Connecting to a windows 7 media server. Set up a DLNA server using the “Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program

Somehow it so happened that the tag DLNA server more common in question posts than in answers. And if some user experience has been accumulated in matters of installation on a home Windows PC, then it turned out to be difficult to decide on the choice of software for a home server / NAS / media center. Having distributed among the sandboxes, the people separately solve the problems of each program separately. And to understand which of them is worth what and whether it is necessary at all - I personally did not succeed.

And so, armed with a link from Wikipedia How to choose a DLNA server under Windows, Mac OS X or Linux - I tried almost everything that is under Linux.

DLNA - its place in the home network

Most probably this path has already been passed by the majority - new media devices appear in the house, the number of family members consuming media content is growing, the very base of films, music and photographs is swelling.
At the same time, everyone builds a media infrastructure in their own way. Someone has a computer with TV-OUT, someone has a netbook or HTPC. Someone shares folders from the NAS via NFS, someone connects the HDD to a media player, someone uses the capabilities of Sony PS ...
There is confusion about storage locations, formats, codecs, and so on.
So, in my case it turned out:

Plasma in the living room is better served 720p than FullHD
it is better not to feed more than 15Mbit / s to a Sony TV in a nursery connected via Wi-Fi, it needs a maximum of Profile 4.1 for H.264, and it does not see files on network storage at all
the Openbox satellite receiver cannot play audio tracks in DTS, it does not pull more than 30Mbit / s via SMB, it does not display Cyrillic via NFS
Nokia Lumia and iPhone are generally limited everywhere and everywhere

In general, the only way to make this whole menagerie friends with each other is to use a DLNA server.
Theoretically, it will bring content from different places into a single folder tree, and adjust the resolution and check codec compatibility and, if necessary, recode. Beauty…

What to bet on

home computer- as a rule it is a Windows-machine. Watching a movie with recoding while someone is playing will not work; 24/7 is not even close. Not suitable for the role. Therefore, I did not even consider the Windows versions of programs.
Router flashed with DD-WRT/OpenWRT- there are packages for these firmware and they work. Hardware resources are very limited - transcoding is unrealistic, the speed of access to the USB port and network folders is very limited. However, it suits many people.
NAS or home server with Linux- the most versatile solution. Lots of programs. There are no protocol restrictions. The performance of 5-year-old x86 processors (in my case, Athlon X2-6000) is enough for simultaneous on-the-fly transcoding of two films of any format.

Personal experience, program evaluation

MiniDLNA, uShare and xupnpd

These are different projects, but in essence they are one and the same. Lightweight and fast. The only function they perform is to provide network access to media files via the DLNA/UPnP protocol. Everything else the player or TV should be able to do themselves. DLNA is not fully supported and many devices simply do not see these servers.
Very massive. They work everywhere. Packages exist for all sorts of Linux distributions, routers with DD-WRT/OpenWRT firmware, and NASes. The installation procedure is simple and well described on specialized forums. There are no GUIs
If you, and only you (otherwise, complaints from family members are inevitable):

only watch/listen from one omnivorous device (such as a Samsung TV)
Your device cannot directly download files from network folders or it is too slow (such as a Sony Bravia TV)
store movies/music on an inexpensive NAS or router with a USB drive
pre-select content in the desired format or do not be lazy to transcode manually
media files are already well sorted into folders or you don't care at all

- then you can limit yourself to such a DLNA server. Choose from them the one that is in the packages for your piece of iron and will be seen by the renderer.

