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 in the end, smart app Share raises a lot of problems. 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 such a 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 different manufacturers: LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, etc. Compared with proprietary applications such as Smart Share, “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” has more 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 right length 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 external hard disk. To do this, click on the button on the right Add, and select in explorer desired folder, flash drive, or hard drive.
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. Click right click click on a photo, for example, 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 required files. For this, we leave 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 have only considered the discovery public access to files, and start the server. When I started watching the movie through Smart program Share, the laptop would go to sleep and playback would be 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 big screen TV using DLNA technology.
If something did not work out, then write in the comments, we will try to figure it out.
More on the site:
Set up a DLNA server using the “Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program. Viewing files from a computer on a TV updated: February 7, 2018 by: admin
From this article you will learn how to connect a TV to a computer via DNLA, via 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) - Alliance of the Living digital network) is a set of standards that enable wireless (Wi-Fi) and wired (Ethernet) networks to all compatible devices (laptop, tablet, mobile phone, game console, printer, camcorder ...) to transmit and receive photos, videos for playback 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 Apple, you will not be able to connect it to your existing DLNA network.
In one of the publications for owners Samsung TVs, 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 media transfer router is better with a LAN cable () than with wireless connection WiFi(). Why? Of course, digital progress does not stand still, and with each new wireless standard Wi-Fi () increases the range of coverage, increases signal stability, increases data transfer speed ... 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 one of the pluses can be noted high speed data transmission, low ping (response time), minimal influence of interference ... Despite the fact that in wireless connection Wi-Fi connection 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" need to share, that is, do 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 off the necessary items and add your 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 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.
Move on. 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 directory. backups and customize automatic execution scheduled reservations. 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 top menu Run programs. 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!
Generally home program Media Server 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 like LG SmartShare PC SW and standard way DLNA settings through Windows Media player. The point is to let the TV 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, which is usually organized by a router or router. After that, it remains only to configure the program, and the trick is in the bag. 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 with 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 that your TV will have access to in the next window or in the settings later. In the window for backing up and restoring program data, click "Run" and "Close".
HMS as a DLNA server
We immediately go to the program settings. Here we have to set up our home DLNA media server. To do this, in the “Media Resources” category in the very first tab “Directory List”, using the “Add” button, specify 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 for new media resources, new elements still sometimes do not appear automatically, and you need to manually scan using this button.
On the “Scanning” tab, it is important to enable automatic scanning of directories when they are changed and the program is launched so that new media files are immediately displayed on the TV.
In order for the Home Media Server to start when the computer boots up, in the “Advanced” category, check the boxes “Start the program at the start of a Windows session” and “Install the Windows Home Media Server service ...”. HMS setup for DLNA server is completed, click OK.
Next, select the “PC Connection” tab and click 3 times, click the “Next” button. Please note that your home network is selected in step 3 (wired or wireless, depending on how the TV is connected), otherwise select it.
At step 4 you should see your PC. If it's not there, restart the server, this usually helps. Next, select the device and get into the "Connected devices" item.
View Media
After the first connection, our device will be displayed in last paragraph LG SmartShare - Connected Devices. If it is not there, restart the server on the 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 the HMS settings. We go to any folder and start the movie. Sometimes the TV may write that “File type is not supported”. Do not despair, this is a glitch, try to start again and everything will work out 2-3 times.
HMS Features
The advantages of a home media server from Serviio are as follows:
- on the TV you can see a clear folder structure of the PC;
- the ability to start playing media files on TV from the program itself on the PC. To do this, 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 work (after LG's PC SW DLNA is 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. The details of setting up the Home DLNA server are in the following video.
Other features
Features of the considered Home media server do not end with DLNA. HMS can also provide access to computer media resources using UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) technology and HTTP protocol. This is more relevant for smartphones and tablets.
But for DLNA, this server can still do a lot. For example, you can give access not only to computer resources, but also to the Internet radio stream and television IPTV. 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 options for transcoding media files in a format that is not supported on TV. How do you like that? All this will be discussed in the following articles, subscribe to our newsletter, as well as VKontakte and Twitter.
