Resolved Lion server as Itunes server

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

Hi everybody!
I'm not sure if it is the right place to post this, sorry if it's not.
We have 5 computers at home, one of those is my son's Mac mini, that is also used as a server for Itunes video streaming. Everything works great. But my son needs a laptop for school and we still need the mini for streaming.

For home sharing there is a limit of 5 computers in Itunes. If I put Lion server on the mini, would it still count as one of the five computers?

With my soon to be son's laptop, except the mini there will only laptops in our house, so we really need the mini for streaming to the ATV.

It's a shame that the ATV can't natively stream from a NAS

Thanks

 

[IscariotJ]

I'm in a similar situation. I've a Mini Server running Lion Server, feeding multiple ATV's, laptops, and iOS devices. To get around the limit I installed StreamToMe on the laptops ( free ) and iOS devices ( £1.79 ) , run ServeToMe ( free ) on the Mini, leaving iTunes to feed the ATV's.

Possibly not the answer you were looking for, but it might give you an idea....

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

I'm in a similar situation. I've a Mini Server running Lion Server, feeding multiple ATV's, laptops, and iOS devices. To get around the limit I installed StreamToMe on the laptops ( free ) and iOS devices ( £1.79 ) , run ServeToMe ( free ) on the Mini, leaving iTunes to feed the ATV's.

Possibly not the answer you were looking for, but it might give you an idea....

Thank you for your answer,
Like you said, not exactly what I looked for but it does give me an idea!
Does Lion server count as one of the 5 computers in the Itunes limit?
Can you stream protected itunes video with the Stream to me app?
Thanks!

 

[LaWally]

The OS makes no difference, so yes your "server" running Lion Server counts as one of the 5 computers you are allowed under iTunes.

No experience with Stream to me.

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

The OS makes no difference, so yes your "server" running Lion Server counts as one of the 5 computers you are allowed under iTunes.

No experience with Stream to me.

Yeah that's pretty much what I tought, and I don't think that Stream to me would work with iTunes DRM videos either, just like Plex wouldn't without iTunes.

I hope that soon iTunes will sign a deal with all the movie distributors so we will be able to stream directly from the Cloud just like with music and tv shows.

Thanks for the reply

 

[IscariotJ]

Thank you for your answer,
Like you said, not exactly what I looked for but it does give me an idea!
Does Lion server count as one of the 5 computers in the Itunes limit?
Can you stream protected itunes video with the Stream to me app?
Thanks!

Yes, you can stream iTMS movies with StreamToMe, though I think it's only the iOS clients that can do that....

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

Thanks IscariotJ,

So, I could store my drm iTunes videos on a computer without iTunes and then Stream these videos to say an apple tv?

 

[HarbingerX]

Strange. I have 3 iPhones, 1 iPad, 3 AppleTVs, a MacBook Pro, and my Mac Mini all using homesharing and streaming video with no problems; though I'll admit I haven't tried streaming to the MBP in a long time.

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

Hi HarbingerX,

The problem is not streaming to IOS devices, it's the 5 computer limit to log on the same iTunes account. As far as I know, there is not limit to the number of IOS devices.

 

[Flipper77]

server as iTunes server

Maybe it is me, but why do you not just use the folder in iTunes Server as a shared mapping ? A server is ideal for iTunes streaming to iOS devices, and for ATV's, but other mac's can just use the shared folder as storage and source drive for the iTunes media.

 

[marzer]

Hi HarbingerX,

The problem is not streaming to IOS devices, it's the 5 computer limit to log on the same iTunes account. As far as I know, there is not limit to the number of IOS devices.

I use a headless mac mini as a home itunes server as well. The key to managing the limit is using Home Sharing as opposed to itunes authorization. I keep all the media on the server and do all the purchasing and ipod syncing from it through screen sharing.

In fact, my wife and son do not purchase or manage the library so I only use bonjour sharing to their computers as opposed to Home Sharing. Then I use Home Sharing for ATV's and iOS devices.

----------

Maybe it is me, but why do you not just use the folder in iTunes Server as a shared mapping ? A server is ideal for iTunes streaming to iOS devices, and for ATV's, but other mac's can just use the shared folder as storage and source drive for the iTunes media.

