What DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is in devices

The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is a non-profit organization that develops interoperability guidelines for sharing digital media files between devices on a home network. Founded in 2003, DLNA’s primary goal is to facilitate seamless communication and content sharing between various electronic devices, including televisions, computers, smartphones, and other multimedia devices.

How to use DLNA?

DLNA operates within a local network, requiring devices with IP addresses from the same pool, typically within a local subnet, such as 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.20. It functions as a set of protocols facilitating information transfer between compliant devices.

DLNA-compliant devices fall into three distinct categories:

1. Home Network Devices (HND): This category encompasses a diverse range of products designed for home use, including network storage, audio and video players, televisions, music centers, and printers. HNDs are further classified based on their supported functions:
   • Digital Media Servers (DMS): Devices capable of storing and sharing digital media content.
   • Digital Media Players (DMP): Devices designed for playing digital media content.
   • Digital Media Controllers (DMC): Devices that control the playback and sharing of digital media.
   • Digital Media Renderers (DMR): Devices that render and display digital media content.
2. Mobile Handheld Devices (MHD):  This category encompasses portable devices, such as cell phones, portable players, handheld computers, and photo/video cameras, capable of transmitting and receiving information from media storage. Functional classes within MHD include:
   • Mobile Digital Media Servers (M-DMS): Devices serving as mobile digital media servers.
   • Mobile Digital Media Players (M-DMP): Devices designed for playing digital media content on the go.
   • Mobile Digital Media Downloaders (M-DMD): Devices facilitating the download of digital media content.
   • Mobile Digital Media Uploaders (M-DMU): Devices allowing the uploading of digital media content.
   • Mobile Digital Media Controllers (M-DMC): Devices controlling digital media playback.
3. Home Interoperability Devices (HID): This category encompasses equipment supporting additional communication standards and converting data formats. HID devices play a crucial role in ensuring compatibility across various technologies within a home network, contributing to seamless data exchange.

DLNA technology simplifies media sharing within a local network through a designated server, typically a computer running a specialized program. The server scans the local network to discover devices equipped with DLNA-enabled applications. A unified network is established once a compatible device responds to the server’s inquiry.
To access and view files from the server on another device, such as a TV, users can activate features like “Media Sharing” or “DLNA Server.” This enables seamless viewing of videos stored on the local network directly on the TV screen. DLNA facilitates a straightforward process of sharing and enjoying media content across interconnected devices within the same network.

The evolution and eclipse of DLNA: a transitional period in home entertainment

In an era ushered in by the advent of smart TVs around 2010, DLNA technology became widespread, revolutionizing how people access and share media content. Traditionally, people relied on recording videos to flash drives or connecting computers to TVs via HDMI for playback. The advent of DLNA in smart TVs eliminated these inconveniences, offering a seamless solution for sharing media across local networks, especially from computer to TV.

However, this changed in 2016 with the advent of streaming services. The convenience of accessing a vast library of content online through apps on smart TVs has overshadowed the need for local media storage and DLNA functionality. Why download a movie or buy a physical disk when streaming becomes more affordable?

The advent of technologies like Google’s Chromecast and Apple’s AirPlay further accelerated the decline of DLNA. Users could instantly stream content from their devices to their TVs with a simple click, making it unnecessary to install media server programs. The DLNA era, which once bridged the gap in home entertainment, gradually faded as the convenience and immediacy of live streaming took over.

What is DLNA compatibility TV

The DLNA Alliance claims that more than 4 billion devices have achieved DLNA certification, reflecting the cumulative production volume of certified devices. However, the current status of these devices has yet to be determined, as it is unclear how many are still in active service and how many have reached the end of their useful life and are lying in closets or in landfills.
Analyses of device manufacturers revealed a trend towards discontinuing DLNA certification:

1. Samsung:
   • TVs stopped DLNA certification in 2015.
   • Mobile devices followed suit in 2016.
   • Other Samsung devices stopped DLNA certification, mostly in 2013. Samsung moved to more modern protocols, making DLNA support obsolete in their current TVs and smartphones.
2. LG: Although LG discontinued DLNA certification for TVs in 2016, DLNA-enabled TVs continued to be released for some time.
3. Sony: Sony’s certification for TVs ended in 2017.
4. Panasonic: DLNA certification for Panasonic TVs ended in 2019.

Retrospective analysis shows that DLNA technology, once a robust solution, is losing its relevance over time.