Media Tomb

The developers unequivocally write that "this is not a DLNA server, it only supports part of its functions." And although there may be some compatibility issues, this is quite a noteworthy project.
There is already a GUI working through the built-in http-server here - you can manage folders with content in it. Add new ones, create shortcuts to existing ones, set scan intervals, etc.
Well distributed - no problem to install on any Linux distribution, no heavy dependencies. Configured with a single text file. Very stable in operation, not resource intensive.
You can use transcoding, but it is implemented in a simple way. Thus, profiles are bound to the input file format, and not to the output device. The server does not distinguish at all who is connected to it. Accordingly, there are no ready-made profiles for devices - everything needs to be configured manually:

which formats to transcode and which to transfer directly
set the encoder according to the situation: ffmpeg, vlc, mplayer or something else
set bitrate, number of audio channels, H.264 profile and other encoding options
apply a video filter, such as clipping margins or crop

In my case, I had to write a separate script to set ffmpeg arguments based on the audio track format (DTS or AC3).
At the same time, when viewing a transcoded stream on a TV, rewinding and selecting an audio track will not work. Screwing subtitles is also a separate song.
In general - MediaTomb is a very brutal tool for true Linux users. You can’t call it universal, but you can customize it perfectly for yourself and your hardware.

Rygel

Mass, there is almost everywhere. But it is very crookedly placed in daemon mode (you need to write an init script yourself, create folders and a user). It is part of the gnome project and pulls gstreamer (or even pulseaudio). If someone has KDE or something else on their computer, it is completely inconvenient. The icons for the video are generated via tumbler from the XFCE project, and even then with nuances. Falls regularly.
Before studying the features of transcoding, my hands did not reach. My verdict is " unfit".

PS3 Media Server

A very old project. And although from its initial application: “Share movies / music from a home Windows PC to Sony PS”, the project has evolved a lot. But the JAVA code and the requirements to run an X server turned me away from it.

XBMC

It has a DLNA server. But keeping this combine for the sake of just one module is stupid.
Moreover, it was from XBMC that a separate project of the Plex media server was born.

Universal Media Server

He's kind of crooked. Showed me the entire directory tree instead of the selected folder. Files opened only a few and regularly poured errors into the console. I didn't understand transconding at all.
Quite heavy due to JAVA code. You definitely need a running X server - you can't install it as a daemon. " Unfit."

GMediaServer

Project abandoned. Not worthy of attention.

LXiMedia

A simple and convenient implementation of a DLNA server. It is enough to select folders with files, hard-code transcoding parameters, audio track, subtitles. No profiles, settings. In addition, this is a GUI application, do not install it as a demon.
In my opinion, it is useless in this form - one of many and far from the best.

Serviio

Probably the fastest growing project right now. Updated regularly. Actively overgrown with plugins, profiles and applications for mobile OS.
It is a JAVA application running as a daemon. Support for the DLNA protocol is complete. Quite skillfully scatters content into folders and categories. Can create movie previews. Easily connects different on-line broadcasting channels.
Transcode with ffmpeg. The database of device profiles is already quite large (and continues to grow) - the server correctly selects encoding parameters for any of the home hardware. What I didn’t recognize - it’s not difficult to pick up a profile or write your own.
Due to the fact that ffmpeg is used - the same problem as in mediatomb - there is no rewind in the transcoded stream and the audio track does not change.
All this is controlled either from a JAVA client, or a web-muzzle written in PHP, or a smartphone (there are applications for Android and WP).
Unfortunately not available as a .deb or .rpm package. You need to set it manually: create folders, user, unpack, take an init script from the support forum, register it in autorun. "There is a ready-made package for Synology NAS.
In general, it may well become a single point of access to media content at home. All that is needed - he knows how.

Skifta

Not included in the Linux repositories and therefore rare. But it has a graphical installer and carries a jre with it, and therefore will be on almost any system. It is inconvenient because it starts in two steps - first the utility in the SystemTray, then the media-server itself. Without x and a demon will not work. Very simple and concise, but heavily loads the system (JAVA code).

TVMOBiLi

It costs $30 (or a subscription fee of $1.5/month). Available as .deb and .rpm packages. Not in Ubuntu/Fedora it is rather difficult to install - the built-in vlc and ffmpeg will surely find the missing libraries and refuse to work. I couldn't find the USE flags for vlc in Gentoo. It didn't work at all, I had to redo the profiles so that only ffmpeg was used.
In general, transcoding profiles are its forte. You can set any logic and any parameters.
Managed through a nice WEB-muzzle. It has a rich database of transcoding profiles. There are files to play through the built-in http-server. Can't generate thumbnails.
Works fast and beautiful. Good candidate.

