Here’s a run through of what you’ll find in the new HP MediaSmart Server 2.5 update.
New Welcome Screen
The welcome screen has been revised to list the new features made available in the update, along with links to help files and more information on each. On the left hand side, you also see the new panel for the HP Video Converter.
iStream iPhone/iPod Touch Application
The iStream application for iPhone and iPod Touch allows you to stream your music, video and photos directly from your home server to the device. To do this, you have to download and install the application from Apple’s App Store (it’s free, by the way) and then configure it to work with your home server.
Simply enter your home server’s URL, along with your username and password and then you’ll have access to your Music, Video and Photos directly from the iPhone.
HP Video Converter
HP Video Converter allows your home server to automatically convert videos placed in you Video shared folder into mobile quality and high quality H.264 (MPEG-4) files, for playback on a wide range of mobile and other playback devices such as iPods, iPhones, digital media receivers and games consoles. It will not, however, transcode copy protected DVDs or videos with DRM security.
HP have the following definitions on video quality:
Full Resolution
Full resolution keeps the source video’s screen resolution, and basically just creates an output file with the new format for the provided input. Video and audio quality should be very similar to the source material for Full resolution videos. You may notice some differences between the original and Full resolution output, but these differences are minimal in most situations.
Mobile Resolution
The Mobile resolution creates a video that is suitable for mobile devices and remote video streaming (the video will be no larger than QVGA: 320w x 240h). This is to make support of mobile devices easier, and to provide videos suitable for remote media streaming Media streaming sends media—music, photos and video files—from the HP MediaSmart Server to other devices that can play the media. The HP MediaSmart Server includes functionality that allows media to stream to a Digital Media Adapter (DMA).
Switching on the Video Converter is done through the Windows Home Server Settings page. You can select which of your shared folders to monitor, and whether to convert videos to mobile or high quality, or both. Once initiated, video transcoding happens in the background.
A new shared folder, Converted Videos, will be created which is where you’ll find both mobile quality and high quality converted videos. For ease, they’re separated into “HQ” and “MQ” folders.
The files themselves have their filenames amended slightly with “_hq” or “_mq” added at the end – again, for ease of recognition.
Mobile quality files are sized to 320 x 240, and with the lower resolution, file sizes are dropped.I found that a 200Mb xvid encoded video dropped to around 100Mb using mobile quality transcoding. Conversion between different formats will provide differing results.
With regard file format support, here’s a list of supported and unsupported formats:
One rather baffling issue you’ll notice here is that whilst DVR-MS files are supported, WTV files are not. As many of you will know, DVR-MS was Windows Media Center’s Recorded TV file format up to the release of the TV Pack 2008, when it changed to the WTV format. Any TV recorded in Windows 7 and newly released Vista systems will therefore not be supported for Video Conversion. I made this point a number of times to HP a few weeks ago when we met to discuss the plans for the software update, so hopefully it will be fixed in a future update.
Remote Video Streaming
Whilst users have been able to stream music and photos remotely with the HP MediaSmart Server since the new models were released, Video Streaming was a glaring omission – one that has now been fixed with the 2.5 software update. The updated media streamer now offers Music, Video and Photos for remote streaming access.
By default, the Video section of the media streamer will show your mobile quality videos that have been converted by the HP Video Converter – but it’s easy to switch to their full quality equivalents if you have the bandwidth available. You can see the progress of the video being downloaded to your computer through a blue progress bar, and if needed, you can let the video fully download before watching, which gets around those horrible buffering issues.
You can view videos as a small thumbnail if you wish, but a full screen option is also available – depending on the video, the quality of full screen, mobile quality video varies from very blocky to less blocky, but it’s definitely viewable.
Media Collector Status
It’s not going to hit the headlines, but one major usability improvement in the software update is Media Collector Status. As you know, the HP Media Collector works in the background, checking your home computers for Music, Video and Photo files and copying them over to the home server. A great feature, but in the current version, the user was unable to see what the Media Collector had copied over to the home server – you basically just had to trust that it worked.
With the 2.5 update, a new Status panel is available which reports the Collector status for each of your home computers:
…as well as providing specific information on how many music, video and photo files have been copied across to the home server on each machine. A big improvement which does a lot to give me confidence in the quality of the Media Collector feature.
The 2.5 software update also fixes a number of issues with the original release, and includes some small scale improvements. They are as follows:
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Public and private capabilities were added to HP Photo Viewer albums.
