Media Streaming from Windows Server 2012 R2

Q: Is there a way to enable media streaming on Windows Server 2012 R2?

A: Windows Server Essentials 2012 included a media streaming capability (which actually was removed from Windows Server Essentials 2012 R2). However, the functionality is available as a download. 

The good news is, this can also be used with Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard and Datacenter editions, provided the Windows Server Essentials Experience role is installed to enable media streaming.

However, installing the Windows Server Essentials Experience adds a lot of other roles and features that you might not want on a normal server; as the name suggests, it's emulating the look and feel of a Windows Server Essentials server.

But if you have a server you also want to use for streaming, then it is an option. Once you install Windows Server Essentials Experience, you need to run the configuration; it doesn't require any actions.