Ultimate Guide to Flawless DLNA Setup: Linking PCs, Macs, Smartphones & Televisions for Hassle-Free Media Sharing

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Best DLNA Player to Stream Media Between Any Devices

Posted by Kaylee Wood | Last update: April 28, 2020

Whether you are finding a DLNA player that lets you stream video music wirelessly from Android phone/iPhone to Windows PC/Mac or computer to DLNA-compatible TV, speaker, PS4, Xbox One, etc., or just lets you access the media library on computer through mobile phones or smart TVs, DLNA certified player using UPnP protocol here can help realize that and allow you to enjoy your music, photos and videos, anywhere anytime.

Content:
1. Wiki: What Is DLNA?
2. Why 5KPlayer is the Best DLNA Player?
3. How to DLNA Streaming Video Music Among Devices?
4. Further Reading: DLNA vs. AirPlay

Wiki: What Is DLNA?

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), started by Sony, is a standard like Apple AirPlay developed to promote the interoperability of multimedia devices of various kinds and the media sharing under the certification standard – UPnP. More specifically, any DLNA-compliant computer, smart TV, game console, speaker, smart phone, storage device, etc. can communicate with each other in the same network, and any device with a DLNA player or DLNA app from different brands can directly send or receive stuff like photos, videos and music online or offline from others without advanced test.

Though DLNA won’t have further updates since January 15, 2017, about four billion DLNA-compliant devices (https://spirespark.com/dlna/products/ ) including Windows PCs, smart TVs, smart phones, speakers, PS3/4, Xbox, etc. have supplied us an unimaginable number of media resources and entertainment ways. Of course, the direct benefit you get from DLNA is that you can DLNA streaming rich media on iPhone, Android and computer around the house as much as possible without paying extra money, and the only thing you need to do is to find a bridge like DLNA certified player 5KPlayer to discover and control DLNA-supported devices, and seamlessly share video and music.

Why 5KPlayer is the Best DLNA Player Windows/Mac?

DLNA service is easy to apply between phone and DLNA-compliant smart TV as long as there is DLNA-compatible app on the mobile phone, but the case is that how to make connection between phone and Windows/Mac computer, PC/Mac and TV? DLNA player 5KPlayer is therefore designed based on your basic requirements to DLNA technology, that are DLNA media share on iPhone/Android to PC, playing PC/Mac media on big screen smart TV and make phone or TV a controller to access the rich media library on computer. For different situations, 5KPlayer plays different roles:

DLNA Renderer: When needing to stream phone to Windows 10/8/7 PC and Mac, 5KPlayer with DLNA technology can be easily found by the mobile device, receive what is sent from the phone, and provide instant and smooth playback. It is quite convenient for a lazy person who is lying on the bed and wants to watch phone films on computer, control the volume, fast forward or rewind the video without getting up.

DLNA Controller: No Apple TV? No AirPlay? You can also enjoy media from small display screen to big smart TV of 55, 60, 70, etc. inch size. UPnP player 5KPlayer plays downloaded movies music, ripped DVDs and recorded videos on computer smoothly and streams such contents to DLNA-compliant smart TV or stream PC to Xbox over WiFi without any choke. Any wonderful video you want to share with your guests in the living room? 5KPlayer helps DLNA streaming them to TV with better resolution. Besides, no interruption of media playback process is here when switching computer-to-TV mode to computer-to-speaker mode.

DLNA Server: By default, this DLNA-enabled player can free download videos music online from Dailymotion, Vevo, etc., providing you countless media resources to enjoy without a dime. By turning 5KPlayer into a DLNA media server, good chance for you is you can have your own media library and a free way to enjoy 5KPlayer media library offline on smart TV or mobile phone without paying extra money.

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Though we suggest you to use 5KPlayer as the best DLNA player to stream media among DLNA-compatible devices because 5KPlayer is such a powerful three-in-one UPnP player for Windows and Mac, we’d not like to mandate a usage by only giving a unilateral statement without any proof. By comparing other DLNA certified players , you will find which one is the best for you.

How to DLNA Streaming Videos Music Among Devices via 5KPlayer?

5KPlayer provides with three types of DLNA streaming to enable media sharing among devices, just follow this step-by-step guide to grasp how to DLNA media files. But, make sure that you have free downloaded, install and launch this DLNA player on your computer.

Stream Android/iPhone to PC/Mac

Step 1. Connect your Android or iPhone handset and computer with 5KPlayer installed to the same WiFi network.

Step 2. Download a video or music player app on Android/iPhone that is DLNA compatible if you don’t have one.

Step 3. Play your media on your mobile device with the app, and you will see the DLNA option within the app for you to choose which DLNA client to stream to.

Step 4. Just choose 5KPlayer, and this DLNA compliant player will play the media from phone on computer instantly.

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DLNA Video Music from PC/Mac to Smart TV

Step 1. Connect your computer and smart TV into the same WiFi network.
Step 2. Click the Library on UI of 5KPlayer to access DLNA streaming hub and search for your TV to connect.
Step 3. Play a video or music via 5KPlayer, click the DLNA icon on the top right corner of 5KPlayer and then this DLNA player will send what is being played on computer to big screen TV.

Access 5KPlayer Media Library on Phone or Smart TV

When all the devices are under the same WiFi network, you are also able to access 5KPlayer media library from mobile phone or TV using the remote-control gadget.

Further Reading: DLNA vs AirPlay

Compared to DLNA, Apple AirPlay is more selective and only works on Apple products like iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple-proved products like acoustics from Pioneer and Sony, while DLNA is much more popular for the billion of DLNA-compliant devices. It is hard to say which one is better as different people have different demands, while they are totally two different protocols so that DLNA and AirPlay won’t talk to each other natively, hence meaning that you can’t DLNA contents to only AirPlay-enabled devices or AirPlay video music to only DLNA-compatible equipments.

However, chance is that if a device or software is both DLNA-compliant and AirPlay-enabled, you are allowed to get benefits from DLNA as well as AirPlay streaming simultaneously. Before being a DLNA certified player, 5KPlayer firstly is an AirPlay server that can help AirPlay mirroring from iPhone/iPad to Mac/PC and from computer to Apple TV wirelessly. Guess you would love 5KPlayer with these two features.

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