IN modern world it's hard to imagine our life without using high technology. So, probably, many have heard about such a thing as UPnP. We’ll try to figure out what UPnP and DLNA support are. Plus, there will be some basic tips for setting up equipment, since this is not always done completely automatically.
UPnP. What is UPnP?
From the point of view of modern computer, mobile and media systems, UPnP represents the universal connection of multiple devices when combined into one system. This is the so-called Universal Plug&Play standard. In other words, this technology can be called universal device connection with its automatic initialization.
In fact, it is this approach that allows you to create a single home UPnP server based on an existing one. In this case, information stored on one of the connected devices will be available on any other. Most often, computers, laptops, mobile devices, video or music players act as a source, and media content is played on a TV. But! In most cases, such devices should support the DLNA standard.
What is DLNA?
DLNA is a universal set of standards used when connecting equipment to transmit media data. A regular home local network is used as a data transmission medium based on the automatic assignment of IP addresses to connected devices.
In this case, the external user address does not change. IP is assigned exclusively within one local network. The main component that uses DLNA (UPnP media server) is the router, which is responsible for automating the assignment of appropriate IP addresses to devices. Most often this is a (A)DSL modem or router, although gradually obsolete connections using
Device connection options
Let's start with the fact that in this case the main step is to create a connection between the router and the TV. Today you can find three main options:
- connection using cables (Ethernet);
- connection using an internal or external Wi-Fi adapter;
- connection via the electrical network without any use of cables at all.
However, here you need to clearly understand that automatically combining devices into a single whole will not get by. You need to create a virtual UPnP DLNA server (if one already exists, say, in a TV like Smart TV, that’s generally great). The corresponding software is responsible for this, which will be discussed a little later.
Benefits of a Home Media Server
If we consider the list of basic capabilities using UPnP (DLNA) transceiver technologies, they are quite diverse, although they are used only for working with media content.
So, for example, when creating home media-server, you can easily view photos and videos present on your computer or laptop, smartphone or tablet, on a large TV screen. But the matter is not limited to this.
Few untrained users know that with the help of such technologies it is possible to broadcast online television or watch videos on the same YouTube hosting not on a computer (if you have the appropriate software or a regular Internet browser), but on the television panel. And this, in turn, makes it a universal tool for watching programs, clips or films, listening to music, etc.
Now a few words about the main points regarding setting up a home media server. Understanding UPnP technologies alone is not enough here. What is UPnP, we have already figured out a little. Let's see how such knowledge can be applied in practice.
First, you will initially need to enable the use of these protocols on your router and on your TV (or, if you have one, a cable or satellite TV set-top box). On a router, as a rule, such settings are enabled by default, but to be completely sure, you should go to the appropriate section and make sure that the UPnP parameter is in the Enable state.
But that is not all. In the OS, if this service is not enabled, it also needs to be activated. To do this, you need to go to the Programs and Features section in the Control Panel (in older systems, the Add/Remove Programs menu), where you can view the installed and used Windows components.
In network services, you need to enable the discovery (management) client service and also enable UPnP. What is a PNP client in this case? A universal bridge that can automatically recognize any media devices, even without installing the appropriate drivers. To make it clearer, in a local wireless network when connecting a smartphone or any other mobile gadget, they are simply not needed.
Programs used
On at this stage Let's move directly to the software that allows you to create, use and manage a home media server. Today you can find quite a lot of such packages. But they may have completely different capabilities.
For example, if you install a server based on the Samsung All Share application, you can only select music, videos or photos stored in the devices' shared folders on your TV. There is no talk of any broadcasting of TV programs from a computer here.
It is much more convenient to install a more serious package like Plex Media Server, which has such an impressive list of features that few programs can compare with it. In addition, the software itself is released in Russian and is distributed completely free of charge.
