and that means supporting 'pause' and other functions (like 'fast forward') that a simple file transfer system can not cope with. This means you often have to install some 'clever' software on the 'server' in order to deliver the media files to the player ('client') without interruption.įurther, most 'plater' software includes the GUI - in otherwords you select the track/movie to play at the TV etc. Further, unlike normal file transfers, when playing music or video it's vital that the data is 'streamed' without interruption = and Microsoft file transfers are not known for their 'smoothness' :-) as a 'shared folder' What makes things more complicated is that many 'players' (such as your 'smart' TV, PVR etc) are too 'dumb' to understand Microsoft networking protocols. At it's most basic, a Media server is just a music and video file storage system that can be accessed across a network e.g.