TwonkyServer

Installed by unpacking tar.gz. or through the installer. It's not in the Linux repositories. Very fast code, instant launch, user-friendly web-interface. Well and competently scatters content into folders. There are ready-made init scripts. Able to extract meta-data from files and generate previews. All liked it. One trouble - $19.95.
But still: " I recommend".

Plex

As the developers write - "A complete Media Solution". I confirm.
This monster grew out of XBMC and can do everything and more. For films, it will find posters, ratings and a bunch of data. The series will also be distributed by seasons and episodes. The music collection will be organized from any source view.
Transcoding makes everything for everything. The settings can be controlled directly from the TV's OSD menu. For smart devices like LG Smart TVs and Apple TVs, support goes far beyond the DLNA protocol.
There is support for your own cloud service, which allows you to see home video remotely - the server will adjust the parameters of the sent video to the capabilities of the device and the communication channel.
There are separately written clients for mobile OS and Windows 8 tiles.
There are packages available for Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS and mainstream NAS models. For everything else - it is installed by simple unpacking. Of the dependencies, only Avahi-daemon requires.
Unfortunately, the transcoding mechanism does not allow interference with work - profiles can be corrected, but the possibilities are very limited.

It is able to solve any problems within the framework of the topic, while it is free, stable and, oddly enough, fast.

I would love for someone to add to this list and / or make changes.

Now, in the century mobile technology and gadgets, linking them within the home network seems to be a very convenient opportunity. For example, you can organize a DLNA server on your computer that will distribute video, music and other media content to your other devices. Let's see how you can create a similar point on a PC with Windows 7.

DLNA is a protocol that provides the ability to view media content (video, audio, etc.) from various devices in streaming mode, that is, without fully downloading the file. The main condition is that all devices must be connected to the same network and support the specified technology. Therefore, first of all, you need to create a home network, if you do not already have one. It can be organized using both wired and wireless connections.

Like most other tasks in Windows 7, you can organize a DLNA server using third-party software or limit yourself only to the capabilities of your own operating system toolkit. Next, we will consider the various options for creating such a distribution point in more detail.

Method 1: Home Media Server

The most popular third-party program for creating a DLNA server is HMS ("Home Media Server"). Next, we will study in detail how it can be used to solve the problem posed in this article.

Run the downloaded Home Media Server setup file. The integrity of the distribution will be checked automatically. In field "Catalog" you can specify the address of the directory where it will be unpacked. However, here you can leave the default value. In this case, just click "Run".

The distribution kit will be unpacked to the specified directory and immediately after that the program installation window will open automatically. In the field group "Installation directory" you can specify the disk partition and path to the folder where you want to install the program. By default, this is a separate subdirectory of the standard program installation directory on disk C. It is recommended that you do not change these settings unless absolutely necessary. In field "Group of programs" name will be displayed Home Media Server. It also makes no sense to change this name unnecessarily.
But opposite the parameter "Create desktop shortcut" You can check the box as it is unchecked by default. In this case, on "Desktop" the icon of the program will appear, which will further simplify its launch. Then press "Install".

The program will be installed. After that, a dialog box will be displayed asking if you want to run the application right now. It should be pressed "Yes".

The Home Media Server interface will open, as well as an additional initial settings shell. In its first window, the device type is indicated (by default, DLNA Device), port, types of supported files, and some other parameters. If you are not an advanced user, we advise you not to change anything, but simply click "Further".

In the next window, the directories are assigned, in which the files available for distribution and the type of this content are located. By default, the following standard folders are open in the user's shared directory with the corresponding content type:
- Videos(movies, subdirectories);
- "Music"(music, subdirectories);
- Pictures(photo, subdirectories).
The available content type is highlighted in green.

If you want to distribute from a certain folder not only the type of content that is assigned to it by default, then in this case you only need to click on the corresponding white circle.

