Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:26 pm by atc98092
When I refer to media streamers (I didn't mean servers, sorry), I include Roku, which has a significant market share, and Blu Ray players, because most of them have DLNA support. Other than that older Panasonic I've seen very few BD players that support SMB, and no Rokus do. Also, for many users, getting permissions set correctly for SMB access isn't always simple. Networking computers is daunting for many casual users. I agree that many of the Android players can support SMB, but again you are making the end user perform configuration that might be out of their comfort zone.
Yes, if you use Kodi you can have it gather the metadata itself, but most other players, such as VLC, will not. DLNA covers that with most server products.
The DLNA server controlling the presentation is actually a huge advantage for many users. A single configuration point and that's the way it displays on all devices.
Watching from a computer, yes a DLNA server doesn't offer much over SMB access, but few people use a computer connected to a TV/display for casual entertainment playback when they aren't sitting at a desk.
In my opinion, DLNA and SMB cover two different user activities. Since most home entertainment options are via a TV, and the majority of streaming devices don't support SMB, DLNA is a great protocol for providing a great user experience. For more knowledgeable users, with a supporting streaming device, SMB is another great option. They are complimentary, not in competition with each other.
Dan
LG NANO85 4K TV, Samsung JU7100 4K TV, Sony BDP-S3500, Sharp 4K Roku TV, Insignia Roku TV, Roku Ultra, Premiere and Stick, Nvidia Shield, Yamaha RX-V583 AVR.
Primary server: Intel i5-6400, 16 gig ram, Windows 10 Pro, 22 TB hard drive space | Test server Windows 10 Pro, AMD Phenom II X4 965, 8 gig ram
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