As for mobile systems, such as Android, for such devices it is appropriate to use a small applet called MediaHouse or Bubble UPnP. Both applications can be easily found in the service Play Market and install it on your device absolutely free. The advantage of such programs is that when installing the appropriate computer client, DLNA settings are not required at all. It is enough that the smartphone, tablet and computer (laptop) are connected to the same private virtual network. After launching the application from the computer terminal, a list of all available devices will automatically be displayed. To be sure, in the computer version you can “expand” the necessary folders (create shared access). That's all.
Conclusion
I would like to hope that this brief information It will give many novice users an idea of UPnP/DLNA technologies. In general, even when setting up a home media server, there shouldn’t be any particular difficulties, except perhaps enabling UPnP support on the router, TV and in the operating system itself. But, as practice shows, on all modern devices and in latest versions In Windows, all these services are enabled by default. The only thing left to the user is to solve the problem by choosing the software that best suits his requirements.
Today, many users are faced with the problem of playing video stored in the memory of your computer or file storage on other devices, such as a TV, game console or tablet. All this is quite feasible using DLNA.
So what is DLNA? The abbreviation Digital Living Network Alliance itself literally translates as “home network alliance.” This technology was created by developers and manufacturers of audio/photo/video - technology for transferring media content (photo, video, audio) from one device to another, bypassing any digital media and using exclusively a local network for these purposes.
There is a huge amount of software (both paid and free) that can cope with this task, but we will use the simplest possible method and create your home media server using standard and publicly available tools operating system Windows. All we need is the Windows 7 or higher operating system and 15 minutes of free time, let's get started. What we need to know:
- The device on which you want to view media content supports DLNA technology and is connected to your home network.
- The version of your operating system is older than Windows 7 home basic.
- If you use a wireless WI-FI connection, then its bandwidth should be enough for comfortable transmission of media data. (Preferably use 802.11n standard)
First, we will need to create a “home group” on the PC from which we are going to stream media content. First of all, go to the control panel.
And here is the homegroup password, write it down, later you can change it to one that is easier for you to remember.
Configuring HomeGroup Settings:
After we click “READY,” a window with homegroup parameters should appear in front of us. Here we make the final settings and can change the password that was assigned automatically. (! Recommendation - change the password before connecting other devices to your home group, otherwise they will all be excluded from it!)
How it works?
Now you can access previously selected folders, such as “Video”, “Music” from other devices. Accordingly, on your devices, you will see these folders as “Video Library”, AllShare, SmartShare and others. The names may change, it all depends on the manufacturer and the type of device itself, but this does not change the essence. (Often, this information can be clarified from the user manual that comes with the equipment)
Besides this, the most quick way To get to the settings menu of your media server, this is to launch the standard operating system application - Windows Media Player. From this menu item you will go to the media streaming settings. 
Possible difficulties:
Sometimes, devices such as a TV may encounter video that it cannot play. To do this, you just need to enable the “Allow remote control player" and do not close it (player) on the computer 
.
By following all the above recommendations, we were able to set up a media server at home, without using any third-party programs or devices.
Fable
In principle, if it weren’t for the fact that I came across the Nokia 5800XM, I would have solved this problem long ago - the ASUS WL-500g router supports UPnP, so all I had to do was plug in a USB flash drive. The trouble is that, despite the specifications sometimes found in online stores, the Nokia 5800XM does not support UPnP/DLNA and there is no third-party client implementation either. So what on earth should we do? Put an end to the idea of viewing deleted content?The first attempt to break the impasse was video streaming. Judging by the RTSP protocol specification (RFC 2326), it must support broadcast playback control: PLAY, PAUSE, and TEARDOWN. Unfortunately, after VLC was configured to stream, it turned out that the pause request was either not processed by this server and only worked on the server side, or was not sent by the smartphone client. Moreover, in any case, in this way only the video file selected on the server for broadcasting was available, and not the entire media library.
But the first disappointment did not dampen the ardor; the search continued.
Next in line was Home Media Server, better known as Home Media Server - a program that provides media resources (photos, audio and video files) of your computer to other UPnP (DLNA) devices on your home network. After installation, it pleased me with the wealth of options and ease of configuration, but... I was completely disappointed due to the fact that the Nokia 5800 did not support UPnP/DLNA, as mentioned above, and the video completely refused to play via HTTP...
