Step 2: Run and Configure Your Media Server Open the installer once it’s downloaded and follow the instructions to install your media server. You can get their respective media server installers here: Understanding how to set up a home media server will more fully familiarize you with the concept, how it works, and why it’s useful: Step 1: Download Your Media Server of ChoiceĪgain, we recommend going with an Emby, Kodi, or Plex media server. Depending on the server product and your setup, you could access your media within your home network or even beyond it.įor example: If you configure your Plex media server for remote access, you could stream content to your handheld device from your home server, even if you’re on a different continent (so long as you have internet access or you’ve downloaded a local copy to the device you’re traveling with). So – what does a media server actually do? What Does a Media Server Do (How to Set One Up)Ī media server is an application – sometimes with a dedicated appliance, like a small PC – that stores and provides access to media files. We’re going to discuss Emby, Kodi, and Plex media servers interchangeably from here by referring to “media servers” in general. You’ll follow the same process to install and set up each of these, and they mostly offer the same features (with some exceptions that we’ll talk about).

These three platforms have been around for a few years, they’re easy to use, and they look good on any platform.

What Are Emby, Kodi, and Plex Media Servers?įor our purposes today, we’re going to discuss three of the most mature, stable, and popular media server ecosystems: Plex media servers are a great way to retain a greater sense of stewardship over your owned media, and they provide some useful functionality that might surprise you. You can do that by setting up a home media server using Emby, Kodi, or Plex. This platform would, ideally, seamlessly incorporate your personal media library (MP3s, FLAC, movie downloads, personal videos, etc.) alongside your subscribed streaming channels. If you’re like most of us, you’d appreciate having a single place for streaming news, music, movies, and television shows. That word has become synonymous with television, but most of the content we digest these days comes to us in a stream – live or otherwise. We certainly live in the age of streaming. We live in the golden age of television, it’s said.

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