As part of this article, I will write how to create a home media server for Windows 10. Creating a DLNA server will allow other devices to use the media library located on the PC. This is primarily useful for those who have a Smart TV.
What is a DLNA server?
DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is a special protocol that allows compatible devices to transmit and receive media traffic (video, music, photos) on a home local network, as well as broadcast it in real time.
If devices support this technology, they can be configured at the user’s request and subsequently automatically combined into a single network.
What do you need to stream?
Advice! To play media content on another device (tablet, smartphone or smart TV), it is not necessary to set up a DLNA server, homegroup or share a folder. Use the function.
To operate a home media server in Windows 10, it is not necessary to share the folder for public access on the network. It may be on a public network (that is, network discovery is hidden), but streaming will still work.
To set up a DLNA server on Windows 10, you need to:
- The two devices must be on the same home local network (for example, connected to the same router). How these devices will be connected (via LAN or Wi-Fi) does not matter.
- Make sure your Smart TV (or other device) is turned on and supports DLNA technology. On LG TVs it is called Smart Share, on Samsung - AllShare, on Philips - Simple Share.
Settings
There are several ways to set up a home media server:
- using built-in Windows 10 tools;
- using special programs.
Built-in Windows 10 tools
To turn on:
- In the Windows 10 search bar, enter the query “Media streaming options” and open the application found.
- Click "Enable Media Streaming."
- All devices that are on the network will have access to media files. If desired, some can be removed or configured.
- By unchecking the “Use default settings” checkbox, you can set some filters that will be applicable for this device.
- You can now access streaming media from your Music, Videos, and Pictures folders on your TV. To transfer video from any location to a broadcasting device, right-click on the file and select “Cast to device” in the context menu.
- Windows media player will open, through which the network device is searched. The said content is then launched and streamed on the Smart TV.
- A similar function is available in the Cinema and TV player. Depending on which player is selected as the “default”, that one will be used for streaming playback.
If you want to open the broadcast directly from the TV, place the media content in folders shared with your home network or add a new one. This can be done using Windows Media Player:
Overall, compared to the way you set up streaming in Windows 10, programs can be more finely tuned. They work with playlists, a variety of audio and video formats (including RAW), and have convenient sorting and navigation. The interface is easy to understand and should not cause any difficulties for the average user.
Advice! If you are using an Android Box, you can also access media. To do this, on a Windows 10 computer. On Android, download ES Explorer, open “LAN” and click “Scan”. Select a device found on the local network and you will have access to the shared folder.
DLNA - allows compatible devices such as a computer, TV, laptop, phone, tablet to transmit, receive or play various media content files. The function provides enormous opportunities for playing media content. A video file downloaded to a PC can be watched on the TV, and music downloaded to the phone can be listened to on the audio system. It is very comfortable. You just need to create a DLNA network.
How to create a DLNA network
There are many programs for setting up a DLNA home network, but you can simply use Windows' own tools.
Installation on windows 7:
- Go to the Start menu and select Control Panel.
The “Start” menu is located in the lower left corner of the monitor, in it you need to select “Control Panel”
- On the “All Control Panel Items” tab there is a “Home Group” item, click on it.
On the “Control Panel” tab, select “HomeGroup”, it is indicated by a red arrow
- A new window will open, in it go to the “Change additional sharing settings” tab.
The "Change advanced sharing settings" option is located on the "Home Group" tab
- Check the connections of all positions.
All positions on the “Change additional sharing settings” tab must be in the active position
- Return to the “Home Group” window; at the bottom of it there is an item “Create a home group”; click on it.
The Create HomeGroup button is at the bottom of the HomeGroup window.
- In the next window, enter the name you came up with for the DLNA server and click OK.
In the Streaming Media Options window, enter a server name and click OK.
- Write down the password that appears in the window, you can print it (it will be needed when adding other devices to the home group), click “Done”.
The password that appears in the window must be written down or printed
- In the HomeGroup window, click on Select media streaming options.
In the HomeGroup window, select Select media streaming options.
- A media server window will appear, in which you need to mark the types of content for which public access will be opened.
In the media server window, you must select the types of content that will be available to the homegroup
- Click "Next".
The DLNA Windows 7 server is connected. A “Network” icon will appear on the “Computer” tab; by clicking on it, you can see all connected devices. Having selected the desired device, click on it. All available media content files will open in the media player window, they can be viewed and transferred to other devices.