A working alternative was needed. This is where the media server caught my eye TVersity- the name came up in someone’s comment while discussing DLNA media servers.
So...
TVersity Media Server (free edition) is an even easier to learn media server, again offering us UPnP, DLNA and HTTP. If everything is clear with the first two protocols, then HTTP, as it turned out, is not so simple - access to the media library was implemented in two ways: classic and via flash. But first things first.For starters, the interface. Friendly, and I would even say quite simplified. First of all, I immediately went into the settings. Hints for each option (even in English) simplify configuring the server “for yourself.”
The most important thing for me, of course, was video transcoding. The server settings, unfortunately, are aimed at the average user, so you won’t be able to play around with fine-tuning codecs, but something is better than nothing at all, right?
Setting up the media library is also quite simple (and, unlike the aforementioned Home Media Server, does not require a long restart when updating); when adding a source, you can use special checkboxes to specify the type of its content: audio, video, and/or images. I say “source” and not “folder” because this way you can add external content: for example Video RSS or Internet Radio, as well as some services like Youtube and Flickr. By the way, please note that when you select a folder using the “Browse...” button, you will get crappy names instead of Cyrillic names, so it’s better to enter the name manually or copy-paste it from the file manager.
Well, we figured out how to set up the library. Now let's talk about how to work with it. And let's start with what all this was started for: watching videos from a smartphone. Happy owners of the Nokia 5800 know that the smartphone fundamentally cannot open an AVI container, and initially it was big problem, because local viewing of a movie required converting the video to MP4, but then third-party players appeared that supported this container. In this case, it doesn't matter - you just need FLV support, which is not a problem for him. So, as mentioned earlier, access to the media library is implemented in two ways. To view HTML pages in the address bar you need to specify http : //server-address:port/lib, and to download an interactive flash application - http : //server-address:port/flashlib. In this case, the last option is exactly what you need, so a bookmark with the address is created in the smartphone browser
http : //192.168.1.33:41952/flashlib. Well, now you can check what happens.
And this is the picture that turns out: after a short download of the flash application, the library directory appears on the screen with quite convenient navigation:
For smooth video playback, I had to play around with the transcoder settings, but in the end I managed to achieve an acceptable picture. True, the positioning slows down significantly, but this is not such a significant problem - you can put up with it.
In the media server itself, you can view the broadcast status, the list of addresses of devices connected to it, the status of video transcoding, as well as a log of operation and connections.
DLNA/UPNP
It would seem that's it. Not yet: after all, a media server is a convenient thing, and, of course, you want to use it to its fullest, which means not only via HTTP. In addition to smartphones, we also have a laptop with Windows 7 and a netbook with lubuntu installed. With the first one, everything turned out to be as simple as shelling pears - when starting Windows Media Player 12, he immediately discovered the DLNA library of the media server and began viewing it without any problems.With Linux everything turned out to be a little more complicated. From the list of cross-platform UPnP/DLNA media clients, I simply could not install XBMC - it did not have binaries for Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal in the repository, and the installed VLC - under Linux it does support UPnP - did not always find the server, although at the same time I It was great to access it through a browser. As a result, it was decided to look for another way.
As a result, one wonderful thing was found called a utility based on mounting UPnP server resources. Since the program was already in the repository, installation did not take much time. Now all that remained was to create a mount point and register auto-mounting. After some research and stepping on the rake, this was finally accomplished. All of the following commands can only be executed as root, so be sure to run:
Sudo-s
First you need to create a folder that will be the mount point:
Cd/media
mkdir upnp
chmod 777 upnp
Now, actually, launching FUSE and mounting itself:
Modprobe fuse
After this, you can already enter the library as a regular folder and open its contents in any convenient programs as regular files.