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Made a number of improvements to the Mac Backup feature, including the ability to resize the backup disk.
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Fixed a number of TwonkyMedia server issues, including the case where songs would not play all the way through.
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Improved the HP Media Streamer interface, including adding support for streaming video files, column sort functionality, and new album art views.
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Added streaming support for iPhone.
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Added the HP Video Converter which transcodes common video formats to an H.264 video codec and AAC stereo audio code.
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Improved Media Collector by displaying progress details, status information, and client connectivity to shared folders.
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Improved The HP MediaSmart Server dashboard functionality.
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The User’s Guide was updated to match HP MediaSmart Server software changes.
With regard to point 3 above, I’ve still experienced this issue using TwonkyMedia Server in the 2.5 update (not consistently, but it does happen) so I’m not sure whether it’s been truly nailed.
So, a pretty comprehensive mid-term update for the HP MediaSmart Server, with enhanced video and media streaming features, and a new iPhone app which looks very cool. Great to see the product continue to evolve and improve with each update.
13. April 2009 at 7:20 am
Hi
So will we be getting this for our 475’s…?
JQ
13. April 2009 at 7:35 am
@James Quintin – No, it’s for the EX48x series only
13. April 2009 at 7:49 am
Nice writeup, Terry, thanks for giving us a closer look than what was shared at the press release! I’m very curious about the enhancements and bug fixes, and am bummed to hear that songs still seem to drop out occasionally as you mentioned in your point 3.
Alex
13. April 2009 at 9:32 am
Nice writeup, thank you.
This raft of updates does push the server far more down the Home Media path and seems to place less emphasis on the backup and file storage aspects of the device. Streaming non Quicktime movies to iPods is a real selling point for me.
This server would sort out so many of my home media/PC backup/small business file recovery to S3 needs that I’m starting to feel a real annoyance that they won’t sell in the UK.
Can we start a petition?
13. April 2009 at 10:05 am
@Steve – No worries, I’m hassling every HP person I speak to in both the US and UK. From both sides of the Atlantic, I hear…”We’re working on it”.
You’re right that HP are filling in a lot the media features that Microsoft didn’t get to in the base product. In terms of backup and storage, I guess there’s more that can be done in WHS, but it’s already very strong in that area out of the box.
Looking forward to the iStream app myself!
13. April 2009 at 10:46 am
We can stream to iPod/iPhone now, but only in 320×240? Don’t they know that iPhones are widescreen and 480×320? Better than nothing, I suppose…
13. April 2009 at 12:55 pm
This release sure confounds things for someone who is trying to decide on the HP EX48X series vs. a DIY rig. Is this featureset possible with a core WHS load and a hodge-podge of add-ons? Or has HP added some significant special sauce here?
13. April 2009 at 12:58 pm
It’s big special sauce. There’s a lot of proprietary add-ins here that just aren’t available to self-builders. You can get WHS to work with iTunes in the home via Firefly Media Server, and remote streaming via Orb though.
13. April 2009 at 1:16 pm
So it begins… HP have a new model so the folks that purchased the smartserver when the machine and os was new are, getting left behind with regards to the new updates. dissapointed as this is not what I expected from HP and is contry to previous actions. come on hp we love your product continue to love your older users.
13. April 2009 at 2:38 pm
Too bad HP won’t make this available to all WHS boxes. This is just the sort of thing I’d willingly pay for. And no, I’m not likely to buy an HP box to get it – I’d always rather build my own, since it allows me to repurpose spare hardware more effectively.
13. April 2009 at 3:23 pm
Wouldn’t there be a way to extract the updates for those of us with 475’s and older machines?
Lee
13. April 2009 at 3:36 pm
Great news and thanks for the explanation, Terry.
Do you know what source formats the new conversion tool will be able to handle? mkv or m4v or what about iso? As of now a mac-only household and I’m holding off on a mediacenter PC until I see these new offerings from Acer and Eee (cheap small and quiet).
I’m ripping my DVDs and want to use h.264 and AC3 (mkv or m4v). The conversion to AAC stereo would be nice to use for streaming to the Xbox in the interim until I pull the trigger on a new PC.
13. April 2009 at 3:41 pm
@Kevo – the table here http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/convert5.png shows the source formats that are compatible….
13. April 2009 at 4:41 pm
It would be nice if some of the features were at least optional updates for those of us who have upgraded components of the original boxes. At this point, I guess I would be satisfied with Mac support…
13. April 2009 at 4:41 pm
Any word on when this will be available?
