Learn more about Media Library Sharing

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You can stream your favorite music, videos, and pictures from Windows® Home Server to any supported digital media receiver (DMR), such as an Xbox 360, or to a supported digital media player, such as Windows Media Player 11.

See the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=76841 for a list of supported DMRs that work with Windows Home Server.

Why would I want to stream my digital media?

Like many people, you probably have a lot of music, video, and pictures in Windows Home Server shared folders. There may be times when you want to do following:

  • Access your digital media from an Xbox 360 or another supported DMR that is attached to your home network.

  • Access your digital media with a digital media player from another computer in your home.

  • Let someone else who logs on to a computer on your home network access your digital media with a digital media player.

Sharing copy-protected media stored on Windows Home Server

Sharing copy-protected media by using Media Library Sharing is not supported. This includes music purchased through an online music store.

Copy-protected media can be played back only on the computer or device that you used to purchase it. Copy protection prevents you from playing media on more than one computer or device, even if you copy the media to your home server and play it from there. However, you can store the copy-protected media on Windows Home Server and continue to play back the media on the computer or device used to purchase it.

What else should I know about Media Library Sharing?

  • Before you turn on Media Library Sharing for a shared folder, you should know that Media Library Sharing bypasses any type of user-account access that you set for the shared folder. For example, let's say that you turn on Media Library Sharing for the Photos shared folder, and you set the Photos shared folder to No Access for a user account named Bobby. Bobby can still stream any digital media from the Photos shared folder to any supported digital media player or DMR. If you have digital media that you do not want to stream in this manner, store the files in a folder that does not have Media Library Sharing turned on.

  • If you turn on Media Library Sharing for a shared folder, any supported digital media player or DMR that can access your home network can also access your digital media in that shared folder. For example, if you have a wireless network and you have not secured it, anybody within range of your wireless network can potentially access your digital media in that folder. Before you turn on Media Library Sharing, make sure that you secure your wireless network. For more information, see the documentation for your wireless access point.