Note.
Home media server (UPnP)- a universal program that provides access to content hard drive your computer electronic devices, such as TVs, players, game consoles. Data is transmitted using the UPnP (DLNA) protocol. This program works with TVs, game consoles, music centers, mobile phones and smartphones.
Today, human life in modern realities is very difficult to imagine without high technology. Each of us is surrounded by laptops, computers, TVs, music centers. It often happens when you really want to watch your favorite movie on big TV or play in computer game through an attachment. To solve such problems, a multifunctional software package home media server for windows. With it, you can organize full access to all media content on your computer's hard drive.
Download Home Media Server for free
(35.7 MB)The Home Media Server program is small in size. You can set up a home media server in just a few minutes. Its main features include transcoding video and audio into a form that supports a TV or tape recorder. You can also set up subtitles, choose the right image size for any screen, and choose audio tracks on your own. The user has the ability to send Internet radio or TV directly to the TV or player.
If you can't see your life without digital television, you can also download a home media server. It supports all modern digital formats (C, S, T), works great with the program VLC Media Player and can use the Digital Media Renderer function to transmit digital signal to other electronic devices.
The home media server in Russian has wide functionality. It is possible to save transcoding profiles. Their use greatly simplifies the setup when connecting new devices. Downloading a free home media server (DLNA) is recommended for owners of Philips, Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Toshiba, Samsung TVs and players. Each of them has all the necessary connectors for interaction via the UPnP protocol with personal computer. Thus, with the help of this program, you can significantly expand the capabilities of these TVs.
All novice users are advised to look at the official website of this application. There is a wonderful forum where solutions to the most common problems are described in detail. You can also learn how to effectively connect a particular device.
You can download a home media server without registration and SMS on the SoftAtaka website. We always provide the latest and most relevant updates.
I recently realized that televisions are still in the last century. If mobile gadgets and computers are becoming more convenient, faster and simpler, then the only thing that changes in TVs is the screen size and resolution. It's not worth talking about convenience yet.
A TV without a media server on your computer or a special device is practically useless, unless you like to hang out. Therefore, I have selected the 5 best media servers for your computer that will upgrade your TV and make it much more functional.
Plex
PlexPlex is the most popular and perhaps the most convenient option. By running the server on a computer, you can manage it from a browser, set up a media library, add subtitles, and more. Plex downloads all the information about the movie automatically and does it perfectly 9 out of 10 times. The TV sees the Plex server without any problems and plays everything perfectly. The only negative of Plex and other similar programs is that the TV does not see the subtitles embedded in the movie, but for most this does not matter.
Plex is free, but for additional features you have to buy a subscription.
Plex
I used this server for a very long time on an old TV. It works quite well and unlike Plex, HMS is a whole combine, the functionality of which knows no bounds. The only negative will be the program's terrible interface, but since it is needed to play movies on a TV, this will not be a big problem. The program is absolutely free and is available only in the version for Windows.
Initially, the PS3 Media Server was distributed as an add-on to the PlayStation 3, allowing you to play movies on your TV using the console. Then the program began to live a separate life. Like the previous alternatives, it supports DLNA playback and doesn't require any setup fiddling.
Serviio is far from the most popular media server, but it also deserves a place in our top. The application is free, but for $25 you can buy the PRO version, which allows you to access your content from any network, not just your home network, and allows you to play content from the web (this feature is given as a preview and in free version). Serviio has apps for Android, but they act as a secondary control panel for the server side on the computer.
Kodi (former XBMC)
XBMC was created to bring video playback to the Xbox. Then the project split off and now Kodi is one of the most popular media centers, supporting almost all platforms due to open source. Kodi has apps for iOS and Android that allow you to use your smartphone as a remote control. The service lives on donations and is absolutely free.
KodiFor me, the clear favorite is Plex. And what do you use?