By the way, I have not found any mention anywhere about the most unpleasant rake I found in working with djmount, expressed in incorrect file encoding. According to the DLNA specification, file names must be exclusively in UTF-8 format, therefore TVersity Media Server does not even have a file name encoding setting. Judging by the message, when mounting, djmount also uses this encoding by default - UTF-8. But the file manager, as well as the console, stubbornly refused to display the usual letters in file names, replacing them everywhere with question marks. Attempts to specify the CP1251 or IBM-866 encoding did not lead to complete success, although now it was possible to at least look into the Cyrillic folders. To my complete surprise, the solution to the situation was to directly indicate the use of UTF-8 encoding - I don’t know why I decided to try it, but it worked!
Autostart also turned out to be not an easy task, but then Google came to the rescue, and as it turned out, the problem with the impossibility of automounting from fstab had already been solved. As a result, mounting occurs every time the network is brought up. This is done as follows. Let's create a script:
Cd /etc/network/if-up.d
nano djmount
Script contents:
# Not for loopback!
[ "$IFACE" != "lo" ] || exit 0
Modprobe fuse
fusermount -u /media/upnp
djmount -o iocharset=UTF-8,allow_other /media/upnp
We set the attributes for it:
Chmod 755 djmount
chown root djmount
chgrp root djmount
That's all it really is now. The media library is accessible from any device in any possible/convenient way.
A media server is an excellent solution for owners of home computer networks, the structure of which involves the simultaneous use of several devices - SMART-TVs, mobile gadgets, as well as PCs and laptops. How to create a functional home media server? What type of program can I use for this?
What is a home media server?
Many Russian users access the Internet via a Wi-Fi router. This device allows you to simultaneously connect several devices to the network. These could be laptops, tablets or, for example, Smart TVs. Possibilities wireless networks allow you to create a real home media server - for a TV, laptop and any other Wi-Fi-enabled device. What functions should it have? For example, a server can distribute media resources—video files, music, photos—between different devices. Another useful function is to provide shared access between devices to online services, for example, IPTV.
Why create a home media server?
For what purpose do users create home media servers? This is usually due to the desire to organize a more convenient and efficient option for working with media content through multiple devices. If, for example, with the help of Smart TV a person wants to watch a movie, then without a media server of the appropriate type this can only be done by going online, where he will have to search for a long time required file, or through external media - a flash drive or HDD. In the second case, constantly transferring media from one device to another is not always convenient. But if you have a media server, you can place the necessary files on it and launch them from the TV, as well as from other devices, at any time.
A home media server in a number of configurations can also function offline. This is useful if there is no Internet access for some reason. Even in this case, home network users will probably be able to entertain themselves by watching video files, photos, and listening to music available on the server.
How difficult is it to create a home media server? Setting up such a system - what are its nuances? It all depends on what functions the user wants to see in a home media content distribution system. If we are talking about basic capabilities - for example, providing access to files of common multimedia types, then the server structure will not be too complex. There are quite a lot various types Software that allows a user who has little experience in working with local computer networks to create an appropriate system. If you need to create a media server for a TV, then the capabilities of such solutions are almost always sufficient. TV usually can recognize not as many types of files as a computer, but only those that relate to the most common media standards.
But if the question is how to set up a home media server not only for shared access to content, but, say, to ensure that devices can access the Internet or Internet television resources, then more comprehensive work will be required. The capabilities of those types of software that are adapted for inexperienced users may not be enough.
Methods for creating a server
What are the ways to create a home media server? One of the most technologically advanced is the purchase of a separate system unit that performs the corresponding functions. Its performance does not necessarily have to be high, since it is supposed to serve not hundreds of thousands of users, as is the case with Internet servers, but several devices within a home network. Therefore, large investments in equipment are not required. What you should pay attention to is performance hard drive system unit. It is advisable that the associated hardware component has sufficient volume and rotation speed to handle the job. The hard drive will be subject to significant loads during system operation.
Where should I locate my home media server? It is necessary to find a place in the apartment in which the server unit can constantly work and not disturb anyone. It is advisable to connect the server to an Internet source - for example, a Wi-Fi router - using a wire, since you will probably need to use the maximum bandwidth of the channel - this is sometimes difficult to do in wireless mode, because there are interferences.