On Windows 10 everything is simpler; there is no need to create a “Home Group”.
Installation on windows 10:
- In the Control Panel Search window, type Streaming media options and open it.
In the search box, type "Media streaming options"
- In the open tab, click “Enable media streaming.”
In the Streaming Media Options window, enable media streaming
- On the next tab, in the “Name of multimedia library” section, write the name of your DLNA server, click OK.
In the “Enable media streaming” window you need to enter the name of the future multimedia library
Write down the password you created and click the “Done” button.
After making the settings, you can access, view and play media content files contained in the folders on your computer from devices on your home network.
Equipment for building a home network with DLNA
To create a DLNA network, you will need a computer or laptop with a media server configured on it. Using a wired or wireless Wi-Fi connection, it connects to a router, which, in turn, distributes a signal to other devices.
DLNA network turns your home into a media center
Such devices can be: TVs, laptops, tablets, phones, stereo systems. If you don’t have a router, you can configure signal distribution directly from your computer, but in this case you will need a Wi-Fi adapter for your computer. The principle of building a DLNA home network is similar to the Internet.
In the end you will need:
- computer or laptop;
- Wi-Fi router or adapter;
- at least one other device that supports DLNA.
It is better to connect the TV to the computer via a cable connection. Wireless communication is convenient and modern, but when viewing powerful media content files, streaming data may be lost and, as a result, the TV may malfunction.
Connecting a DLNA-enabled TV to a wi-fi router
You can connect a TV to your DLNA home network; this step will make it possible to fully use the installed server. First of all, you need to connect the TV to your Wi-Fi router. You can do this in one of two ways.
Simply connect the TV and router with an Internet cable with LAN connectors:
The location of the LAN sockets on different TV models is different, but they are labeled everywhere and cannot be confused with outputs for other purposes.
You can connect your TV to your router via a wireless wi-fi network. New TV models, as a rule, already have a built-in adapter. If the model is older, you will have to use an external wi-fi adapter. It needs to be inserted into the USB connector of the TV, and the system itself will detect it and put it into operation.
The Wi-Fi adapter must be connected to the TV via a USB port
- Pick up the TV remote control and press the Menu key.
- In the menu that opens, click “Network”, then “Network Settings” and select “Wireless (General)”.
- In the list that opens, select yours and click “Next”.
- In the window that opens, enter the password for your home network.
- If everything is done correctly, the connection will be established.
Adding other DLNA-compatible devices to your home network
By setting up a DLNA server on your PC, you can connect other devices to your wi-fi router. Connecting to your home network, possibly via a wireless connection or via cable.
Laptop or other PC
To add a laptop to your home network, you need to configure its connection to the router. In the case of a wired connection, it is enough to connect the LAN connectors of it and the router. When connecting wirelessly, you need to pay attention to the bottom right corner of the monitor. There you will find an icon in the form of gray sticks of different heights.
The icon on the panel indicates that the laptop is currently disconnected from the Wi-Fi network
By clicking on it, you will go to the network connection settings menu; all networks with connection capabilities are displayed here. Select the desired network, click the mouse.
On the “Sharing Center” tab, connect the desired wi-fi network
If the network does not have a password, the connection will occur automatically. Otherwise, a window will pop up in which you must enter a password.
Enter your home network password and click “Done.”
Video: how to connect a laptop to a wi-fi network
Before you can transfer media content to other devices, you need to configure the media server.
To add a laptop to your home network you need:
Media player
To integrate a media player into your home network, simply connect it to your router. The player automatically connects found DLNA resources. It is enough to open shared access to folders for homegroup devices on the device acting as a media server.
Setting up DLNA on your TV
TVs connected to the home network automatically find the server and folders with content allowed for viewing. On LG TVs, folders of available media servers appear alongside pre-installed programs and features.
There are many alternative programs for creating a media server. The LG TV comes with a disk with a program called Smart Share, which can also be downloaded on the Internet. This program allows you to create a media server without using Windows tools. Just download it to your computer, click on its launch shortcut and wait for the installation to complete.
A folder with the Smart Share logo will appear in the TV's programs and connections panel. On your computer, in the program settings window, you can assign folders for playing content. You can view photos and videos located in these folders on your TV.
Smart Share is a good program for those who are too lazy to delve into the Windows settings. It loads the system quite heavily. Even with the TV turned off, on a weak computer, its presence can be felt. For some reason, it does not always update the folder with added files. Sometimes you have to do this manually. It is better to set up a normal server using Windows.
