Build a smart TV network

Boost your TV’s IQ with a tuned DLNA server — Neil Mohr shows you how.

 

To do this, you’ll need:

Hardware: You’ll need something to serve the files from. This can be a lowly NAS box, or a more substantial system if you want to make use of full transcoding, though many formats play directly.
Software: A DLNA server of some description would be useful. We’re going to use Serviio because it’s one of the more reliable options, though Windows Media Player or Plex are both perfectly workable.

You might not want a smart TV in your home, but at some point you’re probably going to own one, just like you’re going to own a 3D TV. These sort of features are fast becoming standard. Take the Panasonic 2012 lineup of 22 models, for example. Of these models, only five lack any connected ‘smart’ features.
But what’s so smart about these new televisions? It’s happened very quickly, but TVs are now hooking into home networks. Using the DLNA standard, they’re more than prepared to talk to anything else that’s on the same network.
This has the potential for some interesting uses, such as wirelessly streaming a video you’ve taken on your mobile phone to your smart TV. Well, perhaps that’s the most interesting one, but it also means you can easily share media stored on any PC with not just your TV, but any DLNA device. Your phone, tablet and other media streaming devices will all happily work together, as they’re capturing DLNA-ready content and pushing it to other DLNA-ready devices.
It’s when you throw our old friend the PC into the equation that it gets complicated. The PC’s endless versatility and longevity mean you’re likely to have videos and music lying around stored in codecs that haven’t seen the light of day since last millennium.
What you need is an intermediary software service that turns your computer into an all-singing, all-video serving, DLNA-compliant device that your smart TV (and anything else for that matter) can see and play from over your network.

Serving up

For this project we’re going to use the Serviio media server. It’s more complex than other options, but as far as we’re concerned, it’s the most accomplished free DLNA server out there. It’s certainly not the only option though. You can use the Windows Media Player-based UPnP/DLNA streaming, but it tends to be picky about what it wants to share and presents those files to connected devices as a huge, unsorted list. We’ve also recommended Plex in the past, but although it does a good job as a DLNA server, we’ve run into transcoding issues, and Serviio offers internet feeds that Plex doesn’t.
That last point is an interesting one, if not an entirely solid feature. Serviio has a flexible plug-in system that lets you add online streams, sources and other online on-demand video and audio services into the DLNA environment. It’s a clever system because it means any DLNA device can now access the likes of ABC iview, PLUS7, YouTube and more, even if they can’t access the web pages originally or lack a suitable app.
We say it’s not entirely solid because it depends on there being a set ‘feed’ web page — either an RSS/Atom feed, or a web page that catalogues the feeds for a series or channel. Serviio then uses the plug-in to parse the feed or page and generate the standard DLNA-compatible list of media. The problem is, the system breaks if the original feed or web page changes, which happens more often than you’d think. For example, one issue we encountered recently was due to one of the TV sites switching to capitalised program names — a subtle change, but one that was big enough to break the plug-in completely. You have to remember that it’s not entirely stable in that respect.
There may be an additional option available from your television manufacturer, which may provide DLNA server software. Not all do, but Samsung does with its AllShare system, while LG MediaLink ties into Plex. It also seems that Sony has recently launched a tool of its own called Homestream, though oddly enough, this is just Serviio with new icons.

Target profiles

DLNA has gained traction over UPnP because it’s a targeted subset of UPnP, specifying a small range of supported media formats, rather than the open-ended specification of UPnP. This leaves it as more of a transport and communication protocol for DLNA to ride on. The various formats it supports breaks down into the following categories:

• Image: JPEG, PNG
• Audio: AC-3, AMR, ATRAC3, LPCM, MP3, MPEG-4, WMA Video: MPEG 1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 p2 (DivX), MPEG-4 p10 (H.264), WMV9.
• Containers: MPEG PS/TS, MP4, ASF (for video)

You’ll notice there are no ancient formats in the list, such as AVI, MKV or even VC-1/WMV10 support. Any file not supported has to be remixed into a supported container in the best case, and in the worst case, re-encoded and remixed; in other words, transcoded to a supported format and container. So if you’ve tried UPnP servers in the past and failed to get them to play nicely with your smart TV, this is the likely reason. That’s where Serviio or a similar service comes in to fill the gap and provide a beautiful media world to live in.

