Comparison of UPnP AV media servers

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The following table compares the operating system support and basic features of various UPnP AV media servers.

Contents

NameLicenseCost OS X Unix-like Windows AudioImagesVideo Transcoding Web Interface DLNA support Multilingual [lower-alpha 1] ImplementationSubtitles [lower-alpha 2] Still SupportedMisc.
360 Media Server GPLFreeNoYesYesYesNoNoYesYesUn­knownUn­knownJavaUn­knownNo
ALLMediaServer [1] GPL Trialware NoNoYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesDelphi/PythonYesYes
ArkMS Prop.Non-freeYesNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYesUn­knownC++YesYes
aVia Media Player Prop.FreeNoNoNoYesYesYesYesNoYesUn­knownJavaUn­knownYes
BRisa MITFreePartial [lower-alpha 3] Partial [lower-alpha 3] NoYesYesYesYes [lower-alpha 4] YesUn­knownUn­knownPythonUn­knownUn­known
CoherenceMITFreePartial [lower-alpha 3] Partial [lower-alpha 3] Partial [lower-alpha 3] YesYesYesYes [lower-alpha 5] Yes [lower-alpha 4] YesUn­knownPythonUn­knownNo
DivX Prop.FreeYesNoYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesC++Un­knownYes
Elgato Eyeconnect Prop.Non-freeYesNoNoYesYesYesNoNoUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownNo
Foobar2000 [lower-alpha 6] Prop.FreeNoNoYesYesNoNoYesNoUn­knownUn­knownC++Un­knownYes
FUPPES GPLFreeYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesPartialUn­knownC++Un­knownNo
GeeXboX uShare GPLFreeNoYes [lower-alpha 7] NoYesYesYesNoYesYesUn­knownCUn­knownNo
Gmediaserver GPLFreeNoYesNoYesNoYesNoNoUn­knownUn­knownCUn­knownNo
Home Media Center [2] GPLv2FreeNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes.NET 4YesYes
Home Media Server [3] Prop.FreeYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes Delphi YesYes
iSedora Media Server Prop.Non-freeYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownObjective C / C++ / JavaScriptUn­knownYes
Jamcast Prop.FreeNoNoYesYesYesNoYesNoYesUn­knownC++ / C# / JavaUn­knownYes
JRiver Media Center Prop.Non-freeYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesC++YesYes
Kodi (formerly XBMC) GPLFreeYesYesYesYesYes [lower-alpha 8] YesNoYesYesYesC++YesYes
KooRaRoo Media Prop.Non-free [4] Yes [5] Yes [6] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesC++Yes [lower-alpha 9] Yes
LimboMedia Prop.FreeYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesJavaYesYes
LXiMedia GPLFreeYesYesYesYesYesYesYes, mandatoryYesYesUn­knownC++YesNo
Majestic Media Server Prop.Non-freeYesNoNoYesYesYesYesNoUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­known
MediaMonkey Prop.Non-freeNoNoYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYesDelphiYesYes
MediaTomb GPLFreePartial [7] YesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownC++Un­knownNo
Gerbera [8] GPLFreeYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownC++Un­knownYesBased on MediaTomb
ReadyMedia (formerly MiniDLNA) [9] GPL/BSDFreePartial [10] YesYes [11] YesYesYesPartial [12] Partial [13] YesUn­knownCYesYes
Mezzmo Prop.FreeNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesC++YesYes
myiHome Prop.FreeYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoUn­knownUn­knownJavaUn­knownUn­known
MythTV with uPnP GPLFreeYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownC++Un­knownUn­known
Nullriver Medialink Prop.Non-freeYesNoNoYesYesYesYesNoYesUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­known
PlayOn Prop.Non-freeNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesC#Partial [lower-alpha 10] Un­known
Plex Prop.Non-free [lower-alpha 11] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesC++ / PythonYesYes
PS3 Media Server GPLFreeYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes [lower-alpha 12] YesYesJavaYesNo
PyMedS MITFreePartial [lower-alpha 3] Partial [lower-alpha 3] NoUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYes [lower-alpha 13] NoUn­knownUn­knownPythonUn­knownNo
Rygel [14] LGPLv2FreeNoYesNo [15] YesYesYesYesNoYesYesValaUn­knownYes
Rivet [16] Prop.FreeYesNoNoYesYesYesNoNoUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownNo [16]
Serviio Prop.Non-free [lower-alpha 11] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes [lower-alpha 14] YesYesJavaPartial [17] Un­known
SimpleCenter Premium Prop.Non-freeNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­known
Skifta Prop.FreeYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYesUn­knownJavaUn­knownUn­known
Songbird GPLv2FreeYesNoYesYesYesYesNoNoYesYesC++NoNo [18]
TVble Prop.FreeNoNoYesYesYesYesNoYesYesNoC#/C++Un­knownYes
TVersity Prop.Non-free [lower-alpha 11] NoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownYesYes
TVMOBiLi Prop. [lower-alpha 15] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesPartialC++YesNo
TVShare Prop.Non-freeNoNoYesYesYesYesYesNoUn­knownUn­knownJavaUn­knownUn­known
TwonkyMedia server Prop.Non-freeYesYesYesYesYesYesPartial [lower-alpha 16] YesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownYes
Universal Media Server GPLFreeYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesJavaYesYesBased on PS3 Media Server
Windows Media Connect Prop.Free [lower-alpha 17] NoNoYesYesYesYesYes [19] NoYesYesUn­knownUn­knownYes
Wild Media Server Prop. Trialware Yes [20] Yes [21] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes Delphi YesYes
xupnpd GPLv2FreeNoYesNoYesUn­knownYesNoYesYesUn­knownC++Un­knownUn­known
Yazsoft Playback Prop.Non-freeYesNoNoYesYesYesNoNoUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownNo
NameLicenseCostOS XUnix-likeWindowsAudioImagesVideo Transcoding Web Interface DLNA support Multilingual [lower-alpha 1] ImplementationSubtitles [lower-alpha 2] Still Supported