There is a universal program that allows you to connect any TV that supports DLNA to a computer. It's called Home Media Server.
Video: instructions for installing and configuring the Home Media Server program
Using DLNA on Android OS
To use your Android device, you first need to connect it to your router:
- To do this, go into the settings and switch the wi-fi connection slider to the “on” position.
When the wi-fi function is turned on, the slider is in the “on” position
- Next you need to go to the wi-fi settings.
- You will see a list of currently available networks.
In the Wi-Fi settings of your Android OS device, select the desired network
- Select the one you need and enter the network password.
- After some time the connection will occur.
In the wi-fi settings you can see information about the network to which the Android device is connected
Devices running Android OS have great functionality; with their help, you can not only view files with media content, but also allow you to transfer them to other devices. On the Play Market you can download a program that will significantly expand the capabilities of your smartphone or tablet. It's called DLNA server.
Download the program and install it on your phone, then follow these steps:
- Go to the program and click “Add > DLNA Server”, this way you create a DLNA server.
The program will help you create a server on an Android device
- On the next tab, you set the server name in the Server Name item; the port item remains the default.
In the Server Name item you need to specify a name for the server
- Go to the Roots tab, select and designate a folder with content intended for viewing.
By going to the TV menu you will find a new media server created on an Android device
Video slows down and other problems
Sometimes annoying interference and malfunctions interfere with watching your favorite movies and prevent you from appreciating all the benefits provided by using the DLNA network. See the table provided for possible problems and methods for solving them.
Table: errors that occur when playing media content and methods for eliminating them
| № | Errors and malfunctions. | Causes of errors and malfunctions. | Possible Solution. |
| 1 | Devices cannot discover the network. | The wi-fi router may have malfunctioned. | Try rebooting your wi-fi router. |
| 2 | Low data transfer speed on a wired connection. | The cable is damaged or poorly secured in the LAN connectors. | Check the integrity of the cable and the tightness of its fastening in the connectors. |
| 3 | The media server is unavailable. | Errors in the operation of the media server. | Reboot the media server. |
| 4 | Media device is not available. | Errors in the operation of the media device. | Reboot your media device. |
| 5 | The video is slow. | The data transfer speed is insufficient to watch the movie. | Temporarily stop watching the movie to download enough data to watch it. |
| 6 | The system stops watching movies and indicates the reason - insufficient disk space. | There is not enough space to store temporary files. | Choose lower quality videos with a smaller frame size. |
| 7 | A message appears - the movie format is not supported by the media device. | The media device does not support this movie format. | Find a movie in a supported format. |
Often the reason why the TV slows down when watching movies is easily eliminated small details. The main reason lies in the unstable operation of the media server. For normal operation, periodically optimize and clean the system. Don't overload your computer unnecessary programs.
Anyone can set up DLNA-enabled devices at home. It's not difficult at all. A TV connected to your home network gets a second wind. After spending half an hour connecting to the DLNA network, you can view any content from your devices on the big screen. Movies, photos, videos shot on your phone, now you can watch all this just by pressing a couple of buttons.
One of the characteristics that distinguishes some modern televisions from others is their degree of intelligence. In a figurative sense, of course. We are talking about the technological advantages of the so-called Smart TV. Conventional digital TVs, as a rule, can play the role of the TV itself, working in tandem with a receiver, play media content using the built-in player (alas, often with a limited list of readable formats), and also serve as a monitor for a computer, game or TV set-top box . Whereas Smart TV, they are also smart TVs, are able to participate to a greater extent in the chain of content reproduction as independent participants.
1. About media streaming and DLNA technology
Smart TVs are actually the same computers, because they have their own hardware capabilities, have their own software, and can connect to wired and wireless networks. And the last thing is almost complete independence from source devices. The advantages of direct TV access to the Internet are obvious, but there are many of them with local access to a computer. Streaming media from a computer to TV is the TV's direct access to files on the computer. Streaming eliminates the fuss with flash drives and external hard drives. Files are transferred from the computer to the TV over the network. Without the participation of a computer, as long as it is simply turned on, without the participation of a smartphone, without the participation of set-top boxes and other source devices, all permitted material can be played using a TV - video, photos, music, any media files that such a TV can play.
