What is DLNA: Everything You Need to Know

What is DLNA? Well, its complete name is Digital Network Living Alliance. It is an organization that creates standards and guidelines for home network network devices. It includes personal computers, mobile phones, tablets, televisions, and BD and DVD players. So, if you are interested in learning more about DLNA, get the opportunity by reading all the details from this article. You will get its in-depth descriptions, use cases, supported media formats, certification guidelines and categories, and more. So, to start learning everything, read the content from beginning to end.

Part 1. What is DLNA

DLNA, or Digital Network Living Alliance, is an organization. It sets a standard that simplifies the sharing and playback of digital media, such as audio, images, and videos, between various devices within a home network. The DLNA's main objective is to ensure that devices from different manufacturers can easily communicate and share media. In short, you can stream music and video from your computer to a DLNA-certified speaker/monitor from a different brand.

What's more, DLNA-certified devices can do many things, including:

1. Search and play movies.
2. Send, play, search, and download music.
3. Upload, send, and upload images.
4. Send and print out images between compatible network-connected devices.

You can see the simple details below if you want an example of actions from DLNA.

1. Send videos and audio from mobile devices to DLNA-certified televisions.
2. Access images, audio, and videos on DLNA-certified computers and play them on a certified Blu-ray disc player or television.
3. Share and send images from certified digital cameras to a DLNA-certified computer, televisions, and other devices.

Part 2. DLNA Use Cases

Now you know what is Digital Network Living Alliance. In this section, you will learn about the use cases for DLNA. With that, you can know when to use DLNA for your media files.

Streaming Music

You can use DLNA to stream various music. It lets you play music stored on a computer or NAS (Network-attached Storage) to DLNA-compatible receivers, speakers, and other computers. It also supports multi-room audio, which allows you to play the same audio content in your home with different speakers.

Sharing Videos and Images

DLNA is perfect for easy viewing. It lets users share images and videos from smartphones, computers, tablets, and more with a DLNA-enabled television or projector. It is also perfect for sharing various videos and pictures on different devices.

Integrate Home Theater

DLNA allows you to stream videos or movies stored on NAS or your computer to your home theater. It includes speakers, receivers, and televisions. In addition to that, you can access your overall media library in a single location, making it more convenient for all users.

Backup Media Files

DLNA can also back up media from various devices as long as it uses a DLNA-enabled NAS device. It is also perfect for sharing media files between different devices.

Overall, DLNA, or Digital Living Network Alliance, was created to share and play various media files within a home network, making it perfect to enjoy all the content on multiple devices. However, there is one thing that you must consider. DLNA is not that popular nowadays. This is because more and newer technologies, like Wi-Fi Direct, Chromecast, and Airplay, can give you better performance.

Part 3. DLNA Supported Media Formats

The good thing about DLNA is it supports various digital formats. With that, you can ensure you play all media files smoothly. You can check the details below to discover its supported media formats.

1. Audio: MP3, FLAC, WMA, AAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, and LPCM.
2. Video: DivX, Xvid, AVCHD, MPEG-1, MPEG-3, and MPEG-4.
3. Image: JPG, PNG, ICO, BMP, GIF, PSD, and TIF.

If your media files have these formats, you can ensure you play them smoothly.

Part 4. DLNA Certification Guidelines

Every DLNA-certified device has a specific role in the home. Some devices are created to store media, making it more accessible and available to various media players. On the other hand, some products control and direct media from its primary source to a particular player in the network. With each role, you can tell that there is a certification. Each certification has DLNA guidelines for hardware, firmware, ethernet, Wi-Fi connectivity, user interface, media formats displays, and more.

You can operate DLNA-certified devices to share, save, show, and stream digital media. For additional information, certification can be built into hardware or part of the software application on the device. Furthermore, connecting a DLNA-certified device to a home network will show in the menus of other networked components. Without setup, the computer and other devices can recognize and discover each other.

Part 5. DLNA Certification Categories

Some certification categories for DLNA devices and products include DMP, DMS, DMR, DMC, and more. To give you a detailed explanation, see all the explanations below.

Digital Media Player (DMP)

This is about the devices that can play media files from other devices and computers. A digital media player focuses on playing almost all media files, such as videos, images, and audio.

Digital Media Server (DMS)

This certification category focuses on devices that can store a media library. It can be a Network-attached storage device (NAS), digital camera, smartphone, etc. It can also share and store media content with other DLNA devices on the network.

Digital Media Renderer (DMR)

It is like the DMP category, which can also play media. Some devices are Blu-ray players, televisions, game consoles, set-top boxes, and more.

Digital Media Controller (DMC)

This certification category focuses on devices that can find media on DMS and send it to the DMR. Additionally, camcorders and cameras may be certified as DMC or Digital Media Controllers.

Part 6. Excellent Media Player to Play All Formats

Are you looking for an excellent multimedia player to play various media files? In that case, we would like to recommend Vidmore Player. This multimedia player is capable of playing hundreds of formats effectively. It includes MP4, MKV, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MP3, M4A, AAC, AC3, FLAC, JPG, PNG, BMP, and more. Aside from that, the program's playback process is simple. With just a few clicks, you can already achieve your desired result. What we like about the software is its comprehensive user interface. You can navigate all the functions without any problems. The software can also offer the Snapshot feature. This feature enables you to capture your favorite scene during video playback. Therefore, if you are searching for an excellent media player that can provide enjoyable features, you can access Vidmore Player on your Windows and Mac computers.

If you want to learn how to play various media files, you can check and follow the simple steps below using this multi-media player.

Step 1. First and foremost, download and install Vidmore Player on your Windows or Mac computers. You can also use the clickable buttons below to access the media player easily and instantly.

Step 2. After you launch the media player, go to the center interface and hit the Open File button. Once the file folder appears on your screen, browse and load the media files you want to play.

Step 3. After that, you can now enjoy playing the content. You can also use various playback controls below, such as next, previous, play, pause, and more.

This method lets you play any media files on your computer. The good thing about this software is that it has an easy-to-use interface, making it suitable for non-professional users. It would be best to operate this program to have a successful media playback.

Part 7. FAQs about What is DLNA

What is the primary function of DLNA?

Digital Living Network Alliance sets standards for sharing and playing home digital media among various multimedia devices. It lets users stream and share stored media files with certified devices on the same connection, like mobile phones, game consoles, computers, and more.

What is the difference between SMB and DLNA?

Server Message Block, or SMB focuses on sharing media files between computers. On the other hand, DLNA focuses on sharing media files in a digital home network.

How do I know if my TV supports DLNA?

If you want to know if your television supports the DLNA feature, the best thing to do is to check the instruction manual. If the manual says that your TV supports DLNA, you can enjoy streaming your media files smoothly.

Conclusion

Now you know what DLNA is. You even learned about its complete description, use cases, certification guidelines, etc. You can use this article to gain more insights about DLNA. In addition, if you want an excellent media player that lets you play various media files on your Windows and Mac computers, we recommend using Vidmore Player. This multimedia player can handle hundreds of formats with exceptional quality, making the software reliable and robust.