Searching for the Perfect DLNA Client (Windows)

i use tversity, seems to do the job, but have to flick thru a lot of folders to find the video files, probably operator error more than anything tho!!

anyone know if this supports the sort of internet use that brianmt mentions??
 
brianmt, how "not easy to set up" is it?? i'm not too technical but a mild challenge with the result of football on my tv intrigues me!!
 
Its not that bad, quite straight forward really, download free trial and have ago http://www.wildmediaserver.com/index.php ,select devices and scan for generic dlna device, latest software has autoscan for DLNA devices.
Once it finds your humax, select both items and it will appear on your network list on the humax as WMS.
Go to the forum http://www.wildmediaserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=812 download the zip file, load it into wild media server and magically 12 channels appear on your pc under videos >podcast > liveonlinefooty and on the humax :network>wms > video scroll down to podcast > liveonline footy only ch1 is free at the moment, but at least you can see if it works. Live online is subscription £6 for 2 months but well worth it.
there are loads of other podcasts to play with http://www.wildmediaserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=259 best of luck
 
Update: Thanks to suffering egg in my face elsewhere, I can now confirm that XBMC can stream (albeit stuttery on my system) full HiDef as well as StDef from the HDR-FOX native DLNA server, as long as auto-unprotect has been used to clear all the content protection (not just Foxy, or - I believe - WebIF OPT+). It needs further investigation, but I can't see HiDef recordings in the My Video directory, only subdirectories.

The stutteriness may be a configuration problem on my part, but as I have no immediate requirement for this means of playback I do not intend to work it out.

Even if playback was smooth, I can't give it five stars because there is absolutely no transport control - play, pause, stop - that's all. Although this "solves" the hunt for a DLNA client, I think mounting the HDR-FOX's drive as a network share and then using Splash Player Lite to play the file as if it were local is a better bet, which is a practical proposition now we have decrypt-in-place available to remove all the remaining rights management.

The best DLNA client is still an HD-FOX.
 
On Linux I use VLC - works great

On Windows I use UPnP Inspector to get the program URI, the copy n paste into vlc

Windows vlc works great once you have the URI to point it to the program. Still baffled as to why the Linux version can browse the Hummy but the Windows version can't.
 
I'm just doing SD at the moment - though I have done HD, I haven't done it streaming, just download via USB
 
Have you tried Power DVD 11 as your DLNA client (video tab at the top, pick your server from the list under Home Media [DLNA] on the left)? I can play my HD (even with problematic audio changes) and SD recording straight off the T2 on a windows PC via the network with no quality issues at all as long as I use MediaTomb as the DLNA server on the T2 (when I use the internal one PDVD does not recognise the file format for HD). You can even shuttle backwards and forwards using the mouse scroll wheel if you set setting / player / advanced / keyboard mouse / (time seek on the drop down). Pretty cool but a bit mouse intensive. I am trying to find something that will do the same but without any mouse action so I can use it on an HTPC with a remote (any suggestions oh so gratefully received) XBMC would be perfect if it played well, but it seems to get rather upset with awkward audio transitions.
 
Thanks for the info, but if PowerDVD 11 won't stream from the standard DLNA server it can hardly be short-listed as the perfect client!
 
Doesn't that rather depend on your defintion of perfect? Surely if you are looking for and happy with something plays all content and can jump forwards / backwards then it is, for you, perfect? If you are installing custom software on the Humax (to remove the encryption on HD etc.) then surely we can assume you are happy to install the enhanced DLNA server that is provided as an addon for that same custom firmware package? PDVD will work just fine with SD using the internal DLNA server (and I suspect the standard firmware). So I am not sure I agree with your response.

Anyway based on this post this seems to be a piece of software that provides the functionality that people have said they required but not been able to find, so I hope this info is useful to someone.
 
I doubt there's a perfect one, but I use VLC on Windows on occasion. Version 2.0.4 has a uPNP browser built in (View Playlist - Ctrl-L) then expand Local Network, Universal Plug 'n Play and you'll see the Humax appear and you can pick a recording from the tree view. Easy to run in a window and full screen and it provides a slider for moving around.
 
(@Rousey)

I did thank you for the info, and it is there for anyone who might find it useful.

However, in this context (this topic is in the non-mod section), "perfect" means a DLNA client able to render all content served by the DLNA server on an unmodified HDR-FOX. This topic has not been updated recently (until now!), but as af123 says the new version of VLC seems to achieve the desired functionality.
 
af123 said:
I doubt there's a perfect one, but I use VLC on Windows on occasion. Version 2.0.4 has a uPNP browser built in (View Playlist - Ctrl-L) then expand Local Network, Universal Plug 'n Play and you'll see the Humax appear and you can pick a recording from the tree view. Easy to run in a window and full screen and it provides a slider for moving around.
Click to expand...

Well spotted, It does seem to be a bit hidden in VLC 2.0.4 -Thanks for that
 
Apologies black hole, I did not realise this was the non modded section, I arrived here via google. My mistake for not researching the thread. For what it is worth though PDVD works (ahem) perfectly on non modded too though.

af123 - I too did not know that functionality was in VLC so may I add my thanks for that tip. I did have a file that VLC would not play (audio issues on HD admittedly so not relevant to this thread) which was why I tried PDVD (which suprised me by playing it OK). Any suggestions for a skin for VLC or alternative software that will play all content via DLNA that can be controlled by a remote control (not a mouse) would be very gratefully received as for me, that would be perfect.
 
Didn't you say PowerDVD 11 won't stream HiDef via the standard server?

That gets me thinking: does VLC play the HiDef feed regardless of HDCP, or is it only a viable option after auto-unprotect?

(Anyone who doesn't know what HDCP is, check out the Glossary.)
 
Yes, PDVD works fine for SD on a non modded device via the inbuilt DLNA server (my current understanding is HD could not work because of the encryption)
PDVD works fine for HD and SD on a modded device but only if you use MediaTomb (it refuses to play HD files from the inbuilt server)
VLC works for HD and SD on my modded box using either server but I did have some audio issues with one file that PDVD played happily.

Running with your idea, I tried an encrypted HD file on both apps, VLC played from both DLNA servers, PDVD from neither. I have auto-unprotect running so can't say what it would do if it wasn't.
 
Rousey said:
(my current understanding is HD could not work because of the encryption)
Click to expand...
Not entirely true, the DLNA server decrypts the content (StDef or HiDef) on the way out (this is how the custom firmware decrypt options work), but will only serve HiDef to a HDCP-compliant ciient unless the database is tweaked first. Only auto-unprotect can do the tweaking.

The question is whether there are any software DLNA players that are HDCP-compliant.
 
I've been streaming to a Android phone using Skifta and MX Player. It's been handling SD really well, and I've had HD running through it pretty well in the past.. not sure if auto-unprotect is running (need to check tonight if anyone is interested). I notice that Skifta is out for iOS as well, but I don't know it that includes client-side DLNA, or whether it just serves content to other devices.
 
Ah, I am running the auto-unprotect package, so that's why HD works. BTW, if anyone is using a Blackberry Playbook, a really decent media player just added DLNA support, and it works like a charm with the HDR-Fox T2. I shot some video of it in action;

 
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