It will change color to green. Now from this folder it will be possible to distribute the selected type of content.

If you want to connect a new folder for distribution, then in this case click on the icon "Add" in the form of a green cross, which is located on the right side of the window.

A window will open "Select directory", where you must select the folder on the hard drive or external media from which you want to distribute media content, and then click OK.

After that, the selected folder will be displayed in the list along with other directories. By clicking on the corresponding buttons, as a result of which it will add or remove green color, you can specify the type of content to distribute.

If, on the contrary, you want to disable distribution in some directory, then in this case, select the appropriate folder and press the button "Delete".

After that, a dialog box will open in which you should confirm your intention to delete the folder by clicking "Yes".

The selected directory will be deleted. After you have configured all the folders that you intend to use for distribution and assigned a content type to them, click "Ready".

A dialog box will open asking if you want to scan the media directories. Here you need to click "Yes".

The above procedure will be performed.

After the scan is completed, the program database will be created, and you will be required to click on the element "Close".

Now, after the distribution settings are completed, you can start the server. To do this, click the icon "Launch" on the horizontal toolbar.

It may then open a dialog box « Windows Firewall» where you will need to click "Allow Access", otherwise many important features programs will be blocked.

After that, distribution will begin. You will be able to view available content from devices that are connected to the current network. If you need to turn off the server and stop distributing content, just click on the icon "Stop" on the Home Media Server toolbar.

Method 2: LG Smart Share

Unlike the previous program, the LG Smart Share application is designed to create a DLNA server on your computer that distributes content to devices manufactured by LG Corporation. That is, on the one hand, this is a more highly specialized program, but on the other hand, it allows you to achieve better tuning quality for a specific group of devices.

Unpack the downloaded archive and run the installation file located in it.

Welcome window will open "Install Wizard" in which you press "Further".

Then a window with a license agreement will open. To accept it, press "Yes".

At the next stage, you can specify the program installation directory. The default is the directory LG Smart Share, which is located in the parent folder LG Software, located in the standard directory for placing programs for Windows 7. We recommend that you do not change these settings, but simply click "Further".

After that, LG Smart Share will be installed, as well as all the necessary system components if they are not available.

After the completion of this procedure, a window will appear informing you that the installation was successfully completed. Here you need to make some settings. First of all, pay attention to the fact that opposite the parameter "Enable all SmartShare data access services" there was a checkmark. If for some reason it is missing, then you need to set this mark.

By default, content will be distributed from standard folders "Music", "Photos" And "Video". If you want to add a directory, then in this case press "Change".

In the window that opens, select the desired folder and click OK.

After the desired directory is displayed in the field "Install Wizard", press "Ready".

Then a dialog box will open where you should confirm your consent to the use of LG Smart Share system information by clicking OK.

After that, access via the DLNA protocol will be activated.

Method 3: Windows 7 Native Toolkit

Now let's look at the algorithm for creating a DLNA server using Windows 7's own toolkit. In order to use this method, you must first organize a homegroup.

click "Start" and go to point "Control Panel".

In the block "Network and Internet" click on name "Choose homegroup options".

The homegroup editing shell opens. Click on the caption "Select media streaming options...".

In the window that opens, click "Enable media streaming".

Next, a shell opens, where in the area "Media Library Name" you need to enter an arbitrary name. The same window displays devices that are currently connected to the network. Make sure that among them there are no third-party equipment for which you do not want to distribute media content, and then click OK.

Next, you return to the window for changing the settings of the home group. As you can see, the checkmark in front of the item "Streaming..." already installed. Check the boxes next to the names of those libraries from which you are going to distribute content over the network, and then click "Save Changes".

As a result of the specified actions, a DLNA server will be created. You can connect to it from home network devices using the same password that you set when creating the homegroup. You can change it if you wish. To do this, you need to go back to your homegroup settings and click "Change password…".

A window opens where you again need to click on the inscription "Change password", and then enter the desired passphrase to be used when connecting to the DLNA server.

