Download and install home media server. Your home multimedia server for TV

It's no secret that over time we accumulate a lot of all kinds of films, photographs and the like, and all this is usually stored on the computer.

But it wouldn’t be bad to watch a movie that you just downloaded from the network on a large TV, and not on a PC screen, but to do this you need to transfer this movie to a flash drive, or burn it to a disc.

In a word, there is a lot of unnecessary movement. But there are solutions, this is a multimedia server.

Don't be alarmed, this is not a completely separate computer with hard drives. This is a program that performs strictly the tasks assigned to it.

So let's look at several programs that can provide access to media content from other devices or programs.

Let's start with the theoretical basics of what DLNA and Smart Share are.

DLNA(in its own words) is a technology that allows devices that are connected to the same network and support DLNA technology to exchange media content (video, photos, music).

Now, almost all devices support DLNA technology: computers, TVs, smartphones, game consoles, etc.

Smart Share is a proprietary application (technology) of LG. If you can say so, then this is a kind of shell for working with DLNA.

Other TV manufacturers call these programs differently. Samsung has AllShare. SONY – VAIO Media Server.

And so, without a doubt, you can watch photos, films, etc. that are on your computer or even smartphone on your TV.

But first you need to set up DLNA (Smart Share) between your PC and TV (the TV must be able to connect to the network)

What does it mean?

This means that both the TV and the computer must be connected to the same one, no matter how they are connected. (via Wi-Fi or cable)

And so you have a router, but there is no Wi-Fi on the TV. We can simply lay a network cable from the router to the TV.

Our router must be connected to the Internet and configured. We also need a network cable. We connect one end of the cable to the router, into the yellow connector.

On the TV, connect the second end of the cable to the network connector.

You can debug the router itself using the knowledge gained in this article:

Next, we need to set up file distribution from the computer so that the TV can play videos from the required folders, or show photos. We just need to open up access for this. This can even be done using standard Windows Media Player.

But there is a very good and absolutely free program " Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)", which is an excellent analogue of Smart Share from LG, or for example AllShare from Samsung.

And so, friends, a media server for a computer that will upgrade your TV and make it much more functional.

Home Media Server

Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP) is a program that provides media resources (photos, audio and video files) of your computer to other UPnP (DLNA) devices on the home network.

For example, Philips, Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba TVs, Sony Playstation 3, XBOX 360 game consoles, WD TV Live, Popcorn Hour, Dune, Boxee Box, IconBit, ASUS O!Play, iPad/iPhone/iPod media players, mobile and PDA devices.

The program includes various audio and video file transcoders that allow you to convert media resources into a format supported by the playback device.

It is also possible to convert the frame format of video files to the screen format of the playback device (the color of the addition is specified by the user), select an audio track, and subtitles. You can choose to transcode from any minute.

The program includes transcoding profiles for VLC Media Player. You can redirect Internet radio and Internet television streams from your computer to your media devices.

The program supports Digital Television (C, S, T), you can redirect digital television streams from your computer to your media devices.

The program supports managing DMR (Digital Media Renderer) devices. You can use the “Play to” function for an individual device and a group of devices.

This is a whole harvester, the functionality of which knows no bounds.

The only drawback will be the terrible interface of the program, but since it is needed to play movies on the TV, this will not be a big problem. The program is absolutely free and is only available in the Windows version.

First, we need to download and install the program itself. I recommend downloading from the official website: //www.homemediaserver.ru/index.htm. There's always a new version there!

After installation, launch the program with a shortcut on the desktop. Let's go to the program settings. We won't do anything special there. We will simply indicate local drives, flash drives, external hard drives, or folders whose contents we want to see on the TV.

For example, you can open only a few folders with movies, photos and music.

A settings window will open. In the first category, Media Resources, we need to indicate which disks or folders we want to see on the TV. By default, standard folders with photos, videos and music are open there.

The program is trying to sort everything. And in order not to get confused in all these folders on the TV, I advise you to open shared access to local drives. This means that you can open any file on your 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 Add button on the right and select the desired folder, flash drive, or hard drive in Explorer. These are the basic settings, click on the Ok button and agree to scan media resources.

Next, you can start the DLNA server itself. To do this, simply click on the “Launch” button. Now, just turn on the TV. If everything is connected correctly, it should appear in the “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program.

To do this, go to the Playback Devices (DMR) tab, and on the right, click the Update button.

VIDEO:

So Plex .