DLNA technology allows devices on the same network to exchange media content. It is supported by many modern devices that can connect to the network - computers, tablets, smartphones, TV and game consoles, and, of course, Smart TV. For example, smart TVs from LG that support DLNA technology have a proprietary Smart Share application - a shell of this technology with a user interface. Applications from other Smart TV brands are called differently and, accordingly, have a different interface. In particular, on Samsung smart TVs the shell for DLNA technology is the standard AllShare application. And for Sony TVs, this is the Vaio Media Server application.
How to set up streaming media from a Windows computer - PC or laptop - to TV? We will examine this issue in detail below.
2. What do you need to set up streaming from a computer to TV?
To set up streaming from a computer to a TV, as mentioned, it is necessary that the latter supports the network. By the way, to stream media files, the Smart TV “status” for the TV is not required. The TV may not have super-functionality; it simply must support the network and allow the selection of a signal source with at least primitive standard functionality. Such a TV must have a built-in Wi-Fi module or an Ethernet network port. As a rule, modern Smart TVs provide both options - both a wired and a wireless network connection.
Both devices - the TV and the PC or laptop - must be connected to a single local network. When connected to a router (router), any devices - computers, smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, smart TVs - are automatically combined into one small network. Of course, if you don’t have a router, you can get by by directly connecting the TV to your computer over the network. What you need to do this is to connect the network cable to the Ethernet ports of the devices. But in this case, if the computer has only one network port (one network card with one Ethernet port), you will have to constantly reconnect the cable from the TV and the cable from the Internet provider. It is not comfortable. A router must be in the house if there is a question of unlocking the potential of Smart TV. Well, a Wi-Fi router is a must-have if you use smartphones or tablets in the house.
The method of connecting the TV to the network - wired or wireless, if it provides both options, is not important.
The next condition for streaming is configured access using DLNA technology to the media library folders on the computer. On Windows, this can be done in several ways.
3. Setting up network access to computer files in Windows Media Player
A way to configure access to computer files in Windows without the need to install third-party software is to use the standard Windows Media Player.
On the Windows Media Player toolbar, click the “Stream” option and check the box next to:
- “Enable media streaming...”
After enabling this option, a system window with streaming parameters will open, where you can specify the name of the media library and flexibly configure the availability of media content for specific network devices: leave the preset resolution for some, and remove it for others.
The configured permissions will allow other devices to access files over the network only in the user profile folders. These are the “Video”, “Music”, “Pictures” folders, which are displayed in Windows Explorer along with disk partitions, drives and removable devices of the computer. If this is more than enough, you can start testing file playback on your TV using local applications that work with DLNA technology.
But storing files in user profile folders on the system drive is not a good idea both from the standpoint of having free space on drive C and from the standpoint of preserving these files in case of a critical Windows failure. As a rule, media libraries of impressive size are stored on non-system partitions of the computer disk. Folders of such media libraries must be added in a separate step to the Windows Media Player library,
To make the contents of other computer folders available for streaming to the TV in the Windows Media Player window, click the “Arrange” option, select “Manage Libraries”, and in it – one of the content types: “Music Library” for audio files, “Video” for video files , “Gallery” for photos and pictures.
A window will open with a list of existing libraries, and to add the desired folder to this list, click the “Add” button on the side. Add this folder in the Explorer window that opens, then click “Ok” in the list window.
An alternative way to add folders with media content to the system list of folders with public access for home network devices is to add to the library using the context menu command in Windows Explorer. At any time, any folder on your computer where videos, music or photos are stored can be accessed for playback from network devices. To do this, you need to open this folder in Explorer, call up the context menu and select the “Add to Library” command. The folder will be added to the appropriate library and its contents will be available for streaming.
The list of folders with video and audio files open for streaming will also change when changes are made to it using the standard Windows 10 Movies and TV and Groove Music applications. In the settings section of both applications, you can add and remove folders to local collections of video and audio files. Local application collections work in conjunction with system libraries.
4. Setting up network access to computer files using the LG Smart Share program
Some Smart TV brands have their own software for desktop operating systems, through which you can configure access to your computer's media files. These programs can be downloaded from the TV manufacturers' website or on the Internet. For example, to allow Samsung smart TVs to access computer content, the South Korean corporation created the Samsung Allshare program. And for LG TVs, the LG Smart Share Windows program for PC is available for free download on the company’s website. Let's take a closer look at it. On the LG website, select the version for Windows and download.
