What is Dlna? What is DLNA support on TV

Hello everyone, dear users of the best mobile portal Trashbox. After some time, I continue to write my interesting column “How it works.” On today's rainy day, I wrote about an interesting technology called DLNA. Let's find out what DLNA is and how it works. The most interesting, as always, is next under the cut.

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is an industry standard for transmitting data (music, pictures, video and other content) over a home network. Currently, the non-profit alliance includes about 225 major hardware manufacturers and software developers. DLNA is a technology that can connect home computers, mobile phones, laptops and other consumer electronics into a single digital network.

Typically, a home local network or IP network is the transmission medium for various media content. Connecting compatible mobile devices can be done either wired, that is, via Ethernet, or wirelessly, the most popular Wi-Fi interface. DLNA technology uses open standards, but in order for a manufacturer to be able to put a “DLNA CERTIFIED” sticker on the body, it must undergo model certification. At the beginning of 2013, 18 thousand different mobile devices received a DLNA certificate.

There are two main types of products: DLNA servers (personal computer or network storage device) and DLNA clients (representing the history of media content). To exchange and manage data, DLNA uses the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standard - a set of network protocols published by the Universal Plug and Play forum. Is a universal setup for network devices. It includes a set of protocols built on open Internet standards. UPnP ensures that devices automatically connect to each other and work together in a network environment. The UPnP architecture works with TCP/IP, HTTP, XML and SOAP protocols. A UPnP-compatible device can dynamically connect to a wireless network, after which it receives an IP address, reports its data (name, technical capabilities), and receives information about the properties of other devices also available on the network.

DLNA technology divides compatible devices into three categories: home network, mobile and home infrastructure. Next, I will list you devices that belong to each of these three categories.

Home Network Devices (HND): game consoles, monitors, printers, receivers, speaker systems, home theaters, media controllers, media receivers, media players, media servers.

Mobile Handheld Devices (MHD): cell phones, tablets, cameras, portable media players, pocket computers, cameras, video cameras.

Home Interoperability Devices (HID): Converters of files of various formats. They provide compatibility between mobile and home network devices.

The connection between compatible devices occurs via software. Before pairing devices, developers are required to conduct testing, after which they can receive a DLNA certificate. Each product that passes DLNA certification receives a special symbol.

Some well-known mobile device manufacturers use the DLNA specifications to create their own standards for transmitting and exchanging media content. Thus, the South Korean company Samsung has developed its own service - AllShare. The service allows you to wirelessly exchange various data between mobile and household appliances, gain remote access to your home computer, broadcast media content to the TV screen, and also use similar mobile devices such as a tablet or smartphone as a remote control for home electronics.

In an ideal world, DLNA would allow you to simply connect all your devices to a Wi-Fi network and share content between them. In reality, there are often a number of obstacles to overcome - cables and wires that are so tangled and unsightly.

The world of digital entertainment has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Nowadays, if you want, you can stream video and audio throughout your home without any problems. Technologies such as DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) are an important part of all this. So, what is DLNA and what is it eaten with? Let's figure it out!

DLNA as an organization

First, The Digital Living Network Alliance is a non-profit trade organization that was founded by Sony in 2003. DLNA defines the standards by which devices exchange information (photos, videos, music) with each other. This organization has more than 200 members who own more than 9,000 different devices equipped with DLNA technology.

DLNA brings technologies together

DLNA is something like a bridge between different devices. Those. you can play a movie from your PC on your large TV display, listen to MP3 music on your smartphone through the stereo system, send pictures from your family photo album to a wireless printer using your tablet. Think of it like the cloud: no matter where your information is stored or what device you currently have in your hands, thanks to DLNA, what you need will always be where you are, on the device you're using. you are using.

DLNA needs a network

It is clear that to use DLNA technology you must have a home network. It doesn’t matter what kind of network (wired or wireless) you have at home, although in the case of Wi-Fi it wouldn’t hurt to make sure that your network has sufficient bandwidth. For comfortable work, we recommend using Wi-Fi 802.11n.