Encode profiling

Nothing is ever easy and with DLNA especially so. Most PC-based DLNA servers provide a profile system. Why? It seems that despite the standard, every DLNA device has slightly different specifications for the type of video/audio they’ll take, as well as being fussy about the resolution and/or the stream’s bit rate. In the case of computer-based devices such as the Xbox 360, PS3, tablets and PCs, these profiles are more complex because some only take specific containers and formats. The Xbox is WMV, the iPad only likes MOV and the PS3 is after MP4. These most common devices will already have a profile in the ‘Program Files > Serviio > Config > profiles.xml’ file, which you can edit with a text editor to update for new devices or TVs. Some devices, such as the iPad, have specific issues because they only accept MOV or MPEG-TS files, which can’t be re-encoded on the fly. You therefore need a custom app to support alternate DLNA-friendly files, which then have to use the CPU for decoding.

A smart start

Getting your not-so-smart TV operational.

Step 1: Not another firmware

Now that TVs are as smart as your PC, there’s another device in the home with firmware for you to update, alongside its built-in software and upgradeable online content. It’s well worth doing, though, because newer firmware can add up-to-date codec support. You’ll need a USB stick for the download from the support site.

Step 2: Home Server or not

We’ll be looking at the standard Windows install of Serviio, but just so you know, those clever guys have produced a Windows Home Server add-in for all versions up to 2011. This provides a ‘Serviio’ tab as part of your main Windows Home Server dashboard. To grab this version, just browse to serviiowhs.codeplex.com and download it from there.

Step 3: NAS & tablets

Serviio is very clever. Alongside Windows, Mac and Linux support, it can also be installed onto a number of NAS devices, such as the Western Digital My Book Live and D-Link DNS-320/5. To find out how, check the wiki.serviio.org web page. There’s also a free Android app called ServiiDroid, which provides remote management of your local Serviio server.

Serving up DLNA

Get media streaming up and running.

Step 1: Get up & Running

Download and install the latest build from www.serviio.org via the ‘Download’ tab. Since Serviio is a Linux-based open-source development, it’s a service foremost and an interface second. Thankfully, there’s a GUI console available from the ‘Start’ menu and the notification area. This will provide all the main controls, along with feedback on connected clients.

Step 2: Adding media

Click the ‘Library’ tab — this is the main area to add media you want to share. Two columns indicate whether Serviio should attempt to scrape metadata for videos, or if it should automatically update the library with newly detected files. Just click ‘Add local’ to add folders of your stored media and state if (and how often) it should re-scan these.

Step 3: Metadata scrapings

Serviio will pass thumbnails to your DLNA devices to give you a prettier interface. It’ll also use various online sources to try and scrape film and TV metadata, and serve this up as well. There’s an option to use your own XBMC-formatted .NFO files from XBMC itself, or a standalone scraper like www.mikinho.com/yammm or www.mediacentermaster.com.

Step 4: Transcoding

Take a look at the ‘Transcoding’ tab. You’ll want to make sure the right number of cores are allocated to the job. On a quad-core CPU, for example, you may only want to allocate two. We suggest keeping the original audio because most devices can handle most default streams. We found that even a lowly 1.5GHz AMD Turion II could manage 720p HD media.

Step 5: Stream away

At this point you can happily give your new DLNA server a spin. The majority of files should play just fine with transcoding, including MKV. Subtitles don’t work unless they’re embedded in the original file and are supported by the target device. Fast-forward and rewind should work, but transcoding can limit the range.

Step 6: Troubleshooting

If you run into problems, make sure your device is marked green and is using the correct profile. If not, try a generic one. If this doesn’t help, check the forum for user-created profiles. If some files play and you’re trying an .AVI file, it’s likely it’s using variable bit rate audio — try using VirtualDub and re-save the file with Direct Stream for both streams to remove this.

