REVIEWS / ANDROID / GOOGLE PLAY STORE

MediaHouse UPnP/DLNA Browser Review

01 Jan, 2013, 9:48 am IST | by Francis D'sa | Android

Android

MediaHouse DLNA UPnP Browser

MediaHouse DLNA UPnP Browser
Add servers, select folders to respective categories
Album arts and synopsis are downloaded automatically

PRICE IN INDIA

Free

TECH2 RATING

6.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

6.0

How we test

CONTACT

Google Play Store

If you have a UPnP media server installed in your home or office and use it to stream your movies and music on your Android handheld, then MediaHouse UPnP/DLNA Browser is something you must check out. Developed by an Indian, Diwakar Bhatia, the app is a UPnP Media server browser and controller and can play media content using a third party media player. You might think what is different about this one as compared to other streaming media players in the market such as BubbleUPnP or UPnPlay. Well, this one has the ability to pull down album art and album thumbnails for all the music and movies stored on your media server. It has the ability to automatically download all the information from the TMDb API (www.themoviedb.org). The information is derived from the file name itself and you need a working Internet connection for the necessary information downloads. Once the information is downloaded, it stores them in a folder on your handset itself and links them to the movies and music files for future use. 

MediaHouse DLNA UPnP Browser

MediaHouse DLNA UPnP Browser

 

 

The information is downloaded only once until the cache is cleared. This makes the music and movie listing on your handheld easier while browsing through the database to listen to a particular music or watching a particular genre. All you need to do is browse for an available media server, get into the folder where the content is stored and add them to the video folder list. Once done, head on to the Video folder and the information (if the Internet is connected on the same network) will automatically start downloading onto the handset. Now, there will be times where certain information might not be available. The reasons could be a wrong file name or additional text or mistakes in the file name itself. Make sure that each movie or music file you have included has proper name and not additional text or characters in it. There could also be a possibility of wrong information as at times, there are more than one movie/music file with the same name. In this case, you can select the movie/music and the TMDb database will list out the others and close matching names for you to select from.  

Add servers, select folders to respective categories

Add servers, select folders to respective categories

 

 

Additional information about the movie or music album and artist is also available. While browsing through the media content, long-press on the media file and you will be able to get additional information such as genre, release date, running time, video size and a short synopsis of the same. You can also get information about the actors along with their movie names. Lastly, you can also watch the trailers for the same movie. This information can help you choose the type of movie and the short synopsis and trailer can help you choose if the movie would interest you before actually watching it. 

Album arts and synopsis are downloaded automatically

Album arts and synopsis are downloaded automatically

 

 

You can choose to play the media on your phone or tablet itself or if you have a connected media renderer such as a PC or a media player on the same network, then you can also stream and control the content from your handheld. You can create favourite lists and playlists too. Music and photos can be viewed on the app’s built-in player itself, while videos need a third party app such as MoboPlayer, MXPlayer or any other you prefer. MediaHouse UPnP / DLNA Browser is a must-have app for your media streaming purposes. 


Tags:

MediaHouse UPnP DLNA Browser , MediaHouse , UPnP , DLNA , Media streaming , Media server , Media player , Android , Google , Google Play Store , remote control , album art , MoboPlayer , MXPlayer , Browser

Would you buy it?




 


How We Test

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Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

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