You may already have devices with DLNA

There are a large number of DLNA devices. As of January 2012, the base of devices equipped with the DLNA standard totaled 440 million units. DLNA devices include Sony PlayStation 3 consoles, home media servers, personal computers, Android phones, Blu-Ray players, tablets, wireless printers, camcorders, flat-screen TVs and routers. In other words, there is a good chance that you have some of the above in your home that support the DLNA protocol. This technology can be found especially often in Android devices, and, according to some information, Nokia will use it in its phones on the Windows Phone platform.

DLNA is based on Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology

DLNA-equipped devices use UPnP technology for connection. There are three categories of DLNA devices: Home Network Devices (HND), Mobile Handheld Devices (MHD), and Home Infrastructure Devices (HID). The first category covers media servers, receivers, TVs, set-top boxes and tablets; the second category includes smartphones, players, video cameras and other multimedia devices; The third category includes routers and hubs.

DLNA certification guarantees stable operation

Certified DLNA devices are tested to ensure they work correctly with other DLNA devices. But even devices that have not been certified can also support the DLNA protocol thanks to special software. So, for example, a personal computer can become a DLNA server if it is running version 11 (or higher) of Windows Media Player.

DLNA Premium Video makes streaming video easy

In January, a new standard appeared for DLNA technology, called DLNA Premium Video (DLNAPV). The idea of ​​the new standard is to make it easier to view copy-protected content in the home using one device that will be central and interact with all other devices. For example, a DLNAPV device could be your set-top box, which will be able to stream copy-protected content (such as movies or TV programs) to other devices that do not support DLNAPV. This technology was developed by partner companies, including Microsoft, Sony and Broadcom. However, as AndroidTalk found out, at the moment not a single device has yet been announced that has received DLNAPV certification.


DLNA is for everyone, but Apple is staying away

Currently, the list of members of The Digital Living Network Alliance looks like a walk of stars in the technology world and includes such giants as Intel, HP, Motorola, HTC, Microsoft, Samsung, LG and Panasonic. These companies create products that work well with each other. However, Apple decided not to take part in this, again showing its sole authority.

DLNA doesn't work with AirPlay

Choosing a home entertainment platform comes with a bit of an internal battle, as you have to choose between two competing standards: DLNA and AirPlay. While DLNA works with thousands of different devices, AirPlay (and AirPrint) is finicky because it only works with Apple-made or Apple-approved products. This is the official policy of these technologies, but there are workarounds. For example, apps like AirSync can use AirPlay to watch streaming content on an Android phone, while apps like media:connect provide DLNA support on the iOS platform.

As a rule, all multimedia content is stored on the computer's hard drive. A few years ago, in order to play multimedia files from a computer on a TV, it was necessary to use an external player, as well as a flash drive or optical disk. But many modern TVs can already do this on their own, either directly from a flash drive or via the DLNA protocol.

The DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard is designed to transfer media content (images, videos and music) between devices using a wired Ethernet connection or wireless Wi-Fi. An important feature is the ability to automatically configure devices for data transfer - the user does not need to figure it out for a long time, re-read manuals or ask for advice on specialized forums. Thus, the technology is intended primarily for users who do not want to delve too deeply into network settings and want everything to be as simple, fast and convenient as possible.

So, for example, thanks to the DLNA standard, you can “make friends” with a laptop, smartphone and TV. Once connected to your home network, they will be able to communicate with each other perfectly. For example, the user has the opportunity to transfer files directly from the computer’s hard drive to the TV, eliminating the need to use external storage devices such as flash drives. By the way, the files are transferred in streaming mode, that is, the user does not have to wait until the full download occurs.

Another example is the ability to send a photo from a digital camera directly to a printer, bypassing the computer. Of course, both devices must be DLNA certified for this to work.

Thus, DLNA is simply very convenient. Thanks to this standard, a variety of devices in a home network can interact with each other, and the procedure for setting them up is as simplified as possible.

Advice. DLNA technology today is supported by a large number of different equipment: TVs, smartphones, players, digital cameras, tablets, etc. There is a high probability that you already have similar devices at home. All modern PCs or laptops with operating systems starting from Windows XP are DLNA compatible. Apple computers running Mac OSX require the installation of special software that can be easily found on the Internet.

