DLNA served media fails most/all of the time

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sdowney717

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DLNA served media fails most/all of the time

#1

Post by sdowney717 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 6:30 pm

I serve up a few videos of recorded OTA TV programs. I use WMP after installing the codec pack, to watch on windows 7.
WMC is supposed to work, it sees the dlna server, but most of the time can not play the files.

Go to videos, select the shared folder, select the dlna server. All the file names appear. But frequently says unable to open file.
If using WMP, after installing win7 codec pack, it plays ok the dlna served media.

Even large multi gb video, WMP can open up quickly. I tried KODI as a test and it can instantly open the dlna media, but it is a pain to setup.
So I know the dlna server is serving media files.

So any ideas?

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Crash2009

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#2

Post by Crash2009 » Sat Oct 14, 2017 7:13 am

What did you use to record the OTA TV shows?

Where are the shows stored?

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#3

Post by sdowney717 » Sat Nov 04, 2017 9:09 pm

The shows are on another PC recorded by kaffeine a linux TV PVR and player.
The files were shared by miniDLNA server.
WMP was able to play fine. WMC could not play them.
They are *.m2t mpeg files.

It is sort of mute point now. I installed win10 and cant use WMC.

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#4

Post by Crash2009 » Sun Nov 05, 2017 1:31 pm

sdowney717 wrote:The shows are on another PC recorded by kaffeine a linux TV PVR and player.
The files were shared by miniDLNA server.
WMP was able to play fine. WMC could not play them.
They are *.m2t mpeg files.

It is sort of mute point now. I installed win10 and cant use WMC.
Did you install LAV (or other) codecs on the Win10 WMC?

I usually use WMC's Media Library Setup function to go get the files on its own. If the source of the files (kaffeine/linux) requires a username and password, use Option #3 during WMC Media Library Setup. The next couple of setup pages offer Path and Credentials.

It is sort of unusual that WMP plays and WMC doesn't play.
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WmcLibrarySetup003.jpg

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#5

Post by sdowney717 » Fri Nov 24, 2017 7:00 pm

I had to reinstall win7 as win10 can not work with WMC at all for me.
So I rechecked the DLNA playing.
Both PC are wired t 1000mb ethernet network. Android phone is wireless.
WMC can now see the DLNA files fine. It can play the files, but only POORLY! I get constant buffering , it will say buffering 100%, stopping and starting randomly.

IF I play these same files on VLC on my android phone using that DLNA server, they play SMOOTHLY, not a single issue.

I tried WMP, and it is no better than WMC playing the DLNA files.

If I use WMP and play the file on the samba sharing windows 1000mb Ethernet network, they play smoothly and perfectly in WMP.

So the wired 1000mb network is ok, IMO as shared files play just fine.

So what is going on, can you fix it?

Another weird issue, some file names show up on the dlna server in WMC as gobbledygook letters. In samba sharing they appear fine. In VLC using android phone, the dlna file names appear fine. Regardless the files will play when clicked on in WMC or WMP.

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#6

Post by Crash2009 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 2:22 am

Does this make any sense to you?

viewtopic.php?p=99180#p99180

ITTroll says:

The Libraries looked fine, but I removed and re-added the folders anyway. I also rebuilt DRM and even tried the registry setting which enables content sharing from network folders. Still no difference.

However after some more messing about I have finally cracked it! It is Windows Homegroup. You have to create a Homegroup, even if you don't want to use it, in order to turn on sharing of Pictures, Videos or Music. It is only the Homegroup settings screen which allows you to enable streaming media within these libraries.

This is bonkers as the two things are not related. The other PCs don't actually need to join the Homegroup and of course DNLA devices have no concept of, or way of joining, a Homegroup. The Homegroup Library settings screen doesn't actually include an entry for Recorded TV and so clearly this library just gets enabled automatically even without creating a Homegroup.

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Crash2009

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#7

Post by Crash2009 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 2:35 am

Personally, I would use Workgroup and select share with username and password

Setup a New User on the DLNA Server with a password

Setup libraries on WMC, and when it asks you where the files are....use option 3.......then //DLNA_Server/New User/password

WMC would go to your DLNA Server, Log in UN and PW and have access to the TV, Video, or Movie folder. I dont think WMC needs DLNA to serve the files. WMC would just go there and take what you ask WMC to play.

We had to use option 3 with Windows Home Server in the past.

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#8

Post by sdowney717 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 9:19 am

Crash2009 wrote:Personally, I would use Workgroup and select share with username and password

Setup a New User on the DLNA Server with a password

Setup libraries on WMC, and when it asks you where the files are....use option 3.......then //DLNA_Server/New User/password

WMC would go to your DLNA Server, Log in UN and PW and have access to the TV, Video, or Movie folder. I dont think WMC needs DLNA to serve the files. WMC would just go there and take what you ask WMC to play.

We had to use option 3 with Windows Home Server in the past.

Are you suggesting set the library in WMC to include the shared folder off the other PC? In the videos library? Which means uses samba sharing instead of DLNA.

Another test, I copied one of the linux TV recordings files into the WMC recorded tv library and WMC cant see it, so it will have to go in the videos library.

Also, can WMC open a video file through a keyboard shortcut?

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#9

Post by sdowney717 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 9:25 am

Oh yes, that works good, smooth as glass streaming.
Simply pointed WMC to my shared recorded TV on the linux ubuntu PC.

Why though do some file names look so corrupted? They are not that different from each other.

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#10

Post by sdowney717 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 9:32 am

here are those video shares on the ubuntu PC, notice some of them names.

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#11

Post by sdowney717 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 9:36 am

On the ubuntu PC, no weird corrupted names.
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#12

Post by sdowney717 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 1:30 pm

I fixed the issue
https://superuser.com/questions/458995/ ... amba-share
It's a file name mangling problem. Samba is converting filenames down to old style DOS 8.3 filenames.

Edit /etc/smb.conf (*) and add mangled names=no to the [global] section and restart the smb service.

Reference: http://oreilly.com/openbook/samba/book/ch05_04.html

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#13

Post by Crash2009 » Sun Nov 26, 2017 6:16 pm

sdowney717 wrote:It is sort of mute point now. I installed win10 and cant use WMC.
Good find, on the File Name Problem!

For some people, SMB has become disabled or broken in Win10 Version 1709 .....

https://forums.mydigitallife.net/thread ... st-1391622 the software is available on "Page #1" You need to be a member to see the links.

I don't have a 1709 here at the moment. Looks like the feature is still available in Programs and Features.

viewtopic.php?p=123538#p123538

The first thing I would try, would be to simply "Enable SMBv1.0" in Programs and Features.
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