Limited Media Server

In 2024, the developer behind Mobile VR Station launched a side project to enable seamless streaming of content from home to devices, anytime and anywhere. Initially, this effort led to the creation of standalone apps like Manga Server and Video Server, each tailored to specific types of media but built on a shared foundation. To simplify the experience, these apps were later combined into a single, unified solution: Media Server. The streamlined version now available to the public is called Limited Media Server.

Mobile VR Station (Ported) will soon have support for accessing Limited Media Server.

What Can Limited Media Server Do?

  • Media Management and Streaming
    • Store, stream, and download video, audio, and image files.
    • Download M3U8 streams as MP4 files (requires FFMPEG).
  • Content Organization and Cleanup
    • Remove duplicate MP3 files using a basic name-matching schema.
    • Generate previews for images, videos, and MP3 files.
    • View manga and videos with built-in progress tracking.
  • Customization and Multi-User Support
    • Write custom plugins (if running from the source).
    • Support for multi-user environments with customizable content restrictions.
  • Advanced Video and Manga Tools
    • Manage manga: remove pages and trim images.
    • Re-encode video files to MP4 format.
    • Burn SRT or VTT subtitles into MP4 files during re-encoding.
  • Performance and Usability
    • Background threading to queue and execute multiple tasks in parallel.
    • Use a PIN for logging in on devices like VR headsets, where typing long passwords is cumbersome.

What About Security?

By default, Limited Media Server operates without built-in security features. This decision prioritizes simplicity, as securing a locally hosted service with a self-signed certificate can trigger warnings or compatibility issues in most browsers.

For Linux users, detailed instructions are available to set up an NGINX proxy for HTTPS passthrough, ensuring secure communication. While similar setups should be feasible on Windows, this approach has not yet been thoroughly tested or evaluated.

How Can I Run the Server?

You have two options: use pre-built binaries or build the server from source. Building from source offers the most flexibility but requires familiarity with setting up prerequisites like Git, Python, and Node.js, which may not be feasible for everyone.

Option 1: Pre-Built Windows Binaries

Pre-built binaries are easy to use in a Windows environment. However, since these binaries are not signed, Windows may display security warnings. If the server gains popularity, I’ll consider signing the binaries to improve user experience.

You need to download:

Option 2: Build from source

Refer to the readme for step-by-step instructions on installing the necessary software to build the server from the command line.

Keep in mind that you’ll also need to install FFMPEG and YT-DLP. The installation process for these tools will vary depending on your system’s package manager.

If you are feeling brave, here is the code necessary to download, build and run the server. This depends on you having GIT, Python 3.x and NodeJS installed and everything is available on the path.

git clone https://github.com/mgatelabs/LimitedMediaServer.git
git clone https://github.com/mgatelabs/LimitedMediaServerSite.git
cd LimitedMediaServerSite
npm install
ng build
cd ..
cd LimitedMediaServer
pip install -r requirements.txt
python server.py

Available Components:

1. Server

The core of the system, this is the actual Limited Media Server.

2. Control App

A companion app designed to simplify starting and stopping the Limited Media Server. Full source code is also available. This is designed for a windows environment.

Optional Downloads

1. FFMPEG

Required for video conversion, downloading M3U8 streams, and generating thumbnails.

  • Download the “essential” ZIP file and extract ffmpeg.exe into the same folder as limitedmediaserver.exe.
  • Download FFMPEG

2. YT-DLP

Enables downloading videos from the internet.

  • Download the yt-dlp.exe file and place it in the same folder as limitedmediaserver.exe.
  • Note: YT-DLP is updated frequently to address changes, so make sure to update it periodically to avoid potential issues.
  • Download YT-DLP