Which devices support DLNA

All DLNA-certified devices are conventionally divided into three main groups:

• Home Network Devices (HND). This group includes TVs, audio systems, media centers, DVD/Blu-ray players, network storage, AV receivers, home theaters and more.
• Mobile Handheld Devices (MHD). The main representatives of this group are smartphones and tablet computers. This also includes various portable players, photo and video cameras and other similar devices.
• Home Interoperability Devices (HID). This technique is distinguished by its support for various communication standards and the ability to convert formats from one to another. Necessary to ensure compatibility between the first two groups.

Despite the large number of various electronics, the first thing that is usually remembered when mentioning DLNA is televisions. Moreover, it was with the development and widespread distribution of TVs supporting Smart TV technology that the standard began to grow in popularity. The fact is that “smart” TVs are, in fact, the center of multimedia entertainment in a modern “smart” home. AND DLNA is most actively used to transfer video from a computer to a TV.

Devices that support the DLNA standard are distinguished by the presence of a “DLNA CERTIFIED” sticker on the body. Although the technology uses open standards, a device must be pre-certified to qualify for this designation. To date, more than 20 thousand different devices have already received DLNA certification. As for their sales volumes, the count has long been in the hundreds of millions.

Advice. To use DLNA, you must have a home network. This can be either a wired Ethernet connection or wireless Wi-Fi, but in the latter case you should make sure that the network has sufficient bandwidth. For comfortable operation, it is recommended to use a protocol not lower than Wi-Fi 802.11n.

What you need to use DLNA

Naturally, first of all, the user needs to create a home network. It is best to organize it through an ADSL router/switch in order to simultaneously access the Internet. As noted above, the connection can be wired or wireless. However, when there is no desire or need to build a complex network, you can simply connect the TV directly to the computer. Although on the Internet you can find images of complex home network schemes with a bunch of all kinds of equipment, in reality it usually comes down to 4-6 devices: a personal computer or laptop, a router, a smartphone, a TV and a tablet.

Communication between devices is carried out in client-server mode. The role of the server is usually performed by a computer, and the client by a TV. In this case, the appropriate software must be installed on the server. If your laptop or all-in-one PC has the appropriate sticker, all the necessary software is already included. In principle, you can use the services of a regular Windows Media Player, which comes bundled with the Windows operating system. But many users find its interface not very user-friendly. So, for example, it completely ignores the directory structure that is used to store various multimedia files.

Today, there are dozens of similar applications for a variety of operating systems - Windows, OS X, Linux. Some of them are distributed completely free of charge, for others you will have to pay, sometimes quite a lot. Examples of such applications include LXI Media Center, MiniDLNA, Songbird and others. Each of these programs has its own advantages and disadvantages. And what suits one user is completely unsuitable for another. It is with setting up the server that you will have to tinker the longest, for which you will need a certain set of knowledge.

But in most cases, computers are rarely used 24/7. Therefore, it would be much better to get a network storage NAS, which will be used around the clock and on which all media content will be stored. From a technical point of view, such drives are a kind of computers, the main purpose of which is storing and exchanging data. A variety of NAS models are available on sale today, designed to suit all kinds of needs.

Each new device connected to the network must find paths to the corresponding folders, open for viewing and stored on servers. If this does not work, it means that some mistake was made during setup. Unfortunately, this is still very far from complete simplicity; the average user will have to tinker.

However, problems sometimes arise for experienced users. For example, there is a high probability of encountering a format that your TV does not understand- this issue should be given special attention; pay attention to the list of supported formats in the description of each TV model in our catalog.

Advice. A wired connection is less convenient, but much more reliable. In addition, wireless connections are often unable to provide sufficient bandwidth. So it's best to use wires where possible. By the way, today special network adapters are sometimes used that can transmit information directly through electrical wiring. The advantage of this approach is that there is no need to lay additional wires.

Too many formats

Today, the number of different audio and video formats exceeds all reasonable limits. At the same time, sometimes new ones appear. So be prepared for the occasional occurrence of such problems when the TV refuses to play a movie you just downloaded from the Internet. You will have to convert it, or download it again, but in a different format. When choosing a TV, it is better to give preference to those models that are able to read the maximum possible number of formats. Fortunately, manufacturers today pay maximum attention to this issue.

