DLNA is the newest kid on the block that every consumer electronics manufacturer wants to include in its product line-up. DLNA is sure to change the way we share content across different devices like cellphones, TVs, computer, tablets and the likes. As such, there are some very sound reasons for you to care about the path this technology adopts in future.
Sharing Content Will Never be the Same
DLNA aims to change the very manner in which people share content between their devices. The technology has lots of use for people who have tons of content stored on their personal computers. This could mean lots of photos, music tracks or even movie files. With DLNA, you can seamlessly stream all of that throughout your house to other devices.
So what exactly are these other devices? For starters, it refers to pretty much any device you use at home like TVs, media boxes, tablets, smartphones and even Blu-ray players. Most modern gadgets feature this technology, which means you do not really have to spend on acquiring new gear if your existing gadget already has this feature. In fact, in such a case, all you will need is free software that does the needful.
Popular Media Server Software
Such a piece of software can turn your normal personal computer into a full-fledged server. This would make all your media files on that computer available for streaming to other compatible devices. Some of the more popular media server applications for Windows include Twonky, TVersity and Plex. Configuring these programs is easy and usually requires you to only walk through the steps.
Different Versions of DLNA
It has become a practice for many manufacturers to include DLNA technology on their devices under different names or brands. LG, for example, brands many of its TVs and Blu-ray players under the tag of ‘SmartShare’, which is nothing but DLNA going by another name. Philips too is guilty of the same courtesy its use of the tag ‘Simple Share’. Same holds for Samsung with its ‘AllShare’.
Most of these manufacturers also include their very own media server software with their DLNA featuring devices. However, you can still opt to use third party media server programs such as the ones mentioned above. The only requirement here is that the receiving device should be compliant with DLNA.
Possible Issues
If there is one space where DLNA might fall short then it is with streaming video content. Support for different codecs is still patchy, which might cause problems when streaming videos encoded in unusual formats.
Overall, DLNA is a feature for the future. As its penetration increases across different devices and platforms, expect a greater range of options when it comes to the ways in which you can enjoy your media content.
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