The most popular and, perhaps, quite convenient option. Having launched the server on your computer, you can manage it from a browser, set up a media library, add subtitles, etc.

Plex downloads all the information about the movie automatically and does it perfectly in most cases. The TV sees the Plex server without any problems and plays everything perfectly.

The disadvantage of Plex and other similar programs is that the TV does not see the subtitles built into the film, but for me and I don’t think this has any special significance for you.
Plex is free, but you'll need to buy a subscription for additional features.
//plex.tv/

PS3 Media Server.

Initially, 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 previous alternatives, it supports DLNA playback and requires no fiddling with setup.
//www.ps3mediaserver.org/

Serviio, is far from the most popular multimedia server. The application is free, but for $25 you can buy a PRO version, which allows access to your content from any network, not just your home one.

And this allows you to play content from the WEB (this function is provided as an introduction in the free version). Serviio has Android apps, but they act as a secondary control panel for the back end on the computer.
//www.serviio.org/

Kodi or (XBMC)

XBMC was created to bring video playback functionality 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 its open source.

Kodi has apps for iOS and Android that allow you to use your smartphone as a remote control. The service relies on donations and is absolutely free.
//kodi.tv/

Good luck, Friends!

Name: Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP) 2.19
Evgeny Lachinov
Year: 2016
Platform: PC

System Requirements:
- Windows 95,98,ME,2000,XP,2003,Vista,2008,Seven 8
- UNIX-like systems using Wine (http://www.winehq.org)
- MAC OS using WineBottler (http://winebottler.kronenberg.org), CrossOver Mac (http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac)
Interface language:Russian
License Free (FreeWare)

Description: Home media server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP) - a program that provides media resources (photos, audio and video files) of your computer to other UPnP (DLNA) devices on the home network, for example: Philips, Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba TVs , game consoles Sony Playstation 3, XBOX 360, media players WD TV Live, Popcorn Hour, Dune, Boxee Box, IconBit, ASUS O!Play, iPad/iPhone/iPod, mobile and PDA devices.

The program includes various audio and video file transcoders that allow you to convert media resources into a format supported by the playback device. It is also possible to convert the frame format of video files to the screen format of the playback device (the color of the addition is specified by the user), select an audio track, and subtitles. You can choose to transcode from any minute.

The program includes transcoding profiles for VLC Media Player. You can redirect Internet radio and Internet television streams from your computer to your media devices.

The program supports Digital Television (C, S, T), you can redirect digital television streams from your computer to your media devices.

The program supports managing DMR (Digital Media Renderer) devices. You can use the "Play to" function for an individual device and a group of devices.

The program supports external and internal subtitles. If the device does not support subtitles, then the program can include subtitles (2D and 3D) in the video stream during transcoding.

Tested by me on PHILIPS LED 46 PFL 6806H/12.
Rewinding from the TV remote works!

My connection: Laptop - Wi-Fi - router - cable - TV

Update to version 2.19 (2.14) - (2.19) (2.15) - (2.19) (2.17) - (2.19) (2.18) - (2.19)

Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP) (version 2.19)

1. Settings - Media resources - Information about the catalog of media resources:
added the "Scanning torrent files" setting (disabled by default). Playing torrent files through transcoding, successful viewing depends on the network speed, computer characteristics and the number of torrent clients.
2. Settings - Media resources - Internet resources:
added setting "Torrent protocol parameters": portbegin-portend - ports (default 6881-6889) that libtorrent will use for connections, if the first port is busy, then libtorrent will use the next one in the valid range, etc., sslport - port for secure (SSL) connections, if 0 (default), then the SSL port is not opened.

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

You just need to connect the TV to your computer via a network cable, or simply to one network, start a DLNA server on your 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 produces various errors, or it closes on its own. You can read about this in the comments that visitors left on 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 Smart Share from LG, or for example AllShare from Samsung.

“Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” is 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 instruction 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 a large number of settings.

We will not delve into all the nuances, but will only consider how to open shared access to the necessary folders or drives. How to create a server and how to start watching a movie using DLNA technology on your TV.

Connecting a TV to use DLNA technology

Before we start 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 move on to the next step.

We need to connect the laptop and TV to the network. If you have a router installed at home, then just connect your computer to this router, via cable or via Wi-Fi, it doesn’t matter. And you need to connect the TV to the same router. You can connect your TV the same way, or via Wi-Fi (see connection instructions ) .

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

What to do if you don't have a router?