And does the Photo private capabilities just make it password protected? That is something I have been wanting to do since I bought my 485.
I am not too shocked but quite sad that HP made the app for the iphone and not just make it a mobile website or even a windows mobile app (seeing as they make ipaq’s). I would have even been happy with a Adroid app. Some of us don’t have, nor do we want, apple products.
13. April 2009 at 4:44 pm
I too would pay money for this software suite.
Though I think the MSS is a fantastic device, and I have and will recommend them to family/friends,
1. I already have a WHS
2. I have 8 hard drives in it…..
3. I use my WHS in ways that a full system handles much more effectively than a MSS would.
Come on HP
13. April 2009 at 4:45 pm
So what would happen if we tried to do a server reinstall on a 475 with a 487 resintall CD…
There doesn’t seem to be any software in the update that requires a fast processor to work. I couldn’t care less how lon git takes to convert a video for my iPhone, just that it does it at all!
13. April 2009 at 5:35 pm
cant believe this update doesnt support .mkv
13. April 2009 at 7:20 pm
I have an EX475 and honestly can’t see the benefit of buying another HP Homeserver. I understand that they want to push the new stuff, but don’t punish us for HP’s mistakes. Even after upgrading the memory and processor, it’s still not powerfull enough. But don’t leave us out in the cold. Let us decide whether or not to apply these updates. Make them available as “Not Recommneded and Not Supported” if you have to. It’s a small market and upsetting a significant portion of that market isn’t healthy.
13. April 2009 at 9:59 pm
looks great. does the updated twonky fix track sorting issues?
if you’re viewing an album it sorts the songs based on track number like this..
1
10
11
12
13
2
3
4
5
…
13. April 2009 at 11:17 pm
@James Quintin – Unfortunately restoring EX47x with a 48x CD doesn’t work. Restore process is OK, but the new system won’t work since it permanently reboots.
14. April 2009 at 12:08 am
I have to say, I am… disappointed. I love the HP form factor and have become a huge WHS fan. I have lived with growing pains from both HP and WHS since purchasing an EX470. From file corruption to Bloatafee slowing down my machine, I have endured and recommended the HP to everyone I can get to listen.
I would think that HP would have a vested interest in taking care of its 47x buyers. Those users built the demand for the 48xs. In a lot of cases, they became beta testers, hardware support, and even applied enough pressure to get HP to allow users to really appreciate the product (memory upgrade anyone?). It’s a shame that this group of loyal supporters is being left out in the cold.
HP, if you are listening, consider some facts…
Based on a poll done here in June 2008, 23% of the home server market was people who bought EX47x servers. There is little or no reason for this group to upgrade to new home server hardware only one year on, and if you are forcing them out of the software loop in the hopes that they’ll buy your newest version you will lose more than you gain.
14. April 2009 at 3:54 am
Would just like to add that I am disgusted that HP will not be releasing this update to the older media smart server owners.. I can honestly say I will never purchase from this company again in my lifetime.. What a load of bs, so angry!
Comon Terry surely you have some status within HP.. Speak some sense into these idiots.
14. April 2009 at 5:39 am
Looks like HP is taking a page out of Apple’s playbook! But new hardware if you want the new sofware. What a BS business model, but I guess it works (for Apple).
Kinda hard to just ditch a home server setup for a new one tho. Not quite the same thing as an iPhone. Anyone at HP listening??
Anyone can upgrade their now antique EX470 to a better processor than what’s in the new machines. Anyone can also upgrade to 2GB RAM. HP should give these customers the option to upgrade…even if for a small fee. (Page 2 of the Apple playbook).
F HP
F Apple
…and F Microsoft for Vista.
14. April 2009 at 7:04 am
@Jason – In terms of status, we’re seen as press, I guess. Believe me, as paying customers, your voices are much more powerful! But various companies do ask my opinion on things, which I give quite freely – whether they act on it or not is at their discretion!
With regard to the update, my personal view is that whilst we know that products aren’t supported indefinitely, it would be great if there was a paid update available for older systems with adequate hardware to run that update.
That’s easy to type, but when it comes to setting up that infrastructure, the support network required for it, what happens if the update kills the system, how do you secure the update so it doesn’t end up on 100,000 self-build machines and competitors’ hardware (which I guess is important to HP!) etc, I guess it’s a much bigger challenge.
