows Media Sharing to my HR24 is still working on my Windows 7 machine. I'll have to check later with my other computer to see if Microsoft removed the ability to transcode on Windows 10. Considering that it doesn't even come with native MPEG2 support anymore without installing the Windows DVD app, it probably doesn't have the native MPEG2 encoding support that Windows Media Sharing needs to transcode either.


I am on Windows 10

Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## hmcm (Nov 13, 2014)

Recently after a Windows 10 update some codec must have been overwritten. Now all the videos have an X in front of them and won't work.

Pictures work fine.


I reinstalled Tversity version 1.7.4.1 and it works on my HR24.. The Genie sees it when to computer is awake. Currently it does not play *.mkv's but it does play *.mp4's. I don't know which codec is doing it though.

I found a matroska splitter (Haali Media Splitter) which works on *.mkv's. 

Tversity is stopped by other Media Servers like Wondershare so it sometimes needs to be restarted.


----------



## x88dually (Sep 5, 2015)

I've re-encoded all 1200+ movies in my library with wondershare and handbrake to cbr, 4000k, 5.1 MP4's, and have NO problems playing any movies on HR22, HR24 or a HR34.
But everythings re-encoded to mp4.
Mediashare is easier for wifey, instead of going thru smart tv's.


----------