Installation of LG Smart Share is standard. After launching the program, you need to select any of the proposed content settings options – Movie, Photo, Music.
In the window that appears, access must be enabled. If it is disabled, set the switch to the “On” position.
Switch to the “My Shared Files” tab. Here you can allow access to files in the specified folders. Using a button in the form of a folder with a plus sign, you need to add any other folders with media content to the existing folders of the user profile. After adding, click the “Apply” button at the bottom, then “OK”.
Everything - now the content of all folders displayed in the “My Shared Files” tab of the program will be available for network devices, in particular for TV.
In the program settings tab just below - “My device settings” - you can change the computer name. Using this name, the computer will be identified on the network for other devices.
The LG Smart Share utility process will automatically start along with the Windows system, providing further access to your computer's media files.
To make sure that everything works as it should, launch the SmartShare application on the TV.
Go to the “Devices” section and select our media server.
Open any of the shared folders that contain media files.
Let's try to play the file.
5. Setting up network access to computer files using the Home Media Server program
Another way to provide TVs, set-top boxes, mobile and other devices that support the network and DLNA technology with access to your computer’s media content is the Windows program “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)”. The program works with many popular TVs: LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Philips. Using this program, a DLNA server is launched on the computer, to which all network devices can connect. By default, the program allows you to manage server files from the TV - essentially, computer files.
The advantage of using Home Media Server over all of the streaming options listed above is that it has more features and is more customizable. The program provides various transcoders for video and audio files, which allows you to convert media content, if it initially exists on the computer in a format not supported by the TV, into a format that is supported by it. You can additionally configure the broadcast of individual Internet channels (radio and digital television) on your TV.
“Home Media Server” can be downloaded absolutely free on the creators’ website.
Download the program, install it and run it. Upon startup, the initial settings window will immediately appear. You can leave everything as default and refuse to scan media files. Let's move on to the program settings in a separate order.
In the program window, click the “Settings” button on the toolbar at the top of the window.
In the settings window that opens, we will see the category tabs on the right. In the first tab “Media Resources”, using the “Add” button, we can add any folders with media content to the program list to give them access for streaming. Shared access can be opened immediately to all partitions of the computer disk (C, D, E, etc.), to all network drives, to all connected removable media. To do this, you need to check the boxes next to the required options at the bottom of the window - respectively, “Local drives”, “Network drives” and “Removable devices”.
The Media Resources settings tab provides many options for the added folders. For example, by clicking the “Change” button, we will be able to exclude hiding files and directories, remove certain types of files, set a different folder name - and all this within the framework of the DLNA server, without changes on the computer.
At the bottom of the “Media Resources” tab there are separate sections with an abundance of different settings. In the “Scanning” section, you can pay attention to the option “Always use file name as the name of the media resource.” Without checking this option, the names of media files in Russian will be converted to transliterated Latin letters or unreadable crocodile.
In the “Devices” settings tab we will see a list of all detected network devices that will have access to DLNA server files. Any of the devices on the list can be disabled by removing the green activity button.
In the “Server” settings tab, instead of the default DLNA server name, we can set our own name, for example, more convenient for perception. Next to the server name field we will see its port - 45397. It may happen that the antivirus or firewall running on the computer will block the operation of the DLNA server. In case of such blocking, the DLNA server port must be granted permission to work in the antivirus or firewall settings.
Also in the “Server” tab, you need to pay attention to the default option that prevents the computer from going into sleep mode while the DLNA server is running. If it becomes necessary to put your PC or laptop into sleep mode, the DLNA server will need to be stopped in the future. If, on the contrary, the checkbox for the option “Prevent the computer from going into sleep mode while the server is running” is not checked for some reason, it is better to check it. Otherwise, watching a movie on TV will be unceremoniously interrupted as soon as the laptop goes to sleep to save battery power.
The Home Media Server program has a very rich selection of settings, and its potential can be revealed gradually, testing certain features as you become familiar with them. For now, let's limit ourselves to the settings already made and save them. Click “Ok” below and agree to scan media files in the configured folders.
After the program completes the scanning process, we can launch the DLNA server. To do this, click the “Launch” button on the toolbar at the top of the main program window.
Home Media Server runs in the background and can be controlled from the system tray. By calling the context menu on the program button in the system tray, the DLNA server can be stopped, started, or restarted.