If the remote device does not support some of the content formats that you are distributing from your computer, then in this case you can use the standard Windows Media Player to play it. To do this, run the specified program and click on the control panel "Flow". In the menu that opens, go to .

A dialog box will open where you need to confirm your action by clicking "Allow remote control...".

Now you can view content remotely using Windows Media Player, which is hosted on a DLNA server, that is, on your desktop computer.

Main disadvantage this method is that owners of editions of Windows 7 "Starter" and "Home Basic" cannot use it. It can only be used by users who have the Home Premium edition or higher installed. For the rest of the users, only options using third-party software remain available.

As you can see, creating a DLNA server on Windows 7 is not as difficult as it seems to many users. The most convenient and accurate setting can be made using for these purposes third party programs. In addition, a significant part of the work on adjusting the parameters in this case will be carried out automatically by the software without direct user intervention, which will greatly facilitate the process. But if you are against using third party applications unless absolutely necessary, then in this case it is quite possible to configure the DLNA server for distributing media content using only the operating system's own tools. Although last chance Not available in all editions of Windows 7.

DLNA server is a special multimedia transmitter(picture, sound), which is used by owners of computers or tablets where the operating system is installed Windows system. Thanks to the operation of this media server, the user can freely look movies, listen music and leaf through photos not only on a PC, but also synchronize this process and display the picture on the screen TV, set-top box, phone or tablet. For the server to work, you need a little - simultaneous connection of devices to one local network and adjustment of equipment in accordance with the necessary parameters.

Setting up dlna without using programs on Windows 7

Looking ahead, we note that many users, when trying to configure the dlna media server for 7 or 8 Windows versions may receive a message during operation that this function is on their PC unavailable and you need to change the version. But for home use, it is still possible to make some frauds and processes.

So, let's open Control Panel» using the menu « Start" and select the section "".

Then select " Create a homegroup» and with the help of a special masters, which will open in a new window, continue your work.

With the button " Further» at the bottom of the window, specify what (required files, devices) you need to open access to and the button « Ready" or " OK» Finish the work in the settings.

After that, the system will automatically give you password from random characters. Save this password because you will need to enter it in order to connect and work in the homegroup.

Then press the button " Ready' and go to the window with settings home group. There, for example, you can change the password to one that is more convenient for you to remember. Also in this window, you can click on paragraph"Allow all devices on this network, such as TVs and game consoles, to play shared content." It will put a tick, or by selecting this item, you can create DLNA server.

Having created a media server, you can name it the way you need to continue to monitor its operation, the number of connected devices and manage access to them. So simply and quickly you have completed your setup. Find required document- you can film, music or photo in the folder of the same name in the access window.

Settings by standard means on Windows 10

On Windows 10, you can enjoy media server features without direct DLNA settings. The main thing is that the PC and the device on which the file will be played are connected to one network.

Then you just need to right-click on the file you want to play and select " Lead to device... ". Then from the list choose desired device. Remember, this device must work and be turned on.

How to add folder to dlna server

You can add a folder to the media server in just a few simple steps:

Programs for setting up a media server

You can also configure the dlna media server for Window using special programs. One of the most popular and, most importantly, free programs - Home media server, which can be downloaded from the official website of the same name.

Well-known manufacturers of equipment, for example, Samsung and LG, have also created their own programs for connecting equipment to a PC and you can download them on the official website of the company.

Another popular program is Serviio. It's free and works best on Windows 10.

In 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 media network. Through it, you can transfer video from a computer to a TV, as well as other media content (photos, music) and play 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 the conditions for selecting the desired 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 the DLNA standard set. What is DLNA?

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) - The Living Digital Network Alliance) is a set of standards that enable all compatible devices (laptop, tablet, mobile phone, game console, printer, camcorder ...) 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 AirPlay standard (technology and protocol), 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 through specialized programs from the developers of the same company. This is about . So, no jambs were noticed in the work of the PC Share Manager program, which cannot be said about the AllShare product. But most of the time it still works fine.

