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[Belisari]

Hi!

I had no time to post early

yesterday night i done as said. I formatted again the hd raid 1 mode
I created tree folders as:
video
audio
photo

I was hard till could access from my computer there to include the fields on each folder, then..
I put a pair of files on each one and refreshed manually these folders

once I saw the fields on each folder went to the TV and looked for the structure and was fine but on each folder found a new folder ?¿?¿

so when I came in video, I found inside a video folder and second one with all video
(I assume the structure is created by dns itself trough the firmware. then on each folder appears the second one with same name because was the one I created with that name. and additional folder with all video fields the system founds.

this was exactly the same for every one, video, audio and photo.
I was able to listen the music,
I was able to see the photos
I was able to see the videos but didn't run just saw the names and was a shine tend to show a movie but got the first images frozen.

so, don't know where the trouble is. I feel better than yesterday but still unsuccessful.
I'll continue later today or maybe tomorrow.
I'll back!

[Mausschubser]

Hi, you desperate both!

You cannot do anything about the folder structure!
The DLNA thing on the NAS is very simple (maybe it is a general weakness of the DLNA concept?).

Whatever your folder structure will look like, will be complete ignored. The NAS simply scans all folders and builds up 3 collections in a data base: Photos, Music and Video. It does not matter where the original file is located, it will be placed in one of these 3 categories.

You can call you media folder "foo", "bang" and "zap", and they will end in "photos", "music", "video" just because of their content, not of their name.
The overall implementation of DLNA in the DNS-320L is very basic. So don't expect too much from it.

On Management --> Application Management --> Multimedia Services you find the button "refresh all" on top of the Multimedia Shares list. This invokes the rescan automatically.
In case you like to reset the databas, I'd first try deleting and reloading the entries in this list. It is not necessary to clean the entire RAID...

The update of the Multimedia Database (once it is initialized the 1st time) happens automatically when you copy files in one of the shared folders.

Good luck, gents!
Mausschubser

[Belisari]

Hi Mausschubser!

very welcome your imputs

You cannot do anything about the folder structure!
The DLNA thing on the NAS is very simple (maybe it is a general weakness of the DLNA concept?).

This stupid fact caused me a lot of troubles by formating upload many times everything
Thanks advicing!

Whatever your folder structure will look like, will be complete ignored. The NAS simply scans all folders and builds up 3 collections in a data base: Photos, Music and Video. It does not matter where the original file is located, it will be placed in one of these 3 categories.

so this means I should create a folder structure based on my intests. And will be showed as descrived acordingly the files category in photo, video or audio.
Therefore, it is suposed will be showed only the fields in the shared folder, the rest will remain blind. Is that ok?

On Management --> Application Management --> Multimedia Services you find the button "refresh all" on top of the Multimedia Shares list. This invokes the rescan automatically.
In case you like to reset the databas, I'd first try deleting and reloading the entries in this list. It is not necessary to clean the entire RAID...

The update of the Multimedia Database (once it is initialized the 1st time) happens automatically when you copy files in one of the shared folders.

After your explanation, I feel you're right and this is how it works.
Let's me try to start from beguinning with this imputs from you and thanks for your help

[stephil]

Hi there, I know that regardless my folder structure the dlna always presents video, photo and audio tree.
Subfoldering is a good idea anyway to skip refreshing all volume but only selected parts.
I'd like to prevent covers and AlbumArt files of my mp3 to appear in photo section but no way I guess.
The problem I'm having is besides this the impossibility of reset the library even if I deete and restore sharing; I have some file appearing in the dlna list which are no longer on disk, further I also have problem with "No volume found" (see other post).
I start to think this NAS is limited and buggy

[Mausschubser]

Guys!

Therefore, it is suposed will be showed only the fields in the shared folder, the rest will remain blind. Is that ok?

Yes you will only see what is inside the shared sub-folders. Everything outside is invisible to the DLNA client (your TV).

I have some file appearing in the dlna list which are no longer on disk

Might be related to that you still use top-level for Multimedia share: the Recycle-Bin folder of the NAS will be also scanned, so that you see deleted files. See Reply#1 at the beginning of this post: Media Library / UPnP AV Server Issues.

I don't use the NAS internal Media Server any more, just the shares. Then I have a nice Sat Receiver from Kathrein, which reads the files in the share and provides them again as DLNA in my network. Or you grab an old (not-so-much-power-sucking) laptop computer and install Twonky on it, and leave it running all day. Or you face fancy Linux and install a Twonky / other DLNA server somehow on the NAS itself or your router (but I am definitely not the expert for these kinda hacks.)

