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DLNA Advanced - The Role of Each Network Media Component in Media Sharing

to find out more about DLNA, The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) organisation is an independant body that design specifications that make it easy for people to share their media over a home network even if the devices are made by different equipment manufacturers.

DLNA Sitelink

Whilst it's very appealing to share your media being your photos, music and movies between computers  and your viewing devices in your home theatre or media room, if you are non-technical the thought of setting up things on your home network may be daunting. 

From a 'veteran' DLNA installer, be comfortable that when you connect a modern DLNA certified network media component to your home network, it will simply appear in other networked DLNA components' menus. Your computers and other media devices discover and recognize the device without any special network setup required. This is the primary benefit of the DLNA architecture.

DLNA Media Players Screen Interface

Note that often you will see the DLNA logo on a piece of equipment or its brochure but it rarely notes what certification it has been given by DLNA. To really know a product's capabilities or device class, you need to know its area of certification. The DLNA website lists a mass of products under each certification type and from a large range of vendors. With this information you can better search for products that fit the capabilities you are looking for. Remember, to set up a basic system you probably only need a Digital Media Server, a Digital Media Player, a Digital Media Controller and / or a Digital Media Renderer.


Advanced DLNA types    

Other DLNA certifications / device classes include those for digital media printers and specific certifications for mobile devices. The mobile certifications include Mobile Digital Media Server (or M-DMS), Mobile Digital Media Player (or M-DMP), and Mobile Digital Media Controller (or M-DMC).

There are also special DLNA certifications for Mobile Digital Media Uploader and Mobile Digital Media Downloader. These certifications relate to the mobile device's ability to upload media through the network to a computer or other media server. An uploader can send files to be saved on a media server. A camera may have this ability so you don't have to connect directly to the computer or other device. Similarly, a mobile digital media downloader can find media on your computers or media servers and save the file to itself. For example, you can find music on your music library and load it to your phone via the home network.


Microsoft Windows 7 and the new MS Windows 8 are not DLNA certified themselves, but are compatible with DLNA as a Digital Media Server, Digital Media Renderer and Digital Media Controller however you will need to set up a network home group for media sharing. Most Digital Media Players are also Digital Media Renderers. This means that you can send files to play on it or you can choose files from sources directly from the player's menu.
    If you are looking at the list of digital media renderers on your controller -- smartphone or computer app, or camera-- and you don't see a media player that is connected to your home network, then it is not a Digital Media Renderer. You can not send media to that device.
    Once you have used a Digital Media Controller to start playback from the Digital Media Server (the media library's source) to the Digital Media Renderer (that's playing the streamed media), you no longer need the controller. In other words, if you used a cell phone to start the playback, you could leave with the phone and the playback would continue.

Understanding the DLNA certifications helps you to understand what is possible in home networking. DLNA makes it possible to walk in with your cell phone loaded with photos and videos from your day at the beach, press a button and start it playing on your TV without making any connections. A great example of DLNA in action is Samsung's "AllShare"(TM). AllShare is built into Samsung's line of DLNA certified networked entertainment products--from cameras, to laptops, to TVs, home theaters and Blu-ray Disc players--creating a truly connected home entertainment experience.

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