Let’s hope they’re reading and can sort something out in the future.
14. April 2009 at 7:34 am
You want your old car converted to a hybrid for free too?
Get over it and buy a new box.
@Jason -
14. April 2009 at 9:50 am
If the actual hp box and drive bays ect are all the same what about a tradin of the old motherboard for a new slotin mb for 50-75 quid there must be an opertuniy for somthing like this look at the motherboard its like a plug in module realy!!
14. April 2009 at 12:53 pm
@Soundtweaker – For many of us who purchased the EX47x within months before HP released a new generation and is slowly freezing us out, your analogy is both inaccurate and insulting.
While autos don’t receive “free upgrades,” neither would a car company remain in business for long if it neglected its customers after-sale. The idea is that they want satisfied customers to return.
HP isn’t exactly satisfying those of us who spent our hard-earned money on their product, only to find that they’re ignoring us.
14. April 2009 at 3:14 pm
@Soundtweaker – Your comment is insulting and does not reflect what often happens in the computer industry.
There is NO reason HP can’t deliver this software to the 47X users.
For free? No one is asking for it for free, nor should they be. Windows 95 to 98? Upgrade price. 2000 to XP? Upgrade price.
I’m not asking for anything other than the option to upgrade. I shouldn’t have to fork over $1000 for a fully loaded WHS when mine works fine, if the software will run on it.
In my car, I am adding a new radio, and an XM antenna. Did I have to buy a new car to do it? No. Did I have to pay for the radio? Yes.
I want nothing other than the option to get the software. A reasonable priced offering would generate more sales for them in the short term, than HP could expect if it is just hoping on people to toss out their old WHS servers and buy new.
Because really, if the new software won’t work on it… what DO you do with an early model WHS from HP? Who would want it?
Ridiculous. I am an HP customer of about 13,000 desktop, 500 intel based servers, and numerous storage platforms. I bought a WHS from them because of what they offer. HP upgrades ALL their software on ALL platforms, even if it’s fee based. I always pay for my upgrades.
That they aren’t doing it for 47X, is B*llsh*t plain and simple.
14. April 2009 at 5:54 pm
@Brian -
Amen bro. Couldn’t have said it any better myself
14. April 2009 at 6:45 pm
If you did any research at all you would know faster more powerful new models were coming out this year with more features. The news broke way back in August of last year.
I dont feel sorry for anyone who bought an old model in the last few months and expect an upgrade.
I dont blame HP at all. I wouldnt want to deal with hundreds of tech support calls a day of people crying about why their old home server is skipping while streaming h.264 video.
14. April 2009 at 6:51 pm
@Soundtweaker – You really don’t seem to get it, but would prefer to make this an emotional and insulting debate. That’s too bad, really.
14. April 2009 at 7:08 pm
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
If it insults you thats your prob.
Sorry that Im not an HP basher.
All their products have served me well over the years.
14. April 2009 at 7:08 pm
@Kevin – go DIY because 3.0 will only be supported for users who bought the EX500 – so they’ll leave behind EX48x users too. HP doesn’t deserve our business any more.
14. April 2009 at 8:45 pm
EX485 is certainly not faster in any noticeable way than EX47x. A single core Celeron versus a single core Sempron is a no winner game, really.
14. April 2009 at 9:13 pm
@Soundtweaker – Again, you’re saying people should do their research?
I have a direct contact into HP for sales, I have millions of dollars in systems in my datacenter at work, I did the research.
Not providing a software update is not something HP usually does.
I’m with you, their software and hardware has served me well also.
I fully believe after doing research that the reason it’s not coming on the 47X at this time is that the update contains a fw upgrade in it, AND it looks to me like it would require more RAM than the 512Mb standard that the system came with. For me personally, the ram upgrade was simple. For others, maybe not so much.
After doing some reading online, I think HP will put out a 47X version, maybe with it’s own firmware upgrade, but I could be wrong about that.
There will definitely be backlash though, and rightly so.
We’re not talking an OS upgrade here. Let’s call it what it is. We’re talking an HP bolt on software update that sits on top of Windows 2003 Server. It’s a feature pack in and of itself, no different than running some feature laden product like HP Openview or Blackberry Enterprise Server or any other commercially released software package that runs as an app on a system. The fact that it’s HP hardware specific and WHS makes no difference, and they SHOULD support it. Just like every other app, they should release it with a charge/fee. It’s the way the industry works. Unless you’re talking a processor architecture upgrade (i.e. 32bit to 64bit) then there’s no reason they can’t release it for 47X and just “up” the system requirements if you choose to run it.
