MULTIMEDIA

Access media remotely : Step-by-step access your media remotely (part 1)

4/27/2012 5:24:43 PM

Discover how to access video, recorded TV, photos and music from any PC or mobile device.

Windows Media Center is the perfect central location for all of your media: music, photographs, video and recorder television shows. Its main drawback is that all that media is tied to your home computer.

Remote Potato is a free program that enables you to access all of the media stored in Windows Media Center on your home computer from another location. You can access it over your home network or – via the internet – from outside your home on a computer or smart mobile device using its web browser or a dedicated app.

And not only do you get access to your home computer’s media collection, Remote Potato enables you to remotely set up and manage your TV recordings while you’re out too, which is perfect if you’re stuck at work and look set to miss your favourite show.

At a glance

Skill level: Straightforward

Time taken: 25mins

Suitablefor: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Description: Remote Potato enables you to access all of the media stored in Windows Media Center.

Remote Potato enables you to access all of the media stored in Windows Media Center.

Basic controls

Navigating through Remote Potato on your browser is simple – either click a menu item or thumbnail to select it, or return to the previous screen by clicking the back button. Click the potato icon to return to the main page.

Music player

If you set up a playlist you can access it from any Remote Potato screen by clicking this button. It allows you to play music while browsing your collection or getting on with other work.

Video quality

You have two choices to make when selecting a video, movie or TV show to watch. Choose ‘Silver Select’ first for maximum performance but, if you run into problems, pick ‘WMSP’ instead.

Browser collections

Click a folder to browse its contents and click the folder icon to the left of the folder name to go back up a level. Content is displayed as thumbnails by default – click the second icon on the right to switch to list view.

Streaming quality

Streaming is a process whereby large media files are transferred in small chunks, allowing the file to be played before it’s completely downloaded. Streaming quality depends on the speed and type of your connection – try a higher setting first, then lower it if playback stutters. As a rule, choose a lower quality when accessing it via mobile broadband or Wi-Fi.

On your disc

You can find Remote Potato in the Resources section of your disc.

Step-by-step access your media remotely

Install Remote Potato Server

Description: Install Remote Potato Server

Install Remote Potato Server

Install Remote Potato Server from the cover disc onto your home computer running Windows 7 Home Premium or later, with Windows Media Center already set-up and configured. When prompted during the set-up process for Remote Library Access, enter your Windows username and password to gain access to your music library.

Secure your server

Description: Secure your server

Secure your server

Follow the rest of the set-up prompts – once complete, click ‘Close’. After a short pause, the server will automatically start and a wizard will guide you through the initial set-up process. Start by ticking ‘Yes, enable security’ and providing a username and password, which you’ll use each time you wish to access your media remotely.

Assign a static IP address

Description: Assign a static IP address

Assign a static IP address

You need to assign your PC a static IP address – see http://bit.ly/static-win7 for a simple step-by-step guide to doing so. Next, consult your router’s documentation – or visit www.portforward.com – to discover how to access your router’s configuration utility. This is typically done by typing the router’s IP address into your web browser.

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