You can automate this process so that the DLNA server starts automatically when Windows starts in the program settings. The last settings tab “Advanced” provides in the “Startup” column options for autoloading the program itself when Windows starts, autostarting the DLNA server when the program starts, as well as installing its background service in the Windows system.
Once the DLNA server is running, all available media content on the computer can be played on the TV through a local DLNA application. In the TV app, the DLNA server will appear as a connected playback device. Inside it, folders with computer media content configured in the Home Media Server program will be available.
You can launch available media content for playback not only in the TV application. You can also assign the Home Media Server program to start playing media files on your TV. To do this, in the main window of the program, select the appropriate content - click on the “Movies”, “Music” or “Photo” button on the toolbar at the top. The right side of the program window will display folder files that were previously accessed for broadcasting to the TV. Select the desired video, audio file or picture from the list, call the context menu on this file and select “Play to” among the commands. In the list of devices that appears, select the TV. The selected movie, track or photo will unfold on the TV screen.
6. "Bring to device" function Windows 8.1 and 10
The function of starting playback of media files on a computer with displaying images on a TV is also provided as part of the standard functionality in versions of Windows 8.1 and 10. If the Windows system allows playback of media files on the computer by network devices in the Windows Media player, as discussed above, a movie, audio track or photo You can launch it on your computer and continue watching or listening on your TV. This is a handy thing when you don’t particularly want to fiddle with the TV remote control and look for, for example, the desired movie among a bunch of other media files, killing your nerves with monotonous flipping through file after file.
To launch a media file on your computer, you need to open the context menu on it in Windows Explorer and select the “Bring to device” command. This is a command for Windows 10. In Windows 8.1, this context menu command is called “Play To”.
After this, we will see a list of network devices available for playback. Choose a TV. The launched file will unfold on the TV screen, and on the computer screen we will see a small Windows Media player window with a playlist where you can additionally add some files.
7. Bring to Device feature in Windows 10 Movies & TV app
The “Bring to Device” function available for media files in the Windows Explorer context menu is also implemented in the Windows 10 Movies & TV application. It works on the principle of launching a video file in an application on a computer and continuing to watch it on a network device, in particular, on a TV screen. Open the “Movies and TV” application, launch the video and in viewing mode, click the first button at the bottom – the button to connect to available playback devices. A list of all network devices defined for outputting the video file will appear in a small window. Choose a TV.
In the future, you can continue watching the movie again on your computer, in the “Movies and TV” application. This is a great idea for a home filled with digital technology that is connected into one network. For example, having started watching a movie on the TV screen in the living room, you can continue watching it on the kitchen TV screen. And then you can move back to the living room with the film. And to do this, you just need to pause for a couple of simple actions on the computer.
8. Conclusion
As you can see, the choice of ways to configure the computer part of the chain of interaction between the computer and the TV over the network is great. Despite the fact that the article turned out to be voluminous, in fact, not all programs on the software market for implementing multimedia streaming from a computer to a TV are considered. Setting up your TV is easier.
As mentioned above, your computer's media files can be accessed through local smart TV apps. And these are the above-mentioned Smart Share for LG TVs, AllShare for Samsung, Vaio Media Server for Sony and others. On regular network-enabled TVs, where the firmware does not provide separate applications, access to computer files can be configured by selecting a media server as the signal source. In many cases, the source button on the TV remote is called “Source”.
Have a great day!
Below is a guide on how to organize a DLNA server in the “ten” so that you can view streaming video on a TV and other equipment using integrated OS tools, as well as using special applications. In addition, instructions will be provided on how to work with the playback options on a PC or laptop.
In most cases, this is used to open a collection of videos that are stored on a PC via a Smart TV that is connected to the same network. In addition, in this way you can provide access to other content and various devices that are capable of working with DNLA.
Stream videos without setup
In the "ten" you can use DLNA options to play content without setting up a DLNA server. All that is necessary in this case is that the device and PC are on the same network, which will allow it to work correctly. It is worth noting that in the network settings on your PC, you can enable “Public network” and disable data sharing, but the content will still be played.
You just need to right-click on the movie or directory with data and select “Bring to device...”. After this, you need to indicate what you need from the list. For the device to appear in this list. You need to connect it to the same network as your computer. As a result, playback of the specified file or several data will start in the player window.
