DLNA Folders and Structure

[Nightflame2]

I use DLNA with minidlna on a Linux NAS.

I am struggling to understand the reason for different Menu items for "Video", "Photos" and "Music" on the WD Live. They all take me to the same DLNA structure.

So if I click Video on my WD, it takes me to a screen where I see a menu of "Video", "Photos" and "Music" (generated by DLNA server), I then have to select "Video" to see my Video content.

But if I click Music on my WD, it takes me to a screen where I see the same menu of "Video", "Photos" and "Music", (generated by DLNA server), I then have to select "Photos" to see my Video content.

Why do I need to do Video then Video? Also I have found if I click "Photos" on the WD, and it takes me "Video", "Photos" and "Music", I can then select Video and play Videos. So the fact I selected "Photos" from the WD menu seems irrelevant.

The whole structure seems a bit redundant. I researched this in a few DLNA forums, and apparently its because the WD just asks for all Containers, with no filtering so the DLNA server just returns "Video", "Photos" and "Music". If it does this why bother having separate Menus, for "Photos", "Videos" and "Music", why not just use the "Files" menu item?

My SamsungTV on the other hand appears to ask for Video content only when I select its Video menu, so the DLNA server only returns the Video structure.

Is this the same for other people, or is it down to my minidlna server?

[Alucardx23]

For what I understand the media server is the one that control the type of content it provides, the SMP is just accessing that available content, try checking the options from the DNLA server side.

[Tinwarble]

You have to add you network shares to the media library. 

Go to Setup / System / Media Library / Media Library for Network Share / Add network share to media library.

Then add the network share folder and make sure the you have the Media Library "ON".  When you select Video, press the red button on the remote, select "My Media Library".  Then when you go to Video only the folders with videos files will show up and when you go to Music only the folders with music files will show up.

[wibbler]

So you're saying the answer is not to use the DNLA server?

[Tinwarble]

The only reason to use a server is if the SMP will not decode the files you are trying to stream.  But since the SMP will decode most content it is better just to access it directly and use shares.