Cheers.

[stephil]

Hi Mausschubser,
I'm going to end up with similar setup.
The uPnP server on this NAS is literally crap; yesterday I did some other interesting trials.
I couldn't get rid of obsolete stuff, so I decided to delete all shares, add "Volume_1" in total (no refresh however) and immediately after delete it again.
Result is (perhaps) all stuff gone.
Now I'm re-adding subfolders shares but refresh takes ages, maybe meaning that library is really being updated....
And I agree, Twonky would save a lot of overhead, but I need some training...

[maol]

The easy solution is the installation of fun_plug and then Twonky or (if you need subtitles) miniDLNA. Stop use the built-in server, and all the problems will gone, you will have fast and reliable AV/UPnP/DLNA server, working with any TV. And you will not loose any of the previous functionality - only a new server will be added.

Hope that the future upgrade will use one of that servers because till now, the original software is a piece of *****.

[stephil]

Well, alternative server looks to be the sole solution for me as well, I need some training on it...

[Belisari]

Hello;

after some attemps, I finally have some of my data ready and can acces on my tv trought dnla

I agree it is quite hard and not friendly at all.

so, now I am able to see thonky or mininlda as well if that should give better experience.

so if anyone helps us how to start will be welcome!!

 

meanwhile I should work to see how can improve the data transfe to the nas due to this is also traumatic, trougth wifi takes to long as somebody said, spend ages to upload the photos or movies there.

anyway! thanks all to help me to arrives here.
now will see how far will go....

[sloong]

Can someone help me because RMVB Movie file can't showing on my media player.
Other movie files can see it.Any setting need to set?

[stephil]

Hi,
last night as a total newbie I could quite easily install ffp and Twonky for which I occasionally have a license coming with my Philips TV and the 'Light' suddenly turned on....
Somebody here said to forget the DNS included server, I fully agree now....
Full library updated in 15 mins instead of 3 days, free folder sharing, structure and filter (no hidden covers showed as picture...).
Cheers

[maol]

Notify that miniDLNA do not need any licence - it is totally free. If you looking for how to install it, check that links (use the procedures as for DNS-320):

For fun_plug and Twonky installation tutorial  http://nas-tweaks.net/tutorials/

For miniDLNA (if you do not want Twonky) http://www.czc.cz/d-link-sharecenter-pulse-dns-320_2/86134/produkt/e01c632t2oh3aalcn13goarfn4/diskuse   (this is a Czech page, but I hope it is easy to do all the steps to install miniDLNA)

I prefer miniDLNA than Twonky - it is smaller, lighter and faster. And free

[stephil]

Hi Maol and all,
as I'm having a recurrent problem with both my Philips TV, yesterday I decided to give this miniDLNA a chance.
The problem is that TVs are regularly disconnecting from DLNA server while playing back videos at a rate of about 30 minutes (http://www.supportforum.philips.com/en/showthread.php?8290-Undefined-behaviour-of-the-TV-when-connecting-to-DLNA-some-tips) and the only chance to revive it is to turn TV off/on.
This happens with both stock uPnP server of DLink and Twonky (which bizarrly is the preferred option of Philips and it is distributed by Philips site under the name of MediaServer...).
This "miniDLNA" is indeed very basic, maybe too basic as it does not offer GUI nor easy tutorial for unexperienced people, in fact installing it was not unpainful to me...
However, after having this installed, the library took 4/5 hours to refresh totally, which is far less than Dlink server but significantly longer that Twonky that did take 15-20min. Also folder structure shows some strange behavior and the 2 TVs are not behaving the same way (on the contrary of Twonky...) as some files are playable by one and 'not available' to the other (note that both TVs are same aged and feature very similar software).

BUT !

in miniDLNA.conf I increased the inotify_interval from 900sec (15 min) to something close to infinite and TVs play now for more than 3 hrs without disconnecting !!
Now, from one side I'm happy to have the chance to resolve the disconnections, from another I'm quite disappointed from the general quality of purchased products:
- TV software (both) are buggy and I feel no hope to have it fixed knowing the situation of Philips TV department nowadays
- DLink software : nice GUI but it is unacceptable to take literally days to refresh a library

Twonky is up to now the best one I tried in terms of speed and availability of files on clients and related folder structure but it does not help with low level configuration items (as the one used in miniDLNA to fix the issue)

What else server can I try on my DNS-320L?
Mediatomb?
PLEX?
Any tip will be more than appreciated.

thank you