Adding extra services

Online streaming services are just a plug-in away.

Step 1: Installing plug-ins

The online resource plug-ins are an ongoing development. If you head to forum.serviio.org and check out the ‘Available Plugins’ forum, you’ll find links to the latest builds for the likes of the BBC iPlayer and YouTube. These are .GROOVY files and need to be copied into the ‘Program files > Serviio > Plugins’ folder.

Step 2: Adding feeds

Those .GROOVY files tell Serviio how to decode the various web pages or RSS feeds to DLNA-friendly output. You’ll find suggestions for feeds and pages in the same thread as the plug-in. To add one, select ‘Library > Online sources’, then click ‘Add > RSS feed’. Enter feeds.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/highlights/tv, give it a display name and click ‘Add’.

Step 3: Web resources

If someone is suggesting a web page that lists a series of episodes, then this is likely a ‘Web Resource’ option. If these work correctly on your smart TV, they’ll be found under the ‘Online’ entry in the ‘Serviio’ menu. You should be able to pause and rewind.

Step 4: Error checking

The log file is hidden in the ‘Program files > Serviio > Logs’ folder. This provides detailed debug information, so if a file fails to play, this should be your first port of call. Check for 404 or 500 errors, as these will indicate an issue connecting to the web server. Try temporarily disabling any IP filters or firewalls and then check any URLs before retrying them on the TV.

Smart enough TV

The real issue with smart TVs is that they’re not quite smart enough. Thankfully, a PC will unlock almost all of your home video, audio and picture content. We certainly didn’t have issues with any of our modern 720p HD content playing from our low-power HP ProLiant server. Upping this to 1080p caused regular shudders as the CPU bobbed along above the 90% mark. We found that MKVs worked fine, but .AVI files tended to be hit and miss; the issue related to variable bit rate audio with no current built-in fix.
We had a much better time with streaming services. These take more work to implement — it requires integrating individual channels or series, but are useful if you know you’re going to watch something regularly. These are fetched over the web, so keep in mind that any IP filters, firewalls or other blocks will still apply to these streams. If they don’t work immediately, go through the error logs to see what’s reported. A standard 404 or 500 error implies the site is being blocked somewhere along the way.

from http://apcmag.com/build-a-smart-tv-network.htm
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How to stream to a DLNA device

DLNA stands for the fairly non-descript 'Digital Living Network Alliance' but it's a subset of UPnP (Universal Plug and Play).

DLNA stands for the fairly non-descript 'Digital Living Network Alliance' but it's a subset of UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), a group of protocols designed to enable compliant devices to locate each other over a network and share media without the user having to worry about passwords or network protocols.
Most so-called 'smart' TVs support DLNA, but even if you don't have a smart TV, you probably already have a DLNA-capable device you can plug in -- PS3 and Xbox 360 games consoles are DLNA-compliant, as is the WD TV Live and many other network media players.
The trick with DLNA is that like iOS and Live Streaming, you need a DLNA/UPnP server running somewhere on your network where your movies are located. Now there are a few options -- Windows 7 actually supports DLNA streaming through its 'Play to' feature inside Windows Media Player 12. If you want a non-Microsoft free option, TVersity (free but feature-limited) is worth a shot but I prefer Serviio -- it's totally free, runs on Windows, Mac OS X or Linux and has a wide device support list covering TVs, iPhones and the WD TV Live. It'll even handle active streaming with onboard transcoding.
While many smart TVs are basically ARM-based computers bolted onto big LCD panels, DLNA is simple enough to enable more consumer-focused devices like games consoles and compliant Blu-ray players do give you networked media playback. However, in practice, it doesn't always work smoothly, especially if the server doesn't understand which codecs the playback device can cope with. That's why having a DLNA server that understands the playback device's capabilities makes all the difference.

Stream video to an Xbox 360

Step 1:
Download and install Serviio it onto your network server, PC or notebook. Share a folder on your PC that contains your movies and/or music files.

Step 2:
Fire up your Xbox 360 and hook it into your network (either Wi-Fi or Ethernet) via Settings > System > Network Settings.

