A media server is simply a specialized file server for storing media (digital videos, audio, and images) which can be accessed over a network.
PLEX – Media Server
PLEX is a powerful, secure and fully-featured client-server media player system and software suite comprising two main components. The Plex Media Server desktop application runs on Linux, Mac OS, Windows and many other platforms.
PLESX supports almost all major file formats and allows you to organize your media in a central point for easy access. Plex has an easy-to-navigate interface, and a collection of useful apps for a variety of devices: phones, tablets, gaming consoles, streaming devices and smart TVs.
EMBY
Emby is similar to Plex in its functionality. It is a media server designed to organize, play, and stream audio and video to a variety of devices.
Although Emby is a user-friendly application, but it is tailored for power users because it features tons of options for database and metadata management
What Emby lacks in client compatibility and ease of use it compensates for with its range of skins and metadata options.
Kodi
Kodi (previously known as XBMC) is a free and open source, highly customizable media server software. It is cross-platform and runs on Linux, Windows, MacOS; iOS and Android. It is more than just a media server; it’s an ideal entertainment center software with a fabulous user interface and several other media server software appliances are based on it.
Subsonic
Subsonic uses the tagline “easy listening.” It’s a music-oriented server software but retains compatibility with videos as well. Highlights include a bevy of music features like a podcast receiver, Sonos integration, a jukebox mode, and downsampling as well as conversion on the fly. You’ll also find support for lyrics, album artwork, and tags.The UI isn’t great for video, but performance is superb. Using Subsonic, you can even build a WiFi PC radio.
Madsonic
Madsonic is a fork of Subsonic. Similarly, it’s a music streamer with support for video. Madsonic is a web-based media library and media streamer with jukebox functionality. Based on Java technology, Madsonic runs on most platforms, including Windows, MacOS, Linux and Unix variants.
You may Consider
ُThere are good alternatives for Media-Streaming solutions. you may want to check the followings – in an Alphabetical order:
The Best Media Server Software for Linux
There are many media server software options available for Linux.
While Subsonic is superb for music, the UI for videos is lacking when compared to Emby or Plex. Similarly, Plex does handle music but Madsonic or Subsonic are music-first players.
You may consider a hybrid server that uses Plex or Emby for videos, and Subsonic or Madsonic for music. If you’re setting up your server, these Linux server operating systems are excellent choices.