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 For example, multilingual isn't supported if char 'Й' isn't displayed correctly on movie filename on the client device.
  2. 1 2 For example, subtitles are not supported if they only work with few renderers.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Python or external packages are required.
  4. 1 2 Work in progress.
  5. Audio: using gstreamer, Video: work in progress.
  6. With foo_upnp plugin.
  7. GeeXboX is provided as its own Linux distribution.
  8. This feature is not in the latest stable release of XBMC but is available in the latest nightly releases.
  9. Supports streaming external subtitles (SRT, SMI, SUB), embedded subtitles and burning-in subtitles (including DVD graphical subtitles) on devices that don't support external subtitles.
  10. Only on selected renderers, both embedded subtitles and external SRT.
  11. 1 2 3 Free version available with fewer features.
  12. A WIP limited web interface for the optional media library exists in the latest betas.
  13. Uses ffmpeg for video only.
  14. Via 3rd party add-ons.
  15. Streaming first 10GByte per month is free of charge.
  16. Transcoding supported in TMS 5.0 and later on the PC. Must download FFmpeg, VLC or other 3rd-party transcoding engines to use.
  17. Must purchase a Microsoft Windows license to use.

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References

  1. ALLMediaServer site
  2. Home Media Center site
  3. Home Media Server site
  4. Free version available with fewer features.
  5. Run on MAC OS X using WineBottler
  6. Run on *nix systems using Wine
  7. Mac support provided by Fink at http://pdb.finkproject.org/pdb/package.php/mediatomb
  8. Gerbera site
  9. ReadyMedia site
  10. Patches can be found at
  11. See
  12. Patches and discussion at , and branched version to handle transcoding at
  13. Web interface supported via a Webmin module, see
  14. Rygel site
  15. Preliminary experimental support available, see http://jensge.org/2010/04/1-21-gigawatts/
  16. 1 2 Discontinued paid version as of 21 July 2011 see Archived 2012-06-14 at the Wayback Machine . A free, but unsupported, version is still available.
  17. Only on selected renderers, and never for embedded subtitles (external SRT only) http://www.serviio.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33
  18. Development discontinued in June 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130921202235/http://blog.songbirdnest.com/
  19. "DevBlogs".
  20. MAC OS X using WineBottler
  21. UNIX-like systems by using Wine