Step 3:
Launch the Serviio Console on your PC (right-click on the System Tray icon and choose 'Open Serviio Console'). Your Xbox 360 (or PS3) should appear in the Render Profile list. Make sure the render profile says 'Xbox 360'. Select the 'Library' tab, press the 'Add local' button and choose the shared folder with your movie files. Check the five boxes at the end of the new entry line.

Step 4:
On your Xbox, back out of the 'Network Settings' and from the menu, navigate to 'Video > My Video Apps > Video Player'. Your PC and the Serviio server should now appear in the device list on the 'Select Source' screen. Click on it and your shared videos should appear. Click on one and it should play.

Why DLNA is good to have

With DLNA, you can even extend the capabilities of network media players. Here's a quick example: Western Digital's WD TV Live doesn't support FLV videos but it is DLNA-compliant. By dumping your FLV clips into a folder shared with Serviio, your WDTV Live will play them through Serviio's live transcoding feature.

from http://apcmag.com/how-to-stream-video-to-a-dlna-device.htm
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DLNA explained: move media around your home

how this evolving technology enables you to easily share media throughout your home.

It wasn't too long ago that the only way to get movies, music and photos from your computer to your TV was to shell out $2,000 on a home media centre PC. Then came networked PVRs, media-playing games consoles and, lately, TVs and Blu-ray players that can plug into your network and play content without any intervention on your part.

Indeed, today's consumer electronics devices offer more flexibility when it comes to computer content than ever before – and it's all possible thanks to DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), a rapidly-evolving standard that lets the devices easily find and stream content from networked sources.

DLNA specifies the way devices find each other and share content across a home network. It's based on UPnPAV (Universal Plug and Play Audio and Video), a media-focused subset of the UPnP protocol used by ADSL routers, Wi-Fi base stations, storage arrays, computers, printers, and other devices to find and communicate with each other.

DLNA compatibility is administered by an independent body that was formed in 2003 by Sony. It now has over 250 member companies – including core technology makers like Broadcom and Dolby Laboratories as well as consumer-electronics giants Ericsson, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. More than 9,000 devices have been tested to 'DLNA Certified' interoperability guidelines; estimates from ABI Research suggest there are over 440 million certified devices in the world, and this number is growing quickly.

Apple, you will note, isn't on the list. That's because it has long favoured its own Bonjour discovery protocol and Digital Audio Access Protocol (DAAP). Like its companion Digital Photo Access Protocol (DPAP), DAAP is based on the underlying Digital Media Access Protocol (DMAP) to move media over wired and wireless networks between iTunes, third-party servers and – using the new AirPlay feature – compliant devices such as the Apple TV.

Reach out and touch your media

Each DLNA device is classified according to its capabilities. A Digital Media Server (DMS), for example, is a computer, NAS or other device that stores content and shares it across a network. The DMS typically organises your videos and photos by date, music by genre or playlist, and so on so it’s easy to browse from devices powered by nothing more than a remote control.
A DLNA Digital Media Player (DMP) is the client-side device – your TV, Blu-ray player, PVR, Xbox, PS3, or other device – that uses UPnP’s underlying protocols to find a DMS and play its content onscreen.

Other DLNA classes are a bit more abstract: a Digital Media Renderer (DMR), for example, is any hardware device or software program that’s capable of playing DLNA-delivered content. A Digital Media Controller (DMC) finds DMS content and plays it on a DMR, while Digital Media Printer (DMPr) devices facilitate movement of photos to printers.

One of the nice things about DLNA is it can be implemented on so many devices; this used to be an academic discussion because it was so rare, but today’s tablet computers, smartphones and TVs can now act as DMRs – letting you access your content from any compatible device.

The DLNA specification includes five additional device types – Mobile DMS (M-DMS), Mobile DMP (M-DMP), Mobile DMC (M-DMC), Mobile Digital Media Uploader (M-DMU) and Mobile Digital Media Downloader (M-DMD). Although they work in a largely similar way to their fixed equivalents, identification of a device as mobile allows the DMS to adapt the content to its capabilities – for example, by using a lower bit rate to accommodate lower-bandwidth mobile connections.