That seems like a logical solution in theory but I've tried it, when you have multiple itunes using a single shared media location things can go down hill pretty quick. Manual changes to metadata not getting refreshed for other users, one instance of itunes unexpectantly reorganizing folders. Having to manually refresh other users whenever media is added or deleted.

And if you share the entire library (media and library files) only one user can open the library at a time because the library files get locked.

Using the itunes sharing features (Home or bonjour) is the safest and most convenient way I've found to have one library and multiple simultaneous users.

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

I use a headless mac mini as a home itunes server as well. The key to managing the limit is using Home Sharing as opposed to itunes authorization. I keep all the media on the server and do all the purchasing and ipod syncing from it through screen sharing.

In fact, my wife and son do not purchase or manage the library so I only use bonjour sharing to their computers as opposed to Home Sharing. Then I use Home Sharing for ATV's and iOS devices.

----------



That seems like a logical solution in theory but I've tried it, when you have multiple itunes using a single shared media location things can go down hill pretty quick. Manual changes to metadata not getting refreshed for other users, one instance of itunes unexpectantly reorganizing folders. Having to manually refresh other users whenever media is added or deleted.

And if you share the entire library (media and library files) only one user can open the library at a time because the library files get locked.

Using the itunes sharing features (Home or bonjour) is the safest and most convenient way I've found to have one library and multiple simultaneous users.

I too want to use my mini headless but that's not the point. To stream to an Apple TV you need to run iTunes, if you run iTunes the mini takes one of the five autorized computer allowed by iTunes for the home sharing. Soon we will have 5 laptops plus the mac mini making a total of six computers in our home network.

So, every apps that we buy on the appstore will work on all but one macs in the house. That is why I wantedto know if it was possible to stream drm videos bought on iTunes from a mini not running iTunes.

Apple should allow ITunes to stream and share content without using it, like a real server does. It is totally stupid to have to run iTunes on a computer that won't use the content.

Maybe that can be done by a jailbraked (jailbroked?) Apple TV but I would prefer not to do that

 

[marzer]

I too want to use my mini headless but that's not the point. To stream to an Apple TV you need to run iTunes, if you run iTunes the mini takes one of the five autorized computer allowed by iTunes for the home sharing. Soon we will have 5 laptops plus the mac mini making a total of six computers in our home network.

So, every apps that we buy on the appstore will work on all but one macs in the house. That is why I wantedto know if it was possible to stream drm videos bought on iTunes from a mini not running iTunes.

Apple should allow ITunes to stream and share content without using it, like a real server does. It is totally stupid to have to run iTunes on a computer that won't use the content.

Maybe that can be done by a jailbraked (jailbroked?) Apple TV but I would prefer not to do that

That's what I was explaining you do NOT need to authorize all those machines just to share from the mini. Home sharing can be activated on more than 5 computers and devices, has nothing to do with the 5 computer authorizations.

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

That's what I was explaining you do NOT need to authorize all those machines just to share from the mini. Home sharing can be activated on more than 5 computers and devices, has nothing to do with the 5 computer authorizations.

In order to install an app bought on the appstore, your mac needs to be autorized, just like it needs to be autorized in order to play drm iTunes videos


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3819

What's the point of sharing iTunes stuff if you can't use it on your computer? Off course it needs to be auorized

 

[marzer]

In order to install an app bought on the appstore, your mac needs to be autorized, just like it needs to be autorized in order to play drm iTunes videos


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3819

What's the point of sharing iTunes stuff if you can't use it on your computer? Off course it needs to be auorized

Again, there's a difference between stream and playing it from a local libray. To play from a locally stored library yes, you need to have the computer authorized for DRM content ONLY. To receive streamed content from a shared library, NO the computer does NOT need to be authorized. I've been running my whole house this way for 3 years with only the mini itunes server as the only ITunes authorized computer in the house.

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

Again, there's a difference between stream and playing it from a local libray. To play from a locally stored library yes, you need to have the computer authorized for DRM content ONLY. To receive streamed content from a shared library, NO the computer does NOT need to be authorized. I've been running my whole house this way for 3 years with only the mini itunes server as the only ITunes authorized computer in the house.

I get the difference but it is not what I was talking about when I started this thread

Still tanks for the input

 

[marzer]

I get the difference but it is not what I was talking about when I started this thread

Still tanks for the input

Your welcome. It would be nice to have more authorizations available but until then you just have to be clever how you allocate your available pool.