WDTV Live DLNA and why you should use it

[ptricks]

Many people are butting their heads against windows 7 when really the solution is pretty easy. The WDTV box is DLNA 1.5 certified. DLNA was created so that all the different devices, media players, TV, bluray players, game consoles, picture frames, mp3 players could share media in the home. Most of these devices do not support samba, logins, security or special file systems. So DLNA solves that problem. 

Right click the folder you want to share with the WDTV and pick include in library. It does not move the folder , it merely places a link to it in your library. Then turn on media streaming . On the WDTV box look under media servers and the files will be there. No passwords, security or anything to mess with.  People should get familiar with DLNA now because it will be used in the  future for all devices sold for the home. Things like digital picture frames are not going to come with support for  samba and file sharing . 

Another reason to use it is that windows7 will ask the WDTV box what it supports before it streams. If windows 7 can play a file but the WDTV box cannot then windows 7 will automatically transcode the file . Meaning that if you can make windows 7 play  a file then it will always play on the WDTV regardless of whether the box supports it or not.  It does not always transcode files either, so things like MKV will play in their native format, so don't worry about windows 7 messing with the picture quality on supported files.

Of course you are free to keep trying to use samba and making all your files compatible with that and having to change things around every time you buy a new device. But I prefer to go ahead and learn how to use DLNA , setup my files and network for it and buy new devices, bring them home, plug them in and they work without me having to mess with settings or my network.

For more info on media streaming open help and support in windows and type streaming in the search , it details the whole process. 

There are also DLNA servers you can install on your pc and they do not need passwords/file sharing setups either.

List showing pros/cons of other DLNA servers if you want something other than the win7 version:

http://www.rbgrn.net/content/21-how-to-choose-dlna-media-server-windows-mac-os-x-or-linux

I recommend tversity for new users. It is easy to setup and adds support for hulu . 

http://tversity.com/

I prefer playon if you really want to expand the WDTV  capabilities. It has a free trial but is $40 after the trial.  It adds support for local file streaming along with hulu, netflix, discovery channel, fox news, MTV, podcast, southpark and tons more with plugins:

http://www.playon.tv/playon

Plugins:

http://www.playonplugins.com/index.php?board=2.0

[ElectricMuse]

Thanks a Tonne. I was struggling with Vista Windows Media Player and sharing, syncing, streaming with no avail. Just downloaded TVersity and within a minute everything is working fine. Super ...

[DBilly]

I agree with the advantages of DLNA.

When I got my WDTVLive unit I did only 3 things in Vista Home Premium to get my movies on HDD to show on my TV:

- shared the MOVIES folder on my HDD

- enabled/started-made automatic the media sharing service

- did an automatic network setup on my WDTVLive

It took all of 5 minutes to watch my first movie on my TV via the WDTVLive box.

[imoroz84]

Thank you very much for your post. I absolutely agree - DLNA is one way for Home media.

Want to advise one more Mediaserver : http://www.wildmediaserver.com/

[ptricks]

yeah wildserver is another option. It seems windows media server does not support FLAC files so people will need to use a 3rd party server if they use those files. Wildserver also has been updated with options specifically for the wdtv box. 

[mac_gebruiker]

For Mac users: the best DLNA server is Playback from Yazsoft. It even allows recordings made with EyeTV to be correctly played (Eyeconnect has problems playing back its own files). The developer reacts fast to problems.

Also it is the cheapest product ($10,93 = €7,00) around. 

I did extensive testing with Playback, Eyeconnect, Twonky, Medialink (did not work at all).

(I have no link with the developer)

[whattheheck]

Or we could go back to XP

[whattheheck]

Well one downside, I don't want to have to install stuff on my computer in order to be able tplay stuff on the device i bought to play things.  A share is bad enough.

[mac_gebruiker]

"don't want to have to install stuff on my computer "

Well. Why don't you simple buy an Apple TV? Will only cost a teenie weenie bit more.  :-))

[prometej]

What about subtitles? Is it possible to have subtitles using dlna? divx with .srt?

And... If i use "play to" WDTVLIVE in windows 7 it doesn't work. The movie is playing on wdtvlive. You can hear the sound but there is no picture.