As usual, Apple stands apart from everyone else, developing its own AirPlay standard. Note that Apple products do not support DLNA. Choosing a home entertainment platform results in a choice between DLNA and AirPlay. But if the first option works with many different devices, then the AirPlay protocol interacts exclusively with products from Apple or approved by Apple. This is the official policy of the company. But at the same time, users have already found several workarounds. For example, apps like media:connect provide DLNA support on the iOS platform.

However, no difficulties, no problems discourage users who want to build a home network in which various devices are combined. At least so that you can watch movies from your computer on the TV in the next room, without resorting to “crutches” in the form of flash drives.

Advice. DNLA technology is intended for use by people who do not have special technical knowledge - it is possible to combine various devices into a single network to exchange content even automatically. But most of all it is used to transfer video from a computer to a TV.

From this article you will learn how to connect a TV to a computer via DNLA through a home media server. After you set up a media server on your computer, you will have a home multimedia network. Using it, you can transfer video from your computer to your TV, as well as other media content (photos, music) and play it in real time. This approach to playing video and audio files on your TV will save you from having to download media content to a USB flash drive every time and will create conditions for selecting the required file on the TV panel.

How to connect a computer to a TV via DLNA.

It should be said that in order to create such a network between a computer and a TV, your TV panel must support a set of DLNA standards. What is DLNA?

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance - Living Digital Network Alliance) is a certain set of standards that make it possible for all compatible devices (laptop, tablet, mobile phone, game console, printer, video camera...) to transmit and receive via wireless (Wi-Fi) and wired (Ethernet) networks to play photos, videos and audio files.

All famous brands such as Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony... are members of this digital alliance, but Apple, together with BridgeCo, has developed its own standard (technology and protocol) AirPlay, which is supported by devices from such manufacturers , like Bowers & Wilkins, iHome, Marantz, JBL. Therefore, if your TV or any other device is from Apple, then you will not be able to connect it to your existing DLNA network.

In one of the publications for Samsung TV owners, I already wrote about how to set up a media server using specialized programs from developers of the same company. This is about . So, no problems were noticed in the operation of the PC Share Manager program, which cannot be said about the AllShare product. But most often it still works properly.

Numerous calls to the support service from different users did not yield any results, and all of them received a very dry answer: “Our AllShare product does not work on a good half of the hosts.” Well, let's leave them alone with their buggy “product” and use a universal alternative, the Home Media Server program (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP). It works with TVs from Samsung, LG, Philips, Sony, Toshiba. You can find out more about the program's capabilities on the official website.

It is better to connect a computer to a TV through a router to transfer multimedia files using a LAN cable () than via a wireless Wi-Fi connection (). Why? Of course, digital progress does not stand still and with each new Wi-Fi wireless standard () the coverage range increases, signal stability increases, data transfer speed increases... All this is certainly relevant in our information age.

But in my opinion, to transfer multimedia files from a computer to a TV, it is still better to use a LAN cable. The fact is that a wired connection has only one disadvantage - wires, and the advantages include high data transfer speed, low ping (response time), minimal interference... Despite the fact that in a wireless Wi-Fi connection, connection stability and speed directly depends on the antenna power, the influence of interference and the presence of obstacles ().

Therefore, for comfortable viewing (without lags or freezes) of video standards such as: Full HD, Ultra HD... it makes sense to connect a computer with a TV to a multimedia network using a LAN cable. But this is just my recommendation and you can do everything your way. So, how to connect your TV to your computer via DLNA? First of all, make sure that your router is configured and there is a connection with the TV (read here and set up Wi-Fi).

Installing and configuring a DLNA home media server.

As you already understand, in order to create a network between a computer and a TV, you need to install a media server. Launch the program distribution package downloaded from the official website and begin installation.

All you need to do is specify the installation path, check the “Create shortcut” box and click on the “Install” button. The installation process will go quickly, and upon completion, launch the program.

After starting the program, you will be prompted to familiarize yourself with the list of changes. Click the "Close" button and in a new window "Initial settings" in the dropdown menu "Devices from the list" select your device type. Depending on the type of media device you select in the field "Native file support" will display a comma separated list of supported formats according to the documentation.

