Showing posts with label Nokia Lumia. Show all posts
How To Make Your Own Netflix!
That's right!, Do you have loads of films stored on your PC? or do you own a Network Drive (NAS)? Then why not create your very own Netflix style media browser.
This 'How to Guide' will show you how to set up your very own Netflix style media browser that will work on your PC, This guide will also advise you how you can then use this on your Windows / Andriod / IOS mobile's (Even when your not in your house!)
I should point out that using this feature on your mobile will use your data allowance and you should consult your mobile operator about charges or your allowance limit.
Contents
Contents
If your thinking i cant do this its to technical, Your wrong! It couldn't be easier. This is how easy it is!
First of all lets head over Media Browser (mediabrowser.tv) and download the software needed. You will need to download 2 things. First of all you need to select a server. You can select one to suit your machine. In this guide i am doing it on a Windows 8.1 Machine.
Installing the Media Server
Once this has downloaded select your 'Living Room App' in this case we are going to download the Media Browser Theater.
Now it's time to get things started. Before we do anything you need to install the Media Browser Server. This is whats going to store all the details of your media on your device. Once launched you should see something like this:
Once this is finishes a window will open up in your browser asking you to set up your server. So here's what you need to do.
Enter your first name in the top box and your Media Browser account username at the bottom. You can use this software without having to register. However if you wish to use this while out and about one of these accounts are needed.
Now this is done its time to set up your different types of media for the server. This guide will show videos only but you can set up images and music in the same way.
Select your content type as Movies and then give it any name you wish. Once this is done you will then be asked to provide a location. Once you click okay you will see another screen asking you to provide a location. This guide shows me adding my Network drive (NAS) as the location. However any location will do fine.
Once you have selected your location you will be asked you set some config settings. For this you want to make sure both options are ticked.
This is it. The basics of this server is now set up. You should then be asked to agree to the terms and conditions of using the software and then presented with a Your Done! screen. Once you are signed in you should be seeing something like this:
Now the server is up and running its time to set some settings. Click on Metadata (a set of data that describes and gives information about other data.). The basics will already have been set up during the installation. Click on the services tab. Make sure all the below are ticked.
For the image settings i have chosen this. You can however tick which ones you want and don't want.
Click save to save these settings.Your server is now ready to use!
Installing the Media Browser
Once this goes the software will load. As long as the server is set up right you should then be looking at this screen.
You will notice the name you stated at the beginning of the server installation. Select this user and you will be taken to the home screen.
It should look a bit like this.
You will notice that not all the movies have a cover on them yet. Depending on how many films you have will depend on how long it will take to retrieve this information.(This is automatic so you don't need to do anything)
From here it will display any new movies added to the collection (All you have to do is place the movie into a folder you had selected at the time of installing the server and the software will do it all by itself.
Select the Movies tile from the bottom right hand corner. Once all movie information is downloaded you should see something like this:
Pretty cool huh!? But there's more. Select your movie! and more information will appear.
From here you can play your movie or watch a trailer. All information on your movies is provided by 2 sources. IMDB and TheMovieDB
Accessing Your Server via Your Mobile Device
Go to your mobile store and search for 'Media Browser'. If you have linked your media server with your Media Browser account then once you sign in your server details should be stored and displayed on screen.
If you have not linked your account you can do this by right clicking on the icon in your task bar and selecting Configure Media Browser. This will open up a window in your internet browser. From the menu on the left select users. Click on the user you wish to link the account with, This will bring up more options.
Once you are registered and you server is linked you should receive an e-mail asking you to confirm the link. Once confirmed the server on your PC will be accessible outside of your house.
Things you should be aware of!
During installation of this software you may receive a notification from your firewall to allow access. This is required in order to work so please remember to select yes.
Disclaimer!
This guide is intended to help you to setup a media browser so its just like Netflix. The software used in this blog is a 3rd party software. I am not responsible for this software and you use at your own risk,
EE - false promise
So when the new Nokia Lumia 920 was up for grabs with EE i decided to take a new contract out, i filled in the order form on the website all seem well.
at the time of the order i knew the phone had not been released yet, but i was willing to wait. For the next 2 weeks i was constantly told there was no order until 1 day i received an e-mail advising my order had gone through and i phone had been ordered.
small hiccup but i didn't mind as i was now getting my phone. The day of delivery came and we waited all day. Nothing arrived, i rang the delivery company to be told the parcel was refused at the door. Since no one had come to my door i was puzzled. After further investigation it turns out EE have sent my phone to the wrong address. An address i never provided to EE.
With this u had to travel to Rotherham to pick up my phone. I get home and opened up my phone, all would seem well. After opening the box it became apparent i would not be able to use this phone. The wrong Sim card was provided, i then looked at the paper work to find o had been charged the wrong amount for the phone.
So i called EE to be told it would be Easier to return the phone and start again. Seemed to be a long winded way but i went along with what they said. So the new phone was ordered and again it was sent to the wrong address after already advising them of this. Another trip to Rotherham and i finally got my phone. Right Sim card, charger etc, another week had passed and still the other phone could not be sent back. I called EE again to find the address was STILL wrong. This was amended and another returns bag was sent.
Again another week goes by and still no returns bag. I called them again to be told it had been sent but they will send another bag. Another week later i finally received the bag. The item was packaged up and return.
However what they failed to advise is i have to pay to send this item back. £7 later the item was gone. During the course of November & December EE was kind enough to charge me £210+ bearing in mind my monthly contract should be £46 a month plus £20 for the phone. This amount was far to much.
after the phone was returned the recalculated all my bills and told me i should be refunded £146. I was advised this refund could not be issued until my next bill was produced (16/01) i advised EE this was not acceptable but to no avail i had to wait until then.
the 16th came and i called EE to make sure the refund had gone through. I was advised it had done and that i should get it within 48hrs. I waited for 7 days and as of yet no refund received. I called EE again to be advised no refund had been done and the credit on my account has been used to pay this months bill.
So now i'm left with just £103 in credit. I explained to the advisor this is not acceptable. I have constantly been told the wrong information and to top it off they have advised they have requested the refund today and it can take up to 14 days before i get it.
3 months into this contract and already i wished i never placed the order with EE, the fact that i have been left out of pocket and forced to get a loan just to get to work due to this company's incompetence.
I still do not have my money back and by the time i do get it back i imagine i will see very little of it.
could be a one time occurrence I though, just me being unlucky. However a friend of mine who took a contract out a month after me is also facing the exact same issues. He was due a refund of around the same amount and as of yet still not got it.
3 months and no conclusion to this nightmare. I can safely say i will not be renewing this contract in 9 months time and i would not recommend using this company.
I would suggest avoiding this company at all costs. There are other issues that have also occurred with this company that i have not mentioned.
