A Linux home entertainment server with UPnP and DLNA
In Full Stream
© Bonita Cheshier, 123RF.com
Thanks to protocols such as UPnP and DLNA, video, audio, and photos are distributed to TVs, gaming consoles, PCs, and smartphones without the need for configuration. Linux as a central media server is a welcome guest.
Expensive turnkey solutions such as Microsoft's Media Center or the closed source Apple AirPlay are currently making headway into many living rooms. The most widely used open platform for streaming, which supports devices from almost any manufacturer, is DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) [1], a standard approved by an industry consortium.
In this article, I describe how DLNA works, including the underlying protocols and device types, and how a Linux PC, an Android smartphone, and a PlayStation can link up to a television set.
DLNA and UPnP
Among other things, DLNA lets you stream media content such as music, movies, and photos. It entails the client and server finding one another and playing the content without any configuration. Modern TV sets, Blu-ray players, and gaming consoles have DLNA clients in their firmware; Android phones have a DLNA player, and some even have a DLNA server. If it is not included in the standard installation, smartphone owners can download an app from Google Play.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• How the Fediverse Found Parts for Its Platforms
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Epic Games Targets Linux for New Launcher
The Epic Games new launcher is still in preview, but it looks to land on several Linux distributions.
-
Fedora 45 Now Available
The latest iteration of Fedora has arrived with Gnome 51 and KDE Plasma 6.8.
-
Linux 7.4 is "Much Healthier" Thanks to AI
At nearly 42 million lines, Linux 7.4 is the largest merge in the kernel’s history.
-
Working Exploit for a Linux Kernel Flaw Made Public
Even before a bug received its CVE identifier or an upstream fix, the local privilege escalation vulnerability exploit found its way into the wild.
-
r/opensource Bans AI-Assisted and AI-Related Projects
The de facto subreddit for all things open source has not only banned AI-related projects but also users who "don't speak English."
-
Bottlenecks Discovered by Meta Engineers Lead to Scalability Improvements
Thanks to a small group of engineers at Meta, the Linux kernel module kernfs has been improved, which has led to some serious gains.
-
PwnEscape Poses VM Vulnerability
A guest-to-host escape flaw in Linux KVM, named PwnEscape, might be yet another means of attacking Linux.
-
Linux Mint 27 Set for a Christmas Release
The developers behind Linux Mint have announced a Christmas release, and it looks like Santa's sack will be brimming with features.
-
Is Linus Torvalds Vibe Coding?
The creator of Linux has added AI into his process for Linux kernel development, and it's more than just for debugging.
-
openKylin 3.0 Released with Expanded AI Integration
The latest release features a pre-installed AI agent to help perform tasks.