If your device supports any other types of formats that are not in the list offered by the program, then you can switch to "Custom device" and in the extensions field (movies, music, photos), add the required format separated by commas. Click the “Next” button.

In the next window "Catalogues of media resources" you need to share, that is, make folders or local, network, removable drives visible for your device. Here you can add your directory with media content (specify the path to it) by clicking on the “Add” button and delete the folders already proposed by the program.

Green dots indicate what type of media content is stored in this directory. I typically share local and removable drives because it eliminates the need to download and move files to specific directories. To do this, you need to tick the necessary boxes and add your local drives. Click the “Finish” button. After this, the program will prompt you to scan media resources. Click the “Yes” button.

You can also add all local drives (or selected directories) after installing the media server in the program settings on the “Media Resources” tab. To do this, click the “Add” button and select a local drive, and then “Scan”. After this, the program interface will display the entire list of video files that are stored on your hard drive (see image below). Please note that due to the large amount of media scanning during server startup, the program will take longer to load.

So, decide for yourself how much media data will be available to the server. The fewer local disks (directories) are added, the faster the media server will start.

Go ahead. After scanning is completed, a window will appear “Backup/restore program data”. Here, if you wish, you can specify a different path for the backup directory and set up automatic backups on a schedule. I'll leave everything as it is.

In field "Backup directory" the path for saving and restoring program settings is displayed. After you click the “Run” button, the settings will be saved. That’s it, click the “Close” button because all the basic settings have been completed and the home computer-TV network has been created.

I recommend you in the program settings on the tab "Additionally" Check the box “Install the Windows Home Media Server service (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” so that the media server starts as a service. After this, confirm your changes by clicking the “Ok” button.

To start your DLNA home media server, just click on the button in the top menu of the program “Run”. Take the remote control in your hands and select your media server from the list.

Now you have your own network between your computer and TV. By the way, if you need to check your TV for dead pixels and, if possible, restore them, then read more about this. That's all I have for today. Bye!

2019-06-13T18:31:00+00:00

The LG49sk8500 TV does not see my desktop computer in the connection manager. The laptop sees it, but the PC doesn’t. I even tried the stock LG Smart Share program, same thing. MGTS provider.

2018-07-24T14:09:39+00:00

The home media server sees TV in the settings. The TV still doesn’t see the PC.

2018-07-24T13:34:17+00:00

Antivirus is off.

2018-07-24T13:32:05+00:00

Good day! TV TCL 43P6US on Linux. The TV is connected to the Internet via a Wi-Fi router, but the TV cannot be seen by the computer. The media server program was installed, I did everything as written, but everything was in vain. Please help me figure it out. Thank you.

2017-09-18T11:51:04+00:00

We searched for a very long time and found you. Everything was done according to the description, there is a list of channels, but it says the image is temporarily unavailable. Samsung TV connected via LAN

2016-12-19T22:25:42+00:00

Good night. Philips TV pfs7309/60, video, photos, and IPTV are included from the TV. It's annoying that the TV doesn't appear in the DVR playback device menu. I can’t figure out how to make it visible and run files from the computer and not from the TV. There is a second Samsung TV, everything is fine, it is displayed and you can run files from the computer. What's the salt???

2016-11-30T18:06:19+00:00

Try resetting your router to factory settings and creating the connection again. If there is updated software, then it may make sense to update the firmware. P.S. Post whether it helped or not. OK.

2016-11-30T17:20:50+00:00

Good evening, the problem is the following, the TV loses connection with the server 12-16 minutes after the start of viewing, the TV is Samsung UE55K6550AU, before that it was a Sony Bravia, there were no problems...

2016-11-10T13:20:18+00:00

Dmitry, hello! Please help me figure it out. There is a laptop with a “Home Media Server”, a Dlink 615 router and a Philips TV. The router and TV are connected by a patch cord. Everything works in this way. I replaced the router with a Xiaomi mi nano and the TV stopped seeing the server - asking to start it. At the same time, there is an Internet connection via smart TV and the router sees the TV in the devices. Tell me what could be the reason?