Server software
In many cases, the optimal operating system with which you can organize a server capable of accumulating the user’s media resources is Linux Ubuntu. This OS is characterized by stability. However, in order to run a home media server using Ubuntu, the setup will be quite complex, and the user will need to have extensive experience working with similar platforms. But if a person has the appropriate skills, then he will be able to take advantage of all the benefits of such a scheme.
The capabilities of the Ubuntu OS allow you to create a functional server with which you can organize shared online access from different devices, create storage for files, and also use DLNA standards. A home media server based on Ubuntu will allow you to connect not only computers to the Internet, but also various mobile devices and even some types of household appliances that support the corresponding function.
If the user does not have enough experience with Ubuntu, then he can try using popular solutions for Windows. Among these is the Home Media Server program or Home Media Server. It has enough capabilities to satisfy the needs of most home network owners. So, with the help of it you can organize file sharing, IPTV, and use podcasts for a home media server. You can download the HMS program on the website homemediaserver.ru. Once we have downloaded and installed this type of software, we can create a home media server. It can be configured using the following algorithm.
Setting up a server via HMS
You should launch the HMS program, then select the “Settings” button. After that there is a section called “Media Resources”. Then go to the “Directory List” page and click “Add”. After this, you can use the Windows interface to move the necessary folders to the main program window.
The HMS program is characterized by a fairly high degree of automation. In general, the user does not need to make significant changes to the settings of this software. But sometimes this may be necessary, for example, if the system does not work for some reason. Possible reasons We will look at incorrect server operation a little later.
Once the files are downloaded, click “Launch” in the main HMS window. If the server starts, then everything is fine. If necessary, it can be stopped or restarted. After this, you can start using the home server using devices that support the corresponding function, for example, using a TV.
To organize access to the server via a browser, you must again select “Settings”, then “Server”, and enter the required value in the “Port” section. Using a browser, you can log into the server by entering the IP address of the home server in the address bar, then a colon, and then the port number that we entered before. You can find out the required IP address by selecting “Settings”, then “Server”, and then selecting the list of connections that are allowed.
Setting up a server via HMS: fixing errors
What to do if the home media server does not start? The network setup was probably carried out with errors in this case. Let's look at the most typical ones. First of all, it is useful to check which network connections are reflected in the list of available ones. This can be done by opening Settings and Server, and then enabling the list of allowed connections. It is useful to compare the data displayed in the program window with the information contained in the list of available connections, which can be viewed using the “Search” button. You can also allow the system to use available network connections using the HMS program interface.
It is also useful to check whether there are any restrictions on the operation of the HMS program in the settings of the Windows firewall or its analogues, which may be installed in the operating system. The exchange of all types of packets must be allowed - incoming, outgoing.
IPTV via HMS
One of the opportunities that a functional home media server provides to the user is Internet television, or IPTV. The HMS program allows you to configure the corresponding function. The main thing is that the Internet provider to which the user is connected provides a service for broadcasting TV channels online - by subscription or as an additional service.
In order to organize a broadcast using an IPTV home media server, in addition to the HMS program, you should also download a type of software such as VLC Media Player. This can be done through the website videolan.org. Once VLC is downloaded, it needs to be combined with HMS. To do this, you need to open “Home Media Server”, then select “Settings”, then “Media Resources” and “Internet Resources”. After that, find the VideoLAN settings and indicate the folder on your computer where the player is installed.
Then you need to download a playlist that includes a list of broadcast channels. It is a file in m3u format. This can be done by visiting a specialized website for digital TV lovers, for example, nastroisam.ru. Also, such files may be on the websites of providers. After downloading the playlist, you need to move it to the appropriate area of the HMS interface. To do this, go to “Settings”, then select “Transcoder” and start working with the “Internet TV” option. After the appropriate settings have been made, you should reboot the home server. After this, you can use IPTV capabilities, for example, using a TV - if it supports this function.
Working with HMS: nuances
Let's look at some of the nuances that characterize the operation of the Home Media Server program. Using the main window of this software, you can edit the list of folders that form media content, as well as manage them when exchanging data between different devices.