Numerous calls to the support service from different users did not give any results, and all as one 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 the universal alternative, the Home Media Server program (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP). It works with TVs from Samsung, LG, Philips, Sony, Toshiba. You can find more details about the features of the program on the official website.

Connecting a computer to a TV through a router to transfer media files is better with a LAN cable () than with 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, it is still better to use a LAN cable to transfer multimedia files from a computer to a TV. The fact is that a wired connection has only one minus - wires, and of the pluses one can note a high data transfer rate, low ping (response time), minimal interference ... Despite the fact that in a Wi-Fi wireless connection, communication stability and speed directly depends on the power of the antenna, the influence of interference and the presence of obstacles ().

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

Installing and configuring a DLNA home media server.

As you already understood, in order to create a network between a computer and a TV, you need to install a media server. Run the distribution kit of the program downloaded from the official site and proceed with the installation.

All you need to do is specify the installation path, check the "Create a shortcut" box and click on the "Install" button. The installation process will be quick, 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 drop down menu "Devices from the list" select your device type. Depending on the type of media device you have selected in the field "Integrated 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 "Arbitrary Device" and in the field of extensions (movies, music, photos) add the required format separated by commas. Click the "Next" button.

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

Green dots indicate what type of media content is stored in this directory. As a rule, I open access to 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 items and add your own local drives. Click the "Finish" button. After that, the program will prompt you to scan media resources. Click the "Yes" button.

You can also add all local drives (or favorite directories) after installing the media server in the program settings on the Media Resources tab. To do this, click the "Add" button and select the local disk, and after "Scan". After that, the program interface will display the entire list of video files that are stored on your hard drive (see image below). Keep in mind that due to the large volume of media information scanned 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 less local disks (directories) are added, the faster the media server will start.

Go ahead. After the scan 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 automatic scheduled backups. 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 computer-TV home network has been created.

I recommend you in the program settings on the tab "Additionally" Check the box "Install windows services Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)" to have the media server run as a service. After that, 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". Pick up the remote control 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 more about this. And that's all I have for today. Bye!

In this article, I want to talk again about how to create on a computer (laptop, netbook) DLNA server. This will allow you to watch movies and photos on the TV, as well as listen to music that is on your computer.

It is enough just to connect the TV to the computer via a network cable, or just to the same network, run a DLNA server on the computer and start watching a movie or photo.

But, as it turned out, there are many problems with the Smart Share application. Either it does not start, then it gives various errors, or it closes on its own. You can read about this in the comments that visitors left to the article, the link to which is above.

There is a very good and absolutely free program “Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)”, which is an excellent analogue of LG's Smart Share, or Samsung's AllShare, for example.

“Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” is a kind of universal program with which you can launch a DLNA server and connect to it from almost any TV that supports DLNA technology (and if your TV has Wi-Fi, or a network connector, then it most likely supports this technology). In principle, a DLNA client can be not only a TV, but, for example, a game console.

This manual is suitable for TVs from different manufacturers: LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, etc. Compared to branded applications such as Smart Share, “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” has big amount settings.

We will not delve into all the nuances, but we will only consider how to share the necessary folders or disks. How to create a server, and how to start watching a movie using DLNA technology on a TV.

Connecting a TV for DLNA

Before proceeding with setting up the program, we need to connect the TV to a computer or laptop. If you already have everything connected, for example, through a router, then you can proceed to the next step.

We need to connect the laptop and TV to the network. If you have a router installed at home, then it is enough to connect your computer to this router, via cable, or via Wi-Fi, it does not matter. And you need to connect the TV to the same router. You can connect the TV in the same way, or via Wi-Fi (See connection instructions.) ) .

Our task is to have a TV and a computer (in my case laptop), were connected to the same router. I have a TV connected to the router via Wi-Fi LG 32LN575U and laptop Asus K56CM. On their example, this instruction will be.

What if there is no router?

In this case, you can connect the computer to the TV via a network cable, directly. Just take the desired length of the network cable (it can be crimped in almost any computer store), and connect the TV to the computer.