2016-09-02T19:44:35+00:00

2016-09-02T06:42:11+00:00

It would be better to talk about the LG SMART SHARY program. How to run it separately via LAN, so that it does not affect the Internet and works separately.

2016-08-26T12:06:37+00:00

What's not to like about this media server?

2016-08-26T11:48:26+00:00

Hello, can anyone tell me the name of the official Philips program that allows you to connect to a computer via a Lan network?

2016-08-19T15:43:41+00:00

Most likely the FireWall network is blocking it. Disable it for a while and if everything is in order, then add HMS to the exceptions.

2016-08-19T13:04:01+00:00

Hello! Has anyone encountered setting up HMS on a Samsung UE48H6400 TV. I set up the server myself, and I can see the TV in it. But I can’t see the network from the TV itself. I don’t find the Allshare function on it, and there is no media server in Source. Everything is connected to one router. What can be done in this case?

2016-05-15T14:09:38+00:00

A lot depends on the network equipment. I hope the TV does not receive such “heavy” files over Wi-Fi. P.S. Please describe in more detail the diagram for connecting the TV to your home network.

2016-05-12T22:43:38+00:00

Hello! I couldn’t watch 4K videos through the media server. What is the reason? What to include? It shows normally through a flash drive, but through the server it’s like a simple HD. TV LG 49UB-830V

2016-05-01T16:27:28+00:00

But for me it’s different. The Android has the LAZY IPTV program installed, it already has built-in DLNA, I can watch different channels and run it on an LG TV

2016-02-21T19:23:31+00:00

Better is a loose concept. You justify why it is actually better. P.S. Maybe I'll test it if I'm free.

2016-02-18T17:41:10+00:00

I used this program, but found it better Twonky server

2016-02-11T22:24:55+00:00

I haven't encountered such problems yet. Alas! I just won’t give any advice and I don’t have a clear answer yet.

2016-02-11T22:18:12+00:00

Moreover, when you go through the set-top box to HMS, the folders are completely displayed there (Actors, Genres, Media Resource Catalogs, etc., but when you go to the Media Resource Catalogs folder, it’s empty

2016-02-11T22:16:15+00:00

Thanks for the link, but computers see each other and access each other (even connected to different routers). The set-top box also sees the HMS and Windos server, but does not see the files in them. But the Home Media Server itself does not see the set-top box at all. Moreover, before that I connected the TV itself in the same configuration, everything worked fine. I think the problem is with the set-top box, but I can’t understand why.

2016-02-11T21:07:02+00:00

I set the scan to automatic, the result was zero. In HMS itself, the set-top box is not displayed in playback devices and there is no “play to” item.

2016-02-11T21:36:48+00:00

2016-02-07T21:39:27+00:00

On the "Scanning" tab, is there a checkmark for "Automatic scanning"? Is the program added to the firewall exceptions or Windows firewall (depending on what you are using for network filtering)?

2016-02-07T21:30:09+00:00

Try turning off encryption on your wireless network. Also pay attention to whether the devices share the same IP address. P.S. If the devices IP is not tied to the MAC address, then I recommend doing this.

2016-02-07T16:43:20+00:00

Hello! Dmitriy. Media set-top box DOM.RU, the media server is running on the computer, but does not display playback devices, the set-top box itself sees the server (both HMS and standard windows (win 10), but the media resource folders are empty (files are not displayed). The network is configured as follows - the main router with connection to the Internet (192.168.1.1), an additional router in another room with the address 192.168.1.30, a computer 192.168.1.40, a media set-top box 192.168.1.35. I did not register ports on the routers.

Many users of modern computer and mobile technology know that today technologies for organizing multimedia exchange are very popular...

From Masterweb

Many users of modern computer and mobile technology know that today technologies for organizing the exchange of multimedia content of any type based on DLNA are very popular. True, not everyone clearly understands what DLNA is. There are even fewer who understand all the principles of organizing a home network using such settings. Let's try to understand both theoretical and practical issues, taking as an example the Windows 10 operating system, on the basis of which we will make all connections and settings.

What is DLNA?

And it’s worth starting with a description of the technology itself, since many users often have questions about understanding it. DLNA is a universal standard for exchanging media data between any devices connected to the same network and supporting this technology.