DLNA also includes a Mobile Network Connectivity Function (MNC-F) specification to facilitate links between mobile devices and fixed networks, and a Media Interoperability Unit (MIU) capability that handles the actual transcoding of content from one format to another to suit the target device.

Finally, DLNA’s Protected Streaming Guidelines – based on DTCP-IP (Digital Transmission Content Protection) digital rights management encryption – were recently adopted as an international standard for preserving copy-protection controls as content is pushed around home networks.

At your service (usually)

Broad usage of DLNA has only emerged in the past couple of years as growth in the number of DLNA server applications brought new capabilities to market. Use of DLNA as the driver behind Windows 7 Media Center may be credited with bringing the concept into the mainstream – users can easily push media via DLNA from their computer on their Xbox or other DLNA-compatible devices – and there are a host of DLNA servers that can be set up across Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. Jamcast, Mezzmo, PS3 Media Server, TVMOBiLi and Serviio are among the applications that can publish your media content across your network – or, in some cases, via Internet ‘cloud’ services.

Not all servers offer the same features, however: some are basic music-streaming tools, while others support certain types of videos, only broadcast to certain devices, and do or do not offer transcoding features.

One of the most widely used platforms is PacketVideo’s TwonkyMedia Server, a cross-platform DMS that comes bundled with many NAS devices and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux – and, most recently, iOS and Android-based phones and tablets.

“Our mission was to make connectivity and multi-screen support an enabler for use cases that people would want,” says PacketVideo chief technology officer Osama al-Shaykh. “We’re extending that to the mobile phone so that all the media you have on your phone should be able to play on a larger screen.”

This last change has become a major differentiator in the market, as smartphones get high-definition media capabilities and manufacturers increasingly position them at the centre of your media life. Just like Apple with its proprietary iPhone and iPad-based Airplay technology, Samsung, LG and other makers are tying their smartphones to their media-playing consumer electronics devices – and DLNA is the glue that makes it possible.

Load Twonky Mobile onto your Android or iOS smartphone, for example, and you can instantly broadcast any movies, pictures or music on your phone across the network to be played on your TV, computer, Xbox, PS3, Blu-ray player and so on. The latest version also supports Apple’s AirPlay, allowing you to beam your content to an Apple TV.

The fight for DLNA

The ability to easily move media between devices is a compelling use case, and vendors know it. New apps are utilising DLNA to quickly move new photographs between phone and computer, for example, while vendors are increasingly taking ownership of DLNA – rebadging it as a feature in a change intended to make it easier for consumers to grasp.

Samsung, for one, has rebadged its DLNA offering as AllShare, offering an AllShare server for Windows and bundling the feature across its products as a way to help them quickly exchange media files. “It’s very important to our strategy,” says Consumer Electronics Group manager Brad Wright. “But as soon as you say ‘networking’ to a consumer they go all ‘shock horror’, and remember going through it in early years trying to get things connected.”

“The point of DLNA is to simplify the way things happen. While consumers might not know what DLNA means, if you tell them they can share content, they understand. It’s a very easy-to-use consumer experience.”

There are concerns with this trend, however: some vendors may well not implement DLNA fully, using it to tie in smartphone and device purchases but hobbling interoperability with other manufacturers’ devices. Some DLNA servers designed for PS3s, for example, won’t recognise other types of DMP while many Sony Blu-ray players and TVs can play MPEG-2 and DivX content using DLNA but cannot play MPEG-4 videos because they lack the right codecs.

As DLNA becomes more pervasive, interoperability should improve – but consumers still need to be careful. “I’m a big fan of standards, but implementors of DLNA don’t always implement everything,” says al-Shaykh.

“They only implement what’s mandatory in their particular area. But if we focus on what makes the business best, consumers won’t necessarily accept it. We need to focus on consumers first, and pay attention to the small details, and the rest will come.”

from http://apcmag.com/dlna-moves-media-around-your-home.htm