DLNA is an alliance of companies with a vision to make devices interoperate. Using similar principles to UnPlug and Play, DLNA comes in both wireless and wired ethernet formats. The most apparent use is it allows you to stream your pictures, music, or video from any other DLNA device to another DLNA device. For example my computer enabled with DLNA software can stream video to my DLNA TV. A great article on DLNA can be found here; http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/2836/dlna-decoded-whats-in-your-dlna-page2.html?print_page=y
As i was doing some research on DLNA i found this site which is most useful in hunting for software that will enable your OS (Linux, MAC OS X, Microsoft Windows) to support DLNA.
http://www.rbgrn.net/content/21-how-to-choose-dlna-media-server-windows-mac-os-x-or-linux
I am soon to purchase a TV with DLNA, which i will be setting up with my Mac Mini using Elgato Eye Connect software. I’ll update this post in a month after testing is complete.
Update – July 22nd 2009
Well i ended up going for a brand spanking new Sony Bravia KDL40WE5WU Eco LCD 40 inch which supports the DLNA standard and includes Sony’s Applicast app style widgets.
I connected my TV to my router using the DLNA ethernet connection via my 1GB switch. My Mac Mini is also directly connected to my 1GB switch although i suspect the DLNA ethernet on this TV is 10/100.. ..anyway, having installed Eyeconnect from Elgato on my Mac Mini it didn’t take long to get the movies and pictures streaming onto the TV, but wait.. all is not well. The formats supported are limited, both with video and with images. The video played fine, but was horrible to to forward and rewind, with jittering and slow to catch up playback.
Needless to say many things could be responsible for these issues i encountered, and endless hours of tweeking could pursue, with Eyeconnect, Mac Mini, DLNA or all three being at blame. Unfortunately for DLNA i like millions of other customers busy with family and work have no enthusiam for it. Especially when compared with a fully fledged computer connected to the TV. Access to the internet, your email, your applications and more, that plays any video, displays any photo destroys DLNA as a standard.
I continue to hold out for the manufacturer who puts a computer into a slim line PC.
after much investigation and tweaking dlna for Mac… i’v found using a combination EyeTV (exporting recordings to iTunes) & Front Row is a solid solution.
I’m sure developers aren’t too far away from a dnla standard that supports many OS’s and panels… I’m surprised that most dnla servers only support divx & .mp3 file formats… chop, chop! H2.64 is the future!