If navigation through files that form media content is slow, this may be due to the specifics of a particular device. It is also possible that the performance of the server's hard drive is insufficient. Failures can also be caused by frequent changes in directory structure. Slowdown of the server may be due to the fact that the directory scanning mode is activated in the program while the system is running.
You can navigate through the files that form the structure of media content using a folder called “Media resource directories.” It is quite possible that certain media files will not be visible on the device used to view content, despite the fact that they are viewed in the main program window. This may be due to the specific mime types for a particular type of content. You can set a different Mime type - the program's capabilities also allow you to do this. You should click “Settings”, then “Media Resources”, then “File Types” and change extensions if necessary.
Connecting devices
So, we have configured and launched the home media server. How to use it? The capabilities of the program in question allow you to connect a variety of devices to your home network - computers, televisions or, for example, multimedia projectors.
Let's assume that the network is organized via a Wi-Fi router, but communication technology in this case is a secondary factor. If devices are connected to a network via Wi-Fi, then you need to set the automatic procedure for assigning IP addresses to connected devices in the router settings.
Exactly how a device connected to the server—a TV or a mobile gadget—finds folders with media content depends on the specifics of the corresponding device. Brands that produce devices can use interfaces that are quite different from the solutions of device manufacturers.
The HMS program is universal; it allows you to connect to the server almost any device that supports this function. Using this software, you can organize access to video files, music and photos. It is optimal for both Wi-Fi networks and wired connections. Using this program, you can access media content from PCs, laptops, mobile devices, as well as, for example, printers, video cameras and TV set-top boxes that support the corresponding function.
But in some cases, the device can only work correctly if branded software is used.
So, for example, if a person uses Smart TV from Samsung, then perhaps the best option for him is the AllShare program produced by the Korean brand. It allows you to create a fairly functional home media server on the user’s computer. Samsung is not the only manufacturer of this type of software, of course.
Another Korean brand, LG, has also developed its own program. In order to run a home media server for LG, you can install the LG Smart Share program.
Home server using Plex
If using branded software is less desirable for the network owner, then you can try using a common alternative to HMS - the Plex Media Server program. Its capabilities also allow you to effectively distribute media content between several devices - TV, mobile devices, PCs, laptops. The program in question is cross-platform. That is, it can be used by PC owners running Linux Ubuntu who do not have sufficient experience to set up a home server using the standard capabilities of this operating system. You can download Plex from plex.tv.
How can I set up a home media server using this program? In this case, instructions that take a lot of time to study are not needed. The peculiarity of the Plex program is that it has a friendly, user-friendly interface. Its functionality allows you to obtain additional information about videos: for example, if they are films or TV series, the program will find appropriate annotations for them and additional media content.
Plex is a universal program. It functions equally correctly on both PCs and mobile devices. This program- the most convenient tool for viewing online content using devices on Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Owners of the appropriate type of mobile device can download the Plex application, which is characterized by the advantages noted above - a user-friendly interface, as well as the ability to supplement media files with useful content and annotations. Available in mobile application Plex and a number of other useful functions - for example, creating playlists, playing a file from a location selected by the user. It can also be noted that Plex allows you to organize shared access to media content not only from devices on your home network, but also for users connected to the Internet. So, you can show videos and photos to friends.
Plex users can sign up for a paid subscription to access the services - it costs $4.99 per month. This will enable a number of additional features Software such as Sync. It is especially useful for owners mobile devices. By launching the appropriate application on your phone or tablet, you can select the desired media content online and ensure its availability offline.
Some notable features of Plex include streaming video content using Google's Chromecast device. This device allows you to play video on any screen with HDMI interfaces. The Plex program allows you to stop using unnecessary cables when organizing broadcasts via TV - you can start watching movies using mobile devices.
If we use Plex to create a home media server, how do we use it? The algorithm, due to the high degree of software automation, as in the case of HMS, is very simple. First, you can copy the desired file to a folder located on your computer. Then update the list of content items using the program. Next, you can turn on your TV, smartphone or tablet - those devices with which you are supposed to access the files. Using the interface provided in them, you can select the desired media content.