It looks something like this:

Connecting this way should work fine. But for me, the TV refused to see the server created on the laptop. But, in the “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program, the TV was displayed and I could start viewing photos from the laptop itself, and the photo appeared on the TV.

She also has an idea how to connect them without a cable and without a router. But, I’m not sure what will work and this method is suitable only for TVs that have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi.

You can try to create a computer-to-computer connection on a laptop, which I wrote about in the article ““. Then, connect the TV to the created access point and try to access the files on the computer.

I think you've got the connection figured out. Let's move on to setting up the server.

Setting up the “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program

First, we need to download and install the program itself. I advise you to download from the official site:. There always a new version and so safer.

Save the archive to your computer. To install, just run the setup.exe file, which is in the archive. I will not describe the entire installation process, it is simple. Follow the instructions.

After installation, launch the program with a shortcut on the desktop.

Let's go straight to the program settings. We won't do anything special there. We will simply specify local drives, flash drives, external HDD and, or folders whose contents we want to see on the TV. For example, you can only open a few folders containing movies, photos, and music.

A window with settings will open. In the first category media resources, we need to specify which drives or folders we want to see on the TV. By default, standard folders with photos, videos and music are open there.

The program tries to sort everything. And in order not to get confused in all these folders on the TV, I advise you to share local disks. By default, if I'm not mistaken, access to them is already open. Check if the checkbox is checked next to Local drives.

If installed, this means that you can open any file on the TV that is stored on these local drives (drives C, D, E, etc.).

You can also specify individual folders, or, for example, an external hard drive. To do this, click on the button on the right Add, and select the desired folder, flash drive, or hard drive in the explorer.

We can see which folders and drives we have shared. We can delete selected folders. These are the main settings, if you look, there are a lot of settings, I won’t consider them all. To save, click on the button Ok, and agree to scan media resources.

We are waiting for the program to scan folders and disk. Further, you can already start the DLNA server itself. To do this, simply click on the “ launch“.

We observe a message that the server is running.

Now, just turn on the TV. If everything is connected correctly, then it should appear in the “Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program. To do this, go to the tab Playback Devices (DMR), and on the right, click the button Refresh.

If our TV appeared, then everything is fine. You can try to start viewing photos directly from the program.

If the TV does not appear in the program, and the server we created is also not visible on the TV, then first of all, check the connection. Is the TV connected to the network, and is the laptop connected.

Then, completely disable antiviruses and firewalls. They can block access to the server.

To do this, in the main program window (above), select one of the tabs: movies, music, or photos.

In the left window, media content will appear, which is located in those folders and disks to which we have opened access. Right-click, for example, on a photo and select “Play on“, then choose our TV.

The photo should immediately appear on the TV screen.

In the same way, you can start playing video and music. This means that we can start playback on the TV screen from the “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program.

But, this is not always convenient. Much better, go through the TV, and open the files you need. To do this, leave the running server. You can hide the “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program. Click on the red cross (close program), and it will hide in the notification bar.

At the same time, the server will work and you will be able to go to the computer from the TV.

We start viewing files via DLNA from the TV

So the server on the computer is running, the files are open for viewing.

Now, on the TV, we need to go into the program that is responsible for working with DLNA technology. For example, in LG, this is Smart Share. On other TVs, this app may have a different name.

For example, to launch Smart Share in LG, go to Smart TV (blue button on remote) and select Smart Share. If the TV does not have Smart TV, but has DLNA, then the process may be different.

Opening a folder My computer, and we see our local drives there, and other folders to which we have shared access.

Afterword

“Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” is actually a very cool program with a lot of settings. We only considered opening file sharing, and starting the server. When I started watching a movie through the Smart Share program, the laptop went into sleep mode and playback was interrupted. There is a lock in “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” that prevents the computer from going to sleep when it is used as a server.

I hope everything worked out for you, and you are now watching your favorite movies on a large TV screen using DLNA technology.

If something did not work out, then write in the comments, we will try to figure it out.