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

It looks something like this:

Connecting this way should work fine. But my 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 on how to connect them without a cable and without a router. But I’m not sure what will work and this method is only suitable 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 files on the computer.

I think we have sorted out the connection. 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 recommend downloading from the official website: . There is always a new version and it is safer.

Save the archive to your computer. To install, simply run the setup.exe file, which is located 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 indicate local drives, flash drives, external hard drives, or folders whose contents we want to see on the TV. For example, you can open only a few folders with movies, photos and music.

A settings window will open. In the first category, Media resources, we need to indicate 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 is trying to sort everything. And in order not to get confused in all these folders on the TV, I advise you to open shared access to local drives. By default, if I'm not mistaken, access to them is already open. Check if the checkbox next to Local disks.

If installed, this means that you can open any file on your 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 Explorer.

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

We wait while the program scans the folders and disk. Next, you can start the DLNA server itself. To do this, simply click on the “ Launch“.

We see a message stating that the server is running.

Now, just turn on the TV. If everything is connected correctly, 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 Update.

If our TV appears, 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 that is located in those folders and drives to which we have opened access. Right-click on a photo, for example, and select “Play on“, then select 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. It is much better to go through the TV and open the necessary files. To do this, leave the server running. You can hide the “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program. Click on the red cross (close the program), and it will hide in the notification panel.

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

We start viewing files via DLNA from the TV

This means the server is running on the computer, 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 application may be called differently.

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

Open the folder My computer, and we see our local drives there, and other folders to which we have opened 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. “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” has a lock that prevents the computer from going to sleep when it is being used as a server.

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

If something doesn’t work out, write in the comments, we’ll try to figure it out.

Also on the site:

We configure the DLNA server using the “Home Media Server (UPnP, DLNA, HTTP)” program. View files from your computer on your TV updated: February 7, 2018 by: admin

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 on TVs is the screen size and resolution. There’s no point in talking about convenience yet.

A TV without a media server on your computer or a special device is practically a useless thing, unless you like to hang out. Therefore, I have selected the 5 best media servers for a computer that will upgrade your TV and make it much more functional.

Plex

Plex is the most popular and perhaps convenient option. Having launched the server on your computer, you can manage it from a browser, set up a media library, add subtitles, etc. Plex downloads all the information about the movie automatically and does it perfectly in 9 cases out of 10. The TV sees the Plex server without any problems and plays everything perfectly. The only downside to Plex and other similar programs is that the TV does not see the subtitles built into the movie, but for most this does not matter.

Plex is free, but you'll need to buy a subscription for additional features.

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 drawback will be the terrible interface of the program, but since it is needed to play movies on the TV, this will not be a big problem. The program is absolutely free and is only available in the Windows version.

Initially, 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 previous alternatives, it supports DLNA playback and requires no fiddling with setup.

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 a PRO version, which allows you to access your content from any network, not just your home one, and allows you to play content from the web (this function is provided as a preview in the free version). Serviio has Android apps, but they act as a secondary control panel for the back end on the computer.

Kodi (formerly XBMC)

XBMC was created to bring video playback functionality 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 its open source. Kodi has apps for iOS and Android that allow you to use your smartphone as a remote control. The service relies on donations and is absolutely free.

For me, Plex is a clear favorite. What do you use?

Today you will learn how to properly connect a TV to a computer and all the possibilities of such a connection, as well as how to organize viewing of your media library on Smart TV and other devices that support a home DLNA server.

What is DLNA?

The Integrated Digital Network Consortium (DLNA) is a group of companies that have come together to create a common, open standard for connecting devices so that all DLNA-enabled clients can automatically view media content from each other while on the same network.

What devices support DLNA?

DLNA technology is compatible with any devices:

• smart TVs;
• smartphones and tablets;
• PCs and laptops;
• media players and Blu-ray players;
• game consoles;
• home media servers (NAS);
• wireless printers;
• photo and video cameras;
• audio systems.

All DLNA-enabled devices have a corresponding logo or sticker indicating the type of digital content supported (for example, audio, video, photos), as well as the purpose: server, printer, player, etc. Most devices from major manufacturers such as Intel, HP, Motorola, HTC, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic, etc. support DLNA. Apple has developed its own standard - AirPlay. If you have an Apple device, then using it in your media network, consisting of clients from other manufacturers, is not possible.

How does the DLNA network work?