HMS, Plex, branded solutions from device manufacturers allow you to create home media servers that are quite simple in structure and use. These programs are quite easy to install even for an inexperienced user. The capabilities of this type of software fully satisfy the basic needs of home computer networks.
In general, the Home Media Server program is conceived by the developers as a home media server. But most often HMS is used as a DLNA server. It is ideal for this purpose and has many useful settings, often functioning even better than such official programs as LG SmartShare PC SW and standard method DLNA settings via Windows Media Player. The idea is to allow the TV to play movies, music, pictures and other content directly from your laptop or computer. At the same time, they must be connected to the same home network, for the organization of which a router or router is usually used. After that, all that remains is to configure the program, and it’s done. You can download it on the official website http://www.homemediaserver.ru by clicking on the “Download” button.
Installing Media Server is as easy as shelling pears: unpack the archive and run “setup.exe”, where we agree to all the conditions and click the “Next” button everywhere. After successful installation and launch of HMS, the main program window will appear. When you launch it for the first time, select your TV from the list of devices (for example, LG TV). You can add media resources to which your TV will have access in the next window or in the settings later. In the program data backup and recovery window, click “Run” and “Close”.
HMS as DLNA server
We immediately go to the program settings. Here we have to configure our home media server like DLNA. To do this, in the “Media Resources” category in the very first tab “Directory List”, using the “Add” button, indicate the paths to the folders on our computer where the media files that you would like to see on an LG TV or other are located. After adding all the folders, click “Scan”. Although we will set up auto-scanning of new media resources, new elements still sometimes do not appear automatically, and you need to scan using this button manually.
On the “Scanning” tab, it is important to enable automatic scanning of directories when they change and start the program, so that new media files are immediately displayed on the TV.
In order for Home Media Server to start when the computer boots, in the “Advanced” category you need to check the boxes “Start the program when you start a Windows session” and “Install the Windows Home Media Server service...”. Setting up HMS for the DLNA server is complete, click OK.
Next, select the “PC Connection” tab and click the “Next” button 3 times. Please note that in step 3 your home network is selected (wired or wireless, depending on how you connect the TV), otherwise select it.
In step 4 you should see your PC. If it's not there, restart the server, this usually helps. Next, select the device and go to the “Connected devices” item.
View Media
After the first connection, our device will be displayed in the last item of LG SmartShare – “Connected devices”. If it is not there, restart the server on your PC. For example, to watch movies you need to select the “Movies” folder, then “Media resource directories”.
Here you will see a list of folders added in HMS settings. Go to any folder and launch the movie. Sometimes the TV may write that “The file type is not supported.” Don’t despair, this is a glitch, try to run it again and everything will work out 2-3 times.
Features of HMS
The advantages of a home media server from Serviio are as follows:
- on the TV you can see a clear PC folder structure;
- the ability to start playing media files on TV from the program itself on a PC. To do this, you need to select a file from the list and click on the green Play button, which is present if the TV is turned on;
- relative stability of operation (after PC SW DLNA from LG it’s just a fairy tale);
- a large number of settings.
Flaws:
- some confusion for beginners;
- Sometimes automatic scanning of new files does not work;
- Periodically you have to restart the server for the device to appear on TV.
Despite these shortcomings, HMS is ideal as a home media server, including DLNA. Details on setting up the Home DLNA server are in the following video.
Other options
The capabilities of the Home Media server reviewed do not end with DLNA. HMS can provide access to computer media resources using UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) technology and the HTTP protocol. This is more relevant for smartphones and tablets.
But this server can do a lot more for DLNA. For example, you can give access not only to computer resources, but also to streams of Internet radio and IPTV television. It is also possible to broadcast so-called podcasts from various online cinemas, such as hdserials.ru, hdkinoklub.ru and hundreds of others. There are also possibilities for transcoding media files of a format that is not supported on TV. How do you like this? All this will be discussed in the following articles, subscribe to our newsletter, as well as VKontakte and Twitter.
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