This is an application you don’t want to miss. Seriously.

Let’s say you have a media center computer. Maybe it’s running Boxee, maybe it’s running a different media center program; the point is, you’ve filled it with tons of goodies. You’ve ripped all your DVDs, and have a massive media collection. You love watching it when you’re home, but your netbook or iPhone can’t store it all. What to do?

Check out Zumocast, that’s what. This program, for Mac and Windows, can be installed on your media center (sorry, Linux users). It will index all of your videos and your music. Then, thanks to the magic of the web, you can go to Zumocast to access your media from anywhere on any device. There’s even a special app for your iDevices.

Installation

First thing you need to do is install it. Head over to Zumocast and download the program. You’ll do the standard installation dances – clicking “Next” a bunch of times in Windows and dragging icons around on a Mac – before you’ll have your application installed and ready. You’ll also need to create an account with a password, which you’ll need to remember later.

Tell the program where to find your media and you’re done. Zumocast will begin indexing your media, which may take a long time depending on how large your collection is. Don’t worry, though; you can start browsing your folders manually on the web right away.

Magic

Head back to Zumocast and sign in. Presto! Your media is waiting for you. By default you’ll be able to browse your photos, but if you click the “video” or “music” tabs you’ll be able to check out your indexed collections as well. The video library is largely organized by folders, but gives you a great way to browse shows and movies:

Click a video and it will start playing. How well it does so, of course, depends on both your Internet speed at home and the place you’re trying to watch your videos from.

The music browser takes a more iTunes-like approach to management. This means your entire music collection is on hand. You can browse your music by artist, album or just pull up a list of all your songs.

Want to listen to that album or watch your movie offline, later? You can download any video and any music to your computer directly from your browser.

iPhone/iPad App

Wish your iPhone worked the same way? It does now:

You’ll find Zumocast in the app store, so download it after you’ve set up your Windows computer or Mac with the program. You’ll need a network connection to access your media, of course. Still, it’s a great way to have quick access to the videos and music you cannot fit on your iDevice.

Creative Uses

• Stream media from your console! The browser client work on your XBox, Playstation or even Wii, so try out the web interface and let us know how it works.
• Watch TV shows at work without filling your work computer’s hard drive with evidence.
• Turn any computer with an internet connection into your own jukebox.
• Use the iPhone App to load your device with music and videos and never deal with iTunes again.

Conclusion

I intend to make use of this program quite a bit in the weeks to come, and am pretty excited about the prospect. Let me know how it works for you guys, okay? Also feel free to let me know any alternative ways of achieving this same thing, or any other cools uses you find for Zumocast. Thanks!