Organizing a DLNA server using integrated “tens” tools
To use the “tens” as a DLNA server for third-party devices with this technology, you need to perform a few simple steps. Initially, you need to go to “Media Streaming Settings”. To find them, you need to use a search in the control panel or taskbar.
After this, you need to click on the “Activate online transmission of media content” button. A similar manipulation can be carried out in Windows Media Player through the “Stream” item. Then you need to assign a name to the DLNA server and, if necessary, remove some devices from the list of allowed ones. Initially, all devices on the network can gain access.
Next, having specified the device, you can click “Configure” and set the type of content to which you will have access. It turns out that it is not necessary to create a group and join it. Having completed all the necessary settings from the TV and other devices, you can provide access to data in the “Video”, “Music”, “Images” directories on the PC and play them.
It is worth noting that if the network type was “Public”, then with such manipulations it automatically becomes “Private Network” and network discovery is activated. It may be that network discovery will be turned off in the “Advanced sharing settings”, however, you can activate it in the additional connection settings and the “dozens” interface.
Adding a directory for the DLNA server
When activating a DLNA server with integrated Dozens tools, there is one not very clear thing, which is adding directories so that they can be used on any devices on the local network. This can be done with several manipulations.
The first step is to activate Windows Media. Then you need to right-click on one of the sections. For example, you need to add a directory with movies. In this case, you need to right-click on the “Video” section and select “Manage video library”. Then you need to add the required directory and that's it.
After these manipulations, the directory will be displayed for all devices with DLNA technology. However, there is one small nuance here. Some TVs and devices cache the list of available data, so you may need to reboot the device or restart the network to display it. It is worth noting that you can restart the server directly in the player in the “Stream” menu.
Setting up a DLNA server using third-party utilities
There are a huge number of applications that are designed to organize a DLNA server in Windows 7 and 8. But in fact, these programs can be used in such a situation. However, you can add one more application to this list, which appeared quite recently, but already leaves a positive impression of the work. It's called Serviio.
The application is distributed freely, but there is also a paid version. However, the free edition has a wide range of functions for creating a DLNA server in the top ten. In addition, there are additional options.
Among them, we can note the use of online broadcast sources. Some of them require plugins. In addition, it is possible to transcode the file into the required format suitable for the device.
In addition, the program allows you to display subtitles, work with playlists and all popular media file formats. In addition, the application is able to sort content by type, artist, date. It turns out that while viewing you can conveniently move around the folder.
You can download the application from the official resource. After installing the application, you need to activate Serviio Console from the list of installed applications. Here you need to switch the interface localization and add the necessary directories with the required content. You can do this in the “Media Library” section. After this, everything is ready to go.
You can familiarize yourself with this application in detail after downloading it to your computer. But I would like to note that it is possible to turn off the DLNA server at any time. To do this, go to the “Status” section.
That, in principle, is all you need to know about how you can organize a DLNA server in the “top ten” to connect various devices to access directories with media files. In principle, even a novice user can cope with this.
Home Media Server is a customizable, free application for sharing and sharing files on Windows 7, 8 and 10 PCs with other UPnP, DLNA, HTTP devices on the network.
It will turn out to be a convenient option for watching streaming television, radio broadcasting and local video on gadgets without additional steps of downloading and converting content, connecting flash drives and HDMI cables.
Home Media Server Features
Processes requests from client devices for movies, images and audio data, without playing or generating anything on its own. The program supports Smart TV, game consoles, media players, as well as mobile gadgets - almost any device can be a full participant in the multimedia network. Endowed with a number of capabilities:
- converting content into the required format;
- adjusting video frame parameters;
- switching audio streams and supporting subtitles;
- redirection of online streaming;
- support for digital television;
- simultaneous launch on a group of devices;
- working with podcasts;
- remote control via WEB interface.
The home media server also provides an option for backing up the database and settings. It may be useful in correcting program usage errors and possible operating errors.
Advantages of Home Media Server
The main advantages in comparison with similar products include:
- Absolutely free. No advertising banners or intrusive third-party software.
- Multifunctionality. A universal “harvester”, the potential of which knows no bounds.
- Trans coding support. Automatically detects and re-encodes unreadable source files in real time.
- Russian-language localization. Given the extensive functionality of the utility, it will be easier to understand the options in a clear language.
You can download Home Media Server for free for Windows 10, 8 and 7 operating systems using the link https://site/domashnij-media-server/ below, and a large number of settings and parameters will help users customize the application as accurately as possible.