As you already understand, DLNA devices are designed for mutual connection: creating a multimedia network between themselves. Each device is assigned its own type depending on its purpose. For example, any storage device: smartphone, media player, TV or PC can belong to both the Digital Media Server and Digital Media Player types, because they are capable of both receiving and playing digital content from another DLNA device.

How to create a DLNA network?

A wireless router (or wi-fi router) is the central element in the network and is used to connect devices to each other in a common home wireless network.

Equipment for building a home network with DLNA

You will need:

• TV with DLNA support;
• DLNA digital media server (for example, file server, PC, laptop or media player with HDD);
• wi-fi router.

I will talk about building a DLNA network not only with a wireless connection, you can also use a wired method of connecting devices, instead of a wi-fi router, use a regular router (switch) to connect the file source (home server - DLNA server) with a display device (DLNA client). You can also use (to distribute the Internet via the power grid), in addition, you will need Ethernet cables to connect devices to your network.

How to set up a DLNA home media server?

1 Connect a DLNA-enabled TV to a wi-fi router (for example, Samsung with Smart TV).

Option 1 - wired connection. Connect using an Ethernet cable to the router. It is enough to connect one end of the cable to the LAN port of the TV, and the other to a free port of the router (or switch, depending on the structure of your network).

Option 2 - wireless connection. If you are using a wi-fi router (wireless router), then just connect the TV to an existing wireless network via the built-in or external (USB) wi-fi adapter, directly to the router. If the TV is very far from the router, then you can install a wireless bridge (use the router in Bridge mode or buy one) to connect the TV to the router. I also recommend reading the article about. The wireless bridge connects to the TV via the LAN port, and to the router via a Wi-Fi access point.

Option 3 – connection using Powerline adapters. This type of connection uses the mains power without running Ethernet cables. This method will help you set up a home network using existing electrical wiring and you will no longer need cables to connect DLNA clients. Powerline adapters are produced by almost all network equipment manufacturers: TP-Link, Netgear, D-Link, etc. They are called Powerline devices. Next, you simply connect the plug of your router, TV and other devices to the power outlet as usual, but now all your devices will form a DLNA network.

2 Add other DLNA compatible devices to your home network

Now you can connect DLNA servers to the router (devices from which you want to play files on your smart TV) - PC, laptop, phone or media player. All servers will be displayed on the smart TV since they are on the same network and you can play the content that is stored on their media. There are different ways to configure different types of devices on a DLNA network.

PCs and laptops on a DLNA network

Connect your computer or laptop to your router or router using any of the above options. The most important point in setting up DLNA on a PC or laptop: the need to install the appropriate program - media center (media shell). The most popular of them (each program has a link with information about it and settings):

• Serviio

It is possible not to install media center applications to create a DLNA server, but use Windows Media Player 11 or 12. To use them as a DLNA server, you must allow access to files on your laptop or PC: open Windows Media Player, go to Options menu, then open the Windows Media File Sharing tab and enable media sharing.

You can select a media shell to use as a DLNA server from the list above. After installing the program you like to create a media center (DLNA server), you should configure it and select files (photos, videos, music files) to transfer to a TV or other display device.

Mobile devices on the DLNA network

3 Setting up DLNA on your TV

Once you have connected all DLNA devices, turn on the TV and go to the home screen of your Smart TV (using the example of a Samsung TV). Find and launch the AllShare app, which lets you find music, photos, and videos stored on DLNA devices on your network.

If you have a Sony TV (model before 2015), then you need to turn it on, press the “Home” button and turn on “Media Player”. Once you select the content type: music, photos or videos, you will be able to see the DLNA servers on your home network.

4 Using DLNA on Android OS

To watch videos from a computer on smartphones and tablets with the Android operating system, you need to install a special application. There are quite a few such applications; I can recommend MediaHouse or Bubble UPnP, which can be downloaded for free on Google Play.

After you install the application, you need to take a few simple steps:

• select the source - your computer or other device with DLNA support and installed, from which you will watch the video;
• select the receiver, that is, your Android OS device;
• select a video from the list of available files.

In addition to universal applications, mobile device manufacturers offer their own software with DLNA support. Samsung has AllShare, LG has SmartShare, etc.

Using DLNA-enabled apps on Android devices requires no setup. It is enough to launch a DLNA server (for example, Kodi on a computer), and it will immediately appear in the list of available connections in the application on your smartphone or tablet. Select your computer from the list, click “Browse” and specify the required folder. Don't forget that your smartphone can also act as a DLNA server.