As some of you may have noticed, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials no longer includes media streaming functionality out of the box. This feature existed in the non-R2 version, as well as previous versions, dating all the way back to Windows Home Server v1.
Instead of keeping this feature in the base product, Microsoft have released the Media Streaming Pack for Windows Server 2012 R2.
The Media Streaming Pack adds media streaming functionality to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials as well as those Standard and Datacenter servers running the Essentials Experience role.
The following features are included:
- Streaming of media (photos, music and videos) to DLNA-compliant receivers
- Smooth streaming to HTML5-compliant browsers through Remote Web Access and web service applications
- Configuration through the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard
The Media Streaming pack is a free download from Microsoft and is available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40837
Tom on Tech 