Just like 2000 to XP or XP to Vista… you want to go up? Sure. Just might need to upgrade your ram. Problem is this isn’t an OS, it’s a software pack on an OS..
15. April 2009 at 4:14 pm
EX470 owner here; truly let down by HP to say the least. The very customers that adopted their technology and made their venture possible have been shafted. Let alone the apple backup updates, at least the media server functionality the bloody unit is called the “MediaSmart Server”!
I dont understand why the EX48X only gets this.
15. April 2009 at 5:20 pm
@urmaster -
there is no excuse for lack of a timemachine(MAC) update for the older model servers, they said they were going to do it, then do it. or provide an ETA. this has been several months since then annouced it.
i have upgraded my ram to 2GB in my 475, provide software update to equal latest generation, it cost me $25 There is what a 5-10% speed bump in the latest gen processor? and my old sempron cannot run the software? are you kidding me?
take care of your 1st gen customers or don’t but at least tell us the truth or provide a ETA…
why does this have to be so complicated…
16. April 2009 at 3:36 am
Lets say the next WHS release comes with a slew of new features from MS, among others full media center integration that doesn’t require to run a separate PC. Apparently a more powerful hardware will be required. Will I buy an HP solution? NEVER EVER AGAIN. Thank you very much.
17. April 2009 at 2:51 pm
Hi All, I’m having a EX47X and think HP is just behaving like the majority of big commercial companies now fooling their early adopters they just want to find a way to sell their shit whatever is the way to do it even if the few thousands of early adopters are getting pissed off it’s not a problem for them. They will keep selling and selling… what about waiting for somebody who’s got the update for his EEX48X to publish the installer as a download so that we can try to install it on our boxes. I don’t see why an additional software installed onto WHS wouldn’t work on a box and work on others it’s just like installing the office pack on one box and not the other… Any answer to this?
18. April 2009 at 5:48 pm
@Soundtweaker – You miss the point here completly. It is not a new platform here its simply a revised sku. All of the EX servers have simillar power or at least potentail. This is a software upgrade their not changing the OS. Your car analogy was very poor; liken this to apple abandoning all the iPhone owners before the 3g model – if that happened – it would be the level of stupidty displayed here by HP.
There is no reason AT ALL why this cannot be deployed on an EX47X model.
Thanks Terry for the write up ^_^
18. April 2009 at 10:09 pm
Yea I think I can figure out the difference between WHS OS and an HP update. Thanks for your concern. The HP guy said why this update wont work on older models if you listen to the podcast. But if your dead set on believing HP just wants to screw their customers for no reason go for it man. Im just glad I waited a few months for the new models come out.
20. April 2009 at 10:58 pm
Just so the nice people who got a HP Homeserver for Christmas this year would have to go ahead and upgrade THIS year.
Funny, I got a HP WHS 470 and an iPhone for Xmas '08! Guess we'll have to until – guess what? Never! for them to play nice together.
Please HP, upgrade my server!
24. April 2009 at 5:16 am
The upgrade appeared without warning. Found out I had it when the Media Console would n'tcome up. No big deal – I was set for automatic update.
So far it won’t convert files – every attempt fails. And the Converted Video file can’t be opened from my PC. I get a denied access message.
Reboots don’t seem to help.
On the other hand the media collector seems to be working – didn’t in the earlier release.
Any advice?
26. April 2009 at 1:38 am
I am thankful that Hp will be providing another update for the 47X. I am not asking HP to give me anything but would like the opportunity to purchase v2.5 at a resonable price versus me having to buy a whole new system. I have already upgraded my memory and CPU. I am also somewhate disapporint that HP after the months I waited after buying my Server waiting for them to fix the problems with corrupting data. I think that the fact that most of us put up with this loss of use would mean something to HP. Sinc then I have purchashed two additional Notebook computers from HP not to mention the printers I purchaed. I think the HP should do what they can to support their supporters for the long term rather than the short term return.
20. April 2009 at 5:23 pm
The issue you mention… why this "specific" update won't work. It has some kind of firmware update, so there's no reason it can't be re-bundled as software and an EX47X model. No reason whatsoever.
24. April 2009 at 10:43 am
There is no new model here where in Europe.
Trust me nothing stops them from making this available to EX47x customers. Yes not the same installer but the update itself can easily be adapted.