Wishlist - DLNA Connectivity

[JFBUK]

Since last Year the B2 software has supported connectivity to the B2 as as DLNA server.

It would be great if the other DLNA functionality could also be added at some stage so that B2 can output to DLNA enabled speakers/amps/receivers/other devices.

I currently have had some success running Media Monkey on my PC using the B2 as my media storage via NAS and outputting from MM to my DLNA enabled receiver

John

[Daniel Taylor]

I guess my knowledge is limited about what the B2's DLNA can do.  I take it from your post that just being a DLNA Server is not sufficient for it to send music to DLNA speakers.  So does that mean that you need a device with a DLNA Client to pull songs from the B2's Server?

[Mark Fishman]

Based entirely on reading 4 web pages after a quick search for DLNA, apparently the letters stand for "Digital Living Network Alliance" -- in other words, it doesn't refer to the technology, but rather is a marketing department's wet dream.

DLNA servers do not "send" anything anywhere: they allow UPnP clients to "pull" the contents of files as streams, i.e., without making a copy of the file(s).

JFBUK seems to be saying that he's using the B2 as Network Attached Storage so that he can use Media Monkey on his computer as a DLNA server. This sounds as if he has NOT enabled the miniDLNA software on the B2 itself. (I think there's a conflict between the miniDLNA and the NAS functions so the B2 will not run both at the same time.)

Has anyone here used the B2's miniDLNA support? Does the B2 itself become visible as a "media library" or streaming source for UPnP-capable devices on their home network? (I would test but I really don't want to start the experiment at this hour.)

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

I have used it and it does work.

Fred

[Jeff. M.]

I can access my BE on my Samsung TV, plays files, and album art!

[Jeff. M.]

B2

[PMB]

Hi JFBUK,

As I understand the DLNA code is a bolt on and as such is unlikely to be developed further but will ask the question.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[JFBUK]

Thanks Paul.

It seems that my post was not entirely clear so I will clarify.

 The DLNA server on the B2 is working well.

 The DLNA/ UPnP interoperability guidelines talk about about three major pieces to the architecture of digital media delivery; Media Server, Media Renderer, and Control Point.

 This is a very good description

 https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/ca-academy/the-complete-guide-to-hifi-upnp-dlna-network-audio/

 In my scenario:

 Media Server = B2

Media Renderer = Yamaha Receiver

Control Point = Media Monkey 5 running on a Windows 10 PC

 The Control Point acts as the “controller” to manage the digital media. It can see both the DLNA  compliant media sources (Media servers) and compliant target rendering devices (Media renderers). It should have the smarts to know whether the format of the media source is one which the renderer can render (e.g. mp3, flac etc.) and some like Media Monkey can offer functionality to convert the source, if required, for the renderer.

 It is the DLNA/UPnP Control Point functionality that I am asking to be added to the B2 functionality as part of the Web UI.

 This would potentially allow the B2 to not only share its only locally stored media but media from other DLNA visible media sources on a shared network. It could also send that media to any DLNA compliant renderer on your network.

 DLNA’s advantage  is that it does not have the proximity constraints of Bluetooth as it uses your own TCP/IP network.

 DLNA  is not as Mark seems to believe “a marketing department's wet dream” but an established way of sharing digital media and supported by a number of large volume and niche AV suppliers.

[Mark Fishman]

John: Your explanation of the technology and requirements is very clear -- thank you.

My reference to marketing etc. was to the name, of course, and not to the system itself. "Digital Living", indeed: either we're to upload our consciousness into robots or a cloud of self-replicating nano-computers circling the sun (reference is to SF, look up "Singularity" and/or Charles Stross), or it's a meaningless/misleading/catchall term; and "Network Alliance" is clearly just a bunch of companies organized to sell whatever the heck they feel like selling. Hence my cynicism about "DLNA" as a name, not about the specific method of streaming media among computer-y devices.

Maybe I'm just irritable because of the pandemic. Cheers -- m.

[Daniel Taylor]

I think you nailed it about the marketing.  Notice the similarity between DLNA and DNA.  Obviously, they were hoping for something that every company would feel they had to offer.  Licensing agreements?  Ka-ching.

[PMB]

Hi JFBUK,

Thanks for the additional info.

Paul

Brennan Support.