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Home media streaming 101: DLNA explained

Need to get music, photos and movies from one device to another? DLNA could help.

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Home A/V | by Randall Bennett | Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:00AM | 1 comment

Sitting back on the couch is definitely the preferred method for consuming video content, and while there are many different ways to get video onto a PC, users looking to sit in front of the TV instead of in front of a keyboard have had few options to stream media until relatively recently. Fortunately, there's been an explosion in media streaming devices, and thanks to a technology called DLNA, streaming media around the home might require less and less effort.

Get more information on topics relating to this story:


Related glossary terms:
NAS, Streaming video, DLNA
Related devices and services:
Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro, Sony PlayStation 3

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Anonymous (2:23 AM on Sun Jul 5, 2009)

I'm new to the DLNA world. Sounds interesting, but confusing.
For instance, let's say I have a non-HD source - a DVD. If I play the actual DVD in an upconverting DVD player/Blu-ray player, it'll be upconverted before being displayed on my HDTV. Not full HD, but better than the 480 lines on the original DVD source.
Now, let's say I rip the DVD and store the resulting file (MPEG? ISO?) on a NAS or HDD or something. When I use DLNA technology to play it, will the DLNA-equipped hardware upconvert THAT FILE? Or will the resulting video I see on my HDTV be the original 480 lines of resolution of the DVD source? If so, I'd be better off NOT ripping my DVDs to digital files on my NAS or HDD - not using DLNA in that way.
Somehow, I suspect the answer is 'it depends', because I'm willing to bet that all DLNA is not created equal. In other words, there may be DLNA-equippped devices which will upconvert the media files on the fly. The trick is identifying that hardware before big $$ are spent on hardware that won't deliver.
Until we reach a point where all our source material is HD, it seems like this upconversion issue will always be a concern - and a source of confusion.

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Anonymous (2:58 AM on Sun Nov 22, 2009)

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