Roughly speaking, this is the transfer of multimedia files from one device to another for the purpose of playing it on the final device. The simplest examples include connecting a computer (laptop) and a smartphone (tablet) to a television panel. A misconception about what DLNA is is that many people confuse screen mirroring and file sharing with the technology it describes. Yes, sharing is needed, but the organization of a DLNA connection is different in that a specific file is transferred from one device to another for playback. It is transmitted, and in streaming mode (its activation will be discussed separately).

How does this work in practice?

If we consider the practical side of such an organization of a home media network, it all comes down to the fact that it has a main DLNA server on which media content is stored, and a child playback device to which files are sent from the server for playback. At the same time, both computer and mobile devices can play the role of a server, but TVs mainly act as playback devices, although theoretically modern Smart panels can be used in two ways. But what's the point, for example, of saving a video file on a TV and then transferring it to watch on your phone? And, as is probably already clear, the connection between devices is carried out on the basis of wireless technologies using routers (a wired connection can only be used with a direct connection between the television panel and the router).

Finally, if we talk about devices that support DLNA technology, their list can include the following:

• high-definition television panels and set-top boxes (for example, for watching IPTV);
• desktop PCs and laptops;
• smartphones and tablets;
• photo and video cameras;
• media players and audio systems;
• game consoles and home media servers (NAS);
• wireless printers.

Creating a DLNA Server on Windows

So, let's move on to creating the connection. And first, let's look at organizing a DLNA server in Windows 10 using the system's own tools.

Of course, you can do it much easier by opening file and directory sharing, but in this case you can only count on those devices for which network discovery is activated. But this by and large does not imply the use of the DLNA structure.

If we talk about setting up DLNA in the form in which it should be, you first need to create a home group using the network and sharing control section in the Control Panel (in Windows 10, access it through the Run console by execution of the control command). Once the “Wizard” is running, you just need to follow its instructions, and also remember or write down the generated password, which will subsequently be used to enter the group. Upon completion of all actions, the storage role (DLNA Server) can be performed by any connected device).

Nuances of accessing media content

But let's go back to the Windows 10 settings. There are a few more nuances here.

It is also necessary to enable data streaming in the system, since this is not about opening a multimedia file on another device (for example, on a Smart TV), but rather about broadcasting it to the selected device, when the file is not downloaded completely, but in parts in the process playback (somewhat similar to watching videos, TV programs or listening to music on the Internet).

In Windows 10 or in the modifications below, you need to select the desired file and use RMB to go to the “Transfer to device” item, and, if the device is not automatically detected, turn on the search and select the desired one.

Please note that when using a wireless connection on the TV panel, you should initially activate the corresponding mode. Wireless connection support is required. If the TV panel does not provide for the use of such technology, you can additionally install an external wireless adapter or connect it directly to the router.

Software used

However, these were only the tools of the operating system itself. Many users may find them a little clunky. Since when creating a DLNA server, folders containing multimedia files are “shared” automatically (music, video, images), you can add the necessary directories to the media library through the most common Windows Media Player, which is available in any modification of the system. But many users prefer not to use it, again due, as it seems to most users, to the too limited capabilities of the player.

If you want, you can configure DLNA in Windows 10 using third-party utilities. The most popular and very superior system tools in terms of their capabilities can be called programs like Plex or Serviio.

The first utility, by the way, after installing the latest updates for the tenth version of Windows is already included in the basic software set of the system, although it is a third-party development and is quite difficult to configure. But when using the second application, after installing it on a computer or even a mobile device, you do not need to take any special actions, since the program will carry out the setup on its own.

Note: set-top boxes for watching IPTV also have built-in software of this type, to use which you simply need to activate the corresponding mode in the device settings.

Advantages and disadvantages

We figured out what DLNA is. It remains to say a few words about the pros and cons of such technologies. Briefly, the main advantage is that files can be transferred using a Wi-Fi-based wireless connection without having to download the entire file to the selected playback device. But the main drawback, by the way, similar to the Internet, is that if the connection speed is insufficient or the size of the file being played is too large, there may be delays in its playback.

Kievyan Street, 16 